Stitches (2024)

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The second collaboration (published in English) between horror manga maestro Junji Ito and Hirokatsu Kihara may not be what fans were expecting. Last year’s English-language publication of Mimi’s Tales of Terror (Shin Mimibukuro, or New Earmuffs) was likely the first time Western audiences were able to experience Kihara’s writings, who is probably best-known for helping craft some of Studio Ghibli’s most celebrated films (i.e. My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service, among others), though he’s since transitioned to writing spooky stories.

Originally published back in 2010 this English translation (courtesy of Jocelyne Allen) of Stitches  isn’t manga but rather a collection of (extremely) short stories featuring illustrations by Junji Ito. Think Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books (the edition with the original Stephen Gammell illustrations) and you’d be close. Only Kihara’s stories can feel less like stories and more like vignettes. Very short, very loose vignettes where not much happens. Characters aren’t even given names (all are limited to single letters like Mrs. or Mr. A or descriptions, like “the girl”).

Speaking of girls, this is a collection of tales that puts young women front and center, albeit mostly in existential peril. By that I mean it’s less carnage and more sleight-of-hand encounters with apparitions or other possible supernatural run-ins. Girls that don’t appear in photos – or girls that do appear in photos, girls that may or may not exist. It’s amazing how many of these stories revolve around disappearing girls.

Again, none of this will come as a surprise to longtime Junji Ito readers, especially those familiar with his own short-form stories. Focusing more on Hirokatsu Kihara’s text than Ito’s artwork, however, reveals the shortcomings of what’s being illustrated. I wish the marketing for this book hadn’t overplayed the “horror” aspect of Kihara’s stories as what’s here are less “spine-tingling” and more “campfire spooky” (if I’m being generous); short but appropriately weird enough to justify urban legends.

“Face” has a worried husband seeking help from a priest after his wife develops a face-like tumor on her neck, clearly a play off the famous Hoichi the Earless story (which gives the collection its best icky Ito visual). “Library” has a young schoolgirl following a ghostly young girl to the school library, only to have her curiosity thwarted by adults. “Festival of the Dead” is a sweet reminder that love doesn’t stop with age – or death. “The Play” riffs off the classic supernatural marionette tales, this one name-dropping the most famous of them all, Pinocchio.

“Folk Dance” is a standard “will the girls photographed show up when the film is developed?” trope (one used surprisingly often by Ito), while “The Kimono” is yet another ghostly young girl tale, one that also includes photographs, only with a familial twist. “Snow Day” features (you guessed it) a high school girl encountering yet another ghostly girl while hiking. The final tale, “Lips”, where a young girl awakens to find her armoire appears to have grown lips, may be the strangest of all. I mean, just read that description again.

The only full-length manga included is the Kihara penned “Summer Graduation Trip”, where two college girls visit a small inn in the Tohoku region and look forward to relaxing in an onsen (Japanese hot spring bath). While descending down what seems like an endless staircase they come across a ghostly woman who ignores them while passing by, and creepiness ensues.

Easily the most satisfying thing about this collection of stories is how Japanese they are, or how much they’re framed around Japanese culture, such as the ubiquity of kamidana shrines, mukaebi lanterns or furisode kimonos. Or popular events, such as the Obon holiday, here referred to as the “Festival of the Dead”, where the Japanese honor deceased ancestors. Perhaps you’ve never heard of the Shichi-Go-San, the festival celebrating younger children? Take a few moments when they appear to look them up and you’ll learn plenty.

There’s something to be said about collecting “regional” stories or making specific cultural artifacts available to outsiders, but there’s also something about managing expectations. That said, it’s hard to imagine anyone but the most diehard Junji Ito fans not being disappointed with Stitches, if for no other reason than his artwork is significantly more sophisticated than Hirokatsu Kihara’s threadbare storytelling; maybe a better title would have been Snippets.