Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection 15: Shibito no Koiwazurai

Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Lovesick Dead, The Beautiful Youth of the Intersections, Yotsutsuji no Bishounen, The Anxious Woman, Nayamu Onna, Shadows, Kage, Screams in the Night, Zekkyou no Yoru, The Horror World of Junji

Japanese: 伊藤潤二恐怖マンガCOLLECTION⑮ 死びとの恋わずらい

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 1

Chapters: 4

Status: Finished

Published: Apr 13, 1996 to Oct 12, 1996

Genres: Drama, Horror, Supernatural, Suspense

Theme: Psychological

Demographic: Shoujo

Serialization: Nemuki

Authors: Itou, Junji (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.69¹ (scored by 4,717 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #1787²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #2100

Members: 9,444

Favorites: 91

7.69

Ranked #1787Popularity #2100Members 9,444

MangaNemukiItou, Junji (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /1

Chapters: /4

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Synopsis

High school student Ryuusuke Fukada returns to the place he grew up: Nazumi, a town drenched in thick fog. Thanks to the unique weather, one game has become commonplace among the residents: intersection fortune-telling, where strangers meet up at crossroads to ask for anonymous advice. Though fun and exciting for most, this game holds nothing but dark memories for Ryuusuke, for when he was a child, his involvement had disastrous results for the other player. As a result, these memories hinder Ryuusuke's return to the town, as well as his reunion with his childhood friend Midori Shibayama.

With Ryuusuke's arrival, however, a new figure emerges in this game: the Intersections Pretty Boy. This devilishly handsome but wicked presence gives nothing but cruel and harsh advice to anyone who has the misfortune of crossing his path. What is more, his advice has bewitching effects on those he encounters. With tragic results spreading as a consequence, Ryuusuke determines to prevent this man from repeating the past. But can he stop this enigmatic figure, or do only torment and misery await those who try?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection 15: Shibito no Koiwazurai was adapted to a live-action film which was released in Japan on March 24, 2001.

The anthology was published in English by VIZ Media as part of their Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection on April 20, 2021.

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Related Manga

Prequel:	Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection: Tunnel Kitan
Sequel:	Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection 16: Frankenstein
Other:	Itou Junji Kyoufu Hakubutsukan 10: Shibito no Koiwazurai

More characters
Characters

Yotsutsuji no Bishounen

Main

Fukata, Ryuusuke

Main

Shibayama, Midori

Main

Tanaka, Reishi

Supporting

Teshima, Koutarou

Supporting

Reviews

Jan 9, 2019

Gloomy-eyes

Recommended

I've read all of Junji Itou collection, and for those who don't know: this is one part of the whole compilation of short horror stories from the author. And people who read this already know, that these stories aren't even that "scary", but more of a shock factor or just an obvious twist which is repeated over and over in this collection.

Before jumping into the main point, let me clarify that I really admire how unique and creative Junji is in making these manga. That's also the reason why I keep reading this, even if it means having to deal with hard-to-read parts like Souichi, ...

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Dec 3, 2016

Paraturtle

Recommended

Story:
Some of Ito's works are bundled together and released as compilation volumes. I thought this would be one such volume, but it turns out that each chapter is linked. It's a bummer, really, that this wasn't titled something different as a standalone work. Works of his like Gyo, Uzumaki, Black Paradox, and Remina are relatively well known but it seemed this one was somewhat hidden under his vast 'bookography,' for lack of a better term.

This is a sin, really, because this particular volume has just as much wit as his other works do. I'll be the first to admit that I did find certain aspects ... to be quite elementary, such as the introduction of characters that were limited to one chapter only, since maybe a mention of their name or somehow connecting them to previous sections would have been useful, or perhaps how the latter half of the volume seems to forsake the 'laws' dictated for the horror to take place. Or maybe it's the fact that, like most of Ito's volumes, they seem to start out comfortable and small-scale and go far beyond their precedented expectations. I suppose that comes down to discussion about all of Ito's works and not so much this one at hand, but in brief, the ending isn't exactly a surprise, nor is it a scare.

I think the beginning shows an intense horror that has laws that are against the player. That's good horror, since we can see how the protagonist struggles against it, but that never really happens. Our protagonist merely does the same thing over and over and we only see him actively 'combatting' the evil once or twice. The problem isn't that he does this, the problem is that he keeps doing it despite bearing no fruit. It's kind of boring, actually.

Art:
Pretty decent and pretty spooky artwork. There were a few panels that definitely had be pretty terrified, and the graphic content was rather tame. Although it didn't need to be tame considering it was horror, it was respectful to the kind of narrative it was. It wasn't tasteless, is what I'm saying.

Ito has a knack for making everyone look the same in each of his works. Well, not in each work as itself, but across each work in his 'bookography,' to use that term again. I like his style so it's not all that bothersome, but if you put some characters side by side, the women look pretty similar (as do the men.) Again, I think I'm stepping more into the territory of reviewing the mangaka and not the work itself, but I still believe it needs saying.

Since a lot of the story is set in fog, the settings aren't all that detailed but I suppose that comes with the narrative.

Character:
Pretty interesting and believable characters, but the narrative itself falls apart at the end so I feel the characters got a little funky, too. It's hard to get into a lot of detail about it but, to explain, the character drama is really quite solid for a while but then the story because more about the main event rather than the terror between the characters. I think that's something Ito did well in Uzumaki (and even Gyo), as he focused more on how the horror effects the characters. This did that for 2 chapters then kinda tossed that out the window for the latter two. It's alright, and it still works as an interesting concept, but I'm glad that Ito focused more on character drama as he wrote more.

Enjoyment:
I always enjoy reading good horror, and Junji Ito has consistently delivered on that. I've yet to find a mangaka who can put out decent or better work in this genre. I suppose that's sort of the general conception about his work, but I never realized it until now. Or, rather, I never experienced it until now.

Definitely a fun read. Anyone who likes Ito should give this a go.

((If you liked this review, check out my other reviews by going to my profile and clicking the 'reviews' tab. I review virtually all anime and manga I find!))

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Poll: Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection 15: Hibito no Koiwazurai Chapter 4 Discussion ReaperCreeper - Oct 27, 2017	3 replies	by waalex11 »» Sep 6, 2022 12:44 AM
I am frustrated Explncos - Mar 7, 2022	1 replies	by Cerber_ »» Mar 7, 2022 1:43 PM
Poll: Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection 15: Hibito no Koiwazurai Chapter 3 Discussion ReaperCreeper - Oct 27, 2017	2 replies	by Mandelbrot19 »» May 6, 2021 10:00 PM
Poll: Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection 15: Hibito no Koiwazurai Chapter 2 Discussion ReaperCreeper - Oct 27, 2017	2 replies	by Mandelbrot19 »» May 6, 2021 9:37 PM
Poll: Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection 15: Hibito no Koiwazurai Chapter 1 Discussion removed-user - May 17, 2017	3 replies	by Mandelbrot19 »» May 4, 2021 8:44 PM

Itou Junji Kyoufu Manga Collection 15: Shibito no Koiwazurai
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