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Stitches
A tumor shaped like a man’s face slowly moves across a woman’s body. The sea shoots glowing balls into the sky, much to the distress of beachgoers. And a girl dressed up for a holiday has no eyes, no nose, nothing–her face is a total blank.
Hirokatsu Kihara pens true stories of unsolved mysteries, stitched together with page after page of Junji Ito’s original illustrations in this collection of nine eerie tales and a bonus manga story.
Hirokatsu Kihara pens true stories of unsolved mysteries, stitched together with page after page of Junji Ito’s original illustrations in this collection of nine eerie tales and a bonus manga story.
114 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2024
233 people are currently reading
11397 people want to read
About the author
Junji Ito
223 books14.8k followersJunji Itō (Japanese: 伊藤潤二, Ito Junji) is a Japanese cartoonist and illustrator, best known for his horror manga.
Ito was born in Gifu Prefecture, Japan in 1963. He was inspired to make art from a young age by his older sister's drawing and Kazuo Umezu's horror comics. Until the early 1990s he worked as a dental technician, while making comics as a side job. By the time he turned into a full time mangaka, Ito was already an acclaimed horror artists.
His comics are celebrated for their finely depicted body horrors, while also retaining some elements of psychological horror and erotism.
Although he mostly produces short stories, Ito is best known for his longer comic series: Tomie (1987-2000), about a beautiful high school girl who inspires her admirers to commit atrocities; Uzumaki (1998-1999), set in a town cursed with spiral patterns; Gyo (2001-2002), featuring a horde of metal-legged undead fishes. Tomie and Uzumaki in particular have been adapted multiple times in live-action and animation.
Ito was born in Gifu Prefecture, Japan in 1963. He was inspired to make art from a young age by his older sister's drawing and Kazuo Umezu's horror comics. Until the early 1990s he worked as a dental technician, while making comics as a side job. By the time he turned into a full time mangaka, Ito was already an acclaimed horror artists.
His comics are celebrated for their finely depicted body horrors, while also retaining some elements of psychological horror and erotism.
Although he mostly produces short stories, Ito is best known for his longer comic series: Tomie (1987-2000), about a beautiful high school girl who inspires her admirers to commit atrocities; Uzumaki (1998-1999), set in a town cursed with spiral patterns; Gyo (2001-2002), featuring a horde of metal-legged undead fishes. Tomie and Uzumaki in particular have been adapted multiple times in live-action and animation.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 548 reviews
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March 26, 2024Just like, Mimi's Tales of Terror, Hirokatsu Kihara and Junji Ito team up again for a collection of several stories that fall flat. If you're die-hard fan of Ito's illustrations, you might want these two for your library but if you're showing up for the stories too, both of these latest collections miss the mark. The stories are so short and underdeveloped. Just unsatisfying and basically all eye-candy and no real substance.
January 6, 2024
"The lips were moving. Inside was an even deeper black, like pure darkness."
Anything that Ito has his hands in is usually pure gold. It’s dark, disturbing, and my little black heart grows larger. So this was a no brainer to read.
*sigh* It pains me to say this but these stories were kind of dull. The collection contains nine extremely short stories that are supposed to make your eyes turn black and fall out but they really put me to sleep. The best thing about this was the art.
Anything that Ito has his hands in is usually pure gold. It’s dark, disturbing, and my little black heart grows larger. So this was a no brainer to read.
*sigh* It pains me to say this but these stories were kind of dull. The collection contains nine extremely short stories that are supposed to make your eyes turn black and fall out but they really put me to sleep. The best thing about this was the art.
March 30, 2024
Scary Stories in the Dark but make it Asian lol I had a great time & Junji Ito's art never disappoints
June 21, 2024
Junji Ito’s art is great as always but the stories themselves left a lot to be desired.
April 24, 2024
Ito's illustrations are fabulous, but the short urban legends are distinctly underwhelming.
June 23, 2024
2.5 Stars
As always, Junji Ito's artwork is beautiful, but it was not enough to save these lackluster short stories. They just felt incredibly average and mundane. Very disappointing.
