Correction for the very end!! As a Ito Junji stan I must let you know that Lovesickness was actually written in 1996/97. It was only just released in English in 2021. Otherwise this was an amazing essay, and I have to 100% agree that Lovesickness’ protagonist is the best Ito Junji protagonist by far.
Loneliness and disconnection has been a growing problem in Japanese society since long before Covid. The rest of the world is just catching up, making this story more relevant than ever.
@@RatatTalks Yep, I am an autistic shut-in myself but I have enough self awareness to know that isn't a good thing. It breaks my heart to see so many people living like this.
Not only is he a great protagonist who actively works against the evil, he also gets a happy end. Sure he dies, but even in death he still helps spreading positivity.
In this story, the protagonist chooses to fight evil and perishes while becoming a hero. He was proactive, while in some stories, the protagonists try to escape or ignore the “evil” at first, yet still get affected by it. In this one, he kept fighting, but I feel like if he just let that be from the start, he would have survived. So basically, he died because he was a good person. Feeling guilty about the actions of someone mentally unstable, not even contemplating that he, as a child, was the victim of this lady who had no business bothering a kid with such a complicated situation. He kept spreading good fortune and positive advice, even when people started to turn against him, and still, after death, is fighting for people who don't really deserve it. Knowing that this tradition caused and keeps causing incidents they should have collectively decided to stop it.
I think the beauty of Ryusuke walking away instead of giving the evil man a fortune is that I bet if he had, he would’ve told the man to kill himself and the man would’ve done it and Ryusuke would become another boy in black. By walking away, he shows that he is a good person and that he isn’t the boy in black, a conflict he’s faced throughout the whole story
Maybe the boy in black WAS HIM. But like a future he could have taken. He could've given that man a terrible fortune or even end*d him with the boxcutter. That was his lowest point everything went to crap in his life. I think that would have been the true start of the boy in black. But he instead went on to confront the worst part of himself. Didn't let the hate or revenge go on. He went to better himself and others. That was the point the boy in black faded away. Didn't let guilt and loss over take him. So he became the boy in white. The boy in black told that girl to hate him for forever and never forgive bc thats what he feared would happen, the boy in black is his worst self that came about due to that woman's death and his guilt.
„She commits „boxcutter“.“ That got a chuckle out of me. The amount of self-censorship creators have to subject themselves to is beyond ridiculous, but I do love the creative euphemisms folks come up with.
Honestly it feels so dystopian how much we have to remove nuance from serious topics for the sake of 'community guidelines', but I do appreciate the challenge of coming up with new terms.
I like that interpretation, another good interpretation was here in the comments, and I replied to that with another theory about her I like that was posed by Wendigoon a few weeks ago on his channel. That said, she can feel static, moreso in the earlier chapters before the plot really properly starts.
@@RatatTalks Ja, it’s pretty cool, I need to rewatch the wendigoon one. I do agree she’s very static, but I enjoy that in contrast to her almost static nature, Shuichi still has development throughout the story.
@@RatatTalks I wish I could get merch easy in my country, I’d love to have junji Ito art on my clothes and make people on the train very uncomfortable with the horror artwork
@@RatatTalks oh yeah, a small fun fact that connects well to your points of loneliness epidemics at the moment is that humans can die from loneliness, since humans are pack animals
Regarding Kirie, she’s actually meant to be a deconstruction of the normal horror protagonist. No matter what happens to her, she never acknowledges the spiral itself and that’s how she ultimately wins against it.
I like that take tbh, I also like wendigoons take from his video a few weeks back on how she exists to chronicle the spiral. I don't have any problems with Kirie, she's just easy to use as an example of an Ito protag.
Wouldn't say she won against the spiral I would say she was a victim to it from the start that is made very clear that the spiral chose her in a sense there was just too many coincidences on why she didn't die at the time the only time where she faced any actual threat from the spiral when she actually tried to leave it's influence the minute she changed her mind she was safe
@@RatatTalks weirdly, on most cases I don’t consider Ito’s endings “bad”, like in an opposite of “happy”. They are sad and scary, sure, but rarely I feel despair on behalf of the characters at the end, as they end up either dead, so consumed by the darkness they could be considered weirdly fulfilled, or entirely free (though, traumatized). The one truly bad, disturbing ending I remember is the one with the mother of a child regressing back into her childhood bully persona.
Junji Ito writes Lovecraftian/cosmic horror where happy endings are incredibly rare for the protagonist. The closest thing to a happy ending Lovecraft himself wrote that I’m aware of is when a couple who abused animals and murdered a cat got killed and eaten by an army of cats that then did nothing else sinister. Usually even being in the vicinity to a Lovecraft story means you’re gonna suffer
The crazy woman reminds me of another story where a little girl cant take her own decisions and needed an assistant that ended up becoming a ghost that followed here everywhere
I like your conclusion at the end. It reminds me of a note that someone found after a person had committed suicide and they said that if anybody smiles at them on the way to committing said act that they will head home and stop. If only at that one moment someone had done what he did and showed the kind of kindness that this person needed they would have still been alive.
