Gyo— another masterpiece by Junji Ito following 'Uzumaki', one of the greatest horror manga series ever created! With his works featuring bizarre plots and grotesque visuals, Junji has shown that horror doesn't always mean 'the ghost with long black hair' or 'vampires lurking in the bushes'. He can craft terrifying horror from anything, even fish. Indeed, fish are exactly what he portrays in 'Gyo', albeit in an absurdly imaginative way that only Junji could conceive.
The manga consists of nineteen chapters, each containing 16-19 pages for the main story, plus an additional chapter with two standalone short stories, bringing the total to twenty chapters. Despite its brevity, reading it felt like a lengthy journey filled with spine-chilling moments. To be clear, I adore this story. I'm genuinely impressed by Junji's creativity in storytelling within the horror genre. I doubt I'll see something as unique as this in the next ten, twenty, or thirty years. The manga is suspenseful, evokes a sense of "Oh no, why did that happen?" and keeps you turning pages because you have no clue what's coming next. The characters are well-crafted too. I particularly liked the protagonist, Tadashi. Even amidst chaos, he didn't give up but chose to confront the 'monsters' and protect his girlfriend. However, the ending left me disappointed. It felt unsatisfactory and incomplete. I was so engrossed in reading that I didn't realize it had ended until the first short story appeared, leaving me bewildered and thinking, "Huh? What is this?"
Regarding the two short stories at the end, the first wasn't particularly good. It lacked context on what happened, how, and why; things just occurred. Conversely, the second short story was fantastic. I'd call it a little masterpiece by Junji. Though brief, about 20 pages, it was chillingly creepy.
The artwork is excellent, consistent with Junji's other works. The backgrounds are detailed, and the characters and their expressions are well-drawn. The style perfectly suits horror manga.
In conclusion, I recommend this series to horror enthusiasts looking for something unique that will linger in their minds for a long time, if not forever. But be warned: it contains disturbing visuals, so if you think you can't handle them, steer clear of this manga.
This marks my first venture into horror manga, and I must say, it left me underwhelmed. The narrative centers on an eerie creature—a dead fish with artificial 'legs'—that intrudes upon the lives of two individuals: a young man and his girlfriend.
A plot like this feels more like a pretext for crafting a horror story than a compelling narrative. Despite its promising premise, the execution falls short. The mangaka appears to steer the storyline in various directions without much cohesion.
As for the characters, they lack depth. Predictably, the female lead is portrayed as a damsel in distress, remembered mostly for her frequent screaming. Thankfully, I appreciated how the mangaka ultimately handled her fate. Meanwhile, the male protagonist repeatedly rescues her, fitting the stereotype. Character development is minimal; the only lasting impression is that the main character seemed somewhat traumatized by the events.
The artwork didn't particularly stand out, although it suited the horror genre well. There were intricate details on the bizarre monsters, yet nothing remarkable about the character or background designs.
I was primarily interested in the bonus story, "The Enigma of Amigara Fault," which felt more genuinely horrific despite some clichés. Overall, I'd give "Gyo" a 4/10 rating.
The manga begins as an engaging read, featuring a creative premise and setting. Since neither the reader nor the characters knew what was happening, it felt eerie and strange, like, "what the hell is going on?" I would say this was a promising start.
However, that's where it ends. After the initial beach chapters, the manga starts revealing its flaws.
Unlike most of Ito's works, Gyo doesn't maintain that creepy atmosphere typically present in the background, often depicted through visuals such as dreadful backgrounds or the sheer terror on characters' faces. One of my main complaints about this manga is that it focuses too much on the premise. Dead sea creatures with legs walking among humans are initially scary, but a strong premise alone isn't enough to sustain an entire manga; it needs more to keep readers engaged and entertained.
Gyo is a gore fest, clearly trying hard to shock you with the nastiest images possible, but it doesn't do that very well. The drawings of gore aren't particularly disgusting, especially when they're so ridiculous and over the top.
The "story," if you can call it that, is simple and very cliché: another "save your girlfriend, save the world" type of story. The main character gets involved in all this and has to rescue his love, eventually discovering the truth behind these horrible creatures despite being an utterly average person. To make matters worse, he's nothing new and hardly developed, if at all. It's also incredibly hard to feel anything for the girlfriend when she's just a damsel in distress.
