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Opinion: Junji ito really captures a lot of the horror that comes from just being human. A lot of Information Hazards.
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Army of One - what happens when our need for social interaction and connection is turned against us, to the extreme.
- “Nobody likes a lonely only. Everybody join hands now. Everybody join hearts now. Everyone’s your friend. When you join hearts and sing — Army of One. We’re an Army of One”.
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Glyceride - the horror of familial abuse, or in general how hatred leads to more hatred. The “saturation level” in the story is a metaphor for this. At the same time, it also examines the circumstances that lead to these situations — poverty that drives someone to desparation.
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Hanging Balloons - when one suicide causes a chain reaction of suicides all around the country. A metaphor for suicidal thoughts and ideation that floats around society even if we don’t acknowledge their presence (until it’s too late).
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Hellstar Remina - an illustration of man’s potential for zealous madness in the face of the apocalypse. Really highlights the irrationality of man when under immense crisis.
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Lovesickness - shows how we all crave love — even from people who may not reciprocate this love back or worse twist this love for their own sadistic pleasure. Especially true given the parasocial phenomenon nowadays.
- “If you want to be rid of your problems, find a bigger problem…Because if you find a bigger problem then your current problem would seem inconsequential wouldn’t it?”
- The ending has a hopeful tone. If love is powerful enough to corrupt, then it is equally powerful enough to give someone hope to live another day.
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The Enigma of Amigara Fault - the premise is simple: people are compelled to force themselves into a hole that is “in their shape”. This applies to society too, where we are pressured to conform, even if it means we distort ourselves in the process.
- “This is my hole. It was made for me.”
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The Human Chair - to what extent would a man go to to receive affection — make himself a chair.