This was my first foray into manga. Once I realized that I had to read the panels from right to left, the story made a lot more sense!
Four strangers meet up to complete suicide together, but things go horribly wrong. Throw in some doppelgangers, a robot, a little bit of romance (very little), a mysterious stone, and an evil scientist and you have the makings of a great horror story.
I was surprised by the ending, but it made the story all the more horrific.
If you have never read manga, this would be a great first book to try. The story is terrific, and the black and white artwork adds to the creepiness of the story.

#BlackParadox #NetGalley

I'm a big fan of Junji Ito and sometimes wish some of his short stories would be expanded. I got my wish with this one and I don't know how to feel. It is very much still a classic Ito story with supernatural horror elements and very vivid imagery, but it doesn't feel complete. The journey is short and disconnected, so when you get to the end, you're left confused and wondering what else is there. Ito can do full stories masterfully, as seen in <i>Uzumaki</i>, but this one couldn't stick the landing. It is still a fun read, though, and great for people just discovering the work of Ito.

Four strangers meet up in the night with the single goal of committing suicide together. Yet their plans don’t go quite as expected. Instead of death they are faced with a strange portal that allows them access to a world unknown. This portal changes their destiny forever.
This is an odd story. I am still trying to figure out the first chunk of the story and why it happened, and how did it happen. I get why it was important because it sets the main chunk of the story up. But honestly if I was Maruso I would have never tried again, let alone gone with the second group of people. I think I would have decided fate said nope I am not to die and would have left it at that. I do think the idea that the mineral holds such energy was very interesting, along with the way they were able to finally mine it. Overall, this story left me with a lot of questions. I am still trying to figure out if that is good or bad.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Viz Media for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

I’m not going to go into too much detail considering that the story isn’t very long and there are some interesting twists. Trigger warning for talks of suicide, a touch of SA, and (of course) the body horror Ito is known for.

Four people meet who want to end their lives meet up to do it together. They do find their way to the other side but in a very bizarre way…

This was right up my alley and I’m not surprised with how much I enjoyed it. You will love this is you love horror, strange dimensions, and books about the greed of humanity.

Thank you NetGalley and VIZ Media for an advanced digital copy of Black Paradox.

All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Please be advised that suicide is mentioned extensively in the first half of the story.

I’ve read a few Junji Ito books and this is one of my favorites so far. Although the imagery isn’t as disturbing as usual, the story was fantastic. The fact that it was the same story through the whole book gave room for more character development than usual.

It was creepy, in a cool way. The characters were brought to life slowly but not so slow that you lost interest. I really enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone who likes horror.

This was my first Junji Ito read… and let me tell you, I really enjoyed it.
This story followed a group of four people who met on a website meant for people who were going to commit suicide, but upon meeting up they discover one odd mystery after another.
This book was… for last of better terms, beautifully fucked up!
The visuals were (as usual with Junji Itos works). absolutely stunning and made me extremely uneasy. The story was so confusing yet as i kept reading, everything fell together so weirdly yet perfectly for this obscure little story inside Itos strange mind.
I now want to read every other story he’s made, so here’s to many more!

Fans of Junji Ito will be pleased, and this probably is a good one where people new to this author should jump into his very peculiar and specific brand of horror. Compared to others (especially Tomie) this one is quite mild. A lot less body horror and more just.. strangeness. The art is also great.

I recieved an e-ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I am obsessed with Junji Ito. Its official, I will be attempting to buy every manga he publishes. I want pieces of his artwork for my walls. This story was so good. I loved the gore and creepy-ness of the main characters. This story has more gore than I have previously read in his manga but I still loved it. I enjoyed the commentary on government and I 100% believe if this was something that could happen in real life that this is exactly how the government would react. I liked all of the main characters and how they become partners by default. I would love to learn about what happens to them after everything. They are kind of in between everything by the end so its very unsure what fate awaits them. BUT I kind of like that we leave the story with no satisfying conclusion just lots of questions and vague sense of unease.

I love the storyline. It is a brand new way of looking at after life. It was creepy, in a cool way. The characters were brought to life slowly but not so slow that you lost interest. Adding medical details made the story more believable. This kind of storyline makes you want to go, "Hmmmmm". It was exciting and fresh. I am so glad they finally released this title in English. Thank you.

I don't know what's wrong with Junji Ito, but I find whatever it is immensely entertaining. I mean, who comes up with the idea of a "doorway to paradise" being located in some guy's stomach?
Black Paradox is short in comparison to other works I've read by Ito, but it packs a punch. It's less horrifying and more mildly anxiety inducing, but still a great read.

I was not expecting that while also vey much expecting that. This is my first Junji Ito title and for obvious reasons I picked it but wow did this manga hit it out the park. It follows four strangers that meet up thanks to a website called Black Paradox. They decide to meet up and commit suicide together but after that everything goes (excuse my language) batshit crazy in Junji Ito style and everything hits the floor and it just becomes this horror about greed that quite frankly makes a lot of sense especially in this social/political climate.
Now that I have had a taste I'm hungry for more of Junji Ito's works, but maybe not at night.