As always, Junji Ito's artwork is beautiful, but it was not enough to save these lackluster short stories. They just felt incredibly average and mundane. Very disappointing.
April 17, 2024
Terrible!
It reminded me of last year when I reread a Goosebumps book and forgot how childish the writing was. This is a solid children’s book (minus the suicide, lol). It’s 45 minute read, if that.
When I say the writing is childish I mean that it has no depth, it ends as quickly as it begins, and nothing is challenging. This collection omitted even Japanese names of characters, opting to use the first initial of a name instead, which felt really not authentic for me. Equally, this could be a great introductory book for a younger reader getting into Japanese horror because it does have shallow Japanese vocabulary and themes.
As the owner of every book with Junji Ito’s name on it, I will admit I pre-ordered this sight unseen. That was my mistake. His work used to be so special, but lately his name is tacked onto anything for a sale. It is a huge bummer. I’ll be more cognizant of this moving forward with his new releases.
It reminded me of last year when I reread a Goosebumps book and forgot how childish the writing was. This is a solid children’s book (minus the suicide, lol). It’s 45 minute read, if that.
When I say the writing is childish I mean that it has no depth, it ends as quickly as it begins, and nothing is challenging. This collection omitted even Japanese names of characters, opting to use the first initial of a name instead, which felt really not authentic for me. Equally, this could be a great introductory book for a younger reader getting into Japanese horror because it does have shallow Japanese vocabulary and themes.
As the owner of every book with Junji Ito’s name on it, I will admit I pre-ordered this sight unseen. That was my mistake. His work used to be so special, but lately his name is tacked onto anything for a sale. It is a huge bummer. I’ll be more cognizant of this moving forward with his new releases.
January 30, 2025
Well, this was extremely boring.
Stitches is like a light novel/novella strung together with stories by Hirokatsu Kihara and artwork by yours truly— mangaka Junji Ito.
In the afterword, Kihara talks a little about his process on the book, the excitement to work with Junji Ito once again, and where the title Stitches actually derives from— stitching together story and illustration to present an entertaining collection.
This was not entertaining.
Junji Ito carried this whole collection, and I really hate to say that because I’d love to give credit to Kihara for his “terrifying tales”, but these stories were mediocre at best.
There was potential— but every single story had an abrupt ending and no real depth or detail. Just as quickly as it began, it was over. The real star of every story was unfortunately, Junji Ito’s artwork.
My favorite tale was The Play and even that was a 3 out of 5 stars for me. There was a lot of room to elaborate and make it a bit spookier, but nope.
Honestly though, the best story was the manga-adapted story in the back of the book.
I wanted to like this so bad. The cover is eye-catching and the title is unique. I’ll probably keep it on my shelf for those reasons— but you can truly just skip out on this one. If you’d like to read it, it only takes a couple of hours to get through at most.
I’d rate Stitches a ★ ★ out of five stars, sadly.
Stitches is like a light novel/novella strung together with stories by Hirokatsu Kihara and artwork by yours truly— mangaka Junji Ito.
In the afterword, Kihara talks a little about his process on the book, the excitement to work with Junji Ito once again, and where the title Stitches actually derives from— stitching together story and illustration to present an entertaining collection.
This was not entertaining.
Junji Ito carried this whole collection, and I really hate to say that because I’d love to give credit to Kihara for his “terrifying tales”, but these stories were mediocre at best.
There was potential— but every single story had an abrupt ending and no real depth or detail. Just as quickly as it began, it was over. The real star of every story was unfortunately, Junji Ito’s artwork.
My favorite tale was The Play and even that was a 3 out of 5 stars for me. There was a lot of room to elaborate and make it a bit spookier, but nope.
Honestly though, the best story was the manga-adapted story in the back of the book.
I wanted to like this so bad. The cover is eye-catching and the title is unique. I’ll probably keep it on my shelf for those reasons— but you can truly just skip out on this one. If you’d like to read it, it only takes a couple of hours to get through at most.
I’d rate Stitches a ★ ★ out of five stars, sadly.