The explanation of the mystery and events tries to be very scientific and realistic but fails miserably. In reality, it's terribly lazy and weak, with a bunch of pseudo-science sprinkled throughout.
Junji Ito wasn't at his best when writing this. At least his other popular work, Uzumaki, being as average as it was, had a stronger premise and was an enjoyable, interesting read. The characters were realistic and had amusing reactions to their world and what was happening—nothing like that here.
Most of Ito's manga features interesting visuals and presents something new and scary every chapter—a smart move by the author. It's hard to be scared by something familiar. By keeping things fresh and introducing new horrors, he maintains that feeling of uneasiness and dread, the feeling of not knowing what's coming. This is evident in that most of his works are one-shots or very short manga in general. Gyo, however, barely introduces new horrors or monsters at all. It escalates things, sure, but you can only be so terrified by a shark with legs after seeing it many times.
It's clear that Ito wanted to creep you out with the "monsters" in this manga, and that's fine, but here, where the monsters are almost all fish, they get old fast, losing their impact along with it.
It's easy to take a shark, add some legs, and call it a monster.
The best I can say about it is, besides the beautiful art, that the ending doesn't have any sequel-bait and just wraps things up quickly.
Don't read this.
If you're interested in Junji Ito's works, go read Uzumaki, Junji Ito's Horror Collection, or better yet, The Enigma of Amigara Fault, a short tale at the end of this book. It's great fun and by far the best thing to come out of Gyo.
Follow me at mangapan.tumblr.com for more reviews.
Ito Junji's Gyo is a manga that draws upon the themes, artistic style, and narrative framework of his earlier works. Readers who enjoyed Uzumaki, Tomie, and other similar titles will find Gyo familiar and welcoming. However, despite its strengths, Gyo doesn't quite reach the heights of Ito's finest pieces or even the best within its genre.
Gyo begins with a robust premise and an intriguing meta-narrative, but it falls short as the characters and plot often frustrate more than they frighten or surprise. Despite these shortcomings, I would still recommend Gyo to fans of Ito's previous work due to its popularity, although personally, I consider it a less impressive entry in his portfolio.
The volume also includes two standalone stories, with the second one, The Enigma of Amigara Fault, being my absolute favorite among Ito's tales. This story significantly elevates the overall rating for this collection. In my opinion, The Enigma of Amigara Fault stands as one of Ito's masterpieces, comparable to Uzumaki, and it's a shame it wasn't published separately.
Overall, while Gyo might be somewhat disappointing when compared to Ito's other works, the inclusion of the brilliant The Enigma of Amigara Fault makes the entire volume worth reading. It's this exceptional story alone that truly justifies owning the book.
Although I believe this story is quite good, I must confess that it didn't scare me in the slightest. Above all, the events in this story are extremely gross, bizarre, and even funny. It's a unique and interesting concept overall, but I think its ability to frighten really depends on whether someone has a fear of fish and the ocean. If those things don't scare you, you probably won't find this story frightening.
Remember those B-grade horror flicks that often show up on the sci-fi channel? This is pretty much in the same vein. If you've ever watched Snakehead Terror, it's quite similar to that one. I wouldn't advise reading this right after having a meal, as some of the visuals are graphic enough to make your stomach churn. However, the story itself is highly inventive, packed with unexpected twists and turns that keep you on your toes. So, if you find yourself with some free time, swing by onemanga or consider purchasing the manga if you have some spare cash. Settle down for a read, and you might just find yourself swearing off sushi forever.
Gyo was the first horror manga I ever picked up, and it certainly left a lasting impression as one of the strangest reads I've ever encountered.
The story is infested with bizarre fish that are anything but cute or charming. These creatures take creepiness to an entirely new level, becoming grotesque and unsettling.
As for the plot, well, did it even have one? It was hard to tell. This makes sense in a way because it's a horror manga, yet it still felt lacking. There were more panels dedicated to showcasing the horrifically deformed fish-monsters than explaining what on earth was happening in the narrative.
