What is Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre about?

Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is a new Netflix anime series adapting 20 of Junji Ito’s creepiest and most popular stories.

From Ito classics like Tomie and his Slug Girl collection to terrifying one-shot stories like “The Hanging Balloons,” Netflix’s anime will dedicate itself to themes of madness as it brings to life several different Junji Ito stories. Horror fans will not want to miss out on this particular series, especially if you are at all familiar with Ito’s work.

Junji Ito Maniac appears to be an excellent page-to-screen translation of Ito’s artistry, featuring all of the freaky, haunting cosmic body horrors we’ve come to know and love from Ito. Find out what to expect from the anime when it debuts on Jan. 19.

What is Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre about?

Among the stories being adapted for the anime are “Hanging Balloons,” “Ice Cream Bus,” “The Thing That Drifted Ashore,” and more. “Hanging Balloons” is a chilling standalone story about the suicide of a popular Japanese idol, Terumi Fujino. Fujino’s death causes a disturbing ripple effect across her fanbase.

In “Ice Cream Bus,” a seemingly innocent pastime involving an ice cream man driving around and providing children with sweet treats gets a dark and sinister twist. “The Thing That Drifted Ashore” is from Ito’s Slug Girl collection. This story follows the fallout revolving around the corpse of an unnatural creature washing ashore.

Junji Ito Maniac will also feature an episode dedicated to “The Bizarre Hikizuri Siblings,” who have appeared in a few Junji Ito stories.

There will be a total of 20 stories adapted for the Netflix anime series, spread across 12 episodes. The majority feature two stories each, but some, like “The Strange Hikizuri Siblings: The Seance,” “Tomb Town,” and “The Hanging Balloons,” are standalone episodes.

Here is the official Netflix synopsis for the show:

"Horror manga masterpieces penned by the king of the genre Junji Ito are coming to Netflix in 2023 in an anime series. From Ito’s wealth of works, 20 outstanding stories with the shared theme of madness will be animated."

Watch the terrifying trailer below:

Netflix also released a clip from the Tomie episode:

Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre starts streaming Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. To ensure you don’t miss the show, add it to your Netflix watchlist right now.