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MANGA DramaGyo: Ugomeku Bukimi
MANGA DramaItou Junji Tanpenshuu: BEST OF BEST

REVIEWS

• 

  NoneStar

  100/100
  A story highly recommended, great for anyone who wants to see if they wish to read Junji Ito.

  Spoilers Ahead:

  Probably one of my favorite short manga. An interesting read that is great to show people who want to know what Junji Ito's work is like without having to read a major story of his. I distinctly remember reading this on Imgur on an old laptop in my room around the time I was in middle school and being fascinated by it, after randomly stumbling across it while mindlessly searching through images.

  One thing that I've recalled about this story is the fact that it plays really well into anxiety, the characters see their holes and choose to go in, even the one character that supposedly learns their purpose is for execution as they had just awoken from a dream of how they were carved for criminals who do heinous crimes. Even with this newfound knowledge, upon seeing their hole they also choose to go in. The horror of the scenario is realized when, on the other side of the mountain a month later, we see that the dream, at least in the sense of what the holes will do to people is true, as we see a contorted body approaching the scientists.

  The mystery element on whether or not the dream is true, along with the fact that we never even learn why the people of the modern day fit in the holes draws more mysticism to the entire thing. In this world are people reborn millennia later and see the same holes that they match from their past due to their crimes? Does the re-opening of this mountain happen by accident or is it connected in some way with the fact there are people that fit the holes? There are many questions left un-answered which makes the situation that much scarier, as the peoples untimely ends could have some higher meaning or could simply be people losing their minds and holes they think where meant for them but for all we know have simply been made for generic shapes of people in the past.

  The anxiety caused however is probably one of the biggest fear factors of this story, unlike in other stories where it's a monster of some form that causes people great suffering the issue for the characters in this story is themselves. One thing that this reminds me of is Kierkegaard's explanation of anxiety, in which he goes into detail of how people acquire dread through the ability to do something, such as throwing oneself off the side of the cliff, a feeling people develop when looking over the top of it. In the instance of this story, the looking over the cliff is replaced with the finding of ones hole, and the fact that it is possible to enter it. One could say a simpler version of this story could be when someone looks over a cliff, and believes this is the place that they are going to die, with the horror being the giving in to this and throwing themselves off of it. The same kind of dread is done for both people when looking at the area in particular, however it is way better done within the writing and illustration of Junji Ito, with many more elements added in a such a way it enhances the horror of the scenario.

  If there was any story one should give people who are unsure if they want to read more of Junji Ito's work it would be this one. Only taking 32 pages it takes less than 10 minutes to read the entire story but for many, even if years in the future where they forget fine details, they'll still remember if anything the aura of anxiety and dread the story exhumes.

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• 

  Laeqre

  88/100
  The dangerous nature of human desire, explored by the works of Junji Ito.

  Introduction

  The horror factor of this one-shot is based upon the psychological aspect of compulsion. As the inexplicable holes are "made for them", tourists and people of the town feel the irresistible need to enter, despite knowing the result being death. Famous psychologist Sigmund Freud describes this feeling as "death drive", unconscious instincts that seeks to destroy the individual; for instance, having the thought of jumping off a cliff when near one. This feeling is also known as "call of the void".

  

  Analysis

  The psychological aspect of this story thus drives its horror. Essentially, it is the story's characters killing themselves - something inherent within them causes a deep urge to destroy their own self. As there are no evil forces or enemies presented in this story, it emphasizes the internal psychological factor - that is, it is possible for people to actually have a desire to harm themselves (such in the case of mentally disturbed persons, and those unable to control their instincts and unconscious, similar to all those that enter the holes in the story). As such, the story comes to explores the innate human instincts of curiosity and destruction (which is also present in Ito's other works) which can, invariably, be the end of themselves.

  

  Looking Deeper into Psychology

  The Enigma of Amigara Fault thus circles around the following concepts: The "Death-Drive" and "Reader's perspective". In classical Freudian psychoanalytic theory, the death drive is the drive toward death and destruction, often expressed through behaviors such as aggression, repetition compulsion, and self-destructiveness. This concept has been translated as "opposition between the ego or death instincts and the sexual or life instincts". In Pleasure Principle, Freud used the plural "death drives" much more frequently than in the singular. The death drive opposes Eros, the tendency toward survival, propagation, sex, and other creative, life-producing drives. The death drive refers to knowing that one is about to die in the midst of doing something, but having the drive to do so.

  

  Relation to Manga

  This is expressed through how Nakagaki, upon seeing his own hole, decides to go into it as it claims that it was "made for him", even to the point of stripping to allow himself the easiest access to enter the hole itself, showing some sort of dedication or respect to the hole, maybe to prevent the inner layer of the hole from being damaged. Furthermore, even after Owaki covers up Yoshida's hole with rocks, Yoshida is driven by the "force" of the hole and removes the rocks before entering. What's most intriguing is that Owaki, who seems to be the most "rebellious" and denies the "force of the hole", spots his own hole after lamenting Yoshida entering her hole, but proceeds to enter. "Reader's perspective", however, is one of the major uncovered themes in Junji's work. In reader's perspective, one knows what is about to happen to a certain character, yet does not experience the character's emotions as they are separated, thus providing contradiction and leading the reader to so-called "feel", which in turn leads to a sense of horror. An example is when Junji states that Nakagaki is "several hundred metres into his hole" and trapped, unable to move. By stating that Nakagaki is not able to adjust his body (as the holes are corresponding to their body shape), and further showing the great length of the entire hole, it gives the reader a claustrophobic feel and thus evokes horror in one.

  
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