01.09.11

I don't like mangas at all. Most of them are terrible in many aspects. Poor plot, ridiculous anatomy of the characters and dull cliche repetition are only some of the more obvious. Yet, for some mysterious reason, people keep reading them, completely ignoring the west comic school.

But then again, there are notable exceptions. One of them is Junji Ito who fills a terrible hole in the market and indeed there are few good horror comics. And when I say good horror comics, I mean it. Too much ink has been spilled only to produce laughable abortions. Thank God that Junji Ito is different.

 

But what really hit me in all his works is that he actually tells stories and makes art. No grotesque big-eyed girls staring at you from every page. And yet you can easily pick his style from the crowd. It's distinct due to its anatomical realism or, perhaps better said, surrealism. Either way, things he draws look convincing and that is the point. His art and stories do stir emotions in the sea of dullness and misunderstanding.

(Images from: Secret of the Haunted Mansion, Uzumaki)