This type of thing is so alien to me. I smile at practically every person I see, even if awkward, it’s just in my nature to nod and smile and a lot of the people I pass by around me pretty typically do the same thing. People are just generally pretty nice and reasonable with eachother in all honesty. I feel like a lot of times I even just make friends with random strangers I might end up randomly saying “hey” to on the street. Maybe I’m an overtly nice guy but everybody around me is pretty nice too, like we’re all somehow sorta distant friends or on the same page. The amount of people who avert their eyes after smiling at them hardly even stacks up and the people who respond negatively are so few that I can hardly even really think of any. Worst case scenario somebody might tease you or screw around as a joke but if you play along it turns into both people having a laugh and giving good wishes; there’s hardly anybody who is genuinely dickish or outwardly spreading “negative energy”. People in general are really a whole lot better than they are popularly represented by people online in my opinion.
i like it. in a world of horrors so many people seem passive to, being proactive and positive and spreading love can actually make a difference. it's difficult, but it's worth it. youve earned a sub from me. hopefully this video gets the views it deserves
I like Junji Ito’s typical protagonists like Kirie because the plot sort of just… happens to them. Like, it could be happening to anyone, and arguably worse things are happening to other characters in the same plot, but we just happen to be following this particular character. Makes you feel like it could just as easily be you in their shoes. That said, your point is still compelling
I think your spot on as the MC acts like the viewing lens for the audience. Sometimes I wish they would be more active but they are often working against their fate and can’t fight it.
@whitedragoness23 there is something to be said for what I call the horror of inevitability; it's something I really find satisfying, knowing it's all going to go wrong and nothing can stop it, then watching exactly that happen; Junji Ito, or a movie like, say, "Speak No Evil"
This is actually my favorite (multi-chapter, non-adaptation) work of Ito's and I pretty much never see it being talked about. I read it back in the early 2010s and just having this video pop up in my recommended section made me ridiculously happy. Thanks for shining a light on it.
I feel the same way about it, down to favourite that specifically isn't a short or an adaptation. Overall I like No Longer Human best. Glad I could shine a light on it for people!
The way you retold this story is honestly so fun, at the end I was just sitting there like "whoah, that's amazing". I feel inspired and that really is a rarity in a horror genre. Also special mention to your editing and scripting, I can't believe how little your subscribers is for such high quality production. I'll be following, can't wait to see what you're cooking up next!
Thanks, it's appreciated, I'm trying to up the editing/production value each time. Scripting is like 50% improv, so I can't take much credit for that. The inspiration was all on the part of Ito, the story is one of his best and definitely most underrated.
@@RatatTalksthank you for replying! I hope this doesn't sound rude of me but I think your video is so much better without the AI generated image in the thumbnail (and I'm glad you didn't use AI image specifically for this video that's talking about an art form). Your video is cool, man. I think you can make a more eyecatching thumbnail without them. Once again I apologize and I hope I didn't offend you. Cheers, mate! Road to 1k subscribers!
@@adiazrue5776 no worries, appreciate the feedback! I'm very much on the fence about AI art, but when I'm working pretty much exclusively with stock image libraries I'm somewhat limited for choice. Budget moment to be sure.
I always feel Junji Ito's stories are normal everyday concerns dialed up to 11. And how sometimes to solve your own problems you must help others. subscribed for the "leaves on the vine"
Dude how do you have only 74 subscribers??? This was one of the best video essays I've seen in a WHILE. I would've assumed you were in the thousands at least. Keep up the amazing work!! This video made my day.
Most likely audience reach. Junji Ito is a great mangaka but it's also a niche horror subgenre. But it's something that picks up traction because horror fans are scarce socially so online communities tend to flock together.
Thank you for this video! This story is absolutely amazing and Ryusuke is such an unusual protagonist. I guess we will never knew the antagonist's origin but I do believe that he was created by Ryusuke and could be defeated only by him. Also you are a very good narrator.
Thanks for the comment. Within the text it's highly implied the boy does have some connection to Ryusuke, with Midori's believing it to be her cousin, and the man towards the end (who was the guy who kept having affairs) stating that he felt like it could be his son, so there's hints there, but nothing outright confirmed.
Another one of his protagonists that is pretty proactive (at least relative to his other protags) and not just docile is the main character from tales of Oshikiri, in fact the only reason I would say he wasn't even more proactive than this character would be that most of the time there isn't really anything he even could do to help his situation. From what I remember one chapter even has him leaving his haunted mansion, which for a horror story is pretty mind blowing lol, I mean sure after the one attempt he kind of gives up but hey, an attempt was made. Though tbh I think I liked him not for being pro-active but because he had a bit more personality than most other main characters in Ito's work.
when i used to read alot of junji ito's works a few years back this story stood out to me (it was one of my favourites) but i couldnt tell why back then but i think i know now:D nice video!!!!
