Shiver is a collection of short stories written and illustrated by the horror master, Junji Ito. Beautifully grotesque and full of things that will give you nightmares, this collection is perfect for new fans of Junji Ito or for those who know and love him.
Quick Info
- Title: Shiver
- Author: Junji Ito
- Publish Date: 7th October 2015
- Genre: Horror / Manga
- Sub-Genre: Short Stories
- Pages: 400
- What to Expect:
- Weird and horrible
- Nightmare fuel
- Incredible artwork
– Rating: 4 stars –
Trigger Warnings
Body horror, gore, death, suicide, child death, death of parent, blood, confinement, grief, psychosis
If I have missed any out or you feel like something should be added, please leave a comment.
Synopsis & Thoughts
As these stories are unconnected, I decided to separate my thoughts on each of the stories.
Used Record
A story about people fighting over the ownership of a record that has a singer’s singing as they died recorded on it.
This was a great thriller story but definitely not as horrific or impactful as some of the other stories. This was one of my least favourite stories in this collection but still good, which speaks to how good this collection is.
Shiver
A cursed jade stone causes holes to open up all over a person’s body.
The titular story of this collection was horrible but great. If you have a fear of tiny holes, do not read this because even I was disturbed by it. The story wasn’t as strong in this one, but the artwork and horror alone make this one of the best in the collection.
Fashion Model
A story about an oddly ominous fashion model.
This story had one of my favourite character designs in any of the Junji Ito collections I’ve read. The fashion model isn’t particularly original, but the uncanny valley face is enough for me to remember it very clearly.
Hanging Balloons
After a famous idol commits suicide, balloon headed doppelgangers come out to hunt their counterparts the moment they go outside.
This was by far my favourite story. This was creepy, mysterious and compelling. There were moments I genuinely felt a shiver go down my back. The balloons are such weird yet menacing monsters that I cannot get out of my head.
Marionette Mansion
A family who rather than deciding what they do or how they live, they instead hire puppeteers to control their actions via strings from the attic of their home.
This was the best story in terms of narrative. I have found that Junji Ito’s collected works tend to be a little weaker when it comes to the narrative, however, this one was so mysterious and weird. The horror here is not with the visuals (although still creepy) but with the implications of your life completely being controlled by figures you can’t see.
Painter
A story about a strange but beautiful woman named Tomie who wishes for an artist to accurately capture her beauty, and all the misfortune that happens as a result…
This is the first chapter of Tomie which was great – I haven’t read it yet so it was almost like a preview. It’s hard to really share my thoughts because it didn’t feel complete – mainly because it’s only the first part of Tomie’s story.
The Long Dream
A story about a man who claims that the length of his dreams are becoming longer and longer and about how he begins to change as his dreams extend farther and farther.
This was extremely disturbing but in an existential way, mixed with a good dose of body horror. The narrative is just horrifying, if you have ever suffered with nightmare or night terrors, this will hit especially hard.
Honoured Ancestors
A story about an amnesiac girl and the encounter that caused her to lose her memories and about carrying on the family line. At all costs.
For me, this story was good but I’m not sure why, it didn’t stick with me as much as I thought it would. At first, I was so intrigued but once the twist happens it just kind of lost me. There’s nothing wrong the twist per say, it just didn’t effect me as much as it could’ve. This story suffers from being later in the collection.
Greased
This follows a family who are obsessed with oil and grease.
This was my least favourite of the collection. I just hated how sick it made me feel, without giving me even a smidge of terror. Most will like this more than me, but my stomach could not handle it.
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