Statues: Junji Ito Story Collection

伊藤潤二傑作集 [Ito Junji Kessaku-shū] #7

by Junji Ito

Headless statues confound the mind with a terrifying question: Are they fine art or carved from the abyss?

Art teacher Okabe creates strange, headless statues. One day, he is found murdered, his corpse headless. From that day on, art club member Shimada seems off somehow… Elsewhere, in a curious town custom, the dead are placed on a tatami mat and set out on the river. Kanako’s grandmother lives alone in a house near this river. What did she witness at one of these funerals long ago? And a mysterious disease makes girls suddenly become more beautiful. But soon they all die. The only way to survive might be worse than death itself…

Ten tales from horror master Junji Ito that will plant the seeds of terror in your heart.

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Japan, Adult

328 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1991

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

[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I’ll curse and kill you. I’ll be the ghost that haunts you. I’ll hound you to your death."

It’s no surprise that I’m oddly obsessed with everything Ito releases. I hear about a new book coming out and I’m chewing my fingernails off waiting for a copy to land in my lap. As soon as I get it, everything else is pushed aside. No one can top the creative genius that is Ito!

This was hair-raisingly terrifying. It started off a little slow but picked up with each new story. By the end your heart is pounding and your eyes are as wide as they can get. I’m not even sure if I blinked in awhile… The stories got more bizarre and a lot more demented as you read on. That last one was a doozy. It’s one of the reasons why I love Ito. He never disappoints but he sure as hell knows how to get under your skin.

[Chrissana Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Junji ito colección masterpiece 7:

Relatos:
- El hilo rojo.
- El disco de segunda mano.
- El hombre de los regalos.
- El puente.
- Ha llegado el circo.
- El nido de avispas.
- La ciudad de los mapas.
- Estatuas sin cabeza.
- Morir joven.
- Escalofríos.
- Los espantapájaros.
- La nota de despedida.

[Przemysław Skoczyński · Rating 2 out of 5]

Z tymi krótkimi formami Ito mam tak, że przed lekturą jest lekka podjarka na zasadzie: "czym ciekawym zaskoczy", a potem im bardziej w głąb, tym mniej ciekawie i w sumie po kilku pierwszych stronach każdej historii wygląda to dosyć przewidywalnie. Jako czytelnik cierpiący na trypofobię, wzdrygnąłem się wprawdzie widząc podziurawione i pokryte nićmi ciała w "Dreszczach" i "Czerwonej nici", ale oprócz tych dwóch momentów, reszta raczej bez emocji

[The Leppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just wanted to say that whoever is curating/determining the story order for these collections is doing an awesome job.We start off slow with some of Ito's more creepy-weird-silly stories and then descend in to his more outright horror stories and this volume had some absolute *awesome* ones.

I liked the majority of these stories:

Red Thread: creepy and had a great scene with grandma. This one made me chuckle.
The Giver: worked the least for me out of the whole volume.
The Bridge: Love the idea and Ito's art sells it and I got that creepy growing dread feeling I want from his work. It's a solid folk horor type of tale.
The Circus Has Come to Town: This was more amusing/creepy. Interesting idea and I like the ending because it's reminiscent of a Souichi story ending.
Hornet Nest: Weird-creepy and I liked it but I wasn't exactly scared.
Town of Maps: I feel real bad for Miki :/
Statues: oh yeah~ this is where the stories really ramp up the dread and scares! love the last panel!
Die Young: I really love Ito. I feel like this could be connected to Uzumaki's Medusa chapter and Tomie. They are thematically similar and I'll stop there but I love it.
Scarecrow: holy cow... terrifying! I just wow... it's creepy as heck and touches on greif and freaked me out.
Suicide Note: really creepy and a good premise for sure.
Just talked myself into a 5star because I think some of these will cling to me.

[Carol Godoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esse homem não decepciona nunca 😮‍💨

[isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5*

[Dekisugi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ngebayangain patung patung tanpa kepala yg mencari kepala buat melengkapinya aja dah ngeri ...

Dari awal tahun udah nggak dikasih nafas ma Akasha , Manga Junji Ito keluar mulu . Di Junji Ito Compilation 7 ini terdapat 12 cerita pendek ala junji ito dan yg menjual dari manga kali ini adalah Headless Sculpture, ada The Scarecrow, Written Will , Bridge dan lain lain ... Tapi personal aku lebih suka BRIDGE. Pernah di animekan juga , tetap aja vibes horror absurdnya gag ketolong.

