San Diego Comic-Con is one of the biggest annual events focusing on the world of comic books, pop culture, and anime. With countless guests in the pop culture world taking the opportunity to attend the event in California, Comic-Con has announced that none other than the master of horror Junji Ito will be in attendance. With Ito receiving a new anime adaptation earlier this year on Netflix and plenty of projects on the way, the mangaka specializing in creepy stories might have quite a lot to talk about.
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Junji Ito manga is some of the best representations of horror in the medium, normally mixing the mundane with terror that is beyond human comprehension. While Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of The Macabre arrived on Netflix earlier this year, fans are waiting for more news when it comes to Toonami’s adaptation of one of his most popular stories, Uzumaki. Recently, the mangaka’s work was also announced to receive a live-action feature-length film from Fangoria Studios, Bloodsucking Darkness. Based on a story focusing on a new take on the creatures of the night, the upcoming take on vampires will be the first of three movies that are adapting Ito’s work.
Junji Ito in San Diego
Here’s how San Diego Comic-Con describes Junji Ito for his upcoming appearance at this year’s annual event, “Four-time Eisner Award-winning creator Junji Ito made his professional manga debut in 1987 and since then has gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest contemporary artists working in the horror genre. In 2019 his collection Frankenstein won an Eisner Award in the Best Adaptation from Another Medium category, and in 2021 he was awarded Best Writer/Artist, while his book Remina received the award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia. In 2022, Lovesickness won Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia.”
Toonami’s Uzumaki was originally delayed thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. While Cartoon Network released trailers that show how faithful to Ito’s art the series will be, the anime has yet to confirm if it will be arriving this year. Regardless, the future is bright for the biggest master of horror in the anime realm.
What future Junji Ito project are you most looking forward to? What has been your favorite creepy campfire story from Ito to date? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Junji Ito.
