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.

In case you want to watch only the worthy shorts, here's a review of each one of them with a summary if you want to watch all of them.

"The Strange Hikizuri Siblings": 3/10
I couldn't get into this one, too many annoying characters for an annoying plot, not the best to start with. At least we're immediately presented with more quality than the previous adaptations. The animation sometimes feels better, the colors are better, lights, movement, but yeah, not a good story.

"The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel": 4.5/10
Not a bad one, but can't reach being decent. It's just a little spooky story that crescendos with goofy ... animation that I couldn't take seriously. A problem with Junji Ito stories, is how it uses manga to its maximum potential. Moments allow imagination to thrive; sounds to exist inside one's head, the monsters moving as terrifyingly as you think about it. Sometimes, adding color and an okay presentation can't compensate for everything else. I do like some of the foreshadowing elements, how fear is revealed slowly, but surely.

"Ice Cream Bus": 4/10
This one is simply really weird, and not because of the premise itself, I did like where it was going, feeling a horrible disturbing sensation. Sadly, what happened was way, waaaay less messed up than what I thought. I felt like one of those weird, nonsensical endings that Ito likes. It can work and most probably the manga felt a little bit more intense, but this isn't that good in general. Another middle of the road one.

"Hanging Balloon": 5/10
Watching this one was just sad. I've heard the hype around this little story for such a long time. Not finding the time, it stayed in my list until today and, well, sure, story is good. The animation, on the other hand, terrible. Those moments of horrible, foreboding visuals coming, surpass when they actually show us. Having so much build-up, and moments of anticipation, only to look at silly 3D animation of the balloons, or the bodies hanging, moving like ragdolls from gmod.

The music choices ruined the tone of some of the creepier scenes, and really, this ends up being the biggest wasted potential to one of those "end of the world" Ito stories.

"Four x Four Walls": 5/10
I had fun with it. Sometimes Ito manages to create a stupid story with some really weird moments and aesthetics. Character designs being uncomfortable without anybody noticing, situations making no sense, but the people react as if it's an inconvenience. It feels like a David Lynch comedy, that isn't totally to my liking, but I appreciate this one.

"The Sandman’s Lair": 8/10
One of, if not, the best one. Almost no music, a different aspect ratio, giving a nice, special aesthetic. The colors feel overexposed, like the 2000s animation sphere. It all feels perfect to a certain aspect, only with some animation problems. Most of this short simply feels like a cosmically strange, and still, sensical story about losing yourself and everybody else. I loved almost everything about this one.

"Intruder": 5.5/10
Well, I would've liked some closure. Not a bad premise, effectively animated, interesting concept, even with the typical uncharacteristic Ito characters. The execution of everything is the overarching problem. The dimensional elements not only serve for a bigger story, but the fact that it's so short whiplashes you into knowing you just got 1/5 of a story. Not even a climax, twist, just a random situation that ends up back in square one without even consequences. I can't find anything terrible about it, but I didn't like it that much.

"Long Hair in the Attic": 9/10
Characters, just what I need in this fucked up world. It's not easy to grow sympathetic towards characters you know will suffer soon. I really loved this premise, this realistic depiction of long-lasting relationships, promises, choices. Nothing mattered in the end; the same thought personifying itself into the monster of the story. Vengeance against the one who promised everything and gave nothingness.

I like that there isn't entirely horrible characters, since we know for a fact the guy who broke off the relationship knew the girl really well. Small little details as "This is the sound of her teeth" feel like such a tiny thing that spells out so much, coupled with great and creepy sound design. Obscuring characters and scares, the horror was effective, and the ending was perfect. I love this one in every sense, except for some art looks.

"Mold": 6.5/10
I like mold. Solid animation, solid story, solid everything. This is the most competent one so far, but it doesn't get out of its way to excel. Itchy storytelling with great visuals and really gross ideas that work with its lack of lighting in the Ito style. Can't say much, it's just nice to see one I can't get angry at in any way.

"Library Vision": 7/10
Stylistically, the most beautiful one, in a strange way. Much more about visual storytelling, about dialogue attention, character driven. The titular library feeling as the curse of knowledge, led by trauma or obsession leading to one's downfall. It felt melancholic, strangely sad, all around, it looked really great. The changes in visuals feel the best in this compilation.