Ohya terdapat 2 cerita dari shiver yg diceritakan lagi disini Second Ha d Vinyl Record dan Cold.

[Euan Fukui · Rating 4 out of 5]

So no head? Consistent quality as usual, would recommend.

[joan☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

some chapters of this genuinely made me scared shitless lol... as expected from the master of horror himself

[Evan Dewangga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sesuai standard Junji Ito, tidak ada cerita brilian yang baru. Ceritanya lebih ke mengerikan dibanding menyeramkan.

[osa · Rating 4 out of 5]

uncanny and triggered my trypophobia

เรื่องนี้กระตุ้น trypophobia มาก เห็นแล้วมีฟีลหน้ากระตุกเล็กๆ ขยะแขยง น่าขนลุกไปหมด

1. ด้ายแดง - ขนลุกอยู่เหมือนกัน เพราะนึกภาพตามว่ามีด้ายเย็บอยู่ตามผิวตะปุ่มตะป่ำอยู่ทั่วตัวแล้วเวียนหัว ค่อนข้าง disturbing ภาพในหัวที่จินตนาการกับผิวมนุษย์จริงๆคือไม่ไหวเลย

2. แผ่นเสียงมือสอง - เสียงร้องของคนตายที่ได้ทำตามเจตนารมณ์ของตัวเอง เป็นเพลงต้องคำสาปที่ใครได้ยินก็มักหลงใหลและอยากได้มาครอบครอง

3. คนแจกของขวัญ - มีความรู้สึกว่า pointless ไปหน่อย แต่ถึงอย่างนั้นก็ดำเนินเรื่องได้ถึงจบ

4. สะพาน - ที่จริง setting ฉากน่ากลัวใช้ได้ เนื้อเรื่องน่าสนใจ เกี่ยวกับความเชื่อและพิธีกรรมจัดงานศพ

5. ละครสัตว์มาแล้ว - ชอบเรื่องนี้ เป็นละครสัตว์ที่ไม่ว่าทำอะไรก็ล้มเหลวไปเสียหมด ไหนจะตกมาจากที่สูง, มีดปักคอ, หรืออุบัติเหตุมากมาย แต่ถึงเป็นแบบนี้เจ้าของละครสัตว์ยังดันทุรังให้โชว์จนจบ ซึ่งเรื่องไม่ได้จบแค่นั้นแต่วางพล็อตมาได้น่าสนใจ

6. รังต่อ - ทำมาเป็นหนังสนุกแน่ มีกลิ่นอายความสยองขวัญ ความน่าขยะแขยง ผูกปมฆาตกรรมเอาไว้ ถ้าเขียนบทดีๆ แล้ว cast นักแสดงคุณภาพมาเล่นบทหน่อยนี่ว่าสนุกอยู่

7. เมืองแห่งแผนที่ - เมืองที่ผู้คนจำทางไม่ได้ต้องคอยดูป้ายหรือแผนที่อย่างเดียว มีคู่รักเดินทางมา honeymoon แต่กลับกลายเป็นว่าต้องมาเจอเหตุการณ์ประหลาดๆของเมืองนี้

8. รูปปั้นไร้หัว - พอใช้ได้อยู่ อันนี้รีวิวไม่ได้เยอะมากเดี๋ยวสปอยล์ 5555

9. อายุสั้น - ลึกลับ ไม่มีคำตอบให้ ที่จริงเวลาอ่านผลงานของ Junji Ito นี่รอคอยคำตอบตลอดเลย เพราะรู้สึกว่าถ้าเฉลยออกมาคงสนุกไปอีกแบบ แต่อันนี้เป็นเรื่องที่ผูกกับ "ความสวยงาม" และ "ความลึกลับ"​เข้าด้วยกัน

10. หนาวบาดเนื้ออ - สุดๆละ พออ่านถึงเรื่องนี้ในหัวให้ 4/5 เลย ขนพองสยองเกล้า trypophobia คือกรีดร้องสุดๆ นี่เขียนรีวิวยังรู้สึกขยะแขยงอยู่ ทำถึงจริง

