SECRET OF THE HAUNTED MANSION, by Junji Ito (Voices in the Dark ch4)

Voices in the Dark is a collection of horror shorts from Junji Ito, published in 2003. The stories themselves were previously published in bimonthly serials in magazines from Asahi Sonorama.

Chapter four, SECRET OF THE HAUNTED MANSION, and the very gross Junji Ito that we know and love is back.

The story is about two boys sneaking into a haunted mansion themed attraction that they suspect is actually haunted.

I hope you’re not expecting puppies and free hugs in there.

Six month blogiversary

Happy belated six months to this blog!

When I first began, I really didn’t expect to be doing this many scanlations. Frankenstein I did just to see if I could. Now I do it because I kind of like it.

With Heroes of the H-Mansion finishing with the next update, I wouldn’t mind starting another project. Voices in the Dark will keep me busy for a while, so I don’t want to double down on Ito. I’m open to suggestions in the comments section of this post, with the caveat that it be scanned somewhere, since I don’t have a scanner.

The one thing I promise for the next six months of this blog is more of something that nobody ever asked for – original writing from me. I have a short novel that’s rearing to go but probably won’t see release until next year due to pesky administrative issues. The translations won’t stop, but they will probably slow down when this happens.

Anyway, for whatever reason, thanks for reading.

I kicked it all off with a cat video, and this one I’m sure you’ll agree is much better.

New Voices in the Dark chapter tomorrow, and this one would’ve been far more fitting for Halloween.

Heroes of the H-Mansion (9 of 10)

Well, this is pretty much the end. A big four parter this week, including another Byclops trilogy of strips.

COMITIA 90

Sunday, 15th November
(Check out my write-up of August’s Comitia 89 here.)

Flyer for Comitia 90

Comitia is a quarterly comics convention at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center. It differs from the twice yearly Comiket in focus, in that it only allows original work, and in scope, as Comiket fills the entire convention center and Comitia only one of ten halls. In August, there was a ham radio convention blasting away at the same time as Comitia 89. This time there was a job fair. Guess which one I probably should have gone to!

Heroes of the H-Mansion (8 of 10)

Been two weeks since the last installment!

Another bunch of new characters. Sometimes I wish they would do a few more strips about the characters they’ve already introduced.

So very near the end now …

ROAR OF AGES, by Junji Ito (Voices in the Dark ch3)

Voices in the Dark is a collection of horror shorts from Junji Ito, published in 2003. The stories themselves were previously published in bimonthly serials in magazines from Asahi Sonorama.

Chapter three this time, ROAR OF AGES. Another surprisingly safe for work entry. That makes two of three in this collection so far!

Fans might find this story about a mysterious flood kind of dull, departing as it does from the usual formula of gross schlock villain. But I liked it, and I’m grateful to the short story format that Ito can experiment with something more sad and earnest.

Plus he draws a pretty mean looking flood.

THE GHOSTS OF GOLDEN TIME, by Junji Ito (Voices in the Dark ch2)

Voices in the Dark is a collection of horror shorts from Junji Ito, published in 2003. The stories themselves were previously published in bimonthly serials in magazines from Asahi Sonorama.

Here’s chapter two, THE GHOSTS OF GOLDEN TIME which as far as I know has never been translated. There was really no way to faithfully translate this one, though. It’s about a creepy Japanese comedy duo, and almost everything they say is an awful pun that only works in Japanese. At least it wasn’t supposed to be funny, then I’d really be in trouble. Bad comedy I can do.

It kinda dies instead of finishing with a bang, but as in chapter one, Ito has made another great villain gimmick here.

THE MIRACLE WORKER

Tuesday, 3rd November
Bunkamura, Shibuya

I caught a performance of William Goldman’s THE MIRACLE WORKER (奇跡の人) on Tuesday. Apparently everybody knows this but me, but it’s a biographical account of the childhood of Helen Keller, who became blind and deaf at a very young age.

Although everything in the play revolves around her, the main character is her governess and mentor, Anne Sullivan. She teaches the blind and deaf Keller how to communicate, finally connecting her to a world that had written her off as an incomprensible animal. Anne Sullivan is the eponymous miracle worker, played here by Anne Suzuki (pictured above).

She’s best known to western audiences from the strangely great HANA AND ALICE, the pretty bad RETURNER, and the brake screechingly bad INITIAL D.

Heroes of the H-Mansion (7 of 10)

A big three parter, as we head into the tail end of the series.

This is my favourite bit.