If Tomie is Junji Ito at his most creepy and unsettling, then Soichi is him at his most zany. The grade-schooler with a unique nail-biting habit is always causing mischief upon family and classmates. However, he’s no Dennis the Menace or Bart Simpson; Soichi’s a lot more demented with his pranks! And his level of troublemaking is on full display in VIZ Media’s release Soichi: Junji Ito Story Collection.

Showcasing ten stories featuring the titular character, the tales spun here give readers a solid idea on what kind of bad boy he is. Alas, he’s no dreamboat bad boy, no thanks to his creepy mannerisms. Nay, he’s a bad boy who probably should’ve been sent to juvie long, long ago! From terrorizing cousins and brothers to even his teachers, Soichi demonstrates just how far he’ll go to pull a prank!

His family, the Tsujiis, certainly deserve an award for putting up with his mayhem. Nailing straw dolls to trees, spitting nails at those who disrespect him, and even forcing his brother to go to extreme lengths to soundproof his room are all solid examples of how bad this kid really is. Thankfully, even when it seems like Soichi has the upper hand, karma has a way to shove the bastard down to the swamp and ceremoniously unclogging the drain. It’s this aspect that makes reading this collection of stories more laugh-inducing than give Junji Ito fans the usual creeps.

Mind you, this is Junji Ito we’re talking about. So naturally, his creep-inducing means is still on display here. In the two-parter “Soichi’s Home Visit” and “Teacher of Cloth”, Soichi’s home room teacher is transformed into a human-sized stuff doll. On top of him sharing the same mannerisms as Soichi, the teacher also moves and talks in ways that are fairly unsettling. “Soichi’s Birthday” also places a creepy (and somewhat missing) great-aunt to torment his cousin Michina, all for the sake of Soichi feeling good about himself.

But instead of leaving his readers with unsettling emotions, Junji Ito instead goes for the funny bone. Reading as a prank goes haywire in “Soichi’s Petty Curses” results in some hilarity, with him almost losing his head in the process thanks to a vengeful groundskeeper. “A Happy Summer Vacation” gives Michina a chance to have Soichi’s nail-sucking habit backfire horrifically, albeit in a way that makes it hard to feel sorry for him. And even when it looks like he has the upper hand, “Teacher of Cloth” ends with Soichi delightfully being the butt of the punchline.

The collection saves the best for last in “Rumors”, where Soichi finds a way to make himself look more appealing. It starts off with some small good deeds, only for it to snowball into unbelievable acts of heroism. All of it leads to a big cameo from another one of Junji Ito’s creations, who inserts herself into the story in a way that’s both frightening and hilarious. (Let’s just say Soichi learns the hard way why he should never take someone’s picture without permission.)

While The Liminal Zone and Tombs showcase Junji Ito at his creepiest, Soichi demonstrates his knack for dark comedy. Although one can easily find humor in some of Ito’s scarier works, he fully goes into wacky territory when Soichi is the star of the story. It won’t change the minds of those who’ve been frightened by his previous works, but Soichi: Junji Ito Story Collection is proof that Japan’s king of horror is no one-trick pony.

4.5. I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this collection. I thought I'd be more annoyed by Soichi and his bratty behavior, but Junji Ito constructs the stories in such a way that they feel fresh and don't have too many repetitive elements. Some feature Soichi as an annoying little brother playing pranks (of note is big brother Koichi's exasperation with Soichi and how easily he dismisses/reprimands him); some have him spreading rumors at school and getting into other people's business; and some depict Soichi as having truly horrifying supernatural powers that allow him to inflict curses, construct golems, and more. The last story has some fun references to previous Junji Ito stories, which I loved.

Another dark, bizarre and downright creepy entry from the master of horror manga Junji Ito. For seasons fans of Ito's work Soichi was another brilliant installment. While his work can be mind-bending to new readers I'd recommend starting with Uzumaki before working your way through this many volumes of disturbing content.