11. หุ่นไล่กา - เมื่อปักหุ่นไล่กาบนสุสาน หุ่นตัวนั้นรูปร่างจะเปลี่ยนเป็นคนตายที่ฝังอยู่ใต้ดิน เรื่องนี้พอใช้ได้

12. จดหมายลาตาย - โห ตอนแรกคิดว่าเจอผีไทยแล้วผีอื่นๆทำอะไรไม่ได้หรอก พอเจอเรื่องนี้มีความหลอนใช้ได้ อาจจะยังทิ้งความรู้สึกขยะแขยงจากเรื่อง 'หนาวบาดเนื้อ' ไปไม่หมด ทำให้อ่านเรื่องนี้ยิ่งจิตตก ผูกปมไว้ดี ปิดจบได้สวยงาม

[clarita · Rating 4 out of 5]

hay muchas cosas espectaculares, el promedio total es del 3,6/5, me cagué bastante, vamos x partes:

- El hilo rojo 2/5 medio poronga, medio bodrio, bastante miedo cuando todas las viejas le estaban cosiendo el hilo
- El disco de segunda mano 4/5 who is this DIVA💜
- El hombre de los regalos 1.5/5 un reverendo alfajor de caca
- El puente. 4.5/5 me cagué toda m encantó
- Ha llegado el circo 3/5 copada, pero me enoja porq tenía el potencial para ser cine
- El nido de avispas. 4.5/5 místico, odio a las avispas y me dan terror y me siento tan validada de q junji ito haya apelado a mi miedo gracias corazón
- La ciudad de los mapas. 3.5/5 nueva fobia desbloqueada✨️ quedé con un malestar en el estómago gracias x tanto junji
- Estatuas sin cabeza. 5/5 no tengo palabras
- Morir joven. 3.5/5 buena alegoria a la anorexia la vdd
- Escalofríos. 5/5 posta sentí que me meaba encima, q puto asco todo, totalmente espectacular
- Los espantapájaros. 3/5 medio choto pero me perturbó bastante asi q la dejo pasar
- La nota de despedida. 4/5 jaja q facil serian las cosas si hubiesen garchado una sugerencia nomas!!!

[Mas Alif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ada yg sudah ku baca dan ada yang belum.
Aku urutkan mulai dari yg paling ku suka, yg pernah ku baca ga masuk list yah.
1. Bridge (Jembatan Kematian) - Horor tapi ceritanya bagus dan orisinil banget.
2. Unlucky/ Die Young (Kecantikan yang menular) - Ini juga dari segi ceritanya yang bagus.
3. Circus (Sirkus amatiran) - Bayangin orang lewat terus dijadiin anggota sirkus dan kematiannya di tonton banyak orang, gokil sih.
4. Wasp Nest (Kepala dalam sarang lebah) - Gore tapi masih ok lah.
5. Red String (Benang merah takdiri) - Gore juga tapi tanpa darah hanya lilitan jutaan benang.
6. Written Will (Teman Bundir) - Horor tapi ceritanya agak maksa.
7. The Giver (Patung Ngejar) - Jadinya kek komedi.
8. City of Map (Peta Menyesatkan) - Rada nyebelin.
9. Scarecrow (Orang-orang sawah) - Ini bagus kok. Harusnya di 4 ini. Males hapus aja.

Tiga sisanya pernah ku baca seperti
1. Headless Sculpture (Patung Pencari kepala)
2. Second Hand Vinyl (Lagu Kematian)
3. Cold (Lubang-lubang angin) yang ini sih paling bagus dari semua ito junji collection, sampai sering banget di munculin di berbagai seri ito junji.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection! Statues had some great jump scares and Junji Ito really leaned in to the creepy and scary side of horror this time around. The past couple of collections have felt like the final ending scene was created and the rest of the story was made to fit around it, whereas most of these have a great build-up and, generally, great payoff or disturbing ending.

The visuals were really on point here, both beautiful and terrifying, especially in Statues; Dying Young; Scarecrows; and Suicide Note.

