Let's Read Time for some fucking Junji Ito motherfuckers: Let's Read Spiral

[Cowboy Moment]

So, I really like Junji Ito. It's a bit strange, because I also really like Lovecraft, and they're extremely different, both in their themes, and the means of expressing them. While Lovecraft loves merely suggesting the horrifying and the disturbing, putting multiple walls between the reader and the events themselves through multilayered indirect narration, and seems content merely lifting the very edge of the veil separating us from the unknown and incomprehensible, Ito puts the disturbing and grotesque straight on our doorstep, behind our walls, in our very own bodies, in full view and plain sight, making it impossible to look away and pretend the world is the safe and reasonable place we'd like it to be.

But anyway, here is Spiral, in my opinion Ito's best work. It is quite short, at 19 chapters, hopefully making it easier for this LR to reach completion. Even though there is a clear overarching narrative, a definite cast of characters, and a good amount of continuity, the chapters themselves are relatively self-contained, and can still be read as standalone short horror stories.

Also, be advised, that while Spiral doesn't feature any outrageous nudity, the imagery is often very disturbing, and should probably be considered NSFW. You have been warned.

Without further ado:

Chapter 1, The Spiral Obsession, Part 1

It begins.

The author sure loves his body horror, does he not?

Fortunately for us, this chapter doesn't contain any :awor: characters.

Finally, fuck yeah cliffhanger! Jiro Matsumoto would be proud.

 

[Night Goat]

I read this a few years ago, and sometimes I still get a little uncomfortable when I look at spirals. Good read.

 

[Lindblum]

Oh this guy yeah NO.

Just no creepy as fuck art style.

 

[Excidium]

So, I really like Junji Ito. It's a bit strange, because I also really like Lovecraft, and they're extremely different, both in their themes, and the means of expressing them. While Lovecraft loves merely suggesting the horrifying and the disturbing, putting multiple walls between the reader and the events themselves through multilayered indirect narration, and seems content merely lifting the very edge of the veil separating us from the unknown and incomprehensible, Ito puts the disturbing and grotesque straight on our doorstep, behind our walls, in our very own bodies, in full view and plain sight, making it impossible to look away and pretend the world is the safe and reasonable place we'd like it to be.

Not to mention how the main characters are always incredibly nonchalant in Junji Ito stories. That one hot bath story is specially hilarious in this respect. "Jeez why is the water red, look at all these weird people. Wow a deformed guy just popped from under the water."

 

[Night Goat]

Oh this guy yeah NO.

Just no creepy as fuck art style.

Are you scared? It sounds like you're scared.

 

[Hirato]

This is read Left to Right?

 

[Cowboy Moment]

In Chapter 2, the obsession continues.

Chapter 2, The Spiral Obsession Part 2

Ito likes obsession very much - he is not very good (or doesn't think it's important) at writing believable, psychologically rich characters, so extremely obsessive behaviour is his goto explanation for the disturbing and violent actions of his characters. It is worth noting that Lovecraft has a similar problem, which he solves with an obsessive lust for knowledge and/or power. However, while Lovecraft focuses mostly on the object of the obsession - usually some form of forbidden knowledge or gruesome mystery - for Ito it's what the obsession does to the obsessed themselves that is important.

This particular story also features another of Ito's trademarks - hatred or revulsion towards one's own body, which in this case is a result of paranoia, but in other stories is often objective, with parts of the body turning against its owner in some capacity.

Finally, we will see an ongoing theme, where friends and family are often a major source of danger and horror. This is in opposition to Lovecraft, where they are either absent, or a positive influence, trying to save the protagonist from himself. This probably makes Ito a filthy liberal, but I don't care.

 

[CappenVarra]

ugh, i can imagine a few more spiral or spiral-like shapes found in anatomical books - and i'm not sure i want to see how he'll turn them into body horror...

 

[Lindblum]

Yeah it times like these, I always wondered why they don't just call a priest for an exorcism or buy some charms.
It's obvious that there's bad Mojo going round.

