Reviews
‘Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre’ Review – Netflix Anime Pales in Comparison to Source Material
Children gradually turn into ice cream, then consume one another. Head-shaped, giant balloons fill the sky and snare humans with nooses. People lost at sea are found “alive” inside a beached marine creature. The morbid imagination of Junji Ito has no limits, though the latest anime based on his ghastly oeuvre has its limitations as both a reflection of the author’s talent and as a series. Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre adapts various tales from the popular manga artist, and the results are awkward. The new Netflix show animates these stories, yes, but it hardly brings them to life.
The team behind the previous anime adaptation, Junji Ito Collection, has returned. That sounds like a red flag, and in most ways, Studio DEEN’s flat and uninspired production values are back to haunt you in these new episodes. However, it wouldn’t be fair to say the quality is more of the exact same in Maniac. Shinobu Tagashira’s character designs aren’t quite as haphazard as before, and for the most part, the animators make an effort to stay on-model and be more mindful about consistency. The scenery and general colorwork show signs of mild improvement as well.
Despite a few slight advances in the art, when compared to its unattractive predecessor, Junji Ito Maniac still comes across as stiff and inelegant. When characters stand in place, hardly moving any part of their bodies other than their mouths, they look passable. Yet it’s once they move and interact with each other and their environments that the previous DEEN shortcomings resurface. Something as simple as a sliding door closing behind someone looks so clumsy. Those types of animation blunders, as minor as they are, carry over to the actual uncanny moments. Take the Tomie episode, for instance: the titular character’s lumbering walk, following her decapitation, looks more weird than unsettling.
Image: Studio DEEN/Netflix
With this being an anthology, you can skip around and watch out of order. Even those occasional episodes with recurring characters, such as the infamous Soichi Tsuji, don’t require any significant background. Every segment operates on its own. Now, while Ito is, without question, an innovative and audacious storyteller overall, not every work of his is as good as the next. That’s to be expected with someone whose career spans over three decades. The stories here are as random as can be, and there are indeed segments that could have been switched out entirely.
Should these adaptations only highlight Ito’s greatest hits? No, of course not. But anthologies have historically done a great service to even the most average of source material; time and time again, screenwriters have enhanced the starting product, and in some cases, made classics out of them. Meanwhile, series director Tagashira and writer Kaoru Sawada approach Ito too literally. And if it’s a choice between the manga and the anime, the answer is obvious. Maniac could have taken this as an opportunity to extend those stories that end anticlimactically or on an abrupt note. The difference would have made this series more unique and worthwhile.
Sad to say, this anime is as rushed and routine as the last one. It’s been five years since Junji Ito Collection premiered and, evidently, little has changed. It’s hard to be invested in something so half-hearted and slapdash. This watered-down adaptation suggests Ito’s work should remain on the page, and it loses its integrity and intensity when put on screen. However, there’s always hope; Adult Swim’s long-delayed Uzumaki series shows promise. Meanwhile, the enduring curse on animated Junji Ito adaptations so far remains in place, and Maniac won’t be the one to break it.
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is now streaming on Netflix.
Image: Studio DEEN/Netflix
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‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ 4K Review – It’s Time to Upgrade This Movie One More Time
Scream Factory has just released Killer Klowns from Outer Space in 4K to celebrate its 35th Anniversary, and what an exciting time to be a fan of the 1980s movie. With the recent surge of Klownapalooza happening in the past few years, including tons of merch made available by Spirit Halloween and the much-anticipated video game scheduled to be released next month, it seems apropos for the Klowns to finally make their 4K debut.
In 1988, the Chiodo Brothers (consisting of siblings Stephen, Charles and Edward) took their seemingly ridiculous premise of having otherworldly monsters in the form of circus clowns land on Earth to wreak havoc on a quiet little town and produced it into a full-length motion picture. Inspired by creature features and B-movies alike, their unconventional film with a deliberately hokey title would garner an initially significant following that evolved into a major cult classic close to four decades later.
In Killer Klowns, After seeing what they perceive to be a comet crash down in the woods, Mike (Grant Cramer, Hardbodies, New Year’s Evil) and Debbie (Suzanne Snyder, Weird Science, Return of the Living Dead Part 2) investigate, only to find a totally misplaced Big Top circus tent with some high-tech interior décor and loads of cotton candy. It all seems like a fun time for all, until Mike discovers that the cotton candy contains the bloody corpses of local townsfolk.
The couple seek help from the local police, who of course do not believe their whacky tale. It doesn’t help that the officers include the grumpy Curtis Mooney (played by the late John Vernon in a role almost as memorable as the Dean he portrayed in Animal House) and Debbie’s ex, Dave Hanson (John Allen Nelson, former Baywatch hunk). Hanson is more receptive to their accusations, because he still has a huge soft spot for Debbie, but also has some serious ill will towards Mike for being his replacement. This dynamic is understandably super awkward and a nice little subplot to get you to care about those characters, because who doesn’t enjoy a nice little love triangle. On the flip side, Mooney believes it is only a promotional stunt by Mike’s BFFs, the offbeat Terenzi Brothers (Michael S. Siegel and Peter Licassi), who sell ice cream out of their truck adorned with a giant clown head.
Soon the Klowns get down on the town and start their reign of terror. Will they take over the planet and turn it into one giant cotton candy cocoon? Will Dave win Debbie back or just pummel Mike to let his aggression out? Will the Terenzi Brothers score with the ladies without needing to bribe them with unlimited ice cream? Will Mooney ever crack a smile? All these questions and more are answered in the 88-minute running time.
The Chiodo Brothers created a bizarre yet beautiful carnival of creativity with the Killer Klowns universe that is a major part of the film’s appeal and hardcore fanbase. Let’s start with the Klown headliners— Jumbo, Fatso, Shorty (my boo), Rudy, Spikey, Slim, Bibbo, and Chubby. They are all great villains, vastly unique in look, personality, and weaponry. And that weaponry dreamt up by the Chiodo Brothers is as innovative as the Klowns themselves. The Klowns hunt their prey with cotton candy cocoon guns, flesh-eating popcorn, lethal shadow puppetry, super-sized mallets, animated balloon animals, and boxing gloves with some serious extra “pop.” And if you haven’t seen the film and you think those gadgets sound cool, well they are even more awesome to see in action. Even if the special effects are from the ’80s.
All this talk about extraterrestrial clowns and circus weaponry can easily overshadow our human stars. Kramer, Snyder, Nelson, and Mooney are all fantastic as the leads, playing their parts perfectly. And then there are appearances by veteran actor Royal Dano (Ghoulies 2) and Christopher Titus (Titus), well before his popularity hit its stride.
Now I am sure you are wondering how Scream Factory did with the transfer, and you will be pleased to know that they did an awesome job. The picture is absolutely gorgeous and quite a step up from the previous Blu-ray release. Considering that legacy Blu-ray looked pretty good, you can imagine how great the Dolby Vision is for this 4K presentation. Wish the audio was Dolby Atmos instead of DTS, but not a deal breaker by any means because the sound is fine.
The 4K also comes with a Blu-ray that houses the bonus features. There are not a ton of extras, but the ones they have are very interesting, even if previously released: a making-of featurette, an SFX featurette and a featurette dedicated to the film’s score. There are also deleted scenes, bloopers, audio commentary with the Chiodo Brothers, Easter Eggs, and more.
If you are ready to open your wallet and grab a copy, there are a few editions to choose from. You can either grab the standard edition, the deluxe edition that includes an exclusive slipcover, two posters and a Prism sticker, or the limited edition SteelBook—which this review is based on.
You can order one of these versions now at shoutfactory.com.
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