October 13, 2024
Best thing about this book is the flip-over bonus Junji Ito manga and illustrations that accompany the 9 super short, not very scary stories. These scant ghostly tales had the potential to be more chilling but due to their petiteness only install the briefest glimpse of fear. Fans of Ito's illustrations or anyone looking for books that might be scary for elementary school age kids will likely appreciate this most.
March 26, 2024
This was fine, but it’s not in typical manga format. More like short stories with a few illustrations by Ito scattered throughout. (Yes, this one reads left to right.)
I pre-order everything with Junji’s name attached, and while I’m happy to add this to my collection, it is one of my least favorite volumes. If you can get this from your library first, I’d go for that.
Alley is also set to drop in English this year, so if this isn’t your jam, there’s more Ito on the way. 😉
3.5
I pre-order everything with Junji’s name attached, and while I’m happy to add this to my collection, it is one of my least favorite volumes. If you can get this from your library first, I’d go for that.
Alley is also set to drop in English this year, so if this isn’t your jam, there’s more Ito on the way. 😉
3.5
April 24, 2024
“Please! No more!”
This quote is basically me while reading this light novel. Ito’s spooky illustrations really saved this from being a one star read. All of the stories were flat and one-dimensional. The lack of detail I think is the main culprit. If these were all manga stories rather than a light novel it may have faired better.
If you’re looking for scares or even just good storytelling, I’d look somewhere else.
++++++++++++++++++
INDIVIDUAL REVIEWS
++++++++++++++++++
Face - ⭐️⭐️
+++
Library - ⭐️
+++
From the Sea - ⭐️
+++
Festival of the Dead - ⭐️
+++
The Play - ⭐️⭐️
This one was almost good. 2.5 stars
+++
Folk Dance - ⭐️⭐️
+++
The Kimono - ⭐️⭐️
This one was also almost good. 2.5 stars
+++
Snow Day - ⭐️⭐️
This one was giving sleep paralysis a la Haunting of Hill House. But less good.
+++
Lips - ⭐️
+++
Bonus manga: Summer Graduation Trip - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The best thing in the whole collection is, of course, a short manga story from Ito.
This quote is basically me while reading this light novel. Ito’s spooky illustrations really saved this from being a one star read. All of the stories were flat and one-dimensional. The lack of detail I think is the main culprit. If these were all manga stories rather than a light novel it may have faired better.
If you’re looking for scares or even just good storytelling, I’d look somewhere else.
++++++++++++++++++
INDIVIDUAL REVIEWS
++++++++++++++++++
Face - ⭐️⭐️
+++
Library - ⭐️
+++
From the Sea - ⭐️
+++
Festival of the Dead - ⭐️
+++
The Play - ⭐️⭐️
This one was almost good. 2.5 stars
+++
Folk Dance - ⭐️⭐️
+++
The Kimono - ⭐️⭐️
This one was also almost good. 2.5 stars
+++
Snow Day - ⭐️⭐️
This one was giving sleep paralysis a la Haunting of Hill House. But less good.
+++
Lips - ⭐️
+++
Bonus manga: Summer Graduation Trip - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The best thing in the whole collection is, of course, a short manga story from Ito.
May 15, 2024
This collection of short stories felt a lot like the anime YamiShibai so if you are familiar with that you will get the vibe here.
Junji Ito’s illustrations and his bonus manga are excellent as always and these micro stories are punchy, creepy and odd.
Not as scary as I had hoped but Face and Snow day both hit the mark.
Junji Ito’s illustrations and his bonus manga are excellent as always and these micro stories are punchy, creepy and odd.
Not as scary as I had hoped but Face and Snow day both hit the mark.
August 21, 2024
This was an easy and straightforward read. The stories were a mixed bag, not to say some were bad though, just some were better than others. My faves were Face, Festival Of The Dead and Snow Day, all hitting that mix of creepiness and oddness that makes a good read. Junji Ito's artwork is amazing as always and is ever so captivating. His bonus manga at the end of this short story collection was also a good read.
