Junji Ito Masterpiece Collection N.3: La Maldición egoísta de Soichi

伊藤潤二傑作集 [Ito Junji Kessaku-shū] #3

by Junji Ito

Junji Ito Masterpiece Collection N.3
Recuerda ¡te contaré una historia de terror!
Soichi, el misterioso segundo hijo de la familia Tsuji. Con clavos en su boca, provoca extraños incidentes con horribles maldiciones. ¡Bienvenidos al mundo de Soichi, donde encontrarán un humor negro y divertido!

Genres: Manga, Horror, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

Junji 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.

Reviews

[Ricarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although he mostly is an annoying brat, I have much love for Soichi as a character with all his curses, nails, creepy dolls and unhinged behavior. I really enjoyed reading some stories about him!

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

”I’ll get you for this… I’ll show you true horror!”

I used to think Soichi was one of my least favourite Junji Ito character, so I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this short story collection as much as I did. It was nice to see the creepy Model character again here too, and Ito’s signature body horror in the form of people turning into these frightfully creepy dolls. Or are they being replaced by them?
Soichi is one creepy little shit, with a mouth of iron nails that he chews. Creepy kids in horror always do send shivers down my spine the most. When he is around, something bizarre, and horrifying, is always bound to happen…! 💀

[Plagued by Visions · Rating 5 out of 5]

My previous only exposure to Soichi was a badly scanned and translated version of one of his stories, which didn’t particularly stand out to me against the rest of the Junji Ito bangers I read back in those days (Amigahara Fault, Human Chair, you know the drill). Now, having plunged fully into the world of this vicious yet strangely endearing boy, I can say that, next to Cat Diary, this is Junji Ito at his funniest and most charming.

Soichi is a misfit teen who lives constantly shut in his room plotting curses for people he feels have somehow wronged him. His curses are usually childish in nature or explained away by logic, leaving much of the “supernatural” here up in the air. It does not contain the visceral, uncanny visuals Junji Ito is known for (at least not “per se”). The humor is light, and though Soichi does become relatable at that level of social alienation most of us horror fans have felt at least to some extent, that edge is not executed with particular originality.

So, I give this five stars because I understand it not as another endeavor from Mr. Ito to horrify us, but rather to have us understand his philosophy of horror a bit more, and I am absolutely in love with just how simple his philosophy is: Horror is fun! And moreover, Ito fashions Soichi as the perfect vehicle through which this message is carried. Soichi so evidently becomes a vessel for Ito’s own humor and antics. We constantly see Soichi in anticipation, teasing at what horrible curse he’s laid out this time around, and then the revelation comes (in typical “horrific page-turning Ito fashion), yet Ito insists on unmasking the horror as something light, unserious, and Soichi most often ends up getting his comeuppance (rightfully so, Ito seems to always say, as mischief is only good when concentrated on the page). I can so clearly imagine Ito approaches his storytelling in a similar fashion, always plotting the most horrible things imaginable (Soichi even downright plots murder at certain times) yet releasing them through inventive, entertaining, and ultimately light and fascinating caricatures.

Ultimately, what I want to say is, Junji Ito has once more shown that it’s the unserious where some of the most satisfying engagement with horror lies. Even when dealing with curses and dark energies, Soichi insists on interposing his own comparatively innocuous personal drama—is that not what we all do when we read horror? ☺️

[Jillian B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these Junji Ito graphic novels that are essentially a series of interconnected short stories. In this book, Ito gives us an especially entertaining and creepy villain. Soichi is a loathsome little boy who enjoys sucking on nails (allegedly for the iron) and putting curses on people. Some of the stories are told from his perspective, and others from people who have the misfortune of interacting with him. The stories get increasingly twisted and more supernatural as the book progresses. This author’s weird little books are always a great time!

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who's been following my reviews for a while knows that I have a convoluted relationship with Junji Ito's works: I either obsess over them and find them to be absolutely flawless, or I spend most of the book bored out of my mind. Unfortunately, the latter was more frequently the case with Soichi (though I did find it to be unique enough to be worth 3 stars instead of the 2 I initially planned on giving it). I didn't care a lot for Tomie, either, so maybe I just don't mesh well with these collections Junji Ito does revolving around a single character.

That said, there was some genuinely creepy imagery in here (I never got over being chilled a bit by the shots of Soichi with his mouth full of nails), and I loved the Easter egg of the famous model from another of Junji's works.

