This was an interesting book, and my star rating is based on the fact that I believe this book was intended for an adult audience. In that case, I found the illustrations compelling and beautiful but the stories were very anticlimactic and not a bit frightening to me. I'm assuming that some of the impact of the horror was lost in translation or is a cultural difference. That being said, I would absolutely hand this over to an older child who is looking for a scare. It reminds me a bit of the original Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark where the plots of the seperate stories were varying levels of scary but the illustrations by Stephen Gammell scared the pants off a person!

The atmosphere of this book was well done and each short story was haunting in its own way. That being said, in my opinion without the illustrations by Junji Ito, I don't think the stories would have been as terrifying as they were.

The illustrations in this were fantastic, as is usual for Junji Ito.
I will say I found most of the stories quite anti-climactic, but still relatively enjoyable.

Bite-sized horror stories with delightfully creepy illustrations by Junji Ito? Sign me up.

I went into this book only knowing the above, but I was quickly disappointed regardless of my limited expectations. Laid out similar to campfire stories or urban legends, the tales recounted here were clipped and stylistically candid. Emphasis on atmosphere, characters, and even overall spookiness seemed to be sacrificed for keeping each story to the bare minimum of structure. While the illustrations greatly helped to add dimension to each piece, I found my eye gazing away from the text and instead moving from one drawing to the next. I wonder if going in I had realized that this book feels like it will read more for the middle grade or chapter book crowd - think Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell - I don't think my perception would have been as soured. That being the case, I know of a few middle schoolers just beginning to cut their creepy teeth on horror who would love this.

Also, from a very practical point. the watermark used on my review copy was so opaque and large that it obscured most of the contents of each page. As a publisher myself, I fully understand and appreciate watermarking review copies, but this was bordering on the gratuitous.

Sincere thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this collection fell flat to me. It felt very half baked and I was disappointed. It's drawings were beautiful as always but the short stories were not what I had hoped

Stitches isn’t the first time author Hirokatsu Kihara and Junji Ito have collaborated together. Years back, Ito had taken Kihara’s Mimi’s Tales of Terror compilation, and added his own twists to the tales. However, Stitches is the first time the two writers have teamed up to come up with something original. Unfortunately, not everything delivered gives off either authors’ trademarked creeps.

The collection of nine short stories (plus a bonus manga) puts a focus on strange apparitions. From ghostly tumors in “Face” and neighbors returning from the dead in “Festival of the Dead”, these tales deal with situations that somehow come and go as they please. Perhaps this is where the biggest flaw of Stitches is on display, as both Kihara and Ito are known to leave readers feeling uneasy after each story. Instead, things sort of wrap up in a Deus Ex Machina sort of fashion.

Granted, some of the spookier tales do offer genuine eyebrow-raising. “Folk Dance” focuses on a photographer taking pictures of a student outing. When the time comes to see the pictures, an odd situation arises due to a subject’s vanishing. “Snow Day” has a mysterious woman appearing to a high schooler on a freezing morning with no shoes. But then, the next day, the woman appears again, this time in her house and hanging from a rope.

These tales have the right amount of info revealed about the specters, leaving readers with more questions than answers. It’s that level of unsettling nerve that keeps these tales shining brighter than the rest, with their endings feeling more open-ended. But it’s not all spooky tales, as “The Play” delivers chills involving a weird marionette. It builds towards something spooky, only for it to end with a surprisingly funny punchline.

Then again, it’s the bonus manga at the end that showcases the strengths of both Ito and Kihara. Seemingly a true story, “Summer Graduation Trip” involves two friends at a traditional inn. They attempt to use the onsen, only to walk deeper into the basement towards it with no end. In true horror fashion, what ends up happening leaves more questions to be asked, with nary a reason for the spine-chilling vibes to occur.

When Stitches leaves readers asking more questions, it results in a good spooky story. However, half of the time, the story builds towards something scary, only to end with little-to-no fanfare. It’s no Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but there are a couple of winners in Stitches that are worthy of being told around a campfire.

Thank you NetGalley and Viz Media for the ARC! Stitches combines short horror stories by Hirokatsu Kihara with disturbing artwork by Junji Ito. The stories are reminiscent of those told within friend groups mostly during the middle school/junior high years. They are fun, slightly creepy, but not so horrific that they'll keep you up at night. The biggest seller for this collection is the artwork by Junji Io and it does not miss, but for fans of his manga, they may be left underwhelmed.

The stories were really interesting but I was kind of surprised to find that they were in actual book format and not graphic novel. I was expecting more artwork by Junji Ito. I was a little disappointed that there was only a page of artwork following every chapter, although it did help bring the story to life for me. I always appreciate the artwork Junji Ito creates.

Stitches is truly a bit of an odd read. The closest comparison point might be the classic scary stories to tell in the dark collections. The tales contained within are generally too sleight to have much impact, combined with the sort of emotionless tone that is often typical of Japanese folk horror the stories end up a bit wanting. The one exception is the one manga story at the end, where Ito’s art does shine, but it’s not enough to be able to really recommend this one.