Black Paradox is a one-volume manga by the author Junji Ito, who never fails to entertain thanks to his extraordinary stories, which often reflect the contradictions of our era.

The manga opens up with a group of four people who decided to meet for the first time and commit suicide together. However, the story will soon take a different turn. After a few failed suicidal attempts, the group of friends will find themselves involved in a more complicated mission involving the salvation of human's more precious belonging.

Exactly what you expect from Junji Ito, and well done. Very dark, with interesting and distinctive- if not sympathetic- characters.

I couldn’t finish this book. it made no sense, and I did not care about the characters enough at all to try and get what was going on. It was boring and way too weird for me. I was not impressed if I am being honest. It was a pretty big let down.

Another disturbing yet compelling manga from Junji Ito! Please be advised that suicide is mentioned extensively in the first half of the story. This one has an interesting blend of Ito's iconic body horror and a mix of science and the paranormal. His common themes of greed and obsession are used once again to a twisty conclusion that I never saw coming. While not my favorite story, this is still another great addition to his body of work.

Black Paradox is a science fiction horror graphic novel by Junji Ito that follows a group of four people who meet to commit suicide but who become the center of a fantastic experience that changes the world around them. Our four main characters become conduits to an alternate dimension where balls of condensed spiritual energy are formed.

Black Paradox is a good piece of science fiction body horror. Junji Ito's story and artwork are interesting and creepy. The concept has many layers, but the plot is pretty basic. There was a nice flow to the book right up until the end.

The ending of the book felt rushed and, ultimately, unsatisfying. But it was a good read up until then.

I’ve read a few Junji Ito books and this is one of my favorites so far. Although the imagery isn’t as disturbing as usual, the story was fantastic. The fact that it was the same story through the whole book gave room for more character development that usual. I really enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone who likes horror.

An absolutely ghoulish collection of nightmare fuel by Junji Ito. Four people meet up for a group suicide in the woods. However, upon arrival, nothing is as it seems. No one is who they seem and every suicide attempt is thwarted in a bizarre twist of luck. Strangely, in their quest to end their lives, the four find strange stones that seems to come from a portal to the spirit world. Each chapter becomes even more grotesque as they discover the secret behind the mystic minerals and as always, human greed can never be contained.
Junji Ito may have outdone himself with some of the truly disturbing imagery in this volume. Unlike many of his other volumes of short stories, this volume contains just one story.

Black Paradox completely blew me away. We meet four main characters who met on a website and are planning to commit suicide because they are unhappy with their lives. However, when they arrive at the location where they will all commit suicide, their plans change slightly. You can't trust anyone because they're all strangers. There are numerous topics to discuss, particularly the characters. You can't rely on any of the characters. Whoever appears to be nice turns out to be evil. The plot is both creepy and terrifying, as well as mind-blowing. I'm glad I got to read this manga ahead of time.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge Junji Ito fan, you can imagine how excited I was to receive this ARC, and after spending my evening reading the entire thing in one fell swoop, I'm happy to report that it does not disappoint.

Black Paradox follows four disillusioned internet friends - Pii-Tan, a tech-savvy researcher; Taburo, an isolated rich boy; Maruso, a nurse with severe anxiety; and Barrachi, a charismatic jeweler - who decide to meet up in person after making a suicide pact. When a series of terrifying events separate them and stall their plan, eventually only Pii-Tan ends up going through with a suicide attempt - and when it doesn't work, he comes back changed, and begins coughing up gemstones he claims are human souls. Barrachi takes an interest in these stones, whereas Maruso is far more concerned for Pii-Tan himself. Wild card Taburo plays the middleman in the resulting ethical dilemma, but there's only so long that this problem can stay among friends before far more dangerous players get involved.

I had an amazing time with this book. I dove into it expecting another anthology, so I was ecstatic to move into chapter 2 and realize I'd still be following the same cast of characters. And the characters themselves really do carry this story. I grew to care for them so much, despite the reckless and selfish choices they often made, and any time the group of four reunited after being separated I felt such a rush of fondness at seeing them all together again. The art is, as you'd expect, utterly amazing, and despite the grounded-in-reality premise, there are PLENTY moments of fantastic body horror (and a fun blink-and-you'll-miss-it nod to The Enigma of Amigara Fault). I absolutely loved this book!

This edition also provides a bonus, full-color short called "Strange Pavilion" that I won't say too much about, but I loved the creature design!

I really only have one caveat. One member of our cast, Baracchi, has a port-wine stain birthmark covering half her face, and the language used throughout the book to describe this birthmark is very harsh. She'll frequently say things like "Who could love someone with a face like this?" or "So you can see why I want to kill myself now that you've seen my face," and the other characters (who are suicidal themselves and want her to commit suicide with them) will just point-blank agree or supply worse comments. I can't imagine that's is going to feel great to read for anyone with a similar birthmark, so, heads-up.