When I first clicked on this video, I must admit that I was chuckling, thinking that whoever that protagonist is, he's DEFINITELY fucken' DEAD because Junji Ito doesn't leave healthy intact survivors. Then I watched it and it's like, weeeelllllll!!! I'm kinda right? 12:43 made me spit my drink when you slipped in the "this is kinda funny" because it was the EXACT thing I IMMEDIATELY thought when that panel appeared. Dang, I love this protagonist now. Can you also do one about the pretty one in black? Considering if there's anything to talk about that warrants a full video, that is. Honestly if I ever meet Junji Ito and he's taking suggestions, I want a showdown/confrontation between the Boy in Black and Boy in White!! I don't know how one might do this without it being some silly Sadako vs Kayako thing, but I WANT IT TO HAPPEN. I. NEED. MORE.
I don't think I could find enough content on the boy in black to make a full video without it seeming like padding, I do want to explore more of Ito and just Japanese Horror in general though. Thanks for the comment!
@RatatTalks No, you're good. And I'm glad I clicked on the video, loved it. Subbed. Bit that song induces a kind of dread in me and it's been the BGM to three videos already. Like the Eclipse is around the corner or something
Very cool analysis! Thanks for shedding a little light and giving exposure to a story I hadn't read! I throughly enjoyed the exploration of narrative and character growth here, nice work! :)
I love these kinds of stories. Thank you so much for highlighting this one in particular! I look forward to anything else you may put out :) It's understandable, but weird to me though. The specific way my autism presents itself has made it kind of impossible for me to relate. I love companionship, but I've never felt loneliness in my entire life. Of course losing loved ones fucking hurts, but I could very easily be completely alone in the world and never feel lonely. I just stupidly get scared when I'm alone over completely nonsensical things like monsters in the basement lol
Watch one Wendigoon video, get a million Ito videos recommended to you, casually put them on in the background, suddenly become a real fan, buy all the manga and sub to every channel lmao. This was great tho. Most people dont connect the "big bad" in these works as "Eldritch monsters" but that's exactly what it is.. from a boy in black to Tomie to a whole ass town. Love this.
Isn't this whole story about people being afraid of taking responsibility for their own choices and also accepting the fact when said choices fail? People ask for fortune because they are afraid of deciding for themselves. And in the midst of that we have Ryuske battling his own alter ego - which he buried down while leaving foggy town but got forced to revisit his traumas when his parents moved again. And while he nullified his dark trauma from the past, the size of said trauma many lifes including his
I think that's what makes his fortunes at the end so good, the fact that he forces people to take responsibility, and actively seek out opportunities for bettering the lives of others.
One of the more hopefull horrors indeed. And on the Junji Ito protagonist thing- many authors tend to fall fall into it, even by accident. The other manga author who I love, Tsutomu Nihei, has similar protagonist chliche in his mangas, the only relatively different protagonist in his comic is Nagate Tanikaze from Knights of Sidonia. Nihei tends to write his protatgonists as non talkative, rather reactive gunslingers with "THE SPECIAL WEAPON" and usually one objective in mind.
Love that you chose "Leaves on the vine" for the conclusion. The song from the story of a man who made people's lives better all day long before he returned to the place where he could feel deep love and grief.
I loved this video essay. Unsure if you’ll do more Junji Ito material, but I’ve subscribed just in case. This was a fantastic take on Lovesickness and it was super entertaining!
After the love this videos getting I'm definitely considering it, and it's not like I needed an excuse to re-read stuff from my collection anyway. Currently working on a video on the origins of J-Horror making its way to the West and classical Japanese ghost stories, and am planning to return to Ito after that.
I read this story when this video got recommended to me and, god, was this a masterclass in storytelling. The Boy in Black represents so many things, born of hate and trauma. Ryusuke when he was young and speaking out of anger; Midori’s cousin that died; and the man who had an affair and had his son run away. You can’t get rid of him forever, but Ryusuke choosing to be above that and all his guilt caused him to reborn out of compassion and love. Thank you for exposing this to me! What a thoughtful and amazing analysis!
I’m glad you got to experience this story, I agree it’s a complete masterclass at storytelling, blending abject horror with truly serene beauty, allowing itself to be viewed through numerous lenses and never forcing any one interpretation upon the audience. Thanks for the kind words.
Lovesickness was originally published in the late 90s but didnt get an official english translation till 2021, i remember reading scanlations of it around 2016 or 2017
Lately I've been on a kick, findin out really good video essays, I'm gla this one was recommended to me. Your analisys is not only fun but also compelling, I'll be checking the original, thanks for the recommendation!
Great video! I love your in depth analysis and the way you retell the story,. Also the little edits like sigma Ryusuke were hilarious. Congratulations on your growth in such a short time! I can't wait to watch whatever you make in the future! Keep up the great work! :)
What a beautiful ending. Of course, you have to take care of your mental health, but having the sewercidal man find happiness in bringing other happiness.
This is an awesome video!! Really love the way you formatted it, your humor sprinkled throughout is a great balance to the heavy story--- but such a memorable one, so thanks for taking the time to break it down! Hope you don't feel shoehorned into making videos like this forever, but I'd love to see more Junji analyses from you! Keep having fun making videos, this is great!! :))
*Spoiler* The father of Midori's aunt's late baby is that guy from the opening scene, the middle aged man telling that girl that, "Everything will work out if she takes the initiative." *Spoiler* Also, the same middle aged guy is the father of the mysterious boy in the black shirt with the pierced ears. *Spoiler* From what I gathered when I first read this story, the boy in the black shirt... *Spoiler* He disappeared from elementary school after Ryuusuke moved away from the foggy town. *Spoiler*
That first part I didn't catch, I assumed it was Ryusuke's dad because he's introduced right after talking about fortunes, and the person is shrouded in fog. Might have misread it though. The other points I did suspect, I've spoken about them a bit more in this comment section.
