The Liminal Zone, Vol. 2

幻怪地帯 [Genkai Chitai] #2

by Junji Ito

What fate awaits when death is not the end?
A group of four university students stumbles upon a deserted, decaying village deep in the mountains only to find an enormous perpetual motion machine still at work there. Before they can answer the questions of who made it and to what end, the friends begin to disappear, one after the other. Another story sees the return of the strange Hikizuri siblings! A girl weighed down since birth by an invisible burden meets the odd siblings and moves in with them in order to understand the truth about herself. But after a string of bizarre occurrences, the siblings’ uncle appears on the scene…

Genres: Manga, Horror, Graphic Novels, Comics, Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2020

About the author

Junji Itō (Japanese: 伊藤潤二, Ito Junji) is a Japanese cartoonist and illustrator, best known for his horror manga.
Ito was born in Gifu Prefecture, Japan in 1963. He was inspired to make art from a young age by his older sister's drawing and Kazuo Umezu's horror comics. Until the early 1990s he worked as a dental technician, while making comics as a side job. By the time he turned into a full time mangaka, Ito was already an acclaimed horror artists.
His comics are celebrated for their finely depicted body horrors, while also retaining some elements of psychological horror and erotism.
Although he mostly produces short stories, Ito is best known for his longer comic series: Tomie (1987-2000), about a beautiful high school girl who inspires her admirers to commit atrocities; Uzumaki (1998-1999), set in a town cursed with spiral patterns; Gyo (2001-2002), featuring a horde of metal-legged undead fishes. Tomie and Uzumaki in particular have been adapted multiple times in live-action and animation.

Reviews

[Jillian B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Junji Ito keeps claiming he’s running out of ideas, but then he keeps delivering top-tier stories. This man can make anything surreally scary, from dust to perpetual motion machines. I’ve read other authors’ horror manga collections and they don’t even compare. Ito has a rare gift!

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of four university students stumble upon a decaying village deep in the mountains, only to find an enormous perpetual motion machine still at work there. Before they can answer the questions of who made it and to what end, the friends begin to disappear, one after the other. Another story sees the return of the stronge Hikizuri siblings! A girl weighed down since birth by an invisible burden meets three odd siblings, and moves in with them in to understand the truth about herself. But after a string of bizarre occurrences, the siblings' uncle appears on the scene…

The Liminal Zone, Vol. 2 is not my favourite Junji Ito story collection I’ve ever read, but it’s solidly decent. It consists of four stories; the strongest being Village of Ether. Ito is at his strongest when his stories contain a good amount of the body horror artwork that he is well-known for.

3.5 Stars 💀🖤

[Jan Agaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My face 90% of the time reading this: 😳😳😳😳
I loved it & my favorite story was the last one, despite the tragic turtle happenings 💔

[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The endless supply of hall ether…saturates this realm."

The master of horror manga is back with new tales of terror and even the beloved spiral makes their grand reappearance.

Ito certainly knows how to take an ordinary story and make it horrifying. All of these stories started out a little slow and as they make their way towards the end they become horrifying masterpieces. The end of these tales are wild and Ito knows a thing or two about being scarily wild.

‘The Liminal Zone, Vol. 2’ is a great collection of spooky tales. I did enjoy the first volume more than this but these stories are still great and weird. Ito can do no wrong.

I knew there was a reason why I loved crows. 🐦‍⬛

[Coos Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Junji Ito es mi debilidad. Siempre que termino de leer alguno de sus mangas me pregunto de dónde sacará todas esas ideas tan retorcidas. Y más cuando lo veo en videos, todo chill y kawaii, hablando en un tono de voz bien ameno y tranqui. Al final de este tomo, él cuenta brevemente que cada vez tiene más dificultad para encontrar ideas para sus cuentos, y que muchas de las historias que quedan en sus mangas son producto de situaciones random que experimentó mientras hacía la actividad más normal y cotidiana del mundo. Esto lo cuenta con un dejo de culpa, como si eso fuera algo negativo. Pero siento que, si de algo ordinario puede llegar a crear historias tan alarmantes y creativas, habla muy bien de él como artista. Además, sus historias pueden gustar o no, pero sin duda podemos coincidir en que sus relatos son sumamente originales, aun cuando se inspiran en el folclore japonés, ya que siempre sabe cómo darles un giro de tuerca con su impronta.