This manga soured my taste for other horror manga due to how poorly it resonated with me. Perhaps I'll seek out another title that actually features a coherent storyline and avoids mutant sea life.
I'll be completely honest - I adore Junji's works. Ever since the first manga of his that I read, I knew he would become one of my favorite mangakas. His ability to craft grotesque horror is unmatched, and for that, I hold him in high regard.
Gyo is no exception; it's another masterpiece capable of giving you goosebumps or even nausea if you're eating while reading. The artwork is simply stunning - despite writing horror manga, his style remains distinctly manga-like. What I particularly love about his art are those macabre illustrations. After reading 2-3 of his works, recognizing his unique style becomes effortless. While I haven't read many horror mangas (and most of what I have read didn’t feel like horror to me), Junji stands out as the father of horror manga. No one else can create such compelling horror stories.
But perhaps I'm focusing too much on Junji when I should talk more about Gyo. Before reading it, I thought it might be something silly like a big fish with human limbs going around killing people, similar to an episode of Slayers. How wrong I was! Gyo turned out to be a well-crafted and grotesque story, far from the silly comedy-horror I expected.
What did I like? Everything about the story, the art, and the characters. The distinct mood typical of Junji's work shines through. Each chapter brings something new and unexpected, leaving you constantly questioning your understanding of the plot. Honestly, I have no idea what inspires Junji’s incredible ideas.
What didn’t I like? The Circus chapters and the ending. I’m not fond of endings like that, but discussing it further would spoil things.
However, what I loved most was the last chapter, especially the second one-shot, and most specifically, the final page. The story of this one-shot was amazing, unlike anything I could imagine. That last page haunts me at 3 a.m., keeping me awake imagining a ghost in my closet. It's probably the scariest picture Junji has ever drawn. Again, I have no clue what Junji "smokes," but it must be otherworldly.
I highly recommend Gyo, especially to Junji fans and anyone tired of sweet shoujo looking for a genuinely good horror grotesque manga. You won't be disappointed with most of Junji's works, especially Gyo.
Popular Reviews
Gyo— another masterpiece by Junji Ito following 'Uzumaki', one of the greatest horror manga series ever created! With his works featuring bizarre plots and grotesque visuals, Junji has shown that horror doesn't always mean 'the ghost with long black hair' or 'vampires lurking in the bushes'. He can craft terrifying horror from anything, even fish. Indeed, fish are exactly what he portrays in 'Gyo', albeit in an absurdly imaginative way that only Junji could conceive.
The manga consists of nineteen chapters, each containing 16-19 pages for the main story, plus an additional chapter with two standalone short stories, bringing the total to twenty chapters. Despite its brevity, reading it felt like a lengthy journey filled with spine-chilling moments. To be clear, I adore this story. I'm genuinely impressed by Junji's creativity in storytelling within the horror genre. I doubt I'll see something as unique as this in the next ten, twenty, or thirty years. The manga is suspenseful, evokes a sense of "Oh no, why did that happen?" and keeps you turning pages because you have no clue what's coming next. The characters are well-crafted too. I particularly liked the protagonist, Tadashi. Even amidst chaos, he didn't give up but chose to confront the 'monsters' and protect his girlfriend. However, the ending left me disappointed. It felt unsatisfactory and incomplete. I was so engrossed in reading that I didn't realize it had ended until the first short story appeared, leaving me bewildered and thinking, "Huh? What is this?"
Regarding the two short stories at the end, the first wasn't particularly good. It lacked context on what happened, how, and why; things just occurred. Conversely, the second short story was fantastic. I'd call it a little masterpiece by Junji. Though brief, about 20 pages, it was chillingly creepy.
The artwork is excellent, consistent with Junji's other works. The backgrounds are detailed, and the characters and their expressions are well-drawn. The style perfectly suits horror manga.
In conclusion, I recommend this series to horror enthusiasts looking for something unique that will linger in their minds for a long time, if not forever. But be warned: it contains disturbing visuals, so if you think you can't handle them, steer clear of this manga.
