Junji Ito announces Netflix horror anthology series coming in 2023

June 9, 2022

Japanese horror mangaka Junji Ito announced at the Netflix Geeked Week event on Wednesday an upcoming horror anthology series that will adapt his most famous and beloved horror stories.

Ito’s most notable horror stories will be animated “for the first time” in the new 20-episode Netflix series, titled “Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre.” During the Netflix Geeked Week livestream, Ito announced that the first episodes will be an adaptation of stories from “Tomie,” “Soichi” and “The Hanging Balloons,” although further details were not revealed.

“We have yet to determine which ‘Tomie’ and ‘Souichi’ stories will be adapted, so please wait for further announcements,” Ito said.

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Some of Ito’s most popular works include his debut series “Tomie” (1987-2000), a story about an immortal girl who drives those around her to insanity, and “Uzumaki” (1998-1999), a three-volume story about a town that becomes obsessed with spirals.

Ito also provided viewers with a sneak peek of the upcoming series’ drawings and explained some of the inspirations and backstories behind his most notable works.

“‘Tomie’ was my debut work. The idea for ‘Tomie’ came from the concept of a lizard’s tail growing back after getting cut off,” Ito said. “It’s also about that feeling when someone close to you suddenly passes away and the disbelief that comes with it. It’s that feeling when you think that perhaps that person could still show up at any moment.”

“Junji Ito Maniac” is expected to release on Netflix sometime in 2023.

Featured Image via Netflix

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