One of the more disturbing images that stands out of Junji Ito is the Acne storyline, Imagine a dude climbing on top of his sister and squeezing every pore of acne goo onto her in UNHOLY DETAIL.


Oh hey look MLP related image.

 

[Tigranes]

 

[Cassidy]

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Time for Chapter 3, where the truth about women is revealed.

Chapter 3, The Scar

I think this is rather self-explanatory.

 

[lightbane]

Heh, a welcome addition to the Codex, so much I read the first volume, certainly one of the most hilarious gore/comedy stories I've ever read. Any attempt at "horror" is immediately destroyed when you take in consideration how terminally stupid the characters have (seriously, even the average slasher film's character/victim has more intelligence and actual sense of self-preservation than these guys). I'll follow this for the comedy factor.

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

The best thing about Junji Ito is how 'shoop worthy his material is.

 

[Occasionally Fatal]

I find this strangely entertaining. Do go on good sir.

 

[Sodafish]

Yeah Ito is great. I have all the Uzumaki manga. I didn't think Gyo was as good though.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Ok bros, I have the whole first Volume uploaded, will try to post it all today, and then we can move two page 2.

Chapter 4, The Firing Effect

This kid would make for a good Awor if not for the fact that he has a girlfriend. Hopefully he can fix that and become the hero of this story.

 

[lightbane]

Hey, a new chapter! One that I didn't read! Awesome, let's see... *reads it*





This must be one of the few cases in which the "insane" guy (aka Shuichi) is actually the only sane person of the entire town. Seriously, there's naivety and then there's downright terminal retardation that is a danger to everyone. In fact, everyone on this town except Shui is too stupid to live and/or lacks basic human empathy and intuition. Shouldn't he runn away from this cursed place instead of staying here like a moron?
Anyways, moar lulz please!

 

[abnaxus]

He's staying for his waifu, obviously. Betas gonna beta.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Chapter 5, Twisted Souls

This one is really silly.

 

[Night Goat]

I like Uzumaki overall, but that chapter was pretty dumb. Also, the characters really are idiots for not getting out of town when they have the chance, but dumbass protagonists are pretty common in the horror genre. It's kind of understandable, as "some weird stuff was happening so I moved away" wouldn't make such an interesting story.

 

[Sodafish]

The chapter where

Spoiler

people start turning into snails

is pretty cool

 

[Cowboy Moment]

The chapter where

Spoiler

people start turning into snails

is pretty cool

Fuck you Sodafish, you bumped me to the next page before I could post the last chapter of this volume.

But anyway, that chapter is really good, there's nothing frightening it, but it makes you feel really uncomfortable in your skin. Also, the follow up with people start

Spoiler

eating and cooking the snails

is cool as well. You have to be pretty fucked up to think of something like that.

Chapter 6, Medusa

Ito has a thing for hair in his stories, off the top of my head I can think of at least two other ones where it features prominently. It makes sense when you think about it though, hair is peculiar in that it's a natural product of the body, without really being a part of it. This makes it a great vessel for this kind of "foreign body" metaphor.

Spoiler

Incidentally, pregnancy is another similar situation; and we will, indeed, see a chapter about pregnancy.

 

[lightbane]

I like Uzumaki overall, but that chapter was pretty dumb. Also, the characters really are idiots for not getting out of town when they have the chance, but dumbass protagonists are pretty common in the horror genre. It's kind of understandable, as "some weird stuff was happening so I moved away" wouldn't make such an interesting story.

Even then, dumbass protagonists don't move away because there's some sort of reason compelling them to stay (such as the cursed town not allowing them to leave). However, here the bitch that is the main character is still staying despite the overwhelming evidence that something is clearly off. In fact, she doesn't even believe her boyfriend even though he's completely right

Chances are she'll pretend nothing happened despite the "hair possession" thing.

 

[Sodafish]

Fuck you Sodafish, you bumped me to the next page before I could post the last chapter of this volume.