Story: 9 | Art: 9 | Character: 9 | Enjoyment: 9 | Overall: 9
This marks my first venture into horror manga, and I must say, it left me underwhelmed. The narrative centers on an eerie creature—a dead fish with artificial 'legs'—that intrudes upon the lives of two individuals: a young man and his girlfriend.
A plot like this feels more like a pretext for crafting a horror story than a compelling narrative. Despite its promising premise, the execution falls short. The mangaka appears to steer the storyline in various directions without much cohesion.
As for the characters, they lack depth. Predictably, the female lead is portrayed as a damsel in distress, remembered mostly for her frequent screaming. Thankfully, I appreciated how the mangaka ultimately handled her fate. Meanwhile, the male protagonist repeatedly rescues her, fitting the stereotype. Character development is minimal; the only lasting impression is that the main character seemed somewhat traumatized by the events.
The artwork didn't particularly stand out, although it suited the horror genre well. There were intricate details on the bizarre monsters, yet nothing remarkable about the character or background designs.
I was primarily interested in the bonus story, "The Enigma of Amigara Fault," which felt more genuinely horrific despite some clichés. Overall, I'd give "Gyo" a 4/10 rating.
The manga begins as an engaging read, featuring a creative premise and setting. Since neither the reader nor the characters knew what was happening, it felt eerie and strange, like, "what the hell is going on?" I would say this was a promising start.
However, that's where it ends. After the initial beach chapters, the manga starts revealing its flaws.
Unlike most of Ito's works, Gyo doesn't maintain that creepy atmosphere typically present in the background, often depicted through visuals such as dreadful backgrounds or the sheer terror on characters' faces. One of my main complaints about this manga is that it focuses too much on the premise. Dead sea creatures with legs walking among humans are initially scary, but a strong premise alone isn't enough to sustain an entire manga; it needs more to keep readers engaged and entertained.
Gyo is a gore fest, clearly trying hard to shock you with the nastiest images possible, but it doesn't do that very well. The drawings of gore aren't particularly disgusting, especially when they're so ridiculous and over the top.
The "story," if you can call it that, is simple and very cliché: another "save your girlfriend, save the world" type of story. The main character gets involved in all this and has to rescue his love, eventually discovering the truth behind these horrible creatures despite being an utterly average person. To make matters worse, he's nothing new and hardly developed, if at all. It's also incredibly hard to feel anything for the girlfriend when she's just a damsel in distress.
The explanation of the mystery and events tries to be very scientific and realistic but fails miserably. In reality, it's terribly lazy and weak, with a bunch of pseudo-science sprinkled throughout.
Junji Ito wasn't at his best when writing this. At least his other popular work, Uzumaki, being as average as it was, had a stronger premise and was an enjoyable, interesting read. The characters were realistic and had amusing reactions to their world and what was happening—nothing like that here.
Most of Ito's manga features interesting visuals and presents something new and scary every chapter—a smart move by the author. It's hard to be scared by something familiar. By keeping things fresh and introducing new horrors, he maintains that feeling of uneasiness and dread, the feeling of not knowing what's coming. This is evident in that most of his works are one-shots or very short manga in general. Gyo, however, barely introduces new horrors or monsters at all. It escalates things, sure, but you can only be so terrified by a shark with legs after seeing it many times.
It's clear that Ito wanted to creep you out with the "monsters" in this manga, and that's fine, but here, where the monsters are almost all fish, they get old fast, losing their impact along with it.
It's easy to take a shark, add some legs, and call it a monster.
The best I can say about it is, besides the beautiful art, that the ending doesn't have any sequel-bait and just wraps things up quickly.
Don't read this.
If you're interested in Junji Ito's works, go read Uzumaki, Junji Ito's Horror Collection, or better yet, The Enigma of Amigara Fault, a short tale at the end of this book. It's great fun and by far the best thing to come out of Gyo.
Follow me at mangapan.tumblr.com for more reviews.
Ito Junji's Gyo is a manga that draws upon the themes, artistic style, and narrative framework of his earlier works. Readers who enjoyed Uzumaki, Tomie, and other similar titles will find Gyo familiar and welcoming. However, despite its strengths, Gyo doesn't quite reach the heights of Ito's finest pieces or even the best within its genre.
