Reviews for Fragments of Horror

This was my first foray into the world of mangaka Junji Ito and I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction. Fragments of Horror is quite simply one of the best horror anthologies I’ve come across in any medium. Fragments of Horror is comprised of eight short stories of varying lengths. While some are better than others, they are all effective. It starts off with Futon, which consists of a mere eight pages yet masterfully sets the tone for the anthology. Eerie, quirky, shocking and unpredictable. Said tone is established and maintained by pretty much all of the stories featuring twist-laden plots often incorporating the themeof paranoia with disturbing imagery often pertaining to the distortion of the human body. The standouts for me would have to be Gentle Goodbye, which was an oddly touching albeit simultaneously unnerving story that I could see hitting home with anyone who’s lost a family member and Blackbird, which had arguably the most bizarre plot and some of the most unsettling imagery in the anthology. Nevertheless, all of the stories in the anthology are worth reading.

Although the stories are definitely memorable and compelling, the anthology’s artwork would have to be its strongest aspect. The realistic characters and sheer amount of detail given to the viscera and supernatural entities makes the stories all the more engaging and disturbing. The way Ito lays out the panels is also worth noting as he does so in such a way that allows the viewer’s eyes to glide across the page, making it easier to read and giving it an oddly addictive quality. He also utilizes this so as to make the anthology more unsettling due to instances of it placing us in a character’s shoes by having an image of the character reacting at the end of a page with a detailed and horrific image of whatever the character was reacting to on the next, often making the turning of a page a nerve-racking experience.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend Fragments of Horror to anyone who enjoys the genre as well as anyone who would like to see the comic medium utilized in a unique way and am looking forward to reading some more of Ito’s work in the future.

Story 7/10 Ma no Kakera has stand-alone chapters, with pretty simplistic stories, so don't expect something which will blow you away. Despite that lack of complexity, I didn't find most of the stories really predictable. They usually have a twist, which in some cases will leave you like WTF? (specially Nanakuse Kyokumi and Haunted Wood Mansion stories) Art 10/10 I find Ito Junji's art really great, and Ma no Kakera is not a exception. It fits the story well and creates a proper atmosphere. Characters 6/10 The worst part of Ma no Kakera. They have no depth and are completly forgettable. However, being a totally plot-driven manga, the characters aren'treally important to enjoy it, so the lack of characterization doesn't affect the quality of the story.

Enjoyment 10/10

Despite its flaws, I truly enjoyed this manga. I got hooked on it and I didn't stop reading until I finished it. It certainly is not a masterpiece, but will give you a good time.

Overall 8/10

If you liked other Ito Junji's works, specially his stand-alone manga, give Ma no Kakera a try. I'm almost sure you'll enjoy it.

Note: I also wrote this review on Goodreads under the name Animelove24 but it is still my review. This review will be consisted of what I thought of each story. Futon: A nice short start to the collection. A little bit horrifying, and a little bit funny. I gets you prepared for how all the other stories are going to be. Wooden Spirit: This one I just found really weird. I didn't really get why the woman was there or why the house turned into a monster. I definitely liked the first one better. Tomio. Red Turtleneck: Here is where I feel the 'Horror' part of Fragments of Horrorbegan. I liked the fortune tellers curse aspect and Tomio getting his comeuppance was nice. And the visuals with the gore were done spectacularly. If I had one problem with this story, its that the curse kind of really had no rules put to it. The whole main plot of the story was that Tomio had to hold onto his head so it wouldn't fall off but at one point he takes his head completely off and then puts it back on and doesn't die. It really takes away a lot of tension the character is seemingly immortal. I also found the introduction of the children near the end to be pointless. I guess the author was trying to explain why the fortune teller did what she did, but the children only stick around for a few pages so its kind of moot. It would have been better if there had been no explanation. Overall the story was nice and gory which is what I think it was trying to be so I would recommend reading if not for the story, but for the visuals.

Gentle Goodbye: This is probably one of favourite stories from the whole book if not my favourite. It's a nice sweet story that's full of gore or disturbing images which is a bit of a nice break from the first few stories. Of course is has some supernatural elements, which I can't really mention without spoiling it, but they're not too intrusive as to mess up what is essentially a love story. I would definitely recommend this one for anyone who loves a good supernatural Tale but without it being too scary

Dissection-chan: Dissection-chan is weird. Very, very, extremely weird. Its a story about a psychotic girl who wants to dissect herself/ have someone dissect her and a boy whose life has been intertwining with hers since childhood. It's well written story with some creepy images and good character development with the girl Dissection-chan with you at first thinking she is just plain crazy and then slowly develop into thinking that there might be something to her wanted to be dissected with it going back and forth between those thoughts until the very last panel which in my opinion is one of the most disturbing in the book.

