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Releasing an anime horror series like Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of The Macabre absolutely increases my level of respect for Netflix.
Junji Ito Maniac is a Netflix-branded anthology series that adapts Junji Ito’s stories, from his horror manga collections.
Plot Breakdown: What This Horror Movie Series Delivers in Each Episode
The episodes of this horror series are about 25 minutes long each. Some of the episodes are two stories. The episodes are standalone, but there are a few recurring characters.
Each episode ends with the same eerie sequence of Joichi, one of the recurring characters of the series that I think all horror fans will love by the end of the series.
Meet the Talent: Junji Ito’s Role in Shaping This Horror Movie Series
This horror series introduced me to the works of Junji Ito. Until now I have neglected manga in general and horror manga in particular because I should have known about Ito from before.
Watching this horror series pushed me to know more about horror anime, but also made me see how I had forgotten horror manga in favor of vintage American horror comics.
Visual Style in This Horror Movie Series
The characters are great, but for me, the setting of each episode is the best thing, second only to their script.
Most settings tend to be regular spaces of quotidian life, but the exaggeration of how these places can also become very creepy is masterfully executed.
Editing & Episode Highlights in a Horror Movie Series You Shouldn’t Miss
The stories are interesting and all share a style of horror art that makes them very enjoyable, notwithstanding their short duration.
Junji Ito Maniac has a lot of gruesome visuals, so your discretion is advised.
The episodes that impressed me the most were these:
“Mold” is about a real estate property infected by super strong mold.
“Tomb Town” is One of the longest stories (spanning a whole episode), which is very bizarre and overflowing with creep factor.
“Unendurable Labyrinth” is probably the most epic of all the stories in the season.
The Hikizuri siblings’ stories deserve a special mention because they are not just bizarre, but also serve as comedic relief.
The three episodes about them have that black comedy feel that I value so much. Especially the last episode of the season “Soichi’s Beloved Pet”, which is black comedy gold.
Sound Design: How Audio Fuels the Fear
The creepy music is one of the things that makes this anime horror series very atmospheric. I think I could discern ambient and dark ambient, and also drone music, all in moderation.
What Makes This Horror Movie Series So Addictive and Entertaining
The horror entertainment value of the series is extreme and you will experience it from the second one of the first episode when watching the introductory sequence.
Since the episodes are standalone and thus devoid of any cliffhangers, I can only attribute the addictive nature of the series to the entertainment aspect of its overall value.
Pros and Cons: A Horror Fan’s Take on the Series
I loved this horror anime series on so many levels. I watched some of the most popular horror anime movies and series, but they don’t compare to this one.
Juni Ito: Maniac has dethroned Legend of The Overfiend, as my favorite anime horror item. This series is very loyal to one of horror’s most primal messages (horrible or bizarre things happen to regular folks), without going over the top, to shock the viewer, as Legend of The Overfiend does.
I loved how in each episode all the pieces fit together.
But if I have to pick just three things that I loved from this horror series I’d say: generally, the black humor relief with the recurring Hikizuri siblings, and specifically the minimalist slant of each episode’s script.
Finally, and this deserves to be brought into the focus, the color palette is awesome, and totally filled my expectations of how color should be used in an anime horror series.
Themes Behind the Horror Movie Series: Fear, Obsession & the Unknown
It is hard to pinpoint the moral of the series, but some of the episodes’ themes are recurrent. Their moral angles touch on obsession, isolation, and our reactions to the unknown.
Other moral themes are delusion, societal concerns, denial, stigma, fate, superstition, and many more. All approached in a masterful, elegant way.
Is This Horror Movie Series for You?
Avoid this series if you don’t like horror anthology series because that’s what it is.
Junji Ito Maniac is primarily an anthology. So don’t expect it to be a series with an expanding character arc, because it isn’t that.
If you love both anime and horror this anime horror series is definitely for you.
Media Credits: Netflix
© Bholenath Valsan 2025 — Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of The Macabre (2023) Series Review Horror Series
