Throughout the decades, one name has been unanimously mentioned when it comes to horror in anime. Having woven stories like Uzumaki, Gyo, Tomie, and more campfire tales, Junji Ito has conquered the likes of anime and live-action with his horrific outings. With Netflix set to release another anime anthology series in the upcoming adaptation, Crimson, anime fans won’t have to wait until this release to see his terrifying characters brought to life. Junji Ito’s characters are set to arrive in the “real world” later this year as the anime artist is lending his talents to Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights.
Beginning on September 11th next month, Universal Studios Japan will see Junji Ito’s Tomie leading the charge for an army of zombies that are shambling their way through the amusement park. On top of an actress taking on the role of one of Ito’s most popular characters, Ito himself has also written unique dialogue for the female succubus to say to unsuspecting patrons of the park. While this collaboration hasn’t been confirmed for North America’s Universal Studios parks, franchises like One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen eventually leaped to the amusement parks in recent years. On top of the creepy anime character arriving at Universal Studios, the park is planning to release a steady stream of merchandise that focuses on many of Ito’s works, which you can check out below.
情報解禁
◤ストリート・ゾンビ × 富江◢
その美しさから、もう逃れられない…
USJ25周年を記念して、
ストリート・ゾンビと『伊藤潤二』作品
「富江」のコラボグッズが登場！
ハミクマを携えた富江がグッズに。
特別なアイテムをお見逃しなく
9/9販売開始予定
pic.twitter.com/YTc1RotRCB
Ito shared his thoughts on the upcoming collab, confirming that the horror artist is also a big fan of the amusement park: “Congratulations to Universal Studios Japan on their 25th anniversary! My family and I have visited USJ many times. We were thrilled by the entertaining commentary of the guide on the “Jaws” boat tour and the sharks, and by the dinosaurs roaming the subtropical forest in the “Jurassic Park” area. We also had a great time with our children in the “Harry Potter” area. It is a great honor to collaborate with Tomie on this milestone 25th anniversary. We wish you continued success and prosperity!”
Of the many characters that Junji Ito has created in his career, Tomie might take the crown for the most popular figure of them all. As of the writing of this article, there have been nine live-action Tomie films, meaning that there have been more stories in live-action featuring the supernatural character than her tales in the manga world. While she hasn’t received a new movie since 2011’s Tomie Unlimited, this doesn’t mean that there haven’t been attempts to bring her back to the live-action scene. In 2019, the now-defunct streaming service known as Quibi attempted to create a television series focusing on the titular horror character, but with the shuttering of the platform, so too was the show brought to an end.
While Netflix is working on a new anime adaptation for Junji Ito’s works, Fangoria Studios is also looking to bring to life some of the horror artist’s greatest works. The production house had previously announced that they are looking to create a trilogy of live-action horror movies, covering the stories Bloodsucking Darkness and Mystery of the Haunted House. While the projects don’t have a release date, it proves how universal Ito’s terrifying tales have become since he first brought them to the manga page so many years ago.