Blackbird: I really liked the visuals in this horror The bird woman in particular is a nice blend of creepy and beautiful. The story itself is odd. I didn't really understand what was happening, perhaps a weird bit of time travel or something. Some bits were a bit horror of course and as such it was slightly disturbing but I was mostly just confused. That being said if you can get by ignoring the confusing time travel and just pay attention to creepiness and visuals its a nice little read.

Magami Nanakuse: This story didn't really make much of an impact on me. It was very short, there wasent really a lot of development within the main characters journey, and all I can really say is that the surprise reveal with the main characters fate is of course a super creepy image that I loved.

Whispering Woman: Hands down my favourite story. Pictures: Gorgeous. Story: Slightly creepy but with a bit of a realistic relatable element which are the creepiest sort of stories to me. In this story a woman is hired by a girls father to help her make decisions since the girl is incapable of doing so and the woman does so by whispering suggestions in her ear. As the story goes on you begin to wonder if the woman is all she appears to be as her appearance starts to become more and more deteriorated the more the girl listens. It's not as creepy or horrifying as the other stories and there aren't a lot of disturbing images, but I think that point serves the story well. I would definitely recommend this above all others.

TL;DR: The whole book itself is a nice collection filled with stories ranging from terrifying to funny with some drawings in it that are quite beautiful in their own disturbing way and is a good introduction to Junji Ito's work.

TLDR: pretty boring but has some promising moments Right, so I didn't like this very much. I've heard over the years how Ito is this supposedly amazing horror artist and writes these creepy stories. I picked up this copy of short stories and was exited to finally enjoy some horror as its been a while since I've read any. The story's are quite boring besides two, maybe three of them, the art is great, but the story's are quite frankly not creepy or uncomfortable to me. The further I got into the manga the more I enjoyed them I assume this is because, as ITO explains inthe afterword, its the first collection of horror he wrote in 8 years. Boi is he rusty but the later stories get interesting and have a very creepy atmosphere. (I completely agree with his editor about the futon story)

Some left me chilly! I want to read more but this being my first dive into his work has left me intrigued but un impressed.

The shorts found here can be pretty hit or miss, when they hit, they hit hard but unfortunately they can also miss hard. As the title suggests "Fragments of horror" are short horror stories that don't share anything thematically or even have any shared characters. Personally, I found Blanket(futon) and Haunted wood mansion to be the weakest of the bunch and they cover the 'miss' section. However, Tomio: Red turtleneck, Black Bird and Whispering woman have quickly become some of my favorite Junji stories. The art is generally pretty solid and does justice to the expectations on Junji manga but Dissection girl has a different art style towhat we're used to and that disappointed me( That could be different for you). Dissection girl does redeem itself in it's unsettling nature and premise though.

Overall, definitely a well compiled bunch of stories i'd recommend to anyone that's itching for some creepy,unsettling manga.

Overall- 8.5/10 A pretty decent collection from Junji Ito with consistently good art but not so consistent stories. 1. *Futon*: 5/10 Man, Ito sure does not like guys named Tomio. It won’t be wise to expect much from a story of only 7 pages, and the story does not do much to prove you wrong either. Very simple idea, unclimatic conclusion, really not much to see here story-wise, but Ito’s visual talents never disappoint. The only reason I am rating this this high is because of that 2-page spread. 2. *Wooden Spirit*: 7/10 While this short remains successful in creating a great atmosphere of mystery and also having earning the praise ofactually holding my attention and not being downright obvious in the solution to it’s mystery, it still suffers from a weak ending that just leaves you wanting for more. Like most of Ito’s short stories, this one too is strongest in the middle.

It would disappoint a new reader but I’ve come to enjoy Junji Ito’s short story collections as small atmospheric pieces, perhaps because I’m a big fan of such supernatural mysteries, and the art at least never lets you down.

3. *Tomio: Red Turtleneck*:

8.5/10

A simple premise of body-horror that was surprisingly well executed. I had feared that this story might just end up being a mediocre one but Ito managed to craft a great climax to this simple tale with the help of his wicked imagination and ever effective skill of presenting even the simplest of ideas in horrifying visual form.

4. *Gentle Goodbye*:

9/10

A very ‘gentle’ story for Junji Ito’s imagination, no doubt. This one does not really aim at being to horrify or scare as almost all the stories from Ito I’ve read yet do. It clearly has a more emotional side which is established in the very first page and progresses as an examination of grief from a very unique perspective, also delivery a good twist or two along the way.