This one was more fun that what I’ve come to expect from Juno Ito. The tone was more humorous and it created a wildly unpredictable reading experience. But, boy oh boy, did it work. There’s tons of vampire references as well as other references to horror and Egyptian history. Soichi is a prankster with lots of feeling. He reminds me of Loki a lot. Mostly causing mischief while facing some bad luck in his own weird way. I recommend reading Junji Ito, but this one may be best served for those already familiar with his work.

This was a great collection of stories all surrounding the same subject. I really enjoyed having the collection of stories all be related to each other rather than completely separate. It was somehow reminiscent of My Naughty Little Sister but for adults and a hell of a lot more creepy..!

Junji Ito’s Soichi stories when presents together come off as being oddly formulaic. Individually the stories.are fine but they all blend together somewhat indistinguishably when read in succession. Creepy kid does creepy things, often involving voodoo dolls and nails, and then eventually the story just ends without much of a resolution. Fan’s of Ito’s work will likely still find plenty to enjoy here,, the art in particular is quite strong, but for anyone new to Ito’s stories would fair better with other collections than this.

Another great addition to Junji Itos terrifying world of horror. Diving into the lives of Soichi and his family led to some creepy interactions and cringy moments. I absolutely loved the art work, the quality up to par with Junji Itos other works. The drop in of the model character in the last chapter was the perfect round out to Soichis story.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Another fantastic selection of short stories by famed horror manga artist, Junji Ito. The same enthralling and fearful twists, but with a surprising amount of humor this time. This is a collection of stories all featuring one of Junji Ito's recurring characters, Soichi. We get to know Soichi a bit better through his childhood and family members. Perhaps a little gentler with the horror, we get a view into the wacky mind and hijinks of the nail spitting antagonist featured in so many of Junji Ito's other works.

I never expected to laugh while reading a Junji Ito volume, but this collection of stories is more about Soichi's mischievous behavior and the unpredictable results. You might even find yourself feeling a little pity for Soichi. Just a smidge. A creative and goofy romp with one of Ito's best known characters.

I found myself having fun with the antics of this edge-lord wannabe, greater-than-you, brat. This collection contains more light-hearted horror, there's very little death, and our lead usually gets caught somehow. Soichi's antics are more harmless than they seem, because despite what he thinks about himself, he's not that great at curses, and that's a blessing to everyone in his town. If you've wanted to give Junji Ito a try, but found some of the stories a little too intense, Soichi might be a good entry point, if you can tolerate the main character, that is!.

Soichi is a young boy with a bunch of creepy habits--sucking on nails, talking to dolls, and planting curses on anyone who makes him angry! This anthology of self-contained short stories follows Soichi as he deals with crushes, classmates, and family members who mostly find him to be a bother.

When I first started reading Soichi, I wasn't sure what to think. While I've read some of Ito's more comedic works, such as Cat Diary, Soichi felt more like straight horror--the mood was tense, and while Soichi's attempts on his family members' lives weren't successful, they were pretty serious and 'realistic'. And then... Soichi's cousin gets him to reverse a curse by reading a letter he wrote to his crush and embarrassing him.

Soichi is not a straight horror, as much as it's a strange horror-comedy where the villain is motivated and thwarted by things that are pretty typical for a boy his age. Once I stopped expecting body horror and nightmares, I had a fun time reading this anthology. 'Cloth Teacher' was probably my favorite, with a genuinely horrifying concept turning funny with things like Soichi cursing one of his classmates with a beard.

While not the strongest of Ito's work, this anthology is a good choice for someone who likes his creepy drawings and ideas but isn't quite on board with the permanent, body-altering situations in which his protagonists often find themselves. His humor is strange but charming, and while I didn't enjoy Soichi as much as I enjoyed Cat Diary, I think it occupies a similar space in manga horror comedies.