Gyo begins with a robust premise and an intriguing meta-narrative, but it falls short as the characters and plot often frustrate more than they frighten or surprise. Despite these shortcomings, I would still recommend Gyo to fans of Ito's previous work due to its popularity, although personally, I consider it a less impressive entry in his portfolio.
The volume also includes two standalone stories, with the second one, The Enigma of Amigara Fault, being my absolute favorite among Ito's tales. This story significantly elevates the overall rating for this collection. In my opinion, The Enigma of Amigara Fault stands as one of Ito's masterpieces, comparable to Uzumaki, and it's a shame it wasn't published separately.
Overall, while Gyo might be somewhat disappointing when compared to Ito's other works, the inclusion of the brilliant The Enigma of Amigara Fault makes the entire volume worth reading. It's this exceptional story alone that truly justifies owning the book.
Although I believe this story is quite good, I must confess that it didn't scare me in the slightest. Above all, the events in this story are extremely gross, bizarre, and even funny. It's a unique and interesting concept overall, but I think its ability to frighten really depends on whether someone has a fear of fish and the ocean. If those things don't scare you, you probably won't find this story frightening.
Remember those B-grade horror flicks that often show up on the sci-fi channel? This is pretty much in the same vein. If you've ever watched Snakehead Terror, it's quite similar to that one. I wouldn't advise reading this right after having a meal, as some of the visuals are graphic enough to make your stomach churn. However, the story itself is highly inventive, packed with unexpected twists and turns that keep you on your toes. So, if you find yourself with some free time, swing by onemanga or consider purchasing the manga if you have some spare cash. Settle down for a read, and you might just find yourself swearing off sushi forever.
Gyo was the first horror manga I ever picked up, and it certainly left a lasting impression as one of the strangest reads I've ever encountered.
The story is infested with bizarre fish that are anything but cute or charming. These creatures take creepiness to an entirely new level, becoming grotesque and unsettling.
As for the plot, well, did it even have one? It was hard to tell. This makes sense in a way because it's a horror manga, yet it still felt lacking. There were more panels dedicated to showcasing the horrifically deformed fish-monsters than explaining what on earth was happening in the narrative.
This manga soured my taste for other horror manga due to how poorly it resonated with me. Perhaps I'll seek out another title that actually features a coherent storyline and avoids mutant sea life.
I'll be completely honest - I adore Junji's works. Ever since the first manga of his that I read, I knew he would become one of my favorite mangakas. His ability to craft grotesque horror is unmatched, and for that, I hold him in high regard.
Gyo is no exception; it's another masterpiece capable of giving you goosebumps or even nausea if you're eating while reading. The artwork is simply stunning - despite writing horror manga, his style remains distinctly manga-like. What I particularly love about his art are those macabre illustrations. After reading 2-3 of his works, recognizing his unique style becomes effortless. While I haven't read many horror mangas (and most of what I have read didn’t feel like horror to me), Junji stands out as the father of horror manga. No one else can create such compelling horror stories.
But perhaps I'm focusing too much on Junji when I should talk more about Gyo. Before reading it, I thought it might be something silly like a big fish with human limbs going around killing people, similar to an episode of Slayers. How wrong I was! Gyo turned out to be a well-crafted and grotesque story, far from the silly comedy-horror I expected.
What did I like? Everything about the story, the art, and the characters. The distinct mood typical of Junji's work shines through. Each chapter brings something new and unexpected, leaving you constantly questioning your understanding of the plot. Honestly, I have no idea what inspires Junji’s incredible ideas.
What didn’t I like? The Circus chapters and the ending. I’m not fond of endings like that, but discussing it further would spoil things.
However, what I loved most was the last chapter, especially the second one-shot, and most specifically, the final page. The story of this one-shot was amazing, unlike anything I could imagine. That last page haunts me at 3 a.m., keeping me awake imagining a ghost in my closet. It's probably the scariest picture Junji has ever drawn. Again, I have no clue what Junji "smokes," but it must be otherworldly.
I highly recommend Gyo, especially to Junji fans and anyone tired of sweet shoujo looking for a genuinely good horror grotesque manga. You won't be disappointed with most of Junji's works, especially Gyo.