The whole collection is really over the top and definitely one of Junji's sillier works, but I think a lot of his readers are going to love it. It wasn't a new favorite for me, but I'm still glad I read it.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.

✨ Content warnings for: violence, gore, body horror, curses, abuse, blood sucking, necromancy, animal abuse/neglect, animal death

———
twitter | booktok | bookstagram | blog

[Sadie Hartmann]

SOICHI: Junji Ito Story Collection
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: SMASHED, SHIVER, TOMBS
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978197473...
Release Date: July 25th, 2023
Manga, Horror, Graphic Novels, Short Stories
Sub-Genre/Themes: Family, Curses, “Bad Seed”, Creepy Kid
Writing Style: Whimsical, dark comedy, over-the-top
What You Need to Know: This is a short story collection centered around one of the most disturbing young boys I’ve ever read. Soichi. I would say mild triggers for harming a frog in one story and maybe just a general trigger for child neglect/children with behavioral issues. It might be too much for people who are sensitive.

My Reading Experience: I am so addicted to these Junji Ito short story collections. They are so much fun. I enjoy binge-reading an entire collection while relaxing on the couch with a little snack. The illustrations are pure eye candy. I love that there are always a few panels with a solid jump scare. I turn the page and there will be a full-page, gross-out, or some detailed horror-filled scene of graphic violence. Something to look forward to with each story.
This collection is focused on a character we have met before with his own story in previous collections. Soichi is memorable because he’s so young but so inherently evil. Sometimes, like in this sampling, he’s just presented as being mischievous and maybe misunderstood.
I almost felt sorry for him a few times, almost…because immediately upon experiencing empathy, Soichi would act out again and do something totally bananas. He really is such a little monster.

A HAPPY SUMMER VACATION- we see Soichi in his natural habitat when his cousins come to visit. He has a wicked hatred toward them and makes their trip miserable.
A HAPPY WINTER VACATION- *see above haha. Plus Soichi fancies himself a vampire which is disturbing
SOICHI’S HAPPY DIARY- a cousin discovers Soichi’s gross, evil diary. What could be worse?
SOICHI’S HOME VISIT- We learn Soichi is in the 6th grade. His teacher comes to visit. It does not go according to plan. This one is pretty creepy and gross.
TEACHER OF THE CLOTH- A continuation of this situation with Soichi’s teacher. It’s so weird but mostly kind of funny. The illustrations are hilarious.
SOICHI’S BIRTHDAY- This is the one that made me a little sad for Soichi. Because he’s such a menace, people blame him for everything even when he’s not doing anything
SOICHI’S PETTY CURSES- This is the frog one if I remember correctly
FOUR-LAYERED ROOM- I think this was my favorite. It kind of reminded me of Joe Hill’s LOCKE & KEY
COFFIN- The perfect balance of fun & creepy
RUMORS- The best story to go out on. I hate Soichi haha

Final Recommendation: I had to read this on my tiny phone screen through my NetGalley app but it was well worth it. It just makes me all the more eager to get the physical copy. I absolutely love Junji Ito’s work. All of it!

Comps: Joe Hill’s LOCKE & KEY, BERSERK Kentaro Miura, Shuzo Oshimi

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a feeling I wouldn’t like this one but I read everything from Junji Ito so I still gave it a chance. I didn’t like Soichi when he was featured in one of the other manga’s, so having a whole short story collection surrounding him wasn’t fun for me. I don’t find him creepy, he’s just a brat who comes off annoying more than anything else. the only story I liked in here was Teacher of Cloth.. the rest I can do without tbh.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soichi Tsujii is the ultimate bratty cousin, only exponentially worse than you can imagine because he can basically use voodoo dolls to curse those who offend or humiliate him. He also keeps nails in his mouth, ostensibly as a treatment for his iron deficiency but mostly to spit as missiles at those he hates or to use as vampiric fangs. He's an all around repulsive jerk.

And yet, somehow, watching his successes and failures became a bit addictive as i made my way through the book, sort of like watching Wile E. Coyote or the black and white spies from Mad magazine.

If you find yourself wanting more Soichi, the Junji Ito collection Smashed has three stories featuring him that are not collected here.

UPDATE December 13, 2023:

After reading this, I revisited the Smashed collection and found that the Soichi stories there sort of resolve the cliffhanger ending here. So be sure to check that out.