Junji Ito never appears to fail when it comes to horror, well enough to earn the title of "True Master of Horror." As much as I am able to love the other work he produces, it is refreshing when he does continue with considered side-characters from other works. Of course, the weirder his work gets, the more enjoyable it becomes.

The newest from Manga Horror king Junji Ito, Soichi follows a young boy of the same name on his odd exploits as he terrorizes his family, teachers and classmates.

I enjoyed how Ito's vignettes all linked in this volume, instead of a number of unrelated stories. It all pulls together to paint a picture of one creepy, nail-sucking child of terror!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley thanks to Viz Media. I really enjoy Junji Ito's short horror story manga, they are deeply terrifying. I haven't minded Soichi as a one shot character in his collections -- but I've never been a fan of Soichi. This is a bunch of shorts all dedicated to Soichi as a young boy living with his family. None of the stories are scary, they are all disturbing, but as usual I find Soichi to be a cloying type of annoying. A whole book of him meant I kept having to put it down, take a break and then pick it back up again. The art and storylines are as good as ever. Enjoyment of this will depend on previous experience with the character and author.

Junji Ito is always perfect! He is weird and bring amazing and dark tales to life with his storytelling skill and artistic work!

Absolutely wonderful collection. Mr. Ito has done it again. It was really interesting to finally see more into Soichi's perspective and background.

I recieved an eARC of this manga from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this anthology of short stories about the creepiest of creeps- Soichi. Soichi is a weird boy who lives with his sister, brother, mother, father and grandfather. Soichi sucks on nails and lives to freak people out. He spends each of these short stories cursing people and getting revenge for perceived (and real) slights. In all cases the consequences Soichi doles out do not match the transgression. He is ultimately not super successful (mostly) in exacting his revenge which lends a certain "Oh Soichi!" kind of feeling to his antics. He is a quintessential "creeper" though and is very....creative. I will probably purchase this book for my Junji Ito collection and for a future re-read.

I really enjoyed this collection of stories surrounding Soichi. I don't remember reading about him in any other Junji Ito collection so I came into this with him as a new character and personality and the stories definitely don't disappoint. He's such an interesting character but also frustrating, which is the point. I think Junji Ito did a great job fleshing out his character throughout these stories.

I went into this book thinking it was going to be a blend of stories, as most of Junji Ito’s stories are, but was pleasantly surprised that it was a one story graphic novel! Soichi is one of the most hated characters out of all of Junji Ito’s books in my opinion, which I think this is was the author’s intention. As with any of his novels, the art reflects exactly what is going on in the story and somehow makes it feel as though the reader is watching a horror movie. If you’re a fan of his work, get this!

I'm a fan of Junji Ito's. I've read a large number of his works and I was thrilled to get an ARC of Soichi. This story collection is centered around a boy who is just...creepy, unsettling, and might have paranormal powers. I found the first half to be scary, but it waned in the middle. At that point, it wasn't too scary, but more unsettling. There were definitely parts that were scary, though. What I love about Junji Ito is that his stories are so outlandish and absurd at times, but he just keeps doing whatever he feels like. As always, the art is impeccable. I've read so much of his work and this one was alright in comparison to others. I personally haven't been as invested in the newer story collections that revolve around one character, but I am always willing to read anything Junji Ito.

For much of the book, Soichi seems relatively harmless compared to some of Ito's other antagonists. He isn't a rogue planet hurtling through the galaxy. He isn't an undeniable call to wedge yourself into a crevice in a mountain. He's a younger brother who maybe doesn't get a lot of attention and is acting out. He is cruel and vindictive. He spits nails at people and creates life sized replicas. Part of me thought, well, when he gets to school and tries this, someone will sort him out.

Things get weirder at school. Soichi creates a host of dummies-of teachers, classmates, etc to dote on him and to harass those he doesn't like. Also the model from one of Ito's other books make an appearance.

I don't think this one is as strong as some of Ito's other books. However, I admire his willingness to follow his oddities wherever they take him.