March 25, 2025
2.5/5. Compared to other works I’ve picked up from Junji Ito, this was tame. It lacked the eerie, unsettling, weird, and dark elements that I think most Ito fans usually enjoy. Considering that he’s behind the art, I can say he delivered there. But if you’re picking this up for Junji Ito, you can skip it.
December 21, 2024
Excellent illustrations and short manga by Junji Ito. The stories by Hirokatsu Kihara were interesting, but not too scary (more YA style of “creepiness”). Except for “Snow Day”, that was TERRIFYING and I wish it had been a bit longer.
September 29, 2025
Kihara’s collection of nine short horror stories is honestly a passable bunch. My positives are their nice presentations and Ito’s illustrations that are surprisingly look tamer than his usual work. Most of the stories didn’t feel fleshed out and that much scary, yet they did have some great ideas. The bonus manga story from Ito is probably the most interesting one.
Could’ve used more soul in these stitched pages. B- (67%/Decent)
Could’ve used more soul in these stitched pages. B- (67%/Decent)
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July 25, 2024beautiful!
September 23, 2025
✨3 stars✨
September 23, 2025
2.5
Stories are too tame and frankly underwhelming to be worth a read- I'm not sure why they've been chosen to be honest. But as usual, I love Ito's illustrations
Stories are too tame and frankly underwhelming to be worth a read- I'm not sure why they've been chosen to be honest. But as usual, I love Ito's illustrations
January 13, 2024
Stitches is nine short horror stories in one book. Some of the stories were okay, but for the most part, they were kind of boring. I hate to say that as two of my favorite things to read are horror and graphic novels, but it fell short. I am not sure if they were translated into English and the writing was just lost in translation. I wanted to like this, but the stories lacked horror for the most part. I had to go back and see if this was written for children. It was basically on par to be the Japanese version of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark." I want to have something positive about this small anthology of short stories, so I will at least say I had never heard the stories that were written. It did have that "weird" Ito-style too, which I appreciated.
(Not really Kihara's fault, but the ARC from the publishers, but it was really annoying to have the watermark in the middle of the pages where it covered or completely erased words. That and it was not read in manga format-I am not sure if the published copy will be, but I hope so). I am not familiar with Kihara's work, but it seemed like Junji Ito might have done the illustrations and used his name so people will try Kihara out. I thought there would be more Ito, but it was just an illustration or two in each story.
*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC*
(Not really Kihara's fault, but the ARC from the publishers, but it was really annoying to have the watermark in the middle of the pages where it covered or completely erased words. That and it was not read in manga format-I am not sure if the published copy will be, but I hope so). I am not familiar with Kihara's work, but it seemed like Junji Ito might have done the illustrations and used his name so people will try Kihara out. I thought there would be more Ito, but it was just an illustration or two in each story.
*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC*
December 31, 2024
This one's on me - I wasn't paying attention and initially got this thinking that it was an anthology of Junji Ito manga shorts. Instead, it's an anthology of (primarily) textual short stories by Hirokatsu Kihara, illustrated by Junji Ito. This didn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. Maybe it'd be a Japanese Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, with the illustrations making everything several times creepier.
Or not. Most of the stories were either not very memorable or were downright disappointing with their lack of follow-through. "The Kimono" was kind of sweet and creepy, and "The Play" was mildly creepy. However, several of the stories literally ended with some variation of "nothing happened, thank goodness." It was a letdown.
There is one manga story in the collection, created by Junji Ito and based on a "true story" collected by Hirokatsu Kihara. It starts off good and creepy due to Ito's artwork...and then the main character chickens out and changes the subject in order to avoid learning anything truly scary.
All in all, not really worth it, not even for Ito's artwork.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Or not. Most of the stories were either not very memorable or were downright disappointing with their lack of follow-through. "The Kimono" was kind of sweet and creepy, and "The Play" was mildly creepy. However, several of the stories literally ended with some variation of "nothing happened, thank goodness." It was a letdown.
There is one manga story in the collection, created by Junji Ito and based on a "true story" collected by Hirokatsu Kihara. It starts off good and creepy due to Ito's artwork...and then the main character chickens out and changes the subject in order to avoid learning anything truly scary.
