I have never read Junju Ito before and was drawn to this collection by the promise of Japanese horror told through illustration. I was not disappointed. This collection was a mixed bag, as with most short story collections, but most of them are wonderfully creepy, dark, and twisted. My favorite of them all was "The Enigma of Amigara Fault," which gave such a visceral sense of claustrophobic dread alongside perfect illustrations to heighten the horror. "Billions Alone" was also incredibly eerie and creepy, and the story idea also felt like something I've never read before. Only one of the ten stories felt out of place, "Master Umezz and Me," because it was a bit like a nonfiction biography popped in. I think this story would have worked better as an introductory prologue of some kind, set apart from the other tales so as not to interrupt the creepy flow of moving story to story.

This collection shows me what I have been missing by not discovering Junjo Ito sooner, and I look forward to discovering more of his creatively terrify tales.

"Billions Alone" -- A timely story, given the Covid-19 pandemic, warning of the perils of gathering in large groups with an inexplicable murderer on the rampage. Fishing line and bodies ... such a creepy tale.

"The Human Chair" -- Interesting story. Creepy and the kind of story that makes you look at your living space with a new sense of foreboding. Is anyone hiding there, just watching?

"An Unearthly Love" -- Creepy and very twisted. The illustrations of the husband's expression through his eyes was so unsettling and perfect.

"Venus in the Blind Spot" -- An incredibly disturbing story ultimately about a woman's beauty *causing* men to go crazy for her, and the lengths her father goes to to keep men away. She is strangely invisible up close.

"The Licking Woman" -- Yuck! The tongue was so expertly, grossly drawn, and the pure strangeness of someone lurking in dark alleys to lick people on humid nights!

"Master Umezz and Me" -- This was more of a biographical story about a horror manga author's inspiration.

"How Love Came to Professor Kirida" -- This was a fascinating kind of creepy story about a writer seeking approval from a misanthropic professor. There's a well-meaning priest with a lusty ghost attached somehow to his soul. All this is told with a book that a young author picks up in her family's library, a diary of the parrot woman.

"The Enigma of Amigara Fault" -- This is by far the best story so far and gives such horrifying feelings. The illustrations of these mysterious human sized holes, drawing people inexplicably into them, were perfect. I felt pure terror and claustrophobia at the idea, which is exactly what a reader of an horror tale seek out.

"The Sad Tale of the Principal Post" -- A strangely vague story with the feeling that it was written for a micro-story contest. A bit too short to leave much of an impression.

"Keepsake" -- A fine horror story about revenge for infidelity and murder and a creepy corpse-born child.

I’m a big fan of Junji Itos other work and this was right on par. The illustrations were amazing and the story was spooky. Would highly recommend to anyone who loves Japanese horror.

Venus in the Blind Spot is a collection of short stories, each of which takes on a new level of horror. This collection of Junji Ito’s includes ten short stories, each very unique and different from one another.
The first story is about groups of people being found dead and sewn together. With this first story I enjoyed the art because of how intricate it was. As the drawings show these groups of people being sewn together, the art is very disturbing, yet complex. My only downfall with this story was the plot. I felt that too much was left unsaid, even for a short story.
Our second story tells the tale of a woman in search of a new chair. While looking, the store keeper tells her the story of a woman who owned a chair that supposedly had a man living in it.This story was my favorite. It is such a unique storyline and it was so fulfilling for a short story.
The third short story follows a woman trying to figure out her husband's secret. This story was very short, but it still packed a punch with what it told.
The fourth story is the book's namesake and was one of the best ones! It follows a group of men who are suddenly unable to see a specific lady and the madness that overtakes them.
The fifth story is called "The Licking Woman" and that's all you really need to know about it. It is weird but SO good.
The sixth story was probably my least favorite, but I think it was due to me being confused as to what was going on till about half way through the story.
The seventh story is about a professor who is mysteriously being haunted. This was one of the best stories in this collection. It was a bit longer, but it was necessary to get the full story.
The eight story is about a fault that formed after an earthquake that has multiple human shaped forms in it. This is a story I would LOVE to have a full book of. I just want more!
The ninth story was only a couple pages long. It was short, sweet, and simple.
The tenth and last story was exactly what I expected from this book. It was creepy in all the right ways (how can you beat a baby born from a corpse?)
I've never read anything by Junji Ito and I am very happy that I started with Venus in the Blind Spot because it is a collection of short stories. I was able to see and read Junji Ito's unique writing and I cannot wait to dive into his other books.