5. *Dissection-chan*:

9/10

I’m not really into the gore aspect of horror and Junji Ito, I prefer the atmospheric and supernatural mysteries, and neither has body-horror being a big favourite of mine, but *Dissection-chan* is an undeniably good short from Junji Ito.

This one does not really jump into the gore and the disgusting visuals as one would expect from the title, but instead delves into morbid fetishes. It creates an adequately unnerving sense of fear and thrill and also gives the reader another great Junji Ito 2-page spread.

6. *Blackbird*:

5/10

Just doesn’t do much for me. An irritatingly dumb ending to an unremarkable premise which started off with some promise but ends up gradually loosing all potential by being absolutely mediocre.

7. *Magami Nanakuse*:

4/10

What the hell?

This one is a story about character quirks or ‘tics’, I guess. I don’t get what Ito was trying to get at with this one but it seems to me that he failed in the most unimaginably absurd manner possible.

8. *Whispering Woman*:

7/10

I don’t really get why I like this one as much as I do. It’s a typical Ito short- interesting concept, great art as always, bland ending but still gives a good mystery and holds your attention for it’s length.

The phenomenon at work, or the ‘mystery’, isn’t really explained but it’s best to approach these works as mood pieces.

Fragments of Horror – Spoiler Free – Recommended TLDR Futon: 1/10 Wooden Spirit: 5/10 Tomio – Red Turtleneck: 9/10 Gentle Goodbye: 7/10 Dissection-chan: 8/10 Blackbird: 4/10 Magami Nanakuse: 2/10Whispering Woman: 2/10

Overall: 6/10

Disclaimer: due to the nature of this work – a collection of short stories –, my normal parameters of Story, Art, Characters and Enjoyment with a weighted average won’t be applied. Instead, a global overview will be offered.

Fragments of Horror is a collection of eight individual short stories made by Junji Ito with no common thread. Their quality ranges from very good, such as Tomio – Red Turtleneck and Dissection-chan, to bad – Magami Nanakuse and Whispering Woman –, or being too being too short to be even noticeable – Futon. There are also some stories which are average, such as Wooden Spirit or Blackbird. Verily, this compilation collects some of Ito's best stories in his repertoire. However, one should not expect all stories to be scary; as a matter of fact, some of them are quite funny and have funny panels. With the exception of two stories, Tomio – Red Turtleneck and Dissection-chan – stories aren’t scary or add anything to the genre. It is still, however, a collection of memorable stories that should be regarded in good light.

The art in Fragments of Horror isn't bad at all, for the panels have good fluency and cadence. There are very few memorable panels – maybe only in Wooden Spirit. The rest of the art style is functional, and it is done in typical Junji Ito fashion.

Characters are void and simply play a role as dialogue placeholders.

Although not all stories are good, there are some that make it worth your while to read this, and it is, nevertheless, a quick read. Although there are some weak stories, one must not ignore the quality of the middle chapters, which sustains the overall rating. All these reasons make Fragments of Horror worthy of a recommendation.

Well, this sure is a mixed bag. There's some amazing stories, some okay stories, and one... that is questionable. I had a lot of fun reading this collection, for the most part. !SOME SPOILERS AHEAD! Futon is both short and slow somehow, but at least it helps get you in the mood for horror with something lighter than what's to come. 5/10 Things pick up from the second story, Wooden Spirit, although the thing I liked most about it was the visual horror, and not as much the story itself. There was something compelling about the protagonist though. 6/10 Tomio - The Red Turtleneck is a rollercoaster, shocking, terrifying, gross.I love it. The story is simple but the premise is absolutely terrifying!! The grayscale manga style makes it better IMO because in the beginning your brain doesn't immediately connect the dots that the turtleneck is covered in blood, because it just looks gray. So the realisation later on becomes all the more horrific. And despite how horrifying a story it is, it has a happy ending? At least a happier ending than most Junji Ito stories. I think that helps a lot, it lets the reader take a breather from the horrors that they just witnessed.

9/10

Gentle Goodbye is a very sad (albeit slow) story, but I like the ghost elements that it has. Very simple, eerie enough.The ending is especially heartbreaking in a quiet sort of way. There's no grand monster or gore, just melancholic acceptance.

