Itou Junji: Maniac

US Netflix decided to add "Japanese Tales of the Macabre," as a subtitle for this series, however, not all of the stories presented are actually macabre. The stories in this anthology series tend to run more on the weird or wtf did I just watch (not derogatory) side of things, which sets it apart from Itou Junji: Collection, though sometimes you do run into some truly macabre stories. Going through each episode, sometimes it was obvious why whatever particular story hadn't been animated before because some of them seemed to lose something in the transition from manga to anime whether it was in terms of ... ambiance or pacing. That said, it wasn't a bad anthology and the stories picked had good structure. This is why I liked Collection more than I liked Maniac.

If you liked Collection, like Itou Junji, or enjoy things that are a bit weird and creepy simultaneously then you'll probably like Maniac.

FOR THE ACCURATE EXPERIENCE WATCH IT IN GRAYSCALE!

Been waiting for that show for quite some time now. And I'm glad I watched it.
Creepy, twisted and dark works of one and only Junji Ito are well knows around the world and remembering last attempt to adapt his work being worried was more than justified. Not to mention few last Studio Deen works weren't the best.

But here we are, we got 20 short stories from Ito's rich and vile world, some were great, some quite disappointing, unfortunately what works on paper not always works on the silver screen. Regardless that - it was fun yet ... twisted watch. Definitely the best two shorts were Hanging Baloons and Tomie, as expected, two of the most renowned and known of his works. We all known that Junji Ito's works are blend of deeply unsettling psychological horror and body horror, sometimes taken to the genres extreme. But always having one thing in common - profound impact on the reader, wether it's just a creepy short like The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel or a bit more complex The Thing that Drifted Ashore, also both adaptations of these stories were quite on par with original.

But moving onto Studio Deen, I'm always saying that, didn't have greatest streak lately, yeah, but I'd like to remind everyone that they are, after all, creators of em few horror animes that are worth watching after years, namely - Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (need to add that while it's at best average adaptation, it stands on its own as a standalone work) and dark and deeply moving Jigoku Shoujo. Yes, I'm not a fan of anime horrors, unlike in live-action, these tend to be quite disappointing, let me just mention Another of the head, which can't decide whether it wants to be a full on horror, or another teen fucking drama. And that goes for most of the anime horrors in recent years, no need to mention that horrible adaptation of Corpse Party, isn't it. But here we are, this time simplicity in animation actually works miracles in this show, while Junji Ito's works are full of detail, in its core are quite simple. And it works in favour of the adaptation. Fluidity and backgrounds are quite on par with it, the main con I would have is of use CGI, sometimes overusing 3D models on 2D backgrounds hurt my eyes, but in general it's more than acceptable, this time Deen had enough time to finish the work.

Sound design and voice acting are among the best in recent years, beautifully crafted soundtrack only makes entire show more unsettling.Dark ambient mixed with smooth electronics and proper orchestration here and there gives proper chills even listening outside of the show. Voice acting on the other hand is a powerhouse. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Sound design in general was bloody spot on, amazingly atmospheric yet eerie. Couldn't ask for more in that departement, definitely one of the better sounding shows in recent months. I'm not a fan of the opening theme though, but ending theme on the other hand is one of my Winter 2023 favourites.

For better or worse it's a quite successful adaptation of Junji Ito's works, brings them no shame, to be honest looking at the picked works it is actually quite great entry into his works. It isn't particularly scary, but it's really creepy and unsettling, especially in these stronger episodes. Releasing it all at once isn't the greatest idea since consuming it all in one go can be quite hard, not only because of themes but as well as psychological exhaustion.

Summing it up it's quite good show, respecting its source material and amazing audio. Animation wise it ain't the best, especially when mixing too much of CGI with more grounded 2D animations but nothing, that would kill the atmosphere. Bacgrounds are spot on, character designs stay true to the source and overall manages to keep up with the creepiness of the original work. Best enjoyed alone in darkness, ain't work to enjoy with friends and definitely not your regular entertaining shows. Being a seinen I believe should be watched by more mature audience and definitely audience that understands this type of work.

I am satisfied, could be better but it's good enough to pass the mark.

6,5/10

Do yourself a favor and just check out Ito’s manga. This adaptation is done by much of the same staff as the abysmal Junji Ito Collection and comes with all of the same problems. Everything feels so flat, bland, and careless that I could barely force myself to finish it. All of the detail and dread from the manga is gone, and we’re left with a subpar mess of an adaptation again. Feels like a cheap cash grab at best.

The shoddy animation undermines a lot of the payoff scenes, and the lack of detail is all the more noticeable when compared to the source ... material. Anything but a closeup on a character’s face looks muddy at best. Backgrounds are overly simple and the palette does little to add any atmosphere or emotion to the scenes. Characters are noticeably expressionless and do nothing to convey the distress and horror of the situations they find themselves in. Honestly, many scenes that are meant to be horrifying just look, well, pretty boring.

Here’s hoping Adult Swim’s Uzumaki adaptation is worth the wait, because this show just isn’t any good.