Venus in the Blind Spot by Junji Ito

This volume is a collection of short stories, some of which have been published before, or the first time published for a majority of them. Like much of Ito's other work, these stories are creepy and capitalize on our sense of propriety to give us the heebie-jeebies. In "Billions Alone," there are people being sewn together. "The human chair" has a creepily obsessive love story. "Venus in the blind spot," this volume's namesake, was one of the more creative stories surrounding a woman who disappears when she gets too close to men who adore her. Then, there's "The licking woman," with a monster who has a poisonous tongue. The story of "Master Umezz and me," gives us a glimpse into Ito's own life and his inspiration for writing horror stories. In "How love came to Professor Kirida," an obsessed student violates Kirida's privacy and wishes. "The Enigma of Amigara Fault," tells of weirdly alluring holes that are shaped for specific people. This collection is rounded out with "Keepsake," where a baby is mysteriously born to a dead woman inside her casket.

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Some of these stories were really interesting and gave me the heebie-jeebies in the right way.  Others had very cliché cop-out endings.  I'm not sure if other Ito stories are constructed the same way, but in almost every one of these stories, the twist ending was on the last page.  There was hardly any falling action or repercussions to the actions in the story.  The "Venus in the Blind Spot" story had a really great set up, but the ending was lackluster and disappointing.  The other story that has stayed with me long after reading it was "The Enigma of Amigara Fault," which built up steadily and delivered a creep-factor that was satisfying.

The art is really detailed and definitely embodies the horror. Some illustrative pieces are repeated - several of the women characters look the same across several stories.

This volume is definitely more suitable to mature audiences.  There is necrophilia, agalmatophilia, implied rape, adult situations, and some graphic illustrations. VIZ rates this as Teen Plus.

Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level: Grade 12

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley.

Tags: Rating: 6/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Horror