Junji Ito’s Manga Horrors Hit Harder as Live-Action TV
HBO Max is bringing the live-action J-horror anthology series 'Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights' to US audiences. The series adapts the macabre manga works of Junji Ito, focusing on themes of social pressure and conformity.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing global appetite for international horror content and the increasing influence of Japanese manga adaptations in Western streaming markets.
Director Yûta Shimotsu is describing events in a new episode of live-action J-horror anthology show Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights, but he could be referring to almost any episode.
The award-winning manga artist of the title, whose macabre short works are adapted into disturbing 30-minute bites, has a way of blurring lines between protagonist and antagonist amid his surreal nightmares.
Tales for Sleepless Nights aired its 12-episode first season on TV Tokyo this summer, and now HBO Max is bringing those eerie frights to US audiences. The first two installments “Lovesickness (Part 1 of 3)” and “The Bully” (previously animated for Netflix’s Junji Ito Maniac) are currently available, but New York Comic Con fans were treated to the US premiere of the episode “Face Thief” based on Ito’s story “The Face Burglar.”
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in