8/10

Dissection-chan won't be for everyone, but I personally like it. It's unsettling, and it keeps taunting you that there'll be a lot of gore soon, to keep you on edge. I ends in a satisfactory enough way, although a bit too abruptly IMO. I like characters like Ruriko, and the way the story frames her is not just "look at how crazy and creepy she is!" but also "look how tortured she is by what's happening to her body". I just wish we could have seen a bit more of that.

7/10

Blackbird is okay. It feels like the most to-be-expected horror story out of all the stories, and that's not a bad thing. There's the mystery, the creepy lady, the gross element of the raw meat & blood that ends up being human, and the horror of the conclusion of the story that it was all somehow inevitable and that it'll happen again. I think it's a good way to use timeloops/time travel in a story, there's no questioning of the logistics of it.

7/10

Magami Nanakuse... Let me just say, I feel utterly betrayed by the chapter cover image. Magami looks so unsettling and cool and playful with her pose, facial expression and fashion in contrast to the eerie background! The story itself tricks you that something cool will happen. Until the protagonist meets Magami. For example, why does her apprentice look so old and withered down? Is Magami some kind of witch that lures fans into her home in order to drain their life force, does she use their memories to write her stories? I wish. Instead of something like this, you get the uncomfortably familiar and transphobic trope of "man in women's clothing!" reveal, and then a bunch of other things that are never truly given the space to develop.

2/10 (the 2 points are for what could have been)

The Whispering Woman is the reason why I bought this collection in the first place. It's less loud than most of the stories, but it's so human and sad, and tragic. Speaking as someone with anxiety, it feels very real, despite it being very exaggerated. The end is both triumphant and unsettling. The art is truly amazing, it gives Mitsu the impression of someone who is suffering while also looking creepy.

9/10 (although this might be a very subjective rating)

This is the second manga by Junji Ito that I've read, the first one being Uzumaki. This is actually a collection of eight short stories, each being an anthology. The stories in this one are quite short but impactful and unique. Some of them are good while others, not so much. Maybe the ones I didn't enjoy were probably not my cup of tea. The art style is beautiful yet creepy as expected by Junji Ito. The art style heavily compliments the story. The only reason I picked "Mixed Feelings" in the recommended section is because I didn't like all of the stories.

Whispering Woman being the best story in this collection>>> I started Junji Ito's with "Mimi's Ghost Stories" and thought the collection very weak and bland, but with this one I ended up liking it more. They have stories with good and even interesting themes (somewhat suggestive) that managed to come out of a mind that had been without drawing stories for about 8 years (as he says at the end of the Manga). I feel that the best of the stories was "Whispering Woman", having a very interesting theme, something that I thought the other stories lacked a little (I liked "Lingering Farewell" and "Black Bird" alittle, but I don't think they surpass "Whispering Girl")

I hope my journey with Ito's long and perfect, I'm diving head first into the horror universe of our beloved Mangaka

futon - 10/10 wooden spirit - 6/10 tomio: red turtleneck - 9/10 gentle goodbye - 8.5/10 dissection chan - 6/10 blackbird - 6/10 magami nanakuse - 6.5/10 whispering woman - 6.5/10 this was the second junji book i ever read a couple years ago. off top it starts off with "futon" which i know prob gets blown by by many as just a lil intro story but gotta say it’s one of my favorite junji short stories i’ve read so far. it’s rly short but it does everything it needs to do in just a few pages, just so creative & clever & such a unique & well executed lil horror. the 2page spread horror reveal is amazing, one of my favorite junji spreads, what a great reveal & unexpected reason for it. also on the physical book if you take the dust cover off this image is printed black on black into the hardcover & it looks fire, i keep this book without the dust cover on it just like the "venus in the blind spot" hardcover bc i think that black bare hardcover design looks so sick with his art on it. i always go back to this story though & love it fs.

i don't rly like "wooden spirit" that much, there's some cool panels when shit gets crazy, but it's narrative is just alright. but after that there's "tomio: red turtleneck" which is great. a highly tense concept that is tense from the very beginning, & as it goes the gore is crazy! rly makes u wince in agony with a couple of the torturous gore scenes & the crazy constant stakes of the story intensifies that feeling. the story has a couple silly moments but it's funny that its the same tomio from futon, & that he still has a problem with cheating lol this man has survived some horrors. "gentle goodbye" starts slow but grows to be sad & has good twists that feel heavy & is actually an emotionally weighted & well presented depiction about processing death.

