It’s spooky season again, and just like last year we’re leading up to Halloween with discussions of Junji Ito manga. This week we discuss the new collection Venus in the Blind Spot, which is at times both unusually grounded for Ito and also high camp. We share our queerpinions on:
– Venus in the Blind Spot
– The sheer horror potential of a man hiding in a chair
– Heterosexuality as theme in Ito’s work
– Recurring themes throughout and in comparison to Tomie
– The Enigma of Amigara Fault as a classic in the queer lit canon
– Ito’s style and influence from Kazuo Umezu
You can find the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Podcast Addict! You can also find all our past Junji Ito episodes compiled here.
Content warning: We’re a fairly NSFW podcast that includes use of reclaimed homophobic slurs. Our discussion this episode is full of spoilers for all the stories in the collection. Content-wise they include body horror, blood, necrophilia, sexism and violence against women, murder, suicide, and gore.