Junji Ito, the king of realism horror, is back with another bone-chilling anime in cahoots with Netflix. The two have teamed up to bring us the best quality content. And will do so with ‘Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of Macabre’ anime too.
This coming anime will include Junji‘s most popular and never-before animated works and some classics. However, you can’t ever get enough of Junji Ito, so Netflix has some uplifting news for us. In the above trailer, Netflix revealed more titles that will be included in the ‘Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of Macabre’ anime.
Addition of New stories in Junji Ito Maniac
The video includes the school-based horror tale, ‘Tomie: Photo‘ from the manga ‘Tomie.’Other than this, Netflix has revealed five more stories that will be remembered for the anime appearing on January 19, 2023. The new titles are:
- The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel (Tunnel Kitan)
- Mold (Kabi)
- Layers of Fear (Kyōfu no Jūsō)
- The Thing that Drifted Ashore (Hyōchakumono)
- Back Alley (Rojiura)
As the new titles are released, new cast members are also joining the team. And Netflix covers that part too. The official website has revealed more voice actors, and they are:
| Story | Cast | Other Works |
| The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel | Shun Horie | Kazuya Kinoshita (Rent-A-Girlfriend) |
| The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel | Tomomi Mineuchi | Koi Yoshinaga (Slow Loop) |
| The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel | Risa Mizuno | Julie (Bakugan Battle Brawlers) |
| Mold | Daisuke Hirakawa | Rei Ryugazaki (Free!) |
| Mold | Kousuke Okano | Kenta Nakamura (Initial D) |
| Mold | Ken Uo | Amayo Jingoro (Basilisk) |
| Layers of Fear | Lynn | Maya Sato (Classroom of the Elite) |
| Layers of Fear | Romi Park | Hange Zoë (Attack on Titan) |
| Layers of Fear | Mina Kobayashi | Helios Energy CEO (Tiger & Bunny) |
| The Thing that Drifted Ashore | Kaito Ishikawa | Tobio Kageyama (Haikyu!!) |
| The Thing that Drifted Ashore | Yūko Kobayashi | Washu Hakubi (Tenchi Muyo!) |
| Back Alley | Yuuto Suzuki | Jek (Dance with Devils) |
| Back Alley | Seiko Ueda | Lulu Ramon (Kuromajyo-san ga Tōru!!) |
The franchise hasn’t revealed any of the characters this new cast will play. So, we’ll have to wait a little more for that.
There’s also one more title left to be revealed that will be featured in the anime. Y’all are free to cook up theories regarding that one. This might be something that hasn’t been animated before, and Junji might have planned something special for this.
it's a new spooky piece of key art for Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre!
joining the tales are four more Junji Ito classics: "Ice Cream Truck," "Tomb Town," "Library Vision," and "Headless Statue" pic.twitter.com/xCQFfOWueQ
— Netflix Anime (@NetflixAnime) October 14, 2022
Previously revealed titles to look forward for
Junji Ito is the mangaka that has established himself within the genre. So well that he began collecting awards for his own works intentionally.
- As terrible and horrific as his stories are, horror fans possibly can’t get enough of them. Making his work become popular and well-known anime.
- His works are always looked forward to, and ‘Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre’ is no different.
The previously revealed stories that will be in the Junji Ito Maniac are as follows:
- Ice Cream Bus (Ice Cream Truck)
- Bohyō no Machi (Tomb Town/ Tombs/ Gravetown)
- Zōsho Genei (Library Vision or Library of Illusions)
- Kubi no Nai Chōkoku (Headless Statue or Headless Sculptures)
Will there be more of them coming?
The anime will likewise include more than 20 stories that have never been animated. These stories will be taken from some of Ito’s most outstanding works and volumes. Such as Tomie, Sōichi, The Hanging Inflatables, and more. It will also include one of the mangaka’s most underrated stories, ‘Where the Sandman Lives’ (Suima no Heya).
The rest of the cast members that will join the team are:
| Story | Character | Cast | Other Works |
| Ice Cream Bus | Sonohara | Ryotaro Okiayu | Byakuya Kuchiki (Bleach) |
| Ice Cream Bus | Tomoki | Sara Matsumoto | Towa Higurashi (Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon) |
| Ice Cream Bus | Ice Cream Man | Takatsugu Chikamatsu | – |
| Gravetown | Tsuyoshi Yoshikawa | Ryohei Kimura | IKōtarō Bokuto (Haikyu!!) |
| Gravetown | Kaoru Yoshikawa | M.A.O | Iris (Fire Force) |
| Gravetown | Izumi Murakami | Aya Uchida | Sylph (Black Clover) |
| Library of Illusions | Goro Shinozaki | Yuuki Kaji | Eren Jaeger (Attack on Titan) |
| Library of Illusions | Koko Shinozaki | Tomoe Hanba | Maki Amakasu (Iketeru Futari) |
| Headless Sculptures | Rumi | Fumiko Orikasa | Kyūbei Yagyū (Gintama) |
| Headless Sculptures | Shimada | Takashi Kondō | Keisuke Tsukidate (Backflip!!) |
Junji Ito’s art style plays an equal role in promoting the eerie atmosphere, and the staff has admitted that they are trying to do the same kind of linework in the anime. This 2023 anime is intended to bring you into Ito’s twisted appeal.
Conclusion
- Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of Macabre features a collection of some of Juji Ito’s best horror works.
- Some of the stories include Unendurable Labyrinth, The Long Hair in the Attic, Bullied, and others. Even some stories from Tomie, Soichi, and The Hanging Balloons have been included.
Sources: Netflix Official Twitter, Official Website
Are you excited for the Junji Ito Maniac anime series? Comment down below your thoughts.
Also Read: Tsurune Anime Season 2: Release date + New trailer
Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications and never miss an update from the world of video games, cinema, and sports. You can also follow us on Twitter @spieltimes for the latest PS5 restock and drop. Stay Safe and Happy Gaming!
