ALLEY by Junji Ito
Page Count: 344 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: Smashed, Shiver, Tombs, Uzumaki, Remina, etc.
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9781974736034
Release Date: July 2023
General Genre: Horror Manga/Graphic Novel/Translated
Sub-Genre/Themes: Body horror, ghost stories, supernatural
Writing Style: gross-out, spare, fully illustrated horror stories/urban legends/ghost stories
What You Need to Know: Junji Ito does seem to explore themes of suicide, so that's really the only CW (a dead kid too)
My Reading Experience:
April 16, 2024 – page 34
"The first story “Alley” is so good. Classic Junji Ito— a seemingly innocent & sweet character with a secret"
April 16, 2024 – page 66
"“Descent” absolutely brutal and disturbing. CW for suicide and violent carnage. Terrifying! This one is nightmare fuel"
April 16, 2024 – page 98
“The Ward” so good. So unsettling and disgusting"
April 26, 2024 – page 133
"The Inn-super dark and disgusting. A man open an inn and digs too far down to find a hot spring"
April 26, 2024 – page 163
"A ghost story—no gore or shocking illustration and I kept waiting for it hahah"
April 26, 2024 – page 183
"Smokers Club was ok. But I’m excited for the next story MOLD"
April 26, 2024 – page 223
MOLD- That was horrific. I loved all the spores and parasites and the final frames"
April 26, 2024 – page 292
"Town of No Roads-a really weird tale about privacy and one young woman’s quest to be free from prying eyes"
April 26, 2024 – page 316
"Memory-not sure if I missed something here or what lol I didn’t really get it"
April 26, 2024 – Finished Reading
Final Recommendation: Ok not the total banger that Shiver, Smashed, and Tombs are but definitely very good. Like if this was your introduction to Junji Ito, this would do the trick! You’d get hooked!
Great artwork, totally disgusting with lots of full-page creepy gross outs. I loved the first handful of stories the most. Need this one for the growing collection! Read my updates for story-by-story notes.
Comps

Junji Ito is back with another gruesome short story collection. I can never get enough of his storytelling and grotesque artwork. Review forthcoming for Monster Librarian.

Junji Ito just keeps delivering! I really enjoyed this one. If you like his work but aren't into body horror, this book is safer than some of his others. These stories felt a bit more unnerving than outright scary. His art is always amazing and the stories are creepy. Highly recommended for horror fans!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, this is probably the least scary or fucked up Junji Ito collection. Which is fine. If you are curious about what Junji Ito is about, this is a great entry point. However, normally Ito's stories genuinely freak me out and give me the creeps and I love it. This one just didn't do that for me. I also read I think two of these stories before, and I'm not sure where I read them, so that was kind of a bummer. Other than that, it's still Junji Ito and was still good and scary, I just personally like all of his other story collections better.

I mistakenly picked this book up too late in the evening and stayed up way later than I intended because I couldn't put it down! Junji Ito has a great way of giving you just enough of strange things happening in the story to keep you intrigued and reading to the point that you can't stop. I definitely enjoyed the majority of these stories, but there were a few that I felt were lacking. I go to Junji Ito for terror and some of the stories just didn't deliver that for me. That being said, I'd still highly recommend this if you want some creeps!

This was a mixed bag for me. Unfortunately, most of these were very much just okay. They were pretty good and kept me engaged, but didn't really wow me. There was also one I actively disliked, Smoker's Club, I didn't really see what this one was trying to do. I did have some favorites, however, with Alley, The Ward, The Inn, and Blessing! Those were some pretty spooky stories that I can see myself revisiting in the future.

3.5 stars!

Junji Ito's most recent anthology, aptly titled delivers precisely what it promises: a haunting journey through ten meticulously crafted short stories. Each narrative in this compilation not only cements Ito's reputation as a master storyteller of horror but also showcases his unique ability to blend the ordinary with the bizarre, creating an unsettling dissonance that lingers with the reader.