This is the first video of yours I’ve seen - I would LOVE to see more Junji Ito content! These deconstructions are so fun, please make more! Thank you for your hard work! Edit: got to the conclusion and heard Leaves From The Vine, setting up upload notifications as we speak lol
Well you gained a follower! The editing, your narration and just the vibe of the channel. Great work on this video! I look froward to seeing more from you. :)
Wow, I'm a huge fan of Ito but I didn't know this story. It seems amazing! As is this video essay. And yes, I will like and subscribe, no matter how cringe you think it is.
Man i love stories that lowkey talk about concepts so much, like at the end of the story, ryusuke just pratically turns into this "Be kind" beacon its just so idk, inspiring i also find it interesting that the boy in black is strangely beautiful, and considering the fact that one of the main aspects of this story is love and such, he might be based on like playboys|fuckboys that play with the heart of others without any empathy, at least his design reminds me of the stereotypical playboy It feels like the boy in black is this beautiful individual that, at least while alive, used his beauty to manipulate others(Most likely all girls considering his victims), be it for getting things or romance, while Ryusuke is said to be beautiful and yet he tries to be humble and be kind to others, the parallels are so intriguing Really shows how one person being kind and a good individual can really change everything
I saw this video and I waited to watch it until I bought the collection featuring Lovesickness. It's interesting because in my copy Reishi is named Suzue and the death of Midori's aunt was 8 years ago, but nonetheless it really was an amazing story. I actually cried. About the origin of the boy in black, I feel like Junji Ito didn't uselessly threw something out there. I do believe Midori's cousin became a dark vehicle of hatred and that he consumned his half brother into the fog and has been using him for a physical body to reach out to Ryusuke for vengeance.
It's amazing and well worth picking up, the English anthology it's published in has 5 other stories, 3 are really good horror shorts, 1 is a quirky adams family style j-horror story, and the final 1 is about fake poop
Just found this video of yours and I already subscribed you're just good. You actually inspired me to try and analyse a story myself!! May I ask what did you use to like put together the video? Im just super new to any of this things and wanted to get advice from a professional!! Thanks!!
I’d hardly say professional. To make this video, as with all my early videos, I just found a scan of the manga and isolated the panels I needed, then recorded my take into my cheap headset and put it all together with stock editing software which on windows is Clipchamp. I think on Mac OS the stock is iMovie, and I have no idea outside of that. It’s all just stock transitions slightly sped up and with a few filters applied to the images. The thumbnail was made in GIMP which is a free photo editing tool. The total budget for this channel was £0 at the time of this video, and since then it’s hardly increased. Best of luck with your own projects!
i do love lovesickness its one of the rare stories that have a somewhat happy ending, tho it was written pre-pandemic- and is more an observation on japanese society and it's loneliness epidemic while mixed with japanese culture- it feels more like a meditation on how culture itself can save us from loneliness if we remember the reasons for this culture to begin with; ie; fortune telling should be more for helping people move forward positively with their decisions in life- rather than the financial scam its become in modern years
I like that take, the pre-pandemic thing was already pointed out in the top comment, but I feel my overall thesis still stands. I think the entire world is getting more lonely, and, as you point out, the only real way to fix it is just by being more open with each other.
i just came across your vid in the midst of looking for some background noise to draw in- and let me just say, oh my god !! you're super underrated for the quality that you put out; this vid had me hooked and even distracted from drawing itself, its so good ! i'm def sticking around for any new exciting future uploads! you deserve all the support you get!
![One Step Forward, Two Steps Back - Analysing The Quarry [SPOILERS]](/img/1.gif)
Correction for the very end!! As a Ito Junji stan I must let you know that Lovesickness was actually written in 1996/97. It was only just released in English in 2021.
Otherwise this was an amazing essay, and I have to 100% agree that Lovesickness’ protagonist is the best Ito Junji protagonist by far.
Thanks for the correction, it seems I've fallen victim to my Englandcentric bias.
Loneliness and disconnection has been a growing problem in Japanese society since long before Covid. The rest of the world is just catching up, making this story more relevant than ever.
@@SakuraAsranArt Yeah, seems that way, the hikikomori lifestyle seems to be becoming universal
@@RatatTalks Yep, I am an autistic shut-in myself but I have enough self awareness to know that isn't a good thing. It breaks my heart to see so many people living like this.
@@RatatTalks Everyone has bias to where they are born.
Not only is he a great protagonist who actively works against the evil, he also gets a happy end.
Sure he dies, but even in death he still helps spreading positivity.
