Other manga, like the titular “Smashed,” introduce intriguing horrors but end before achieving their full potential. “Ghosts of Prime Time” and “Splendid Shadow Song” are particularly weak. There are also a few bland stories where the core ideas just aren’t memorable enough to make up for their underdeveloped characters.
These twist endings seldom actually enhance the horror rather, they undermine it by making the narrative arcs feel less well-crafted. Revelations about strangers being relatives or co-workers having sinister hidden connections receive a little foreshadowing, but not enough to build up actual interest in the characters. There are a number of sudden reveals that feel tacked on for the purpose of eliciting shock but which are executed too poorly to feel anything but forced. Unfortunately, this collection also features many of the same cons that have marred Ito’s past works. The idea of a source of terror that moves from town to town is also a classic one, and Ito does a good job imbuing it with life. Upon first entering the building guests are surprised by how cheap and kiddish the decorations are, but their disappointment quickly shifts to horror as they keep progressing further inside. The creepy faces in this story are among the volume’s best, and the set-up for the haunted house is great.
The further into the story one gets the more disturbing truths about the house are revealed, and the more we see of how the house’s customers are ultimately affected by their visits. It centers around a traveling haunted house run my a frightening businessman with a mouth full of nails. The aforementioned trilogy is the book’s longest semi-continuous narrative, and it’s a fun one. The manga included feature all manner of oddities, from a phantom flood to a trilogy about a haunted house and demented children who hoard nails in their mouths. His latest release, Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection, was recently published by Viz Media. For instance, while his adaptation of Frankenstein was ghoulishly enjoyable, I found most of the original works in the same collection to be underwhelming. With that said, I’ve found his actual narratives to be hit-or-miss. His creepy and over-the-top imagery stands out above the pack. Horror mangaka don’t get more famous than Junji Ito.
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