And the bizarre model who appears in a couple of the stories here and there will make more a little more sense if you first read the Fuchi stories in Ito's Shiver: Selected Stories collection.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: A Happy Summer Vacation -- A Happy Winter Vacation -- Soichi's Happy Diary -- Soichi's Home Visit -- Teacher of Cloth -- Soichi's Birthday -- Soichi's Petty Curses -- Four-Layered Room -- Coffin -- Rumors

[Cozyblanketandabook · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am always excited for a new Junji Ito book and Soichi was no exception.

Soichi is the first Junji Ito book I did not enjoy. The character of Soichi is just insufferable and annoying. One story with this character? Sure. A whole book of stories with this character? Not for for me.

The few moments of humor were not enough to sustain me.

I will say I did find some enjoyment with the birthday story and coffins. It was also great to see an appearance by Fuchi.

Normally I am somewhat sad to get to the end of a Junji Ito book, with Soichi I was racing to finish.

[Coos Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soichi es el personaje más insufrible y gracioso de Junji Ito, y de aquellos que me quedaba pendiente conocer. Me divierten sus locuras, pero hay momentos donde me gustaría darle una cachetada.

[♡ retrovvitches ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this character pisses me tf off but maybe that’s why i enjoyed some of it so much lol. some genuinely creepy moments in story telling and illustrations, the cloth people disturbed me real bad for reason!! overall very enjoyable for me (other than suichi being just plain irritating but i guess that’s his weird charm)

[Jan Agaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

sad this one wasnt 5 stars, but at least i know it remains true that i prefer junji ito's story collections in which the stories don't connect or revolve around just a couple characters. i like the ones with stories that have nothing to do with each other, with the exception of tomie and uzumaki of course. soichi got old and annoying but he was absolutely unhinged; the stories just didnt get as many visceral reactions as usual. i did appreciate the last story bringing back a character from an older junji ito story though 😌

[Reilly Zimbric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never want to meet Soichi, but I’ll read about him all day long.
Keep chewing on those nails, king. 👑

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A birthday party, you say? Hmph. I’d rather celebrate the anniversary of Michina’s death."

Ito is the king when it comes to horror manga. People have tried but no one can top the style Ito brings to the table. You can never go wrong with an Ito read.

I'm saddened by what I'm about to say. Ugh! This was not Ito at his best. This was ok but not something I would read again. All the short stories were basically the same and Soichi annoyed more more than terrified or made me chuckle. Even though that little shit made me laugh a few times, it just wasn't my favorite. *cough cough* Read Tomie! Soichi came off as a spoiled kid who gets away with everything. With that being said, I'll always read everything Ito releases.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my introduction to Junji Ito. In hindsight, I’m not sure it was the best place to start though. The book itself is beautiful, I can’t wait to display it. But the stories…some were really, really enthralling. But the spooky factor never really took off. There’s more suspense/horror in other manga I’ve read. Overall not bad, I just had much higher hopes and expectations.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gets better in the second half but personally I think Soichi is Junji Ito's worst character

[Clara Levi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“An average person could never.”

Go ahead & start that rumor; Lord Soichi is the best recurring character.

[John Elbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soichi is a little sh!t who either needs a spanking or therapy! Mostly enjoyed this book, but not Itos best. The story seemed repetitive and didn't really deliver much in the way of humor or horror.

[𝘪𝘷 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 🧸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

where tf are soichi’s parents is my question

[Melanie Rodriguez Sosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este manga recolecta diez historias cortas que giran en torno a un personaje en particular, Soichi Tsuji, quien es el hijo menor de la familia Tsuji. Junji Ito nos ofrece en estos relatos un humor muy curioso porque Soichi no es un personaje muy agradable de leer ni con el que se llegue a empatizar mucho: es malcriado, trata mal a su familia y compañeros de escuela, le gusta lanzar maldiciones para dañar al resto y llamar la atención, etc.

Los siete primeros relatos fueron una relectura porque ya los había leído por scan y los sobrantes si era mi primera vez leyéndolos. Con respecto a las historias, me daban risa y no tanto miedo (había excepciones porque hubo dibujos muy expresivos), pero creo que a mi me agrado esto porque se sentía experimental. Sin embargo, no creo que sea una antología que llegue a gustar a todos ni que vaya a ser el mejor trabajo del mangaka. Algo que me parece interesante es que los últimos relatos me gustaron bastante, siento que estaban mas interesantes y mejor elaborados, no sé si estos hayan sido escritos después de que el mangaka haya tenido mas practica con otras historias, pero si se ve la diferencia con los primeros.