[retrovvitches · Rating 5 out of 5]

devoured this as well. i actually even liked it better than the first!! genuinely chilling during some parts, and jaw dropping at times. and the artwork is always so so so good. also one of my fav covers ever tbh, the story it’s based on was also one of the best

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is probably one of my favorite short story collections from Junji Ito. this also comes as surprise to me cause i remember not liking the first liminal zone collection. my favorites were definitely stories #1 & #4.

individual ratings:

i. demon king of dust - 4 ☆
ii. village of ether - 4 ☆
iii. the strange Hikizuri siblings chapter 3: uncle ketanosuke - 3 ☆
iv. the shells of manjunuma - 4.5 ☆

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, this was definitely one of Junji Ito's weaker collections for me. I never enjoy the Hikizuri sibling stories, though, and the last story had a LOT of animal violence that bummed me out a bit. I'd still recommend it if you're a big fan, but if you're new to Junji Ito's works, there are several manga of his that I think would be better first picks!

[Mikey ಠ◡ಠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover makes sense now 😅 idk why but this one felt way darker than the usual stuff

[Gabriel Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to start this by saying I’ve read everything Ito has released in English and I will never stop buying his books. I will always support him and I’m very happy for his success. But, there is a problem that has gotten worse and worse for the past couple years.

Ito needs a break. In the afterword in this book, he tells us that he is completely and utterly out of ideas. This unfortunate fact has shown its ugly face in the past several volumes they’ve recently published (aside from his older works newly released). I’ve heard the manga industry is full of pressure and deadlines and stress, and I hate to see Ito being forced to peddle bottom-of-the-barrel content and chip away at his legendary name. The art is still absolutely amazing! I just hate to see this skill wasted for pretty… hate to say it… bad stories.

One more complaint and I’m done. Has the man forgotten that blood exists??? I haven’t seen a drop of (human) blood in what feels like forever from him! The age rating hasn’t changed, GIVE US BLOOD AND GORE.

[Seb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I only liked one story here. The others weren't that entertaining.

The first book in the series was better.

[Luthfi Ferizqi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been quite a while since I last read Junji Ito, so I decided to pick up his latest work, The Liminal Zone: Season 2. My favorites from this collection are Village of Ether and the fourth (and final) story, The Shells of Manjunuma.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ito's trademark bizarre horror and wild, often gross illustrations are on display in this new compilation of short stories. The stories themselves weren't as strong in this collection, and Ito's conclusion admits as such.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

Vier Kurzgeschichten, die nur sehr geringfügig mit Liminal Zone bzw. Liminal Space zu tun haben, leider, auch war die Quali sehr gemischt. Zwei Geschichten haben mir unfassbar gut gefallen, eine war mittelmaß und eine war ziemlich öde.

Story 1: Der Schmutzteufel
8/10
Yuichi lebt in einer heruntergekommen Stadt voller leerer Hotels in einem riesigen Haus, das ständig geputzt werden muss, weil überall immer wieder Staub nachrieselt. Im laufe der kurzen Story findet Yuichi heraus, was es mit den putzenden Haushälterinnen, seinem psychotischen Vater und dem vielen Staub auf sich hat.

Die Story war ziemlich nett - vorallem war die Geschichte die Einzige, die ansatzweise etwas mit einem Liminal Space, nämlich dem Dachboden, zu tun hatte.

Story 2: Das Ätherdorf
3/10
Eine Gruppe Freunde sucht in den Bergen ein altes Dorf, in dem ihr Freund Yota früher gelebt hat. Sie finden ein verlassenes Dorf, indem zwischen den zerfallenen Häusern Maschinen per Perpetuum Mobile angetrieben werden, was physikalisch nicht möglich ist. Kurz darauf verschwinden Yotas Freunde und er findet seltsame mechanische Tiere...

Die Story war leider super langweilig - passte auch irgendwie vom Horrorgehalt nicht zu Ito. Die Zeichnungen sind zwar schön brutal, aber irgendwie war es weder gruselig, creepy noch sonst irgendwas.

Story 3: Die seltsamen Geschwister Hikizuri 3: Onkel Ketanosuke
6/10
Hotaru fühlt sich, als würde sie von einer unsichtbaren Last erdrückt und findet beim Umherstreifen in der Stadt die Geschwister Hikizuri, die meinen, sie wissen wieso Hotaru so schlechtes Karma hat und wollen die Toten dazu befragen.