✨ Everyday normal things to add to the list of phobias: ✨
- Glow-ups (especially if occurring within a large group of teens)
- Maps (as someone with a generally terrible sense of direction, I am in big trouble - IYKYK)

Also feeling quite justified in my lifelong fear of mannequins after reading the titular story Statues 👀😩😭

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the strongest complete collection but still a handful of super scary and psychologically scarring stories to be had in this collection featuring the tell-tale style and storytelling of the master, Ito.

Favorites from the collection include "Die Young" about a bunch of school girls who go from being frumpy to good looking only to ultimately die yet it isn't just one or two girls, it becomes an epidemic of sorts that is puzzling the community.

"Statues" the namesake is probably the most hideous with the headless statues and the gore of the beheaded and the awakened statues in their nakedness and vengeful spirit.

Then of course I have to love "Scarecrow" for the majority of the setting is in a cemetery and features the mourning family of a young woman whose death is lamented by a former lover who the family despised but now that a scarecrow is set up near the grave, it takes on the attributes of the person buried beneath with more deaths that follow.

[Tilápia frita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arte belissima, tudo é muito bem desenhado e as histórias são bem fechadinhas, é uma compilação muito boa.
Fio Vermelho do Destino, Disco Velho, Ponte, Colmeia, Cidade dos Mapas, As Esculturas sem Cabeça, Calafrios e Espantalho são excelentes!!! É incrivel ver como em algumas delas não tem o que fazer, de qualquer jeito a pessoa não pode escapar de seu cruel destino, é impressionante ver como o sobrenatural e o inexplicavel caminham juntos e você não sente que a obra está incompleta ou incompreensivel.
O compilado é bem fraco em algumas histórias, como a do Presenteador, O Circo Chegou, Vida Curta e Bilhete Suicida, mas ainda assim elas ainda conseguem ser muito boas e intrigantes, pelo menos até um pouco antes do fim em que é revelado o motivo daquilo tudo, ou que se tem uma reviravolta surpreendentemente estúpida. Apesar de ter alguns pontos fracos, continua sendo uma excelente leitura, eu lia um capitulo e ja ia pro próximo querendo saber mais.

[Stephen Reyes-Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to finally get a Junji Ito ARC, that I might have overhyped myself a bit and that lead to some disappointment. I did enjoy it, but a few of the stories felt like Junji Ito madlibs and were so random that they barely made any sense and ended on these ridiculously abrupt notes that felt like he just stopped writing. The ones that are good are really good, though. The title story and the scarecrow story were probably my favorites, but there are several solid stories throughout. Especially in the back half. The art was amazing as usual. That's never bad in his books,though, so that's not surprising. Another solid entry, and I'll be looking out for the next one! Thanks for the ARC!

[Jacob Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ Media for this ARC!

Junji Ito is back at it again with another collection of disturbing short stories! This one included 10 stories with varying degrees of horror. I would say that most of these tales were good with only one or two being lackluster. If I had to rank them I would say:

1. The Circus Has Come To Town
2. Statues
3. Scarecrow
4. Town of Maps
5. The Bridge
6. Die Young
7. Threads
8. Suicide Note
9. Hornet Nest
10. The Giver

The top three stories on my list check every box of what I would expect from a Junji Ito tale. They're gripping, exciting, and (of course) horrifying. I recommend this collection to fans of horror manga and horror literature in general.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. *Thanks NetGalley for the ARC*
There is never much to say when it comes to Ito's graphic novels. You either like his style or you don't. I, for one, am never one to turn down a Junji Ito collection.
The theme does not really change beyond the normal creepy horror manga. I did find a lot of these stories to be somewhat brief compared to what he normally writes. A lot of the stories followed new to me concepts versus the same tired retold stories. There were less graphic illustrations this time though. I also did not think the main story (Statues) had anything that made it stand out compared to the other stories to make it considered the title story.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Statues is a collection of 10 Junji Ito stories, ranging from the creepy to the grotesque, and all rendered in his signature style. The art is beautiful as always, and the stories are snappy and pull you in quickly. I feel like I could stare at these drawings forever, just basking in the unease and skin-crawling feeling they inspire.

My personal favorites were Hornet Nest, Town of Maps, and the titular Statues, which had the best visual jump scares of the collection. If you’re a fan of horror anthologies, you’re going to love this collection!