Junji Ito is a well-respected author in his own right bridging the anime/manga fanbases with the horror niche. The only other work I am familiar with is Frankenstein, an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel of the same name. While I cannot say how much this compares to his other works, I can say Venus in the Blindspot is a great read through and through

Much like Frankenstein, Venus in the Blindspot is a collection of short horror stories – this time it is a mixture of his own original works and adaptations from other authors like Japanese mystery writer - Edogawa Ranpo - and English short-story writer – Robert Hichens; the title story nested in the middle.

As I come to expect from the master of horror, his designs remain potent; bodies sewn in a marvelous grizzly tapestry in the opening story Billions Alone, to the grotesque tongue of the Licking Woman – pulsating, slimy, and bumpy, the tongue continually licks its victims, provoking a visceral reaction out of me. Master Umezz and Me is a breath of wholesome fresh air from the macabre past it (and beyond it). An autobiographical romp of how Ito got inspired to become a writer is a unique variation of his signature style – heavy use of shading, bulging eyes, creepy languid smiles – into comedic effect; portraying what is normally terrifying to a punch-line. It is obvious that Ito had a lot of fun making this tribute piece, never shy to be silly.

As collections go, there are weaker narratives at play. The Sad Tale of the Principal Post felt like an underdeveloped B-movie plot, given its brief five-page entry. It can be argued that its quick horror-story reveals more about the obsession of ambitious projects and the toll it has on a family, yet the story pales in comparison to the rest of the collection. Not to mention, the ending is rather anti-climactic. While all have a connected through-line of provocation through imagery and narrative, a few do not resolve themselves adequately. Mentioning the opening story, once again, we are left with the truth of what happened, and then the story ends. The story teeter-totters between mystery and horror yet with what little payoff I get at the end, the “twist” feels all the more hollow for subsequent re-reads.

It is no question fans of the series will enjoy this. For those not in the know, this collection may serve as a fine introduction to Junji Ito. It has a mix of stories of varying qualities – most of which, thankfully, are written well.

Venus in the Blind Spot is another outstanding work of Junji Ito. It’s a remarkable horror manga collection about societal issues with stunning art that will surely keep you up at night. Most of the artworks in this manga are so disturbingly beautiful that they make you want to both stare at it for hours and look away immediately. The stories are complex and interesting it's the perfect creepy night-time read.

* I received this ARC in exchange of my honest review. Thank you!

Venus in the Blind Spot is a horror manga anthology by Junji Ito. It’s a “best of” collection that includes 10 stories.

Venus in the Blind Spot
Written by: Junji Ito
Publisher: Shogakukan
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: August 18, 2020

Before starting this review, I need to be upfront with the fact that I don’t normally go out of my way to watch horror movies or read horror stories. However, I decided that I needed to read some of Junji Ito’s work, since he’s developed quite a name for himself as a manga artist. I figured I should at least have some familiarity with his work.

The first story included in this anthology is “Billions Alone,” and it sets up the concept of people who gather together disappearing and later reappearing as corpses stitched together with what appears to be fishing line. A group calling itself Billions Alone is jamming the radio waves and raining down flyers from airplanes with a message about coming together and not being alone. The main character of this story is Michio, a 19-year-old who has locked himself in his room for seven years. A girl named Natsuko Horie had been nice to him in elementary school and junior high, and she is on the class reunion committee. She manages to get him to come out of his room and see her and the other members of their class reunion committee. The reunion is scheduled to coincide with their coming-of-age ceremony. As the time draws nearer for the reunion and coming-of-age ceremony, more and more people go missing and return as sewn together corpses. It gets to a point where people are separating from each other in order to avoid becoming victims. When I read this portion of this story, it kind of made me think of what’s going on with COVID-19 at the time I’m writing this review. But I did not expect the plot twist that appeared at the end of this story, and I my jaw nearly dropped when I saw it.