All in all, not really worth it, not even for Ito's artwork.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
November 25, 2024
I was surprised that this wasn't presented in the kind of manga that I am used to.
To be honest, I wouldn't have read this if it weren't for Junji Ito. The illustrations were really great, but the stories were kind of mediocre for my liking. I mean, the stories were quick and fun to read at times, but there was just nothing that stood out for me. It was definitely a no-brainer read.
To be honest, I wouldn't have read this if it weren't for Junji Ito. The illustrations were really great, but the stories were kind of mediocre for my liking. I mean, the stories were quick and fun to read at times, but there was just nothing that stood out for me. It was definitely a no-brainer read.
May 24, 2024
I really wanted to love this, I’m always on the look out for graphic horror novels and this one contains Juni itos art…unfortunately the only enjoyment I got from this books WAS Junji’s art.
The short story’s were very short! and just fell flat with little to meaning by my opinion, I don’t know maybe I had high expectations wanting more from these stories.
I’m rating the book 2 stars but the artwork was obv 5 star
The cover is sick 👏
The short story’s were very short! and just fell flat with little to meaning by my opinion, I don’t know maybe I had high expectations wanting more from these stories.
I’m rating the book 2 stars but the artwork was obv 5 star
The cover is sick 👏
March 29, 2024
2.5 stars. Junji Ito’s contributions were horrifying, per usual, and definitely what shined in this collection. Unfortunately, I just didn’t really enjoy the stories in this one overall.
March 31, 2024
disappointing
October 13, 2024
*4.5
Just wish they were longer! Immediately need to read more by them!
Just wish they were longer! Immediately need to read more by them!
February 19, 2025
"I was dancing with her there, but she's gone."
June 28, 2024
(4.5 Stars, leaning towards 4)
My soul feels like it got touched by something. This illustrated book was really creepy in a beautiful way. It's made up of around 9 eerie tales and they all tell different, equally fascinating stories.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 4.5 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀? ⭐
I really enjoyed this collection of stories and if anyone else loves some sinister tales, this is incredible for you. I loved the addition of the manga and the illustrations throughout the stories were gorgeous. The only reason why I don't give 5 Stars is that I sometimes wished there was more to the stories but that was just my own impression.
My soul feels like it got touched by something. This illustrated book was really creepy in a beautiful way. It's made up of around 9 eerie tales and they all tell different, equally fascinating stories.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 4.5 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀? ⭐
I really enjoyed this collection of stories and if anyone else loves some sinister tales, this is incredible for you. I loved the addition of the manga and the illustrations throughout the stories were gorgeous. The only reason why I don't give 5 Stars is that I sometimes wished there was more to the stories but that was just my own impression.
July 6, 2024
3.5 stars
There was something about this that I didn't like as much. I think it was partly because these were "true" tales and so were told like someone relating a story that they heard from their cousin who was told from kid at school. They're vague. I was hoping for a bit more.
But I also think that this could be because of the written nature of the stories. I really liked Mimi's Tales of Terror by the same author and illustrator. I think the manga style suits it better. And I also love Junji Ito's style.
There was something about this that I didn't like as much. I think it was partly because these were "true" tales and so were told like someone relating a story that they heard from their cousin who was told from kid at school. They're vague. I was hoping for a bit more.
But I also think that this could be because of the written nature of the stories. I really liked Mimi's Tales of Terror by the same author and illustrator. I think the manga style suits it better. And I also love Junji Ito's style.
January 4, 2025
I never thought I needed a horror read until a friend asked me to buddy-read Stitches. This is my first Junji Ito book, and it’s everything I’ve wanted from horror: unforgettable visuals, grotesque imagery, and next-level body horror. Despite being a short read, it packs a punch with its eerie atmosphere and shocking twists. As a fan of Asian horror movies, this brought back a wave of nostalgia from two decades ago. I’m so glad my wife gifted me Uzumaki cos I can’t wait to dive into more of Junji Ito’s works!
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