FISH WITH LEGS!!! Genius!!!

Good story, plot and character depictions. The only thing to rant about is the ending, that's more or less a cliffhanger. But seeing the main character was always so persistant, you can assume they will eventually find the cure and save the world and so on.

A few hours of good reading when you're not eating fishfood. Warning: May cause hydrophobia.

... Last updated on May 23rd, 2008, 6:15pm

A fresh and unique story focusing mostly on body horror. The plot is lacking at times but the art is spectacular as usual and the body horror and dehumanization are done extremely well. Nothing is straight out scary or shocking, but there is a sense of unease and disgust. Often times the manga seems campy which makes it very endearing.

The truly scary and unsettling is the bonus story at the end. Junji Ito truly shines there, and it is honestly spectacularly horrifying. The ending is a punch in the stomach from human nature.

Gyo was pretty good. It's not one of Ito's best, but it was still very amusing and even quite funny at times.

Also, I have to admit that the high rating that I gave this story comes (mainly) from my satisfaction towards girlfriend's dilemma in the end. Talk about being thoroughly satisfied

... Last updated on August 4th, 2009, 10:15am

So... why do holes call to people? No will power it seems... You know what I do when I see a hole shaped for me? Walk away...
As for the main story... I don't know why I kept reading... I guess it was for answers I never got... Questions that will remain...

It was bad... simply put...

A very good horror read. Wonderfully drawn, oddly invented but above all perfectly paced. At first the scenery is just bizarre, but then the situation turns worrying, and then tragic, and eventually straight out apocalyptic. The story is always evolving, and when you think it can't get worse, it does. I'm not a fan of pseudo-science in manga because it tends to be pretty lame most of the time but it didn't sound bad in this one (especially considered that experiments on bad smells to use in war have been really made). There are some unrealistic elements that make the story look a bit fake, like



but they are minor ones and not much relevant to the plot. Clearly the characters aren't the main focus of the manga and that's okay. They are given just as much characterization as they need but they do not drive the story, it's actually the fear and the mysteries that make you go on reading. Some of the mysteries are explained later while others, less practical and more existential, are not. That's okay too I think, the main questions are given an answer and for the others the reader can come up with their own interpretation.

Two words on the hidden gem of this volume: The Enigma of the Amigara Fault is the best short horror story I've ever read. Perhaps even more disturbing and teasingly cryptic than The Death Stench (main story). I give 8 to the main story and 9 to The Enigma of the Amigara Fault.

... Last updated on September 8th, 2017, 12:53pm

It's just a silly mangaka who took a fun idea and ran with it, regardless how it ended up. The ending leaves you wanting, but I can't really be ticked about it. The hanging scene probably takes the crown.

As an avid Junji Ito fan, I had high hopes for Gyo when I first read it a few years ago. I was not very impressed by the fact that it leaned more toward science fiction as opposed to his usual paranormal and cult horror - the genres I think he should stick with. The side story, The Enigma of Amigara Fault, is probably the best part of this series. That was a story that gave me shivers.

I like horror, although I'm probably too squeamish for that genre. I find it fascinating, but some parts of Gyo was just...too much for me. Not the "OMG, I'm going to be sick" kind of "too much", but rather the disturbed kind.

It's interesting, but I don't think this is my cup of tea. The art's not too bad, actually, and the story is passable. But it's not particularly appealing to me.

words from one of the bonus stories at the end. AND SOOOO TRUE FOR EVERYTHING. you will end everything with a crap ton of questions. it bothers me, yet pleases me at the same time. it makes me really wonder.. if you like stories like that, and like grotesque situations, i'd read this. if you're looking for something different, read.

it started out slow. i actually thought it was a little lame, although it was incredibly creative. then in the second volume, it got interesting. i don't know what to think about it as an overview. hmmm.. <-- this feeling i guess. xD

One of the essential twisted stories or morbid jokes related to speleology as manga comic! Even by the outstanding Japanese mangakas! Master Junji Ito cursed me again as is charming me for 20+ years :-) Since I am speleologist I love holes (caves in fact :-)The situation of feeling rock all around is something very usual (and exciting) for me. Perhaps there came a day and I will find the certain hole made for me :-)
Btw. Name Amigara refers to what? A nutshell? My great grandmother skilled in Japanese a bit used to call me amigara (instead od dumbhead) if i did something wrong... The thing flashed in my mind when I first time spot "amigara fault" I did a lot of them as a child :-)))
The another story I think might be an old urban legend. Or even ancient traditional legend? I heard this first time when I was very young and then I stumbled upon some more alternatives...this is one of them but excellently made!

... Last updated on February 15th, 2010, 8:13am