Name: Venus in the Blind Spot
ISBN: 9781974715473

Junji Ito

A "best of" collection of creepy tales from Eisner award winner and legendary horror master Junji Ito. This ultimate collection presents the most remarkable short works of Junji Ito’s career, featuring an adaptation of Rampo Edogawa’s classic horror story "Human Chair" and fan favorite "The Enigma of Amigara Fault." In a deluxe presentation with special color pages and color illustrations from his most recent long-form manga No Longer Human, every page invites readers to revel in a world of terror.

Venus in the Blind Spot

so much of visual horror obviously depends on what will disturb someone on a personal/individual level, and junji ito’s horror is the blueprint bc not only does he make good use of the distinctions between horror/terror/dread, he also has a fundamentally different understanding of what his audience might find truly terrifying. this collection had its fair share of the contorted bodies and expressions and landscapes that ito is known for, but i also think it was at its best when it dove into the deep end of how suffocation can come in the form of both a literal cave and a more conceptual force compelling you towards something you neither understand nor want, or how your otherwise loving husband has a mistress no one else will be able to even imagine should you share with them what you have seen with your own eyes. 

if there’s a shared component running across all the strengths of this collection, maybe it’s in how it showcases so many ways a person can be violated beyond the jurisdiction of simple consent. what if a parishioner were to fall in obsessive love with a priest, and what starts off as harassment becomes a haunting you can’t escape? what if an overprotective father were to resort to invasive extremes to shield his daughter from unwanted attention? and what if you weren’t alone each time you sit in the only chair that can get you to write? 

anyway—we stay optimistically on the hunt for a junji ito work that will get the perfect chill to run down my spine. or at least one that will leave me uneasy to do something otherwise mundane. it’s a shame this was not the one, but it’s out there! i know it is! it will come to me when the time is right! this collection wasn’t the strongest with that in mind, but considering three were adaptations from short stories and a couple others were likely included by virtue of being fan favourites—it’s fine, and the two ranpo stories as well as

ended up being my personal favourites anyway. maybe there’s a thought there about me preferring naturally unsettling older settings for certain genres.

so much of visual horror obviously depends on what will disturb someone on a personal/individual level, and junji ito’s horror is the blueprint bc not only does he make good use of the distinctions between horror/terror/dread, he also has a fundamentally different understanding of what his audience might find truly terrifying. this collection had its fair share of the contorted bodies and expressions and landscapes that ito is known for, but i also think it was at its best when it dove into the deep end of how suffocation can come in the form of both a literal cave and a more conceptual force compelling you towards something you neither understand nor want, or how your otherwise loving husband has a mistress no one else will be able to even imagine should you share with them what you have seen with your own eyes. 

if there’s a shared component running across all the strengths of this collection, maybe it’s in how it showcases so many ways a person can be violated beyond the jurisdiction of simple consent. what if a parishioner were to fall in obsessive love with a priest, and what starts off as harassment becomes a haunting you can’t escape? what if an overprotective father were to resort to invasive extremes to shield his daughter from unwanted attention? and what if you weren’t alone each time you sit in the only chair that can get you to write? 

anyway—we stay optimistically on the hunt for a junji ito work that will get the perfect chill to run down my spine. or at least one that will leave me uneasy to do something otherwise mundane. it’s a shame this was not the one, but it’s out there! i know it is! it will come to me when the time is right! this collection wasn’t the strongest with that in mind, but considering three were adaptations from short stories and a couple others were likely included by virtue of being fan favourites—it’s fine, and the two ranpo stories as well as keepsake ended up being my personal favourites anyway. maybe there’s a thought there about me preferring naturally unsettling older settings for certain genres.

Stef

The Human Chair nya still bikin bergidik dan thank you sensei buat referensi mangaka favorite nya. I try to read Umezu sensei manga.

i enjoyed another junji ito’s work as always! i absolutely love the whole concept of a story of someone retelling a story?! skipped ch. 6 

maia

Emelie

2,5owls. My least favorite of his books so far!

Ken Yuen

It's a Junji Ito anthology, so it's great! I've even read a couple of these stories before, but it's mostly new stuff to me. Well worth reading for creepy unlike anything you can find in the west.

Rita Wang

Very grotesque as usual. I think it's interesting to see what Junji Ito is doing more (or less) of, particularly as this collection of stories focused more on adaptations and recommendations of classic authors' works. Two stories were adapted from Edogawa Ranpo, one from Robert Hichens, and one story spoke of Ito's history with and love for Kazuo Umezu's work throughout his life. I loved to see his own personal inspirations and I loved his foray into nonfiction in this collection. Unfortunately, again I have previously read four out of the ten of these stories before and so I think the impact was lessened a bit in the suspense of reading this collection, but the stories that I hadn't read before, I was really drawn in by. I continue to love the way Ito illustrates, his ability to capture unsettling atmosphere in the way that he depicts things, and the absurdist directions his plots always take. Even in his nonfiction work that could have been presented in a very clinical and nostalgic (fluffy) way was given a lot of drama and dynamic through his line work and over-exaggerated expressions. Really solid collection and great insight into Ito's interests and inspirations!

Jane The Bookaholic

Reading Vlog:  https://youtu.be/E85RzUvlSl8

⭐️ 4 Stars ⭐️

I definitely fell in love with junji ito writing style, it was so terrifying and I was really scared, but at the same time I just couldn’t stop reading. 
There was a few stories that I didn’t really like, but a few were so remarkable that I have to give this book 4 stars. 
Those stories just will keep getting back to your thought and I’m really eager to read more of junji ito work.

This striking collection presents the most remarkable short works of Junji Ito’s career, featuring an adaptation of Rampo Edogawa’s classic horror story “Human Chair” and fan favorite “The Enigma of Amigara Fault.” With a deluxe presentation—including special color pages, and showcasing illustrations from his acclaimed long-form manga No Longer Human—each chilling tale invites readers to revel in a world of terror. -- VIZ Media

Maya

Absolutely my favorite. My overall favorite Ito story (Billions Alone Club) is in this collection along with some of his best works (including the classic Enigma of Amigara Fault). The book itself is beautiful as well, which is always a plus.

Kathryn

Classic Junji Ito. Scary, disturbing, creepy, and all those other adjectives you can think of.