Hikizuri liebt man oder hasst man :D ich mag sie eigentlich ganz gerne, vorallem den Nageljungen aus den ersten Teilen. Leider kommt dieser hier entweder nicht vor,oder ist aber geheilt (ich erinner mich nämlich nicht mehr an seinen Namen). Dementsprechend langweilig war die Story im Vergleich zu Teil 1. Ekelgehalt ist etwas höher.

Story 5: Die Schildkröten vom Manju-Sumpf
8/10
Im Manju-Sumpf leben verfluchte Schildkröten, die auf ihren Panzern die Gesichtzüge von Menschen aus dem Dorfn haben. Wenn die Schildkröten sterben, bringen die Raben den zerstörten Panzer zu einem ähnlich sehenden Menschen als böses Omen - Kunikazu will sich das zu Nutze machen, um sich von seinem Onkel zu trennen. Aber natürlich geht das nicht gut aus.

Trifft total meinen Geschmack - creepy und blutig. Genau das, was ich mir bei Ito so vorstelle.
Hat nur leider mit Liminal Space nichts am Hut.

[Aeroyou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Désolée Junji Ito, mais ce recueil n’est franchement pas mon favori, avec deux histoires que j’ai trouvées assez bof. Mais en postface, tu expliques avoir des problèmes d’inspiration. Or, tu sais que je ne peux que te comprendre, et tout te pardonner. En plus, tu t’excuses pour les scènes choquantes de la dernière nouvelle (ma préférée, avec la première). Comment te résister ? Je me le demande…

Ma mission « lire tout Junji Ito » continue.

[Chandra Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Story 1. Demon King of Dust ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
-This one was very cool.

Story 2. Village of Ether ⭐️⭐️.5
-I found the story to be mid, but the art and character design was great.

Story 3. The Strange Hikizuri Siblings: Uncle Ketanoskue ⭐️⭐️
- I don’t know why, but I do not care for these recurring characters, I’m also not a big fan of Soichi .

Story 4. The Shells of Manjunuma ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- I really enjoyed the premise of this one, but I wish it had been a bit longer and a little more fleshed out.

[Aline · Rating 4 out of 5]

j'ai trouvé la lecture de ce tome 2 très différente de celle du tome 1 qui m'a beaucoup perturbée. j'ai trouvé ce tome ci moins effrayant, plus dans l'introspection de nos peurs profondes, dans l'assouvissement de nos désirs malsains, quelque chose qui convoque vraiment la peur. toujours avec ses regards déplaisant...le dessin est très puissant.

[Pranta Dastider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three stories out of four were good. One of them was really great. One I didn't like much. Artwork felt pretty good specially in the second story. In the author's note Junji Ito admitted that drawing those models was hard for him.

Nothing much to add. If you are a Junji Ito reader, you know what to expect from his stories, and this book has it all. Just dive in.

[Renan Ramos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Junji ito vai me fazer realmente GOSTAR de ler mangá, é isso.

[Cam david · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4,5

C’est toujours un plaisir de retrouver ses superbes illustrations et ses histoires aussi courte que développé. Quatre nouvelles toutes plus dérangeantes l’une que l’autres aux idées extravagantes et original. J’ai vu dans les commentaires que les gens ne semblaient pas avoir beaucoup aimé les histoires sur la fratrie Hikizuri, mais contrairement à l’Avis général, je les aime bien, ils me mettent mal à l’aise et sont malsain, mais je crois que c’est le but et les deux benjamins de la famille m’étaient sympathique. En soit j’ai bien aimé chacune des histoires que j’ai trouvé original et bien détaillé malgré leur courte taille et les illustration appuyait super bien les propos décris. C’était une super œuvre et j’ai hâte de retrouver l’artiste dans ses autres ouvrages.

