Review: Smashed

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Smashed Smashed by Junji Ito
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Content Warning: Graphic violence, blood, gore, body horror; viewer discretion advised

Comprised of an anthology of 13 stories, Smashed by the master himself, is a mixed coterie, which doesn't as often delve into the body horror and the macabre which has at this point become synonymous with Junji sensei.

It's a bit all over the place, with each story delivering the minimum Ito quality of creepy horror, which leaves you disturbed.
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List of Stories
1. Bloodsucking Darkness
2. Ghosts of Prime time
3. Roar
4. Earthbound
5. Death Row Doorbell
6. The mystery of the haunted house
7. The mystery of the haunted house: Soichi’s Version
8. Soichi’s Beloved Pet
9. In Mirror Valley
10. I don’t want to be a ghost
11. Library Vision
12. Splendid Shadow Song
13. Smashed

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Out of the collection, I liked the stories 'Earthbound', 'In Mirror Valley' as well as the titular 'Smashed', as they had the best bits of lore and macabre worldbuilding, which made Ito's stories such a fascinating draw.

In particular, the themes in 'Earthbound', or crime and guilty conscience, and how it manifests into this supernatural syndrome is fascinating to read.

The more you read his bibliography, the more you admire his storytelling abilities, especially with focus to building all this disturbing yet intriguing lore which can get your skin crawling.

Speaking of which, while there are a few truly disturbing panels in this anthology, they are not as prevalent as his other works such as Uzumaki or Lovesickness. But everything considered, it's still a solid read for the horror afficionados. Would definitely recommend, for a more adult audience.

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