Next is “The Human Chair,” and the original story for this one was written by Edogawa Ranpo. A female writer who is on holiday visits a furniture workshop and says she wants the shopkeep to make her a new chair for her work. He shows her a chair that’s in his workshop and tells her a story about someone living in the chair and the torment they brought to a female writer. It’s a creep story, and it’s no wonder the writer decides not to have this man make her a chair and run out of his shop. Doing her research, though, she finds that the story that she was told was true. This one has an ending that scares the female writer out of her wits. For a horror story, though, this ending felt a little on the predictable side.

The next story in the compilation is “An Unearthly Love,” which was also originally written by Edogawa Ranpo. The main character marries a man who seems normal at first, but he becomes moody and withdrawn as time goes on. The wife discovers a secret… and it ranks up there on the creepy side. But the story takes an even creepier turn after the wife takes action. Both this story and “The Human Chair” seem to show the kind of influence that Ranpo had on Ito’s own stories and work, when I look at these stories and Ito’s original works included in this compilation.

This is followed by “Venus in the Blind Spot,” the title story for this compilation. This horror story has a sci-fi component to it due to how the characters come together in the first place and the events that create the illusion that Mariko, the main female character, is disappearing in front of people’s eyes. This illusion drives the male characters crazy, especially since most of them have become obsessed with Mariko. Sadly, though, this story leads to a sad ending for Mariko. This one takes psychological horror and ups the ante with its sci-fi elements.

“The Licking Woman” sees a woman going around licking people, and her victims get a skin abnormality and die due to poison being in her saliva. A woman named Miku loses her fiancé to the licking woman, and she vows to get kill her. This is a story of being careful what you wish for because it may not be as happy of an ending as you think it will be if you achieve your goal. Of the stories included in this collection, I thought this was one of the strangest ones included.

Next is “Master Umezz and Me,” which can be best described as a “autobiographical manga” by Junji Ito about how he got into horror manga, especially works by Kazuo Umezz. It culminates with Ito being given an opportunity to work a manga version of a film that Umezz was working on. I liked the twist at the end of this one. And I have to say that of all the stories included in this collection, “Master Umezz and Me” was my favorite. Since it an “autobiographical manga,” it had a different feel from the rest of the pieces in here, even though it has a connection to horror because of how it tells about Ito and his interest in the genre.

The next piece is “How Love Came to Professor Kirida,” which is based on a story by Robert Hichens titled, “How Love Came to Professor Guildea.” This one sees a female writer dealing with writer’s block spending time at her parents’ house and stumbling across a journal that appears to have been written by one of her ancestors. This leads into the story about a professor who was an extreme misanthrope and remained single until his mysterious death. This story features the professor, a Christian preacher, a parrot, and a female writer who wants the professor’s approval. After the female writer attempts suicide, the professor is haunted by a female spirit… but there’s a twist to the spirit and its motives.

“The Engima of Amigara Fault” sees two people meeting after a great earthquake that devastated towns and created a huge fault near the epicenter. The news showed what appeared to be human shaped holes at the fault, and one of the characters was drawn there because she swears she saw a hole that had her shape. What they discover about these holes is quite chilling, and the ending of this one is creepy, yet also sad.

“The Sad Tale of the Principal Post” is one of the shortest stories included in this collection. While I would definitely agree that was happens here is sad, I’m not entirely convinced that it’s a horror story.

The final story in the collection is “Keepsake,” and it tells of a baby being born to a dead woman nine months after she died. This one was creepy, largely due to the idea of baby being born to a dead woman. However, there were also other elements in this one that were creepy as well. The explanation for how the dead woman became pregnant was just… I’m not sure how to describe how I felt about that.

Even though I’m not a fan of horror, I could still recognize that Junji Ito good at what he does when it comes to telling stories. His art style is also quite expressive, and it works well with the tales of horror that he weaves in his work. If you’re a manga fan who enjoys the horror genre, I would recommend Venus in the Blind Spot.