Yeah, its bittersweet but uplifting
In this story, the protagonist chooses to fight evil and perishes while becoming a hero. He was proactive, while in some stories, the protagonists try to escape or ignore the “evil” at first, yet still get affected by it. In this one, he kept fighting, but I feel like if he just let that be from the start, he would have survived. So basically, he died because he was a good person. Feeling guilty about the actions of someone mentally unstable, not even contemplating that he, as a child, was the victim of this lady who had no business bothering a kid with such a complicated situation. He kept spreading good fortune and positive advice, even when people started to turn against him, and still, after death, is fighting for people who don't really deserve it.
Knowing that this tradition caused and keeps causing incidents they should have collectively decided to stop it.
I think the beauty of Ryusuke walking away instead of giving the evil man a fortune is that I bet if he had, he would’ve told the man to kill himself and the man would’ve done it and Ryusuke would become another boy in black. By walking away, he shows that he is a good person and that he isn’t the boy in black, a conflict he’s faced throughout the whole story
Love this interpretation, definitely fits with the themeing of the story!
Maybe the boy in black WAS HIM. But like a future he could have taken. He could've given that man a terrible fortune or even end*d him with the boxcutter. That was his lowest point everything went to crap in his life. I think that would have been the true start of the boy in black. But he instead went on to confront the worst part of himself. Didn't let the hate or revenge go on. He went to better himself and others. That was the point the boy in black faded away. Didn't let guilt and loss over take him. So he became the boy in white.
The boy in black told that girl to hate him for forever and never forgive bc thats what he feared would happen, the boy in black is his worst self that came about due to that woman's death and his guilt.
„She commits „boxcutter“.“
That got a chuckle out of me. The amount of self-censorship creators have to subject themselves to is beyond ridiculous, but I do love the creative euphemisms folks come up with.
Honestly it feels so dystopian how much we have to remove nuance from serious topics for the sake of 'community guidelines', but I do appreciate the challenge of coming up with new terms.
For Kirie, I interpret her as a victim to the spiral, where she is constantly going back to being completely clueless. Spiralling
I like that interpretation, another good interpretation was here in the comments, and I replied to that with another theory about her I like that was posed by Wendigoon a few weeks ago on his channel.
That said, she can feel static, moreso in the earlier chapters before the plot really properly starts.
@@RatatTalks Ja, it’s pretty cool, I need to rewatch the wendigoon one. I do agree she’s very static, but I enjoy that in contrast to her almost static nature, Shuichi still has development throughout the story.
@@lochless_monster I love Shuichi, I got a t-shirt with him on and used to have an entire folder of Shuichi panels on my phones gallery lol
@@RatatTalks I wish I could get merch easy in my country, I’d love to have junji Ito art on my clothes and make people on the train very uncomfortable with the horror artwork
@@RatatTalks oh yeah, a small fun fact that connects well to your points of loneliness epidemics at the moment is that humans can die from loneliness, since humans are pack animals
I am SO happy someone finally touched on this character! I loved Lovesickness & it stuck with me for literally years after I had read it.
Glad to hear! This video idea has been kicking around in my head for well over a year too, such an impactful story.
Regarding Kirie, she’s actually meant to be a deconstruction of the normal horror protagonist.
No matter what happens to her, she never acknowledges the spiral itself and that’s how she ultimately wins against it.
I like that take tbh, I also like wendigoons take from his video a few weeks back on how she exists to chronicle the spiral. I don't have any problems with Kirie, she's just easy to use as an example of an Ito protag.
that’s so Umineko-core
Is that winning?
did she win tho?
Wouldn't say she won against the spiral I would say she was a victim to it from the start that is made very clear that the spiral chose her in a sense there was just too many coincidences on why she didn't die at the time the only time where she faced any actual threat from the spiral when she actually tried to leave it's influence the minute she changed her mind she was safe
Ah junji ito with a somewhat happy ending? Those are rare.
They are certainly in the minority, but always fun reads
@@RatatTalks weirdly, on most cases I don’t consider Ito’s endings “bad”, like in an opposite of “happy”. They are sad and scary, sure, but rarely I feel despair on behalf of the characters at the end, as they end up either dead, so consumed by the darkness they could be considered weirdly fulfilled, or entirely free (though, traumatized). The one truly bad, disturbing ending I remember is the one with the mother of a child regressing back into her childhood bully persona.
Junji Ito writes Lovecraftian/cosmic horror where happy endings are incredibly rare for the protagonist. The closest thing to a happy ending Lovecraft himself wrote that I’m aware of is when a couple who abused animals and murdered a cat got killed and eaten by an army of cats that then did nothing else sinister. Usually even being in the vicinity to a Lovecraft story means you’re gonna suffer
@@jamesvivian2855 honestly stop comparing Ito to that guy..
🕴️You are going to fart yourself.
The crazy woman reminds me of another story where a little girl cant take her own decisions and needed an assistant that ended up becoming a ghost that followed here everywhere
Do you know the name? That sounds weirdly familiar I think you might have hit on a very very faint memory of mine..
@@RatatTalks The Whispering Woman
Beautiful. Genuinely trying to alleviate another person’s loneliness will often cure your own
So true, kindness is contagious!