I love Kihara and Ito but I found this collection a little boring. I was looking for something a little scarier with more illustrations. I now know that this is a collection of previously released stories so I guess I get it, but still.

Not what I was expecting. I assume Junji involvement meant it was a manga. However it's just a few of his illustrations accompany a story by Hirokatsu Kihara. The stories are hit or miss but nothing terrible.

First of all, thanks to Viz Media for sending this e-galley, I appreciate the trust you put into my work.

Now, let's get into the topic. Stitches is an anthology of short stories from Japan, all of them illustrated by the master of horror in manga: Junji Ito.

The stories were very different from each other, which I'm grateful for, and they share the same essence: Characters with just a letter for a name and very disconcerting and scary situations that would never want to experience in my life. Even though they were entertaining, I think they could have been longer. Yes, each story had a great foundation and plot, but everything happened so quickly that you could barely start to feel scared about what's going on. I would love to revisit these stories, but in a longer format. I think it would a whole other experience.

Now, the illustrations by Junji Ito are responsible for scaring me to death and make this experience unbelievable. The short lenght of the stories was overshadowed by the amazing illustrations that accompanied the book. From ghosts to puppets and dark rooms filled with secrets, all these drawings gave me goosebumps.

Stitches is an entertaining book to read on a busy week or a chill and dark weekend. I'm sure that horror fans would enjoy the stories and would love the illustrations.

I'm being generous with my rating because I'm assuming some of the punchiness of the prose was lost in translation, but these stories are...dull. I requested this because the marketing team emphasized Junji Ito's involvement, so I thought it would be similar to Mimi's Tales of Terror (in which Junji Ito both adapted the text and created the illustrations). Here, there are illustrations interspersed throughout (plus a fun mini-manga at the end), but it's primarily blocks of Hirokatsu Kihara's text.

It's a disappointing effort, but I enjoyed the art.

Thank you to VIZ and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

If you like short story collections similar to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, then this will be a good book for you. If I'm not mistaken, all of these stories are based on real events that happened, making them even more interesting (you'll find that main characters' names are abbreviated to just the first letter). They're also bite-sized, perfect for campfire telling and sleepovers. There is also a bonus mini manga in the very back that is the perfect essence of subtle Junji Ito horror.

As always, Ito's art adds a heart-racing flair to each story, though I wasn't too impressed with the layout for a few stories and many illustrations are reused throughout the pages of their stories (cropped or mirrored or otherwise minimally altered), which made me feel like it was sadly lacking in the illustration department. I was, however, most pleased when the cover illustration shows up in a two-page spread and its story has multiple unique illustrations--so that won't be disappointing, I can promise!

The stories themselves are mostly ghost stories and none are so terribly frightening that even a child wouldn't enjoy the thrill of reading them. Some are sad and there's at least one I can immediately recall that has a relatively happy ending. Everything was translated nicely. It's just a good set of stories that can be read in any order.

This collection of illustrated stories is a great option for young readers interested in scary stories or just being introduced to scary stories. The illustrator, Junji Ito, is what drew me into reading this book of illustrated horror stories, but I can see how they might appeal to young readers. The length of each story seems right for a young reader, giving just enough information to draw them in and give them a spooky thrill.

Kihara tells some imaginative ghost tales for youngsters that will entertain. The description says it is for adults, and while I will agree that the Summer Graduation Trip, by Junji Ito, leans towards adult, the rest of Stitches seems to be for children. And, maybe I’m wrong about the intended audience for the book overall, but for me it read more like a children’s book of ghost stories. If it was, indeed, for adults, I don’t think it quite hit the mark. The stories did not have much depth to them.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to review and the ARC included a watermark in the center of each page, making some pages difficult to read. This was a minor inconvenience.

A collaboration between Hirokatsu Kihara and Junji Ito. I was really looking forward to the collection of short stories since Japanese horror and ghost stories tend to be very scary. However, I found the stories lacked a scary factor. The illustrations were great! My favorite short story was Folk Dance.

Thank you NetGalley, Viz Media and Viz Media LLC

A collection of short horror stories that lack an oomf factor. I was intrigued because Junji Ito was illustrating for it but unfortunately that didn't make up for the lack of substance in the stories. As a horror buff I was disappointed. I did like the open ended extra manga short that Ito wrote at the end.

Classic Ito. Unfortunately, this means it was way too scary for me so I did not make it through the whole novel. The art, though terrifying, was beautiful.

Interesting and creepy short stories, I wanted more insight and details on most of them, like the local history behind the stories or the legends they were generated from.

The perfect compilation of disturbing stories that stay with you, from master of horror Manga Junji Ito and alike. Each story was creepier than the other. If your a fan of Horror Manga and Junji Ito, this will not disappoint!