Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito

Viz Media, 2018

ISBN-13: 9781974703760

Available: Hardcover, Kindle, comiXology

Junji Ito, the master of horror manga, adapts Mary Shelley’s classic, Frankenstein in this graphic collection. Victor Frankenstein is obsessed with creating life from death. He stops at nothing to create his giant, only to be repulsed by his design. Abandoned and angry, the creature takes his revenge on those Victor loves.

I read a few reviews that were critical of Ito’s adaptation, indicating that they felt that adapting Shelley’s novel restricted his horrific artwork and storytelling. I would have to disagree, particularly regarding the art. While it is true Ito is skilled at the grotesque, his ability to draw beautiful characters seems to go unnoticed. For instance, is titular character in Tomie is gorgeous, which I think makes the horrific scenes in the manga so effective. The same can be said of his art for Frankenstein. The Creature, and moreover the companion Victor creates for him, are horrific. The character designs are signature Ito. Ito takes some liberties with the story, but not enough that it takes away too much from Shelley’s original novel. Purists may be disappointed, however.

Included in this collection are six short stories that center on a high school student named Oshikiri who lives alone in a strange mansion while his parents are away. In “Neck Specter”, he murders his best friend Kojima over petty jealousies and buries him on his family’s land, only to discover that when he unearths him that his neck has grown longer. Soon he is seeing everyone around him growing long, winding necks and accusing him of his crime. “Bog of Living Spirits” tells the tale of a small body of water near Oshikiri’s high school where it is rumored the ghost of a jealous girl drowns handsome boys that wander into the area. In this story, Kojima is alive and followed relentlessly by the high school girls who adore him. When he volunteers to help the other students tidy up the land around the bog, the girls are distraught and beg him not to go. Were they right, especially when they witness him falling in and not resurfacing? Oshikiri becomes friends with a seemingly lonely girl in “Pen Pals”. The young girl begins receiving insults and death threats in letters after she tells them of her new friendship. Oshikiri finds out the disturbing truth when he visits her at home. In “Intruders”, Oshikiri befriends some classmates who are interested in alternate dimensions, and who want to explore his mansion after he describes the strange footsteps he hears. There, they discover their own graves, complete with rotting corpses.

“Hell of the Doll Funeral” is the shortest story in the book, but one of the most gruesome. Children are starting to turn into dolls, and parents burn them before the affliction completes its cycle. One mother refuses to do so, and the result is terrifying.

The last two stories in the book gives the reader an uncommonly light-hearted look into the Ito family, specifically the family dog. The Matlese named Non-Non was clearly the ruler of the family.

While this volume is a departure from works such as the aforementioned Tomie, Uzumaki, and Gyo, it is still very enjoyable. Ito’s art style is unique and highly detailed. I would recommend this title for those who like graphic adaptation of classic horror, body horror, horror manga, and interesting stories.

Contains: blood, body horror, gore, nudity

Highly recommended

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker