The Strange Hikizuri Siblings
When a photographer and spiritualist meet a strange family they encounter possession and power plays.
This is a quirky story about an Addams Family/ Munsters style family. The siblings are all quite unique and they interact in socially awkward ways. It's not really scary but quite gross with the vomiting ectoplasm.
The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel
When a woman mysteriously vanishes in a train tunnel, years later her young son revisits it and finds that it seems to be drawing his family in.
This is a genuinely creepy story as it makes you question yourself about life after death and the spirit realm. It's a short 15 minute film but is effective.
Ice Cream Bus
When a father and son move into an appartment complex, they see the families send their children off with the ice cream man who appears each Saturday. When his kid starts to act weird the dad wants to find out why.
This is a weird episode. It clocks in at just under 10 mins but is a slight episode about obsession.
Hanging Balloon
When her idol singer friend is found hanged, her friends and family find it hard to deal with the fallout. However, when there is group hysteria stating that her floating face haunts the wooded area, people start to go crazy.
Once the phenomenon becomes a pandemic, the whole of society crumbles but there is one holdout.
This is an excellent episode as it looks at Japan's obsession with idols and the strange cults that can develop around them. It also looks at group hysteria and how it can take over a population as well as mass suicide. This is a very dark episode.
4 x 4 Walls
When a diligent student constantly keeps getting distracted by his younger brother a Home Alone style chase ensues across a quadruple protected room. However, the troublemaker does get his comeuppance.
It's a weird one this one and quite slight. Soichi, the troublemaker, comes across like a Loki type chaos character and it's easy to take a dislike to him.
The Sandman's Lair
When a fantasy writer, Yuji, asks his girlfriend to keep him awake to prevent his dream version from coming into the real world she doesn't believe him. What occurs is like a Nightmare on Elm Street.
This is a 10 minute animation and is so strange that it's hard to parse except maybe it's the literal form of 'follow your dreams'.
Intruder
When 4 mystery truth seekers hear about a creepy house nearby from a quiet fellow student they make a starling discovery there. Is their new friend a serial killer?
This tale of colleagiate pals, brought together in a Scooby Doo style mystery is funny but unsettling too.
Long Hair in the Attic
When a woman is unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend after several years, she decides to cut her hair- new year, new me, right? Her hair has other ideas however.
This is a solid short film with a simple premise and vivid imagery. The visual of the head in the attic is something to behold and when it moves, crawling along the ground it'll make you... Well... hair stand on end.
Mold
When a successful student has to go overseas, he rents out his apartment to his former teacher. Upon his return he finds the teacher and his family gone and his home covered in mold.
This is a good overall premise as the mold grows and spreads, infecting the whole building and the grey scale of the art creates a discontenting feeling.
Library Vision
A young man has an extensive private library collection but when a few books seem to go missing he obsesses over them.
In contrast to its companion piece Mold, this is a vibrantly coloured episode and looks at what happens when obsession takes hold. The background and scenery animation is gorgeous and the story simple but effective enough.
Tomb Town
When a new driver goes on a road trip with his sister to visit her friend, they accidently hit and kills someone. They try to hide the body but encounter a strange town with tombstones scattered around. Can they get away with manslaughter?
This is one of the best episodes of the series as it builds up tension as the siblings try to hide their crime. The denouement is proper downbeat though.
Layers of Terror
When an archaeologist finds a strange skull little does he realise that it will have a curse that has repercussions for his family when they have a car accident 20 years later.
This is a pretty gross body horror short film as the petty sibling jealousies are at the centre of this sad tale.
The Thing That Drifted Ashore
A monstrous fish washes ashore and, whilst examining it, scientists see people living inside it.
This is a tale about the resilience and adaptability of the human body and spirit but Ito style so it's gross and scary.
Tomie-Photo
When a photography club member is reprimanded by the new transfer student for selling photos of popular boys, it becomes a fight for survival as things escalate.
This is a classic Ito tale and is one of his most well known works. It's condensed quite a bit but is still very effective.
Unendurable Labyrinth
A couple of students go for a mountain hike and end up getting lost. They come across an esoteric Buddhist sect and meditate for a few days but hear tell of a ritual.
This is a well told short tale with an intriguing central conceit. The ending is startling and jarring. Solid Ito work here.
The Bully
A girl befriends a younger boy but starts to bully him. Years later, they meet again, fall in love and have a child but has the bully really mended her ways.
This is a disconcerting episode as it shows how abuse can affect someone and have lasting effects. It ends of quite a chilling tone too.
Alley
A new lodger moves into an old house with an elderly lady and her daughter. When he hears strange noises coming from an alleyway he investigates and hears tell of ghosts.
This is a solid short with an intriguing premise which carries through to its startling conclusion.
Headless Statue
An art teacher prepares for an exhibition where his headless statues are to take centre stage. However, when he is murdered and his head is missing a student looks for the truth.
This is a fun spooky episode as there's always something disconcerting about mannequins, statues etc.
Whispering Woman
A young girl with hysteria is attended to by a quiet and calm woman. It is a successful relationship and the girl becomes more independent and happy. However, after the woman is killed the girl becomes restless.
This is a chilling episode about domestic abuse and ends in quite a gory way. It's an effective story well done.
Soichi's Beloved Pet
Soichi's family adopt a stray cat but the curse starts to turn him feral. What evil thing will it do next?
This is a funny episode and it leans a lot into the absurdity of it all.
Overall, I enjoyed the series just fine but with the exception of Hanging Balloons, Tomie, Unendurable Labyrinth and Headless Statues, quite forgettable. It's not that the stories are poor per se but the power of Ito's black and white images sears itself into your mind but when they are animated in colour and the pace moves at such a click it feels rushed with no sense of pacing. In this way, the payoff is poor and not worth the investment as you walk away shrugging your shoulder rather than shuddering in fear. Unlike a lot of his graphic novel work, nothing really from this animation series imprints itself.
Ito is a master storyteller and artist and this series is a primer of some of his works but his graphic novel work is where he shines. This is a disappointment and, even though I was mildly entertained, I was underwhelmed.