I'm not a manga fan, but this was creepy goodness! Some stories were better than others as you get with any short story collection. This has inspired me to look more into horror manga and more from this author.

Thanks to Viz and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

If you are a fan of horror and have never heard of Junji Ito this would be a lovely entry into his work. This short story collection contains some of this best work and will have you looking for a light switch before you enter any dark rooms. Many of these stories are dark and contain body horror so please read at your own peril (especially if you have a weak stomach).

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

I LOVE THIS AUTHOR!! His stories are so different and fun to read. I was very excited when i was given this book and it did not let me down. Junji Ito is one my favorite manga authors. This book was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing and the art. I will always look for work by this author.

This was creepy in the way it was meant to convey, but ultimately not my preferred genre(s). The author/artist is talented.

A nice collection of supernatural tales from the master. The art is not as pretty as in nowadays manga, but it's seeming crudeness adds to the overall effect of unease, created by the stories.

This is filled with captivating, and disturbing, manga horror tales. Great art and creepy stories. It’s like The Grudge meets The Twilight Zone.

Thanks to NetGalley for an E-arc of this collection!

My personal favorites in this collection were The Enigma of Amigara Fault (supernatural story that invokes intense feelings of claustrophobia) and The Human Chair (a pretty campy premise that reminded me of a campfire tale or a short from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark). Other honorable mentions are An Unearthly Love and Billions Alone!!

As with any short story collection there were some misses for me, but the majority of this collection was strong enough to compensate for the weaker stories. Worth pointing out that my favorite from this collection was one that was previously published; even though it is a "best of" collection, the majority of the stories are brand new.

One of the things that I love about Junji Ito’s short form work is that they’re so bizarre and operate on such a flawed dream logic that you’re forced to sit back and enjoy the ride. If you’re looking for anything more than a bizarre conclusion, look elsewhere. You won’t find logic here, or even a satisfying explanation. Illustrations were delightfully horrifying, per usual!


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3481081882?type=review#rating_303948101

Some of the stories are genuinely terrifying, some are just really weird and some make no sense whatsoever, but the art is definitely creepy and it's worth reading for the genuine chills a few of the stories conjure up.

Junji Ito is by far my favorite mangaka ever. The story telling and expressions in all his work is amazing!! There's 10 stories in this collection so here's my star reviews for each one:

✧ Billions Alone - ★★★★
✧ The Human Chair - ★★★★
✧ An Unearthly Love - ★★★
✧ Venus in the Blind Spot - ★★★★
✧ The Licking Woman - ★★★ ★
✧ Master Umezz and Me - ★★★
✧ How Love Came to Professor Kirida - ★★
✧ The Enigma of Amigara Fault - ★★★★★
✧ The Sad Tale of the Principal Post - ★★★
✧ Keepsake - ★★★★

My overall rating is probably around a 4.5 ★ !!!

Earlier in the summer, a friend recommended the works of Junji Ito to me. And then, coincidentally, I stumbled across this "best of" collection. I am so, so glad that I did. Venus in the Blind Spot has definitely made me want to seek out all of Junji Ito's work, because I need more. His style is the perfect blend of creepy, genius, and outstanding presentation that I feel like I'm always looking for but never quite find. Well, I've finally found it.

I loved reading creepypastas when I was a teenager, spent hours devouring small but terrifying, deliciously creepy stories. This collection feels like going back to that, but with more thought and better presentation. Each of the stories in this collection have their own air about them, their own quirks, but they all share the same thread of uneasiness. The substance and imagery is so unsettling, but utterly compelling. I couldn't stop reading, I'd finish one story and instantly want to consume another. There's just something about this small, chilling type of horror that makes it so fun to take in.

Junji Ito's art is incredible. It compliments his storytelling perfectly. There's a beauty to it, and a simplicity. I never had to look too hard, never felt like I was missing anything if I didn't deeply study each panel. It suited the way I took in these stories wonderfully, the way I wanted more more more the further along each story went. The art built with the stories, the images portraying the same level of horror as the words, if not more. I can still see some of them perfectly while I sit here and type, and they're still just as chilling.