"Tomb Town": 9.5/10
Almost perfect, just almost, but damn. Akin to the "Paranoia Street" manga, with a touch of the "Four by Four Walls" episode; this one feels like a town where a strange rule exists and people act normally around it, with much more sad connotations. Hospitals react in certain ways against this rule, moving people from their deaths means much more, and the accident the main characters suffered creates this ambience of tension.

This story feels like guilt being splattered onto the culprits of an accident, leaving nothing but hatred for themselves, nightmares and consequences for the people involved. Nobody is saved, nobody gets closure properly, they just live with it, or end it. This is how you do the open ending. Now what holds it back from a 10, is the monster 3D animation, which I get, it would take too many resources, but yeah, I adore everything else.

"Layers of Terror": 7/10
The other kind of Ito protagonists, batshit insane when revealed with a new rule in life. A concept is introduced, and somehow something within that concept happens that gives it a new meaning when it happens with a person. The metaphor happens, unfathomable horror is seen, in the end, consequences befall the characters. I can't say it doesn't work, it feels like the Ito formula of his best stories. Not bad, I'm just accustomed to it.

"The Thing that Drifted Ashore": 3/10
Maybe it ended there, but man, this didn't even let its own concept grow or anything. This was like a small documentary in an alternate reality, one that we're shown around 10% of. Something horrid is presented, well, the end, hope you enjoyed. I wish we could've stayed a tad bit longer.

"Tomie・Photo": 6/10
As a fan of the Tomie manga, I enjoyed this little piece of the story, even if it isn't the best part of it. The beginning of the Tomie story seems like the best place to start, so why not start there? Strangely enough, if you've read the manga from beginning to end, it feels coherent, the visuals feel in place, but since we don't get context, it feels as if it comes out of nowhere. Fans will like this one, but newcomers, I don't think so.

"Unendurable Labyrinth": 2/10
Just boring. I didn't feel any horror from this one, since it ruins the essence of how a manga works. The page turn isn't there, the build-up to a horror moment gets taken away, and sound effects only manage to eliminate the tension of certain moments. I don't feel like I'm watching something silly, not even an interesting premise. People scream, horror situation happens without horror or importance. The worst as of now.

"The Bully": 6/10
I don't know how to feel about this one entirely. The story started out wonderfully, with characters you hate, and one you root for, devolving into subtly disturbing. The twist of the flash-forward works really well, and we have a circling story from beginning to end. However, why did that ending feel so much more strange than usual? Maybe the fault of the art style, since black on white can function, but adding those colors to the face removed the horror, just leaving me feeling disappointed about the whole thing.

An ending that cannonball's you into not being able to take what happened seriously.

"Alley": 4/10
Too simple, too obvious, I just didn't like how generic this horror story was. Like one of those dumb urban legends from neighbors to scare you. Not much to say, just a bit boring, with at least situations that feel sincere with the context.

"Headless Statue": 3/10
When consuming so much of Junji Ito at a time, stories like this don't excel at practically anything, and since the horror isn't really, well, scary; nothing works that well to become interesting. Not that good in my opinion.

"Whispering Woman": 10/10
Junji Ito, simply making life a living hell. It seems characters flip-flop around being nothing sandwiches to great characters worthy of analysis and love. There was no monster, there was no extreme horror to couple this tragic situation, we only had people in terrible situations finding respite with each other. Eventually, another tragedy strikes, and somehow, this depiction of mental illness managed to get an actual scare out of me, with simple sound design. After not hearing that voice for so long, we get that eternally devastating idea of the dead making an impression on us, as well as imprinting hatred into the living.

This is the absolute best. We didn't need great animation, or a monster to accompany horror, it's just about those visuals and ideas that make it feel all the more distressing. A tragedy, with a sad conclusion.

"Soichi's Beloved Pet": 5/10
A much lighthearted Lynch comedy that leaves everything on an okay note. I wish we had this episode somewhere else, since the previous one was the best of them all, at least in terms of story. However, I don't hate this little recurring plot; slightly funny, slightly silly, with the touch of surrealist horror, can't despise it.

Overall, 5.7/10
A mixed bag of stories, ranging from the bad, okay, to amazing. I liked going through all of them, and I enjoyed everything enough to appreciate the attempt to adapt such a strange author, with his strange little stories.

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.