[Fny · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the stories I had already read before the rest was kind of so so.
The art is as always perfect but the stories is rather meh. But Ito himself writes about this in his author’s note that he gets fewer and fewer ideas every year so I guess it’s an answer. He’s out of good juice,

[Raaven💖 · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were pretty random but I enjoyed them. I honestly thought it was hilarious at the end of the siblings one the girl was just like uhhh I wanna go back to the foster home. And I was a bit sad of all the turtle deaths in the last story.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the worst I've read by him but still pretty good.
What I mean by this is that within Junji Ito was not as good as I hoped yet it's better than most Horror Manga out there. He even says that it's being difficult getting new ideas and it show. Either way advisable to anyone who read the first. (There is a tale that connects) 60/100

[Blake Altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed the latest English translation from Junji Ito today, and boy, was it worth it! Ito still manages to create some of the most indelible horror artwork I've ever seen, even after all these years. A quick rundown of the stories:

DEMON KING OF DUST: A young boy lives in a defunct resort town with his washed up actor father and their housekeepers, who have to work nonstop to keep dust from gathering. His father is convinced that the dust that fills their house is part of a massive demon that dwells in the dead city nearby, and that it is coming for him and his bloodline. Between visions of the dead in the dust clouds and a woman who appears to no longer be human, the whole story has a perverse vibe to it, like the young protagonist is only seeing the surface of a darker, more evil kind of horror.

VILLAGE OF ETHER: A college student and his friends travel out to the town he was born in, and find that the people are missing, other than an odd inventor who appears to have perfected a series of perpetual motion machines, a.k.a machines that require no fuel source other than their own kinetic energy. What they soon realize, however, is that these machines run EVERYTHING. This is a new favorite of mine; it's got what is easily one of the top five craziest things he's ever drawn. Truly impressive art on this.

THE STRANGE HIKIZURI SIBLINGS: UNCLE KETANOSUKE: After years without writing about them, Ito returns to an old series following a group of bizarre shut-in siblings, who meet a young woman who feels irresistibly drawn to them. These Hikizuri stories tend to be more cringey and off-putting than actually scary, and other than a solid ghost at the end, there's not much to write home about here.

THE SHELLS OF MANJUNUMA: A swamp in rural Japan contains turtles whose shell markings resemble human faces. The swamp's crows prey on them by dropping them in front of trucks on a local road, eating the innards, and then disposing of the broken shell on the doorsteps of locals. When this happens, the person is cursed to die suddenly and horribly. One boy attempts to control the outcome of this strange game. You can guess how that goes.

All in all, it's a short collection, but a decent one all the same. VIllage of Ether alone makes the entire book worth it, in my opinion!

[nich · Rating 4 out of 5]

อีกาคะน้าวิดจะเป็นแบบนี้ไหม

[milkhugisreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75 ⭐️

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nuevo manga con cuatro relatos del infalible Junji Ito. En este tomo destacaria la historia del pueblo rodeado de éter donde viven unos curiosos engendros mecánicos y la historia del pantano de Toju con sus tortugas que tienen la cara de la persona que va a morir en la parte inferior de su caparazón.
Me hace gracia como alguien con una inventiva y originalidad como Ito que por si solo ha redefinido el terror japonés continúa siendo tan humilde que piensa que se queda sin ideas y que el nivel de estas no es tan bueno como su obra anterior. Para mí sigue estando en plena forma.

[Agathe Sorbet Citron · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai moins aimé ces histoires, même si le trait de JunjinIto reste en tous points magistral et effrayant.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rare sequel that was better than the first!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this is a pretty creepy collection.

I found each story to make me distinctly uncomfortable in its own way? I often think of Junji Ito as primarily writing unsettling, disturbing, and gross tales.

But, when he really sets out to discomfort a reader, he knows what he’s doing.

Let me just go down the list here:

* “Demon King of Dust”—creepy old man, inappropriate relationships with the maids, implied femicide across the board, & a disgusting amount of tongue

* “Village of Ether”—body horror galore, some lite trypophobia, more creepy old men, demon possession

* “The Strange Hikizuri Siblings: Chapter 3”—inappropriate family relationships, ritual sacrifice, reanimating the dead, more gross tongue stuff, more creepy old men, and creepy children

* “The Shells of Manjunuma”—flesh eating turtles??? Need I say more?

Yeah, so, this collection has a bit of everything.

I genuinely enjoyed each story here—which isn’t often the case with Junji Ito. These collections can be very unbalanced. There’s often one standout story and several less interesting ones.

But, this is a well-rounded collection.

I kind of think these collections are better when they are shorter?

Anyway.

Definitely check out if you’re an avid Junji Ito or horror manga fan~