I really enjoyed each and every story in this collection. My personal favorites were Billions Alone, Keepsake, and of course, The Enigma of Amigara Fault. That one seems to be a fan favorite in general, and I can't help but go with with crowd there. I've already gone back and read Amigara Fault a couple more times. It just perfectly illustrates Junji Ito's particular way of slowly building a story, adding one layer at a time, until it all adds up to a breathtaking climax. Each story in this collection has that slow build, some a little more than others, and each one delivers a fantastic ending.

I highly recommend Venus in the Blind Spot to anyone looking to add a bit of a creepy factor to their TBR. This collection is perfect if, like me, you want to binge the whole thing, but it also lends itself well to anyone wanting to take it slow, maybe letting one story at a time sink in. I'll definitely be revisiting this one again and again, especially my favorite stories within it, and I can't wait to start reading more of Junji Ito's work.

This review will go live on NovelKnight on 8/6/20.

I've been a huge Junji Ito fan since I was a kid, and while I love all of his works, I love some more than others. Venus in the Blind Spot is a collection of tales from the famed Horror mangaka, and it's mostly hit with a few misses for me.

I'm trying to change up my reviewing style, so I'll be focusing on what I like about this collection and what I think you'll like with me. First off, arguably the most well known short story is in this collection. The Enigma of Amigara Fault is one of the best examples of Junji Ito's slowly creeping style that pays off with a big in your face horror image at the end. It's just as creepy now as it was when I first read it, granted the "ddr... ddr..." meme that has come about since I first read it does diminish the scary part of it. It's a great story in a tight package.

Some of the stories in this collection were hits, and a few were misses..Out of hits, my favorite is the single slice of life autobiographical story. Junji Ito has a way with slice of life stories that his art adapts to so well. It's a bit creepy, but if you think about it, it's really true to life. My favorite work of his is slice of life series that involve his household and his cats. This story is also seemingly autobiographical in the same way. Great stuff.

So in short, there's a good mix of some well known and some less known stories in this collection. If you like any horror or the feeling of creepypasta, check out this collection, you won't regret it. 4/5 stars.

Thanks to Viz via NetGalley for access to this title in exchange for a straight up honest review.

Junji Ito has done it again! I've been a fan of his work for some time now, and I was so incredibly excited to see I'd been approved for an ARC of this volume. I absolutely adore his representation of body horror, and while his characters are often flat, the stories are haunting enough that the character dimension doesn't affect my love of his work. HIGHLY recommended (but do look up the trigger warnings ahead of time!)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I recently discovered Junji Ito's Tomie and fell in love with his stories! The way he builds a genuinely terrifying tale is remarkable, and when I saw this new collection from him I knew I had to give it a try.

These short stories are not interconnected in any way, each stands alone, and some worked for me better than others. There are a couple of highlights here that are truly shocking, but others that I feel missed the mark. Definitely a mixed bag.

Overall I think I will be sticking to his more established works in the future, but I am glad I got to read a wider range of his work. This is definitely an author to pick up if you've not experienced his work before, but maybe don't start here... come back to this after you've fallen in love with his very individual version of horror 👻☠️

2 stars from me.

(Review published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 01/08/20, to be posted on other third party sites on the date of publication)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m legit obsessed with his art, it’s so freaking beautiful, aesthetic goals. It started kinda strong but there were a few that I didn’t like but overall a pretty good collection.

#1:3⭐️, I liked the story but I felt the ending was quite abrupt.

#2: 5 ⭐️
Quite a brilliant story, my favorite one, I just don’t know if I got exactly what he meant but nevertheless I loved it.

#3: 3.5/4⭐️
Interesting, I also liked this one

#4: 3.5? maybe 4?! ⭐️
I don’t really know what to think about this one

#5: 3.5 ⭐️
bruh?? wtf?? haha
good but I wanted it more

#6: 1 ⭐️
I was not a fan of this one.

#7: boring tbh, 1.5?! ⭐️

#8: 4 ⭐️
I already read this one in another collection of his, it’s quite good.

#9: 3 ⭐️
I also already read this one.

#10: bizarre lmao
3.5 ⭐️