I like your conclusion at the end. It reminds me of a note that someone found after a person had committed suicide and they said that if anybody smiles at them on the way to committing said act that they will head home and stop. If only at that one moment someone had done what he did and showed the kind of kindness that this person needed they would have still been alive.
Such a strong message there, kindness costs nothing
Bro probably walked through the hood 💀
This type of thing is so alien to me. I smile at practically every person I see, even if awkward, it’s just in my nature to nod and smile and a lot of the people I pass by around me pretty typically do the same thing. People are just generally pretty nice and reasonable with eachother in all honesty. I feel like a lot of times I even just make friends with random strangers I might end up randomly saying “hey” to on the street. Maybe I’m an overtly nice guy but everybody around me is pretty nice too, like we’re all somehow sorta distant friends or on the same page. The amount of people who avert their eyes after smiling at them hardly even stacks up and the people who respond negatively are so few that I can hardly even really think of any. Worst case scenario somebody might tease you or screw around as a joke but if you play along it turns into both people having a laugh and giving good wishes; there’s hardly anybody who is genuinely dickish or outwardly spreading “negative energy”. People in general are really a whole lot better than they are popularly represented by people online in my opinion.
When you pointed out ur following I was shocked, great format and take
Thank you, in my own defence my channel is like two weeks old so I'm hardly expecting to be Mr.Beast.
i like it. in a world of horrors so many people seem passive to, being proactive and positive and spreading love can actually make a difference. it's difficult, but it's worth it.
youve earned a sub from me. hopefully this video gets the views it deserves
Thanks!
Yeah, it's pretty much to be pretty defeatist in Junji Ito's world, "Everything is just out of our hands, so why even bother fighting it?"
@@Neku628 Once you open your mind to the cosmic horrors in his world, it's over. And even if you don't, you might get caught in the crossfire
I like Junji Ito’s typical protagonists like Kirie because the plot sort of just… happens to them. Like, it could be happening to anyone, and arguably worse things are happening to other characters in the same plot, but we just happen to be following this particular character. Makes you feel like it could just as easily be you in their shoes. That said, your point is still compelling
I like them too, like I said I don't think there's any problem with them, and I also appreciate that it's meant to be sudden grief like you say!
@@RatatTalks yeah sorry I didn’t mean to imply that you were against his usual type of protagonist. Great video btw
I think your spot on as the MC acts like the viewing lens for the audience. Sometimes I wish they would be more active but they are often working against their fate and can’t fight it.
@whitedragoness23 there is something to be said for what I call the horror of inevitability; it's something I really find satisfying, knowing it's all going to go wrong and nothing can stop it, then watching exactly that happen; Junji Ito, or a movie like, say, "Speak No Evil"
I guess Shakespeare called it Tragedy, you know nobody is gonna save the day, you're watching the snowball of fate play out
That “you can always be a reason someone will have a good day” line hits hard. But the “you can a do a good deed but subscribing” hits harder 😂
This is actually my favorite (multi-chapter, non-adaptation) work of Ito's and I pretty much never see it being talked about. I read it back in the early 2010s and just having this video pop up in my recommended section made me ridiculously happy. Thanks for shining a light on it.
I feel the same way about it, down to favourite that specifically isn't a short or an adaptation. Overall I like No Longer Human best. Glad I could shine a light on it for people!
The way you retold this story is honestly so fun, at the end I was just sitting there like "whoah, that's amazing". I feel inspired and that really is a rarity in a horror genre. Also special mention to your editing and scripting, I can't believe how little your subscribers is for such high quality production. I'll be following, can't wait to see what you're cooking up next!
Thanks, it's appreciated, I'm trying to up the editing/production value each time. Scripting is like 50% improv, so I can't take much credit for that. The inspiration was all on the part of Ito, the story is one of his best and definitely most underrated.
@@RatatTalksthank you for replying! I hope this doesn't sound rude of me but I think your video is so much better without the AI generated image in the thumbnail (and I'm glad you didn't use AI image specifically for this video that's talking about an art form). Your video is cool, man. I think you can make a more eyecatching thumbnail without them. Once again I apologize and I hope I didn't offend you. Cheers, mate! Road to 1k subscribers!
@@adiazrue5776 no worries, appreciate the feedback! I'm very much on the fence about AI art, but when I'm working pretty much exclusively with stock image libraries I'm somewhat limited for choice. Budget moment to be sure.
idk why but the sigma grindset had me dying
hahah yeah I was giggling to myself making it
I always feel Junji Ito's stories are normal everyday concerns dialed up to 11. And how sometimes to solve your own problems you must help others.
subscribed for the "leaves on the vine"
Thanks for the sub, and I agree with the take!
we need more hope-punk horror tbh
For sure, I always thought the edge of more socially-conscious horror is well paired with hopeful messages
How dare this story be so relevant? God, i love hopeful horror, thank you for sharing another one; and using Leaves from the Vine? * Chef's kiss *
Had to get that ATLA love in there for sure
So glad to see someone covering this story! It’s one of my favorites of Ito’s outside of The Long Dream and his depiction of No Longer Human!
