Junji Ito Collection: Episode 2 (Review)
By: RaeAfter last week's lackluster start, I've been really interested to see where Junji Ito Collection will go. Would episode 2 be more interesting? What stories would they choose? Well, episode 2 finally dropped Friday - this time featuring two equal-length short stories.In Fashion Model, Iwasaki is struck with the distinct feeling that something big is about to go wrong. Trying to ease his mind, he picks up a fashion magazine at a café, only to stumble across images of a model that gives him the creeps.
Later, as he and his friends are working on a film, they receive three applications for their leading actress. Iwasaki is shocked and horrified to see the grotesque model from the magazine, Fuchi, among them. His friends, however, are interested in using her unique look and status as a professional model, and decide to hire her along with a pretty highschool girl.
Iwasaki’s friends soon start joking to him that Fuchi is into him. Disgusted by this, he panics more and more when she’s nearby, even running away when she follows him into the woods during filming. As the men are planning how to ditch Fuchi and leave without causing a fuss, they make a horrifying discovery in the woods…
In Long Dreams, Mami (a hospital patient) begins desperately telling her doctor that she’s being visited at night by the Grim Reaper and doesn’t want to die. The hospital-wanderer in question is actually another patient, Mukoda, who claims to have dreams that are lasting longer and longer – most recently, one that lasted a year in one night. He’s having trouble discerning dreams from reality, and is stressed by occasional nightmares that last just as long as the regular dreams do. Soon, Mukoda begins drastically changing from his longer and longer dreams.Meanwhile, Mami’s fear of death is becoming more and more intense….
Both of these stories were the type of horror I was hoping to see last time from Junji Ito Collection, so I was pretty happy with this episode. Both pieces were very faithful to their source material, and set a good expectation for the brand of horror one can expect with much of Ito’s works – a world where loose ends often aren’t tied in time (or, sometimes, ever) and the dark turns taken have no true explanation in reach. It’s what makes Junji Ito Collection so uncomfortable – sometimes it makes no sense and there are no answers.I do think that Long Dreams could have been given some more elaboration, but the shorter adaptation still worked, especially considering it was only half an episode. Ito fans who are familiar with these stories should feel fairly pleased with the animated versions, and newcomers will have just a little more to discover, should they track down the manga versions of the stories they like.The art, again, was a little rough in some cases – the grotesque imagery of the model in Fashion Model, for example. But in this series, it honestly works. Fuchi and Mukoda both are given a surreal, otherworldly look that only adds to the discomfort of the story. The artwork isn’t refined or lovely, and it doesn’t need to be. It carries a lot of Ito’s signature style and carries it well.
I snuck a peek at CR’s comment section for this episode and feel pretty safe saying I’m not the only one who was a bit happier this time around. Hopefully this is a sign of what’s to come in the future.Catch Junji Ito Collection on Crunchyroll, Fridays at 10:30!