Este fue mi primer vistazo con el trabajo de Junji Ito y me gustó mucho, a pesar de que aquí no están sus mejores dibujos, algunos si fueron muy hermosos y me podía quedar un buen rato observando los detalles de los rostros terroríficos que tenían algunos personajes. Soichi con su personalidad horrible se volvió uno de mis personajes favoritos, aunque no lo quiero tener ni un poco cerca, también su hermano Koichi y prima Michina tienen un espacio en mi lista de personajes que quiero proteger porque son demasiado buenos.

Les dejo mis relatos favoritos:

- Divertidas vaciones de invierno
- La habitación de cuatro capas
- Ataúd
- Rumores

[marko · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Soići” je jedna od onih Itoovih mangi koja više naginje u bizarnu tragikomediju nego u klasičan horor. Neke scene su neosporno duboko uznemirujuće i mučne, ali su u neku ruku i presmešne i potpuno opičene. U centru radnje nalazi se dečak Soići, koji žvaće eksere zbog toga što je “malokrvan”, a radnja prati njegove morbidne dogodovštine za vreme škole i letnjih i zimskih raspusta. Za razliku od nekih drugih Itoovih likova, Soićijev gnev i kletve su direktna posledica zlostavljanja (bilo mentalnog ili fizičkog) od strane njegovih vršnjaka i porodice. To ga čini netipičnim negativcem jer je zabavno videti kako će nadrealnim kletvama uzvratiti ostalim likovima i rodbini koja na njega ne obraća nimalo pažnje i često ga naziva pogrdnim imenima. U isto vreme Soići je zaista nesnosnan i oduran, te me je često terao na razmišljanje kakav bih ja odnos imao prema njemu kada bi on zaista postojao u pravom životu. Sve ovo Soićija, makar meni, čini daleko interesantnijim likom od Tomie, koja, nažalost, ima značajno veću popularnost kada su Itoove mange u pitanju. Ova manga je koncipirana da prikazuje priče iz Soićijevog života, neke su bile jače, strašnije i bolje osmišljene od drugih, a od svih najviše mi se dopala “Soićijev rođendan”, koja savršeno zaokružuje sve spomenute motive u jednu celinu.

[Ludovica · Rating 3 out of 5]

IG: inkblisss

Racconti moderatamente spooky e anche abbastanza divertenti, ma non ai livelli di altre opere di Itō. Disegni pazzeschi come al solito.

[Luthfi Ferizqi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This time, Ito’s work is quite boring. Soichi here looks more like a voodoo shaman who likes to mess around with his family and school friends.

What a waste!

[Syn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird and eerie with awesome creepy art. Another great Ito experience.

His books are an experience into something strange and beyond, capturing vibrations of liminal things and creatures. A vivid and disturbing fantasia of madness.

[Ema · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5*

Até agora foi a obra mais fraca e menos bem concebida do autor. A premissa é interessante, uma criança demoníaca que espalha o caos e o terror à sua volta, mas o desenvolvimento da personagem e dos contos como um todo deixam muito a desejar. Habituada a um padrão elevado e bem equilibrado entre surpresa, terror e bizarrice, estes contos são demasiado rasos e até algo infantis... o próprio desenho do autor perde aqui a sua intensidade. Gostei de dois ou três contos, mas até esses sabem a insonsos.

[gabe · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars*

First saw Soichi on Junji Ito’s new show on Netflix, and those were some of my least favorite episodes. (Granted, the one with the four doors was pretty interesting.) There wasn’t really much hope that this would become my new favorite Junji Ito or anything.

The birthday story with the grandma and the twin was actually interesting, probably my favorite one. The four doors one was literally in this so there’s a bit of repetition. This wasn’t bad, almost gave it a three star but some of it is just not Junji Ito’s strongest storytelling.

[Trevor Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Fangs! He had fangs!
Oh, those are nails.
Nails?
He’s always putting nails in his mouth”

My fav Junji so far, what an absolute goober Soichi is. As in evil devil child who likes a bit of mischief and curses

[zara · Rating 5 out of 5]

hes just a silly little guy

[Austeja · Rating 5 out of 5]

i dunno bout yall but i found this hilarious

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very silly