A floating head in the sky, a hysterical girl unable to make decisions, and a young boy tormented by his dreams: these are just the beginning of the terrifying stories told by Junji Ito.

Junji Ito is a Japanese horror manga artist and has gained popularity over the years due to his work like “Tomie”, “Uzumaki”, and “Gyo”. His work often carries themes of body horror and cosmic horror, as well as obsession and loss of humanity. This past January, some of his works came to life on the Netflix series “Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre”.

Ito’s twelve-episode show, which comprises 20 different stories by the artist, premiered on January 19th and it quickly gained popularity. It’s available in both English and Japanese, featuring prominent voice actors like Michelle Ruff (Bleach, Lupin the 3rd), Mike McFarland (Dragon Ball Z, Attack on Titan), Takahiro Sakurai (Code Geass, Ace of Diamond), and Hisako Kanemoto (Sailor Moon Crystal, Tekken 7).

Reviews on the show are mixed; IMDB gives it a viewer rating of 5.9, while Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 80% Tomatometer rating and a 64% Audience Score rating. Though fans agree it is worth the watch, with bone-chilling terrifying moments and animation you’ll be seeing in your nightmares. According to critics, there is also an emotional torment featured in each episode that perfectly encapsulates Ito’s work.

Junji Ito’s work has gained more popularity as a result of the Netflix series, and fans are hopeful that the success will lead to “Uzumaki”, the long-delayed anime version of Ito’s most popular work, finally premiering and that it will be worth the wait.

You can watch “Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre” now on Netflix!

Have you watched the series yet and if so, what was your favorite episode? Let us know in the comments below!