I loveee No Longer Human, it's an amazing story that's only heigtened by Itos art and pacing.
@@RatatTalks Agreed! I got it for Christmas a year or two ago and it was very awkward when my grandmother wanted to look through it LMAO
I watched a summary video of how it's the most depressing manga or something, but it just made me lol with how much of a sad sack he is.
Dude how do you have only 74 subscribers??? This was one of the best video essays I've seen in a WHILE. I would've assumed you were in the thousands at least. Keep up the amazing work!! This video made my day.
hahah thank you, glad I could make your day!
Most likely audience reach. Junji Ito is a great mangaka but it's also a niche horror subgenre. But it's something that picks up traction because horror fans are scarce socially so online communities tend to flock together.
Thank you for this video! This story is absolutely amazing and Ryusuke is such an unusual protagonist. I guess we will never knew the antagonist's origin but I do believe that he was created by Ryusuke and could be defeated only by him. Also you are a very good narrator.
Thanks for the comment. Within the text it's highly implied the boy does have some connection to Ryusuke, with Midori's believing it to be her cousin, and the man towards the end (who was the guy who kept having affairs) stating that he felt like it could be his son, so there's hints there, but nothing outright confirmed.
The saddest part about this was you playing leaves from the vine. How dare you
Had to impart that Iroh type wisdom..
Another one of his protagonists that is pretty proactive (at least relative to his other protags) and not just docile is the main character from tales of Oshikiri, in fact the only reason I would say he wasn't even more proactive than this character would be that most of the time there isn't really anything he even could do to help his situation. From what I remember one chapter even has him leaving his haunted mansion, which for a horror story is pretty mind blowing lol, I mean sure after the one attempt he kind of gives up but hey, an attempt was made. Though tbh I think I liked him not for being pro-active but because he had a bit more personality than most other main characters in Ito's work.
I haven't checked out Tales of Oshikiri, so that's up next on my reading list
I genuinely cried reading lovesickness, thank you so much for sharing this story of Hope ❤️
You're welcome!
when i used to read alot of junji ito's works a few years back this story stood out to me (it was one of my favourites) but i couldnt tell why back then but i think i know now:D nice video!!!!
It's such a great story, it's definitely one of my favourites in an already amazing body of work!
*lady coming through the window* helloooo….
I said NO.
Hellloooo…?
NO!
Hellooooo…. 😂
Lovesickness is one of my favs for junji ito so i was so happy to see this
Its one of my favourites too!
Lowkey this video was so fire, actually kept me interested the whole way through
Thanks!
When I first clicked on this video, I must admit that I was chuckling, thinking that whoever that protagonist is, he's DEFINITELY fucken' DEAD because Junji Ito doesn't leave healthy intact survivors. Then I watched it and it's like, weeeelllllll!!! I'm kinda right?
12:43 made me spit my drink when you slipped in the "this is kinda funny" because it was the EXACT thing I IMMEDIATELY thought when that panel appeared.
Dang, I love this protagonist now. Can you also do one about the pretty one in black? Considering if there's anything to talk about that warrants a full video, that is.
Honestly if I ever meet Junji Ito and he's taking suggestions, I want a showdown/confrontation between the Boy in Black and Boy in White!! I don't know how one might do this without it being some silly Sadako vs Kayako thing, but I WANT IT TO HAPPEN.
I. NEED. MORE.
I don't think I could find enough content on the boy in black to make a full video without it seeming like padding, I do want to explore more of Ito and just Japanese Horror in general though.
Thanks for the comment!
I swear to god, this is the third video today I've been hit with that Behelit music. It's haunting my travels
I struggle to make content without any form of Berserk reference I'm sorry!
@RatatTalks No, you're good. And I'm glad I clicked on the video, loved it. Subbed.
Bit that song induces a kind of dread in me and it's been the BGM to three videos already. Like the Eclipse is around the corner or something
I click into everything and anything Junji Ito, but your video essay was definitely the highlight. Best of luck to you in growing your channel.
Thanks a lot!
The boy in white is fine until in idv and im running for my dear survivor's life
Very surprised to see your subscriber count, I'd expect an essay of this level to be in the thousands! Subscribed! ^^
Thank you!
i can’t believe you added leaves from the vine as the background music right after talking about him dying and living on through people’s good deeds
Very cool analysis! Thanks for shedding a little light and giving exposure to a story I hadn't read! I throughly enjoyed the exploration of narrative and character growth here, nice work! :)
Thank you!
I’ve been wanting to see that uzamaki series badddddd😭like, take your time of course, but I NEED IT!!!
For real, feels like I've been waiting years. Defo looks like it'll be worth it though, the animation looks insanely good.
@@RatatTalks right!!!
I love these kinds of stories. Thank you so much for highlighting this one in particular! I look forward to anything else you may put out :)
It's understandable, but weird to me though. The specific way my autism presents itself has made it kind of impossible for me to relate. I love companionship, but I've never felt loneliness in my entire life. Of course losing loved ones fucking hurts, but I could very easily be completely alone in the world and never feel lonely. I just stupidly get scared when I'm alone over completely nonsensical things like monsters in the basement lol
Thanks for sharing your experience and for the kind words
you are fowl for playing that song at the end
As in a bird?
