10 Best Anime Like Junji Itō Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre

Junji Itō Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is an upcoming anime series that is set to premiere on Netflix. It is going to be an anthology anime series that is set to adapt numerous stories written by famed horror mangaka Junji Itō. The series is going to have a total of 20 stories, taken from famed collections such as Fragments of Horror (a.k.a. The Shard of Evil), the Junji Itō Masterpiece Collection, and Junji Itō: A Study From the Abyss of Horror.

Among the stories we know are going to be adapted are “The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel,” “Mold,” “Layers of Fear,” “The Thing That Drifted Ashore,” and “Back Alley”. The anime is going to premiere on January 19, 2023, and in honor of that, we have decided to compose a list of the best anime series you will enjoy if you like Junji Itō Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre.

1. Junji Itō Collection

Original Run: January 5, 2018 – March 23, 2018
Number of Episodes: 12 (+ 2 OVA)

What it’s about: Junji Itō Collection is a Japanese anime anthology TV series adapted from the various works of mangaka Junji Itō. It was animated by Studio Deen and released on Crunchyroll in January 2018. The series almost faithfully follows every short story selected from the enormous catalog of the profitable Japanese writer, omitting only a few small details or reworking where possible to make it fit within the expected duration of 20 minutes; very few of these are connected to each other and most of the time the connection is given by the cameo of one or more characters within the single episode, the last two – however – are an OVA adaptation of the comic series Tomie.

Why you should watch it: This one is rather self-explanatory, right? This is the first anime anthology based on the works written by Junji Itō, similar to what Junji Itō Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is going to be when it comes out. It’s the same author, and the same style, and there is no doubt that this is your best pick from this list. If you can watch it before Junji Itō Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre to warm up for the new series.

2. Death Note

Original Run: October 3, 2006 – June 26, 2007
Number of Episodes: 37

What it’s about: The anime follows Light Yagami he is a model student, bored with his lifestyle and tired of being surrounded by a society filled with crime and corruption. His life takes a decisive turn when one day he finds on the ground a mysterious black notebook, entitled “Death Note”, which bears the following instruction: “The human whose name will be written in this notebook will die”. Initially skeptical of his authenticity, Light changes his mind when he successfully tried the notebook out on two criminals and meets the real owner of the Death Note, a shinigami named Ryuk; he then decides to use this new power to kill all criminals, eradicate evil and become the “God of the new world”.

Why you should watch it: Death Note definitely fits into this category, although it never actually becomes as morbid as Itō’s work, at least not in a visual sense. Some of the character designs definitely do look like they came out of a Junji Itō manga and that is why you should like Death Note if you like such a specific style, but do be aware that Death Note is more of a mystery series than a horror one.

3. Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories

Original Run: July 14, 2013 – present
Number of Episodes: 130

What it’s about: The mode of presentation of the works varies by season. Every week at 5:00 p.m., a Kamishibai prepares to tell the children a popular horror story inspired by Japanese folklore. On the back of his bicycle, he brings with him a stage with which he represents the characters. As of the third season, it was decided to change the narrator, this time being a young man who sings: “friends from this side, gone to that side” while drawing illustrations of the characters in the play. In the fourth season, the image of the first Kamishibai is recovered. Regarding the sixth season, the setting is changed so that instead of being performed in the playground, the man tells the legends in a forest.

Why you should watch it: This one will give you the creeps more than our pal Junji. Yamishiki is an anime that adapts horror stories from Japanese folklore and it does it in the best way possible. The stories are dark, the animation is fittingly disturbing and aside from the first title on the list, this is absolutely your best choice if you want to be scared properly.

4. Ghost Stories

Original Run: October 22, 2000 – March 25, 2001
Number of Episodes: 20

What it’s about: When Satsuki’s mother dies, she, her father, and her little brother, move to the city where her mother grew up. There Satsuki begins to study at the same school that her mother attended in the past (the new school, because her mother went to the old school). What Satsuki doesn’t know is that her maternal family has a special ability to stop evil ghosts, an ability that she inherited.

Why you should watch it: A bit lighter than most other titles on this list, Ghost Stories is nevertheless a great shonen title that focuses on the macabre and bizarre world of ghosts. It never quite reaches the grotesqueness of Itō’s works, but it should be enough to entertain fans of horror and those that enjoy ghost stories.

5. Another

Original Run: January 10, 2012 – March 27, 2012
Number of Episodes: 12 (+ OVA)

What it’s about: In Another, in 1972, a popular and charismatic student named Misaki Yomiyama from Class 3-3 of North Yomiyama School suddenly died in the middle of the school year. Devastated by the loss, his classmates and teacher acted as if Misaki was still alive and even reserved a spot for him at the graduation ceremony.

What was even more suspicious was that Misaki appeared in the graduation photograph. In the spring of 1998, ninth-year student Kōichi Sakakibara moves from Tokyo to Yomiyama, the hometown of his late mother, because his father has gone to work on research in India. His transfer was to North Yomiyama School, to class 3-3.

Why you should watch it: The principal reason why we decided to include Another on this list is that it is disturbing. It is a very dark and grim tale, and while it is not on par with Itō’s visuals, it is nevertheless a depressing and grim story that should be enjoyed by those who like Junji Itō’s works, and that is why it is on our list.

