Ranked #2130

Gyo (Manga)

Horror is a hard thing to make in comics today without just being a mindless blood bath of gore and fluids splattered across the walls. Junji Ito does a good job of providing us with good, freaky stories that scare or just plain old disturbs us. Gyo is one of his most recent stories that he took a chance with and provided us with a new look of what is under the sea. Not just that either, in this series we were also given two quick short stories at the end of the series to leave us terrified of not going under our houses or go hiking anymore.

Story:

The main story is nice and helps build up tension and suspense as each chapter builds. The things that make this story from reaching a perfect score are that two chapters that take place in a carnival is a bit lacking and the end leaves us without a good real way to end the story. Otherwise this story provides us a good explanation of what is happening to our hero and builds up a nice strong storyline.

Now the other two stories are interesting. The first one is too short and lacks any real depth or horror to it, though it leaves us wondering. The second short story really is a lot better and can give us shivers. This story is strong and provides enough information to understand the situation but leaves us with two questions at the end: why are they drawn to the area and who was that at the end of the story?

Art:

This story has a nice sense of art style, the main characters are nicely drawn, the details the world are amazing, and the monsters or should I say fish, are drawn beyond any skill level I have seen before. This story has set the bar high on what a story should look like. There is nothing to complain about here.

Character:

What can I say about our only four characters? The female lead is a complaining brat who never gives up complaining about the smell, but after a while I say why she would complain. It doesn’t help us like her more though. The male lead character is pretty cool and has a good sense of luck throughout most of the story. His uncle is a bit weird and there isn’t enough information about him to connect him with us. His assistant is interesting, but still, not enough information is given about her to make us feel connected with her.

The short stories lack a bit of depth in the characters, but then again, they are just short stories so there isn’t enough time to shell out a lot of information about them. The first story leaves us with nothing to know about any of the characters, but the second story does provide us with enough information about our two characters, though not a lot, to understand them a bit.

Enjoyment:

The main story itself was fun to read, but not enough to make me want to read it over and over again. The short stories, however, would be fun to read again and again. Overall, it depends if you like the story the first time around then you might want to read it again.

Overall:

This is a solid horror story, but lacks a strong ending that may disappoint. Horror fans will enjoy the story and so will fans of Junji Ito as well. Also, if regular people are looking for a good story with a great art style, they’ll want to jump into this story.

Warning: This story contains graphic violence, nudity, and disturbing images. Do you hate that stuff? If you do, avoid this story at all costs!
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The city of Okinawa is under attack - no, not by armed forces or aliens, but by walking(or more accurately, scuttling) fish. Scuttling fish that smell really, really awful. So awful, in fact, that a large portion of the manga consists of characters complaining about the horrible stench.

The question is (obviously) why are these fish scuttling? And why do they smell so terrible? But the nagging questions, shocking revelations, and horror don't end there for the unfortunate main protagonists: Tadashi, a courageous and good-natured young man and his girlfriend Kaori, a neurotic young woman who is cursed with a strong sense of smell. Will these two find a way to escape and/or defeat these creepy creatures? And, really, what could that smell be coming from?

I was surprised with Gyo. This was an entertaining horror story with some truly nightmarish imagery to go along with it. It's rare that this happens for me, but I was hooked from the first chapter and I read non-stop until the very end. And it's a fairly satisfying end. Not one that would likely anger many readers. The plot twists are great as well and not easily predictable. Story - 7/10

This creepy horror manga benefits greatly by the impressive artwork by Junji Ito, who is also the writer. This is one of those stories where I actually physically reacted a little to it while reading it. That doesn't happen often but I think you'll understand why I felt slightly nauseous. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is very squeamish as it does get nasty(I'm not talking about blood and guts though). The artwork is very detailed and the realistic character designs fit the dark story they are a part of. Nothing looks sloppy and I have little to complain about other than personal nitpicks. Art - 9/10

The characters are good for its length. It's easy to get an idea of their core personalities, strengths, and weaknesses just by briefly thinking about their actions. For example, Tadashi has a seemingly built-in impulse to help people and he puts his own safety at risk in doing so. Kaori is extremely jumpy and shrill, especially when compared to Tadashi's calmer, more rational demeanor. Even the minor characters are paid attention to, such as Tadashi's somewhat unnerving inventor of an uncle and his faithful assistant Ms. Yoshiyama. Background stories are presented which help to make them more than just side-line characters or simple plot devices. Characters - 7/10

I would definitely recommend Gyo to anyone seeking a good, not too long horror read. It is a satisfying and unique tale with disturbing imagery that would be hard to forget after seeing it. Enjoyment - 8/10

There are two short horror stories included with Gyo: 'The Sad Tale of the Principle Post' and 'The Enigma of Amigara Fault'. The first one is about a family who hear a cry of help from the father. That is all I can give away without spoiling it because it is that short. The second one is, thankfully, significantly longer and succeeded in creeping me out quite a bit. Even more so than Gyo did, actually. The Enigma of Amigara Fault is about a young man named Owaki and a girl named Yoshida who stumble upon a bizarre formation that nearly encompasses one entire side of a mountain. There are holes in the shape of human bodies on this mountain. Holes that seem to go on forever. And the people who have now gathered around these holes are becoming obsessed with them. But at what cost?

Loved the conclusion of that one.

Overall opinion of Gyo: Well worth reading and with great artwork. read more