Watch one Wendigoon video, get a million Ito videos recommended to you, casually put them on in the background, suddenly become a real fan, buy all the manga and sub to every channel lmao. This was great tho. Most people dont connect the "big bad" in these works as "Eldritch monsters" but that's exactly what it is.. from a boy in black to Tomie to a whole ass town. Love this.
That’s the pipeline dude, thanks for the comment
Loved it! I didn't know "Lovesickness". Thank you for the video.
This was so enjoyable and thorough, I sincerely hope you do much more like this!
Was casually listening then felt like I got activated like a sleeper agent when leaves from the vine started playing
Flashbacks to avatar book 2
Isn't this whole story about people being afraid of taking responsibility for their own choices and also accepting the fact when said choices fail? People ask for fortune because they are afraid of deciding for themselves. And in the midst of that we have Ryuske battling his own alter ego - which he buried down while leaving foggy town but got forced to revisit his traumas when his parents moved again. And while he nullified his dark trauma from the past, the size of said trauma many lifes including his
I think that's what makes his fortunes at the end so good, the fact that he forces people to take responsibility, and actively seek out opportunities for bettering the lives of others.
Lovesickness was a really unforgettable experience for me. I'm glad I am not alone on the silent hill 2 similarties with some panels. 🙂❤📚
I look for SH2 in everything tbh, fave game ever
One of the more hopefull horrors indeed.
And on the Junji Ito protagonist thing- many authors tend to fall fall into it, even by accident.
The other manga author who I love, Tsutomu Nihei, has similar protagonist chliche in his mangas, the only relatively different protagonist in his comic is Nagate Tanikaze from Knights of Sidonia.
Nihei tends to write his protatgonists as non talkative, rather reactive gunslingers with "THE SPECIAL WEAPON" and usually one objective in mind.
Yeah, I don't mind it tbh, a lot of my favourite ever stories have pretty one note protagonists.
@@RatatTalks I'm somewhat ok with it too, but if you read a bunch of shorts from an author who does that it can be tiring
This was great. I loved your commentary. and CHOICE music.
Thank you! All music used is in description if you liked any specific tracks and wanted to check them out in isolation.
Love that you chose "Leaves on the vine" for the conclusion. The song from the story of a man who made people's lives better all day long before he returned to the place where he could feel deep love and grief.
I loved this video essay. Unsure if you’ll do more Junji Ito material, but I’ve subscribed just in case. This was a fantastic take on Lovesickness and it was super entertaining!
After the love this videos getting I'm definitely considering it, and it's not like I needed an excuse to re-read stuff from my collection anyway.
Currently working on a video on the origins of J-Horror making its way to the West and classical Japanese ghost stories, and am planning to return to Ito after that.
Aahhhh not leaves from the vine at the end ;u;
My heart!
Beautiful track from a beautiful scene
@@RatatTalks It is, and so heart wrenching!
thanks so much to both junji for writing this and you for telling it
I read this story when this video got recommended to me and, god, was this a masterclass in storytelling.
The Boy in Black represents so many things, born of hate and trauma. Ryusuke when he was young and speaking out of anger; Midori’s cousin that died; and the man who had an affair and had his son run away. You can’t get rid of him forever, but Ryusuke choosing to be above that and all his guilt caused him to reborn out of compassion and love.
Thank you for exposing this to me! What a thoughtful and amazing analysis!
I’m glad you got to experience this story, I agree it’s a complete masterclass at storytelling, blending abject horror with truly serene beauty, allowing itself to be viewed through numerous lenses and never forcing any one interpretation upon the audience.
Thanks for the kind words.
Lovesickness was originally published in the late 90s but didnt get an official english translation till 2021, i remember reading scanlations of it around 2016 or 2017
Lately I've been on a kick, findin out really good video essays, I'm gla this one was recommended to me.
Your analisys is not only fun but also compelling, I'll be checking the original, thanks for the recommendation!
Hope you enjoy reading it!
makin' me all teary-eyed bro 😢😢
I'm both happy you enjoyed and sorry for the tears
you sold me so lemme come back to this when i actually read it 👍🏻
Enjoy!
Great video! I love your in depth analysis and the way you retell the story,. Also the little edits like sigma Ryusuke were hilarious. Congratulations on your growth in such a short time! I can't wait to watch whatever you make in the future! Keep up the great work! :)
Glad you enjoyed and thanks for the comment!
The Leaves From the Vine song at the end got me f**ked up. 😭
Emotional damage
Fantastic work actually, i forgot about this manga and i love how you've explained everything
Thanks for the comment !
What a beautiful ending. Of course, you have to take care of your mental health, but having the sewercidal man find happiness in bringing other happiness.
i have been going through a lot of junji ito stuff lately and the last thing i expected was one to have an actual somewhat uplifting ending
I didn't expect it when reading it, but was pleasantly surprised haha
This is an awesome video!! Really love the way you formatted it, your humor sprinkled throughout is a great balance to the heavy story--- but such a memorable one, so thanks for taking the time to break it down!
