Thank you NetGalley and Viz Media for the ARC! Alley gathers 10 disturbing stories from the mind of Junji Ito. These haunting tales include an icecream craze that's not your typical soft serve, a story that speaks of the dangers of too many eyes on our lives, a father that digs too deep into the ground to start a hot spring bath house, and a closed in alley where the sounds of children echo in the night. These stories are sure to please horror fans as well as fans of Junji Ito, with artwork that will haunt your dreams!

This book is pretty different than Junji Ito's usual short stories. It's a collection of short stories, more like Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark than Tombs or Smashed. The stories are incredibly short, weird, and haunting. Even having read the description, I was expecting more story to each, but honestly, they grew on me quickly. They're just fun. I really enjoyed this collection.

Thank you to Junji Ito and VIZ Media via NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first foray into Junji Ito and i really enjoyed it! I’ve been hearing about his work for years and this collection did not disappoint. His illustrations are eerie and well-done. His stories are unique and gripping. My favorites from this collection were “Blessing”, “Town of no Roads”, and “Memory”.

I would highly recommend this collection to anyone who loves horror and is looking for something with a visual component.

Junji Ito's collections have been very hit or miss for me so I wasn't sure what to expect from this newest batch of stories. I am pleased to say that this is one of my favorite collections of his that I've read so far. I found all of the stories to be sufficiently strange and creepy. Some really pulled me in. My only complaint is that they all end pretty abruptly and don't really have a conclusion. I was left with "wtf just happened?" Still, that didn't really detract from the overall enjoyment of the book. If you're a fan of Ito's work then I think you will enjoy this new collection as I think it's one of the strongest from the more recent years.

Thank you to @NetGalley for providing me with a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is another solid set of Junji Ito short stories filled with body horror, psychological thrills, and a general sense of grossness and dread. Standouts for me are "Alley," "The Ward," "Descent," "The Inn," and "Memory."

This was a really great introduction to the Junjo Ito universe. It wasn't as dark and memorable as a lot of his other work, but that didn't make it any less memorable or enjoyable. These were easily digestible stories with interesting characters.
If you have a friend who wants to get into Ito's work and you're not sure how well they'll deal with horror, I highly recommend this collection as a starting point.
Really great stories and I never knew what was going to happen next.

It's probably the best Junji Ito collection I have read in a long time. Some really fantastic artwork with some creepy storylines that rival Uzumaki. If you're going to pick just one new Ito collection to read, make it this one.

This was my favorite Junji Ito collection published in the last few years. As always, there were at least a couple of stories (and images) that will haunt me forever, which is really what I'm looking for in a book.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley

This Junji Ito collection is fantastic as they always are! I am a huge Junji Ito fan and this one has some great disgusting body horror. Fun and creepy!

Another wonderfully unsettling collection from Junji Ito (although I believe this is a reprint). Stories are stronger in the first half/two-thirds.

I think I've read too many Junji Ito stories, and maybe that has caused a sameness to settle in. It feels very rote. His art is still great, but I didn't really enjoy this one. His later works don't seem to hit as hard for me. Hopefully, the next one will be better.

Another fantastic and disturbing set of short stories. I really enjoy Junji Ito's work, even if it makes my skin crawl.

Both the writing and artwork were strong in this collection. While nothing quite took my breath away, stories that stood out to me were “The Ward”, “The Blessing”, and “Memory”. The stories overall were (as usual) disturbing, chaotic, and masterfully illustrated.

Classic Junji Ito. A must read for his fans who will not be disappointed with the story and art style throughout his volume. There are some amazing panels.

Junji Ito is back and better than ever. Alley is a collection of 10 truly disturbing short stories. I cringed, I grimaced. I had a fantastic time and I cannot wait to see what this man comes up with next.

Thank you to VIZ Media and NetGalley for the eARC!

these were good! i liked how different the twists were in each story. i wish that some of them were just a little bit longer to build up a bit more tension, but i liked them overall. and i really like the art style!

Junji provides a further descent into chaos with stories of human-absorbing mold, things that whisper in the night, and a town with no road... even a creepy ice cream bus! While some stories seemed to spiral, or have no real plot (or too much plot), they are sure to keep you up at night!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Absolutely loved this collection of short stories. Some are very gruesome, some thoughtful and others downright scary. Alley is my favourite, I loved how the plot developed from a normal situation to something terrifying and creepy. If you like Asian horror films, then many of the scenarios will feel familiar to you, especially The Ward, Mold and The Inn. Great fun 🤩

Thank you to VIZ and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

If you love Ito's body horror, you're going to love this collection because wow it is full of it. I felt itchy looking at some of it (which may be a bad thing, given how the story "Mold" went...).

Admittedly, I wasn't really creeped out or anything until the last couple of stories; I think "Ice Cream Bus" is the creepiest and "Town of No Roads" is the weirdest. They both left me feeling quite weirded out, though I can't really say the same for the rest of the stories. Many have no real resolution and have open-ended interpretations, leaving a disappointed feeling when seeing "END" at the bottom of each story's last page. This is likely due to their inspiration coming from urban legends, but I still would have liked to have seen more out of some of them (like the titular story).

Regardless, it's another good set of horror stories featuring the grotesque art of master horror mangaka Junji Ito.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

This was perfectly horrific and creepy. Some sections were better than other, but none overstayed their impact.

Rating: 4/5