Thank you VIZ Media for providing this advance copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Sebastian Zaldua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Otra gran obra de Junji Ito, una compilación de historias donde se nota la mano del gran mangaka. El dibujo es una masa, con paneles impactantes que se preparan cumpliendo las reglas del suspenso. Los personajes están bien delineados y mantienen su consistencia en la historia que les toca vivir.
Sin embargo, algunos finales pueden parecer anticlimáticos en comparación de las otras historias de la misma compilación.
Mis tres favoritas "Las estatuas sin cabeza", "Nidos de avispas", "Muerte joven".
Recomendado.

[Mikal Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first EVER Junji Ito!

I have heard everyone under the sun mention his stories, and have always seen images online of without knowing their origin.

The creativity is very impressive for being able to produce short stories in horror that have been done many times before. I cannot say these had any familiarity to me and I am an avid horror reader and watcher.

I was hoping to be absolutely spooked, but not to the authors fault as I should not have had expectations going in.

Looking forward to checking more out from my library.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Statues is not Junji Ito's best collection, but how does one go about topping Uzumaki? The stories are creepy and crawly, as expected, but the only standouts for me were the titular tale Statues, and Town of Maps. Statues played on my discomfort around mannequins, while Town of Maps offers up the horrifying idea of not only getting lost in a strange place, but staying lost in said strange place. The other offerings in this collection are good, but ultimately forgettable. Will this temper my excitement for future Junji Ito books? Not even a little bit.

[Maria Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another incredible, horrifying collection from Junji Ito.

Statues delivers exactly what I’ve come to expect from him: grotesque body horror, creeping dread, and imagery so disturbing it lingers long after you close the book. There’s something uniquely eerie about the way he builds tension. it’s not just shock value, it’s the slow, inevitable unraveling of normalcy into something deeply wrong.

Gory. Creepy. Disturbing. And yet impossible to look away from.

If you love horror that crawls under your skin and stays there, this collection absolutely delivers.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the e-ARC!

This was another solid collection from Junji Ito. Some stories were very strong, while others not as much. I think this collection had a good mix but I also didn’t absolutely adore any of the stories this round. With all of that being said, this is not my favorite collection, but it’s also not the worst.

I would say if you enjoy previous collections from Ito to give this a read, but in my opinion it does not showcase his best work.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

With ten stories, Statues: Junji Ito Story Collection provides scares for every taste.

Mysterious red stitches, a present monster, strange small town funeral rituals, a disastrous circus, grateful hornets and more populate this horror anthology. They give off the same eerie feeling as Black Mirror. The echoes of some of the plots remain long after the book is closed. Statues: Junji Ito Story Collection does not disappoint. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media for providing me with an advanced review copy.

[Leigh Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a couple Junji Ito collections, this one is no different. Unsettling, universally upsetting while having distinctly Japanese cultural aspects. Beautifully horribly drawn, or horribly beautifully drawn, as the case may be. If you're a Junji Ito fan, this one's not to miss. I would also say if you've been curious and have been looking to dip a toe in, Statues is a good mix of cosmic/body/psychological/weird horror that has been his signature style for nearly four decades.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

[Renato Doho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mais um Junji Ito lido. São 12 histórias sendo que apenas 2 já tinham saído nas coletâneas de histórias selecionadas pelo próprio Ito.

Todas seguem a qualidade de sempre, sem grandes destaques, mas muitas parecem variações de outras que ele já escreveu sobre cidades estranhas, acontecimentos inexplicáveis, obsessões, beleza, luto, etcs.

Pra não dizer que nenhuma se destaca a do circo é mais bizarra do que as outras somente pela situação apresentada e a solução revelada.

[Ali Suchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This genuinely might be one of my favorite Junji Ito collections. Most of the stories were extremely solid and just really good. I think my only problems were how many stories felt like they were rushed at the end. Ito has and always will be one of my favorite mangaka and his work is always so good. I read this as an ARC but I will definitely be adding this volume to the collection. If you like horror and tragic stories, this is a manga for you.

[Bruce Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to the number of horror stories you think one person can pull out of their noggin, Junji Ito surprises everyone. Statues is the new one recently published with 10 stories. Some of them such as Red Thread and The Bridge have a basis in folklore. The last four beginning with Statues and ending with Suicide Note kick metaphysical and scary butt. Suicide Note is frightening; just imagine being in that situation. Hope you liked this one!