The intro to Junji Ito’s Netflix anime is a trippy, creepy first look

This Thursday, Netflix announced the release date and showed the first footage for a new animated series that’s sure to inspire thrills and chills. Junji Ito Maniac – Japanese Tales of the MacabreThis adaptation is based on the works of Junji Ito, a renowned Japanese horror writer. Maniac features 20 of Ito’s original works — some of which are being adapted for the first time — and it’s set to release on Netflix on Jan. 19, 2023.

Junji Ito’s art is iconic; even if you haven’t read one of his works, you’ve probably seen memes or panels from them online. His art is sometimes stark and plays with simple themes, conflicts that turn into crises and surreal, horrifying imagery. ManiacStories from the Tomie, SōichiPlease see the following: Hanging Balloons manga. Netflix shared the opening to the show, and while we didn’t get to see much of the horror in action, we did see some of Ito’s imagery combined with psychotropic effects.

A promotional image also shows watercolor style effects applied to the unsettling image of a woman’s severed head on the floor, smiling eerily at the camera.

Maniac isn’t the only Ito adaptation in the works; Adult Swim is also adapting the dark fantasy manga UzumakiFor October 2023 publication