the second half of this book is weaker than the first half imo unfortunately. "dissection chan" aka "dissection girl" has a good lil gross ass horror reveal at the end, but the story is weak & i feel like there could’ve been a more fleshed out angle to go with the dissection theme. "blackbird" is aight, kinda gross i guess but just not that gripping a story, i know i’ve seen junji do the whole gross woman mouth thing better like in “the licking woman” which i didn't love but at least had way grosser depictions. when she’s in her bird form it looks goofy af too lol. "magami nanakuse" is more of a comedic one, i do think the tic stuff is funny & the story progression is actually above average for junji as far as the plot being tied up well from the beginning to the end with little easter eggs sprinkled throughout for the reread, but i guess it just doesn't grip me in general as much as i'd want. lastly "whispering woman" is another alright one, decent story kinda predictable ending but nothing too bad, it does have a rare positive ending for ito standards which is cool but not i'm not blown away by it or anything. none of these stories i hated but more like thought they were just aight.

overall i do think he has stronger short story collections & i do think the book looses steam half way, but i do know i have a bias to junji's art & even his stories i feel are mid always have at least couple drawings that i think are rly good. reading a mid junji short story to me is rly never too bad bc of how i enjoy to just look at his art, & especially bc i always read his shit physical & his books are always printed in good hardcover quality. but in the end the tomio stories in this are easily my favorite & i'll always fw futon such a good intro story imo!!!

overall - 7/10

There's something about Junji Ito's work that I have a hard time putting into words. While reading this, I didn't feel particularly fulfilled after each short story. Some were quite weak and some were pretty strong. Some had interesting premises and execution, some were just kinda silly. But even after reading some of the best stories in this collection, I didn't feel a lot of satisfaction. Then, after I finished the book, it dawned on me: Junji Ito's work is a slow burn. It just sticks with you, coming to mind when you least expect it. It haunts you. Not that his work is particularly scaryto me, at least not these stories specifically, but it just stays with you. It hangs out in the back of your head, and when you see a trigger, you immediately think of one of his stories. Next time I see a futon, I will think of that silly futon short story. If I see a particularly nice house, I will think of the woman who had the hots for houses. If I'm having a hard time making a small decision, I will think of the whispering woman who constantly whispered detailed instructions on a girl's ear. This phenomenon occurred to me when I read Ito's Dissolving Classroom, a book that I thought was okay but not all that great. In that series, whenever the main character would apologize profusely to someone, they would eventually start to melt. So now whenever someone apologizes to me a lot, I always recall that book a crack a joke about it. As such, I have a higher appreciation for it than I did when I read it. I think the same applies to most of Ito's work.

The stories are good for the most part, but it's a mixed bag. The art, however, is great throughout, whether it be depicting mortified characters, gore, body horror, creatures, or insanely detailed spreads. The paneling remains simple, but very effective and well paced. My main complaint with the art is that some characters look too much alike. A few are pretty memorable though.

All in all, I'd give this collection an 8/10. Some stories were kinda weak, so I was gonna go a point lower, but I think that the strong stories of the bunch more than make up for it. Dissection-chan alone is worth buying this book for.

Quick individual short story reviews:

Futon: 3/5

The shortest and simplest of the eight storiest. I thought the story itself was very weak, but the art was at its strongest here with some amazingly detailed spreads.

Wooden Spirit: 3/5

A twist on the haunted house trope. Not great, but still fairly enjoyable. The art was great, with some very detailed interiors. Story was just good enough to be creepy.

Tomio / Red Turtleneck: 4/5

This one actually got to me a bit. I could feel the existential horror of Tomio holding his head in place lest he lose it. The cockroach thing made me very uncofortable. Ending was good. Strong art that really showed the terror of the situation.

Gentle Goodbye: 2/5

This one's a big meh. It wasn't awful, but it was fairly predictable and unsatisfying. Weakest story and art of the bunch.

Dissection-chan: 5/5

Easily the best short story of the book. Amazing premise and execution. Ended very appropriately too. The art was some of the best of the book, showing some detailed inner anatomy. The main character is very memorable, and her creepy face is one of the best.

Blackbird: 4/5

I really didn't like this at first but by the time I was done, I was very creeped out. I think it could've been done better, but overall it was a satisfying turn of events and ending.

Magami Nakanuse: 3/5

Ehhh, I really didn't like this one much, but the premise of jailing people to see what tics they develop in captivity so you can write about it is very interesting. Besides that I found this one a bit boring. There was some cool art, especially the odd poses and faces.

Whispering Woman: 4/5

This one was pretty good. It's relatable to get anxious about decision-making, even when it comes to small things. Seeing decision-paralysis taken to a comical extreme here was interesting. There was a lot more development in these 30 pages than I expected, and the ending was quite good.