There are two universal truths in today’s rapidly changing comics industry. The first is that Junji Ito is the defining artist of our time. Second, more people than ever are reading horror comics and webtoons (aka vertically scrolling comics). Therefore, we at The Beat have chosen to embark on a new venture called Beat’s Bizarre Halloventure. Each week through October, three writers will recommend their favorite scary books and series from Japan, Korea, and more. This time, scary themes such as unemployment will appear! Crossover! Mary Shelley’s classic novel “Frankenstein”!
one room angel
Writer/Artist: Harada
Translation & Lettering: Lydia Fieral
Publisher: Manga Planet
Kouki is 30 years old and works part-time at a convenience store. He has no friends, has no contact with anyone, and lives in a small, dilapidated “room” that cannot even be called an apartment. When you say you’re depressed because you don’t have any hobbies or ambitions in life, you’re making a valid point.
One night, he gets into a scuffle with two thugs at a convenience store and gets stabbed. Kouki is convinced that he has reached the end of his life. The sense of ending is strengthened as he sees a beautiful angel descend before his eyes. When he opens his eyes, there are huge medical bills, unemployment, and a demanding angelic brat waiting for Kouki at home.
It’s been four years since I read Harada’s One Room Angel, but it’s still fresh in my memory. Part of the reason is that we were in the first year of the pandemic. Kouki’s situation, where he had to go through the lockdown alone, resonated with me. The rest is due to Harada’s talent for conveying emotions to the reader through expressive faces, creating captivating and touching stories, just as Kouki’s emotions flow through the angel.
The angel has no memory of why he is emotionally connected to Kouki, or why he can’t fly even though he has wings. In this one-volume series, the two spend time together as they try to uncover who the angel was in his life as a human. Even though Kouki knows that helping the angel means parting ways for himself, he cannot help but offer his help.
Harada is one of the most famous artists in the boy’s love genre. Many of their unpredictable stories explore the flawed and corrupt parts of the human spirit. One Room Angel also deals with harsh situations, but Harada’s approach this time around is more considerate and sensitive. These chapters are serialized in Shodensha’s boys’ love magazine OnBLUE, so strictly speaking, One Room Angel is a boys’ love series. However, Harada focuses here on the human condition rather than romance in the traditional sense.
I highly recommend this award-winning manga to readers who like series with supernatural elements and want to cry. — Merve Girai
Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE
Writer/Artist: CLAMP
Translation: Anthony Gerard & William Flanagan
Lettering: Dana Hayward
Publisher: Kodansha
Tsubasa: “RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE” is CLAMP’s most ambitious story to date. Princess Sakura and her best friend Syaoran are caught up in events that span the multiverse after Sakura’s memories are scattered. The two must travel across dimensions to get them back, along with some hilarious friends they meet along the way. This is a story that celebrates CLAMP’s extensive catalog of characters and history, as many of the main characters, including the two wayward travelers, are different versions of characters that appear in other CLAMP works. .
You don’t need to read other CLAMP works to enjoy this story, but reading it will give you a richer experience. This series has crossed over multiple times with other works, xxxHolic, but this story contains all the information you need to understand what’s going on. However, if you read “xxxHolic,” you will see the same events from the characters’ point of view. (Editor’s note: xxxHolic is a fan favorite in its own right, so it’s worth reading anyway!)
Tsubasa takes incredible twists and turns and has a lot of exciting and interesting concepts. In my opinion, it’s well worth the jump. When I first read this series, I didn’t know much about the CLAMP catalog, but as a reader I found it to be very approachable and very interesting. The characters of Fai and Kurogane are some of the best characters in the manga.
There has been a series of short-lived sequels in recent years, but I haven’t read them yet so I can’t speak to their quality. But what I can say is that Tsubasa is one hell of a vehicle. Highly recommended. — Derrick Crowe
frankenstein
Writer/Artist: Junji Ito
Translation: Jocelyn Allen
English adaptation: Nick Mamatas
Lettering: James Dashiell
Publisher: VIZ
Frankenstein. Or Mary Shelley’s The Modern Prometheus, one of the most famous novels ever written. It is a groundbreaking work of gothic horror and science fiction, and has been adapted into many forms of media, from classic Universal horror films to Bernie Wrightson’s iconic illustrations. These famous film adaptations certainly include works from horror legend Junji Ito’s early career.
Originally published in Japan between 1994 and 1998, Ito’s adaptation is a fairly faithful retelling. Dr. Victor Frankenstein is captured on the ice of the North Pole and confesses his life. From Frankenstein’s early fascination with science to his college days grave robbing, the highlights are all here. Although some sections have been cut out (the last third of the novel has been largely deleted), for the most part Ito remains faithful to Shelley’s novel.
Best known for his cosmic horror, Ito has a natural flair for the Gothic. His adaptation lacks the expected atmosphere. There are graveyards and corpses, but there’s little fog, castles, or even lightning in the iconic birth scene. But Ito brings his keen sense of existential dread to this classic story.
He sees Victor Frankenstein as the Prometheus of the book’s title. His quest for knowledge to overcome death destroys him as soon as he pursues it. As he brings his creation to life, his sanity declines just like the monster’s body. Science and ambition are their own prisons.
The real selling point of this novel is Ito’s depiction of the monster. In most adaptations, scientists and villagers become the true villains, creating a certain level of sympathy for the creature. However, Ito is unconcerned that the monster is actually a monster. This is a huge, ever-decaying creature.
He was clearly inspired by Christopher Lee’s face in Hammer’s The Curse of Frankenstein. This monster’s elongated limbs and scarred body will never allow it to blend in with humanity. Ito creates creatures destined for solitude. It will always be the only life for this thing as it howls in mourning for the death of its creator.
If God created humans in his own image, then Junji Ito created Victor Frankenstein’s monster in his own image. This adaptation follows two orphaned and violent souls whose desire leads them to loneliness and death. — D. Morris
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