Why Junji Ito’s Worldbuilding is so Terrifying

You have nothing to fear, but fear itself. And spirals. An exploration of Junji Ito’s worlds of terrors, and the secrets behind his unique style of horror. --- What type of story scares you the most? Perhaps something dark, visceral, rooted in physical danger? Or something subtle, psychological, with layers of unseen dread? Or maybe something unknowable, inexplicable, that lifts the veil on reality and exposes the cosmic terrors of the universe? The work of Japanese horror manga artist Junji Ito exists at the intersection of all our greatest fears. His tales capture primal anxieties so expertly they can seem truly mysterious. So, what I want to do today is peel back those layers of mystery, and explore what makes Junji Ito’s worldbuilding so darn spooky. And to do that, we’ll need to find our courage and dive headfirst into this ocean of terrors… 0:00 Horror of Junji Ito 0:55 Gyo and Death Stranding 4:06 Thing that Drifted Ashore 8:05 The Enigma of Amigara Fault 12:23 U