The book opens with a profoundly creepy story where a young man is tormented nightly by the sounds of children playing. However, the alley below his boarding house is completely sealed off, rendering the children's laughter both impossible and disturbing. This story sets the tone for the collection, weaving a common thread of surreal, inexplicable occurrences that challenge the characters' understanding of their reality.

Another standout tale involves a young woman whose family begins to behave unnervingly as she experiences increasingly bizarre dreams. Her decision to escape to her aunt's town—a place devoid of roads and addresses—only deepens the unsettling mystery. The narrative skillfully plays with themes of isolation and disorientation, pulling the reader into a labyrinthine plot that is as confusing as it is compelling.

Perhaps the most memorable story is the one featuring an all-you-can-eat ice cream bus with a sinister edge. This tale not only reflects Ito's grotesque creativity but also his ability to transform mundane experiences into sources of profound terror. The blend of childhood innocence with a lurking, ominous threat exemplifies Ito's flair for tapping into deep-seated fears.

For fans of Ito's work, particularly those who have enjoyed his portrayal in recent visual adaptations such as the Netflix series 'Maniac', this collection offers a familiar yet refreshing dive into his dark imagination. The stories, while self-contained, echo motifs and themes familiar to his followers, showcasing his enduring ability to innovate within his distinct style.

Visually, the book is a testament to Ito's growth as an illustrator. His detailed artwork complements the narratives perfectly, with characters and settings drawn in a style that enhances the eerie atmosphere without overshadowing the story. The black and white format, far from limiting the impact of the illustrations, adds a classic horror aesthetic that fans and new readers alike will appreciate.

Although some stories may seem to end abruptly, this seems intentional, leaving the reader unsettled and reflective, pondering the possible continuations and the deeper meanings behind the bizarre occurrences. This narrative choice may not satisfy all readers, but it certainly reinforces the book's overall impact as a collection of unresolved, nightmarish vignettes.

Overall, another banger from Ito.

Alley, a collection of short tales of the macabre by Junji Ito was a fast and thrilling read. I enjoyed it greatly. I thought the works all complimented each other well and the thought provoking 'what if' tales scared, and titillated my senses. The artwork was top notch as well, you can really tell it has a specific style all on it's own. The translations were also easy to understand and didn't hurt the flow of the images when translated into English. The one thing I dislike about these stories on a personal level was the lack of resolution in many stories. The story for which the book is named, Alley was an amazing read but kind of ended abruptly and I'd say the same for about half of the stories here.

For a story collection, it was a fun, quick read if you like mind-bendy horror with thought provoking tales of woe.

Ito does it again. This is a great collection of horror short stories with that classic Ito creep factor. I highly recommend!

Junji Ito is always so clever, I don't know where he comes up with this stuff but it's brilliant. Children turning into ice cream? Weird maze homes? Like wow every time I think he can't get any weirder he literally publishes something else.

I loved the premise of this book, but…

The stories were alright but the illustrations could’ve been better; guess I’m just not a big fan of black and white comics.

Another great collection of stories by Junji Ito. I think this is one of my favorites. I really enjoyed all the stories in here, especially the one that involved the actual "Alley." Other stories in the collection were just as chilling. I always look forward to what Junji Ito brings to the table.

This is 10 short horror stories. I do not have much to review-If you like Ito's other work, you will like this one too. Most of the stories were good. They all had the same Ito creepy style to them as normal.

olid if unspectacular collection from Junji Ito. As ever, my favorites are stories that continue a Victorian ghost story tradition, like Alley or Blessing. There is a pair of story in which he draws upon his ability to unsettle with his use of texture. And unfortunately, there are also stories that just seem a beat off.

"it was hell itself"

it's really cool seeing his artwork get more creepily detailed over the years and I'll never know how he thinks of so many unique little stories. This one is easily my favorite collection of his, while it's not the grossest, my jaw dropped multiple times from the plot twists which is hard to do when the stories are only 30ish pages long. I'll never think of mold or ice cream the same again.