A new collection of delightfully macabre tales from a master of horror manga. An old wooden mansion that turns on its inhabitants. A dissection class with a most unusual subject. A funeral where the dead are definitely not laid to rest. Ranging from the terrifying to the comedic, from the erotic to the loathsome, these stories showcase Junji Ito’s long-awaited return to the world of horror.
Ma no Kakera (魔の断片, also titled Shard of Evil or Fragments of Horror), is a series of short stories by Junji Ito.
It began serialization in the first issue of the revived Nemuki+ (ネムキプラス) magazine on April 13, 2013. It was subsequently published as a collection in Japan in June 2014, with the final story, “Whispering Woman”, having been previously published in Shinkan (シンカン) rather than Nemuki+. In December 2014, it was licensed by VIZ Media to be released in English in June 2015, under the “Fragments of Horror” title.
Chapters:
Futon (Blanket)
Haunted Wood Mansion
Tomio: Red Turtleneck
Lingering Farewell
Dissection Girl
Black Bird
Magami Nanakuse
Whispering Woman
Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito. Art by Junji Ito. Published by Viz Media LLC, 2015. Hardcover edition, 223 pages. Originally published in 2014.
*Trigger warning: some animal cruelty.
I love Junji’s work. His stories are insane and creative, the art is astonishing! Fragments of Horror has been on my TBR list since it came out. When I saw the library had a copy, I quickly snatched it up!
Fragments is a pretty short selection of a handful of stories by Ito. 8 stories in total. A few have connections between the stories with the same characters. Most are stand alone short stories.
This collection of stories has all the best horror feels- EW! OMFG! WTF! WHAT THE WHAT??? and so on. And of course, this collection also has amazing artwork. I mean, DUH, it’s Ito!
Fragments of Horror is creepy and entertaining. I didn’t think it was as good as his full novels / series, but this is still an excellent collection of stories to read. It’s fast and has beautiful art. Can’t go wrong with that, right?
Creature From The Book Lagoon 