Maniac is an animated series of short pieces originally published as horror comic books by Junji Ito (of whom I am a long time fan.) Some episodes have one longer story, while others have two shorter ones. They are independent and can be watched in any order.
It is enormously faithful not just to the actual stories, but to the style of those stories, the style of their art, and even to their dream-like pacing. Ito's unique narratives and style become a unique animated horror series.
The main addition to a lot of these stories (not all, and the choice was made wisely in my opinion), other than animation of course, is *color*, and if nothing else, this has been a joy for me simply to see Ito's work in that color-- to see his autumn leaves in deep red, to see the color of Tomie's sailor uniform, and so on. As with all else in the work, the color remains true to Ito's style.
Western horror fans may or may not appreciate Maniac as much as I did; we are a fickle bunch, with diverse tastes. Ito's stories are surreal and creepy, with a slow pace, and often without the narrative resolution many crave. But they are undeniably imaginative and often deeply disturbing.
If you're not sure whether or not you'd enjoy Maniac, I would recommend skipping the first episode, which I consider the weakest. Please stick around at least once for an incredible closing credits sequence.
It is enormously faithful not just to the actual stories, but to the style of those stories, the style of their art, and even to their dream-like pacing. Ito's unique narratives and style become a unique animated horror series.
The main addition to a lot of these stories (not all, and the choice was made wisely in my opinion), other than animation of course, is *color*, and if nothing else, this has been a joy for me simply to see Ito's work in that color-- to see his autumn leaves in deep red, to see the color of Tomie's sailor uniform, and so on. As with all else in the work, the color remains true to Ito's style.
Western horror fans may or may not appreciate Maniac as much as I did; we are a fickle bunch, with diverse tastes. Ito's stories are surreal and creepy, with a slow pace, and often without the narrative resolution many crave. But they are undeniably imaginative and often deeply disturbing.
If you're not sure whether or not you'd enjoy Maniac, I would recommend skipping the first episode, which I consider the weakest. Please stick around at least once for an incredible closing credits sequence.