Junji Ito is being recognized more and more for being one of the masters of horror when it comes to telling bone chilling stories, with a live action adaptation arriving for the property of Tomie and an Adult Swim anime that translates the story of Uzumaki to the small screen, but these are far from the only adaptations that have been made from Ito’s works. With Junji Ito having created hundreds of different stories using his unique story telling style and amazingly detailed art work, we’re sure to see more adaptations being released in the future!
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What is your favorite Junji Ito adaptation to date? What adaptation are you most looking forward to between Tomie and Uzumaki? 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 horror filled manga!
The Junji Ito Collection
The most recent adaptation for Junji Ito’s collective works came in the anthology series titled The Junji Ito Collection, taking a number of different stories from the master of horror and translating them into an anime series. While many felt that the anime series couldn’t live up to the artistic vision that was originally created by Ito himself with his insanely detailed manga panels, the folks at Studio Deen were able to translate some of Ito’s scariest stories such as the Fashion Model, The Long Dream, and Smashed to name a few!
Tomie
Though an upcoming adaptation of the Tomie story is coming to Quibi with a new television series, you might be shocked to know that the scary story warranted nine movies! Starting in Japan in 1998, each installment featured a different actress as the titular character, each having creepy premises that found new ways to bring the ghostly succubus back to life! With the films running for a number of years, this is certainly the most popular live action adaptation for Junji Ito’s stories that have ever been made.
Tomie Vs Tomie
In what has to be the weirdest of the adaptations, this story does in fact base itself on an actual Junji Ito story in the series that is Tomie but the idea of Tomie fighting herself is a funny one to think about for sure. In this movie, released in 2007, two girls are able to acquire the genes of the original Tomie, making them somewhat clones of the original succubus and looking to continue in the legacy she left. Unfortunately, the pair realize that there can be only one and begin fighting one another along the way.
Uzumaki
No, this isn’t the upcoming Adult Swim anime series! Back in 2000, Uzumaki received a live action horror movie that did its best at creating the horrifying effects and spine chilling tales that were a part of this Junji Ito epic. While they didn’t all hit the mark, the adaptation is still able to take a number of the stories of Uzumaki and tell them to a terrifying degree here, showing what the series could look like in motion.
Gyo
Created by the same minds that brought Demon Slayer to life, production company Ufotable created the Junji Ito feature length film Gyo that explores a world that is besieged by acquatic life rampaging its way across the countryside. Though what is powering the fish is far more insidious than what is first presented, the striking images of sharks, octopii, and even tinier fish running on spider like legs is a tough one to shake. The film itself is only 75 minutes long and definitely worth your time.
The Long Dream
This is probably one of the lesser known live action adaptations but back at the turn of the century, an hour long tv movie was created for the spine tingling story called The Long Dream. Focusing on a hospital patient who feels that his dreams grow longer each time he falls asleep, the adaptation is able to create the disturbing imagery of Junji Ito quite well.