6. CLAYMORE

Original Run: April 4, 2007 – September 26, 2007
Number of Episodes: 26

What it’s about: It revolves around Claymores. They are half-human, half-demon warriors called upon by villagers to protect themselves from monsters such as demons. Feared and dreaded, they are distinguished by their silver eyes and the gigantic sword they carry on their backs, hence their names by humans of “silver-eyed witches” or “Claymore” (the name of the type of sword they use). Claire is one of them.

Called to a village to eliminate the demons that attack and devour the population, she kills the penultimate member, who has become a monster, of an already decimated family. The last survivor, Raki, finds himself alone, then decides to follow her on her bloodthirsty adventures, as a cook. He will gradually discover the secrets and the tragic destiny of these singular women.

Why you should watch it: At one point, CLAYMORE becomes really dark and grotesque, and the demons and monsters that the protagonist is fighting really have us the chills. CLAYMORE is a true classic and while it is more on the action side than Itō’s works, it is nevertheless a title whose macabre atmosphere fits this list.

7. Jujutsu Kaisen

Original Run: October 3, 2020 – March 27, 2021
Number of Episodes: 24

What it’s about: The plot of Jujutsu Kaisen takes place in a world where curses are created from the negative emotions of Humans. Thus, to protect places with a high concentration of these emotions such as schools or hospitals, these infrastructures have a relic, a receptacle of a curse, because we can only fight against curses with a more powerful curse. These are invisible to human eyes except for a handful of people, for example, exorcists. The exorcist’s job is to eliminate the curses and thus protect the people from them, but this is not without risks, because these plagues can be more or less powerful.

Why you should watch it: Jujutsu Kaisen is a shonen classic, but aside from that, it features more than enough horror elements for fans of the genre to be satisfied. The manner in which it is similar to Itō’s works is the visual presentation, which features odd and grotesque Curses, as well as brutal fighting scenes full of body horror that you should definitely enjoy.

8. Mononoke

Original Run: July 12, 2007 – September 27, 2007
Number of Episodes: 12

What it’s about: Mononoke focuses on the character of the apothecary from the third narrative arc of Ayakashi: a traveling apothecary stingy with words, so his name is not even known. He travels accompanied by his medicine cabinet and a box containing a spiritual sword whose pommel is adorned with a monkey’s head.

Why you should watch it: We have actually picked this one because its style is so different than your usual anime style. Mononoke is definitely not as scary as some other titles on this list, but it is bizarre, odd, and beautiful at the same time. it also explores the supernatural, which is why Junji Itō fans should like it a lot.

9. serial experiments lain

Release: July 6, 1998 – September 28, 1998
Number of Episodes: 13

What it’s about: After the suicide of the young Chisa Yomoda, some girls receive e-mails from the girl. The suspicion is that this is a bad joke, but one of them, Lain Iwakura is particularly intrigued. After asking her father for a new NAVI (Navigator, the evolution of the PC), she starts surfing the Wired (a computer network similar to the Internet) in search of answers.

From here on, a series of inexplicable events disrupt her life. She learns that another Lain, quite similar to her physically but temperamentally opposite, has made her an appearance of her both in the Wired and in the real world and that the Knights (knights – a group of hackers) are particularly interested in her.

Why you should watch it: serial experiments lain is a cult classic anime and one of the best anime series in history, and can easily be described as life-changing since its deep philosophy will certainly influence your perception of reality as it is. It is more down-to-earth than Itō’s works, but there is a lingering feeling of bizarre fear throughout the series which culminates in a very grotesque villain that definitely seems like he’s come out of a Junji Itō story, which is why we think you’ll appreciate the atmosphere and the thought behind this series.

10. From the New World

Original Run: October 3, 2012 – March 27, 2013
Number of Episodes: 25

What it’s about: Set in a thousand-year-old Japan, Shinsekai Yori tells the story of Saki, a girl from the 66th district of Kamisu. In this age, all humans possess powerful telekinesis abilities and idyllically live in agrarian villages. Despite her parents’ fear that she could not awaken the power within her, Saki gains her powers at the age of twelve and joins her friends Satoru, Maria, Mamoru, Shun, and Reiko at the academy to develop her powers. But the kids are unaware that the city council monitors and influences the kids through teaching.

According to some evaluation criteria, some students are removed from society, such as those who cannot master the powers, such as Reiko, or those who violate the rules. The removed students are soon forgotten by all the other children; Saki and her friends have no recollection of Reiko.

Later, during a camp unsupervised by the professors, Saki and her friends come across a False White Nudibook, a legendary creature that turns out to be an ancient device containing a library. The False Nudibianco reveals to the boys the heinous crimes of their ancestors and what lies behind their powers.

Why you should watch it: If you like a story where everything seems normal and well, yet you discover a dark truth about the very nature of your current existence – a common topic in cosmic horror works – then Shinsekai Yori is definitely a story for you. It is not as grim as Itō’s work, but it features a lot of grotesque scenes and characters, as well as a disturbing truth about the world it portrays.