Junji Ito is always a treat! How he designs the page, the characters, the stories, they're all so unique and individual. Each stands out on it's own. I also love how he can go back and forth between totally horrifying to totally horrifying and goofy at the same time. A true master of horror. ( )

once again, another wonderful collection by junji ito ( )

This is one of the better Junji short stories.

I loved all of them and he doesn't disappoint with the weird, wacky and way out there.

The whole theme across the short stories was 'tombs' and yet I felt most of them had something deeper inside the pages.

I can't wait for the next Junji Ito to read, this one will stay my number 1 in the short stories collection.
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A fairly decent collection of Junji Ito's stories regarding burials, graves, and general 'horror that lies beneath'. Like much of Junji Ito's work, plenty of these stories raise more questions than they do answer them all for closure- but that's a crucial part of Ito's horror writing is blatant but grim open-endedness. I believe my favorites here are Washed Ashore and Tombs (the titular story). I read most of these stories back years ago- with some stories like Slug Girl, Bronze Statue and The Window Next Door, Washed Ashore are fairly memorable when I saw them some time ago. Clubhouse and Floaters I think are my least favorites, while not bad stories, they just weren't as good as the others. I noticed an error or two while reading, but it doesn't take away from the story at all- just caught me off guard. This is one of the better anthologies of his work printed. ( )

Another collection of Junji Ito short stories full of his trademarked body horror. It's kind of a mixed outing, with so many of the stories acting like build-up to a single shocking image or idea and then abruptly stopping there. But it was cheesy fun gross-outs for the most part, so I'll round up to three stars for the collection.

Tombs ~ 3 stars

It's certainly hard to cover up a hit-and-run when tombs spring up wherever people die. Gets a little wild, but the ending is haunting.

Clubhouse ~ 2 stars

A haunted house story that seems to end prematurely on an image that's meant to be shocking, but is just kind of weird.

Slug Girl ~ 3 stars

You know them slugs ain't gonna stay in that garden . . . One of the most effective last panels in the book. I get the impression that might have been the first image drawn and the rest of the story was simply backfill to explain it.

The Window Next Door ~ 3 stars

The cougar next door creeps on her teenage neighbor through their facing windows. Her over-the-top appearance reminds me of Basil Wolverton's portraits in ugliness and seem unnecessary for this supernatural stalker saga.

Washed Ashore ~ 2 stars

A sea monster carcass has washed ashore, and people are drawn to check it out, unaware of the secrets it holds inside. This story feels the most incomplete with its abrupt ending exposition, like it should have been the first chapter of a longer tale.

The Strange Tale of the Tunnel ~ 3 stars

The creepiness of the suicides, the missing persons, and the paranormal draw of the tunnel are undercut by a pat ending.

Bronze Statue ~ 2 stars

A ridiculously goofy story of murder and statuary.

Floaters ~ 2 stars

People's innermost secrets start floating around like spores in the air. The story tumbles out of control as it tries some different directions but doesn't really seem to know what to do with its concept. Even the characters seem rather blasé about it.

The Bloody Story of Shirosuna ~ 2 stars

Much too obvious and unoriginal. Gallons of seeping blood is actually the least scary idea in this book and closes it out in a dull manner.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Tombs -- Clubhouse -- Slug Girl -- The Window Next Door -- Washed Ashore -- The Strange Tale of the Tunnel -- Bronze Statue -- Floaters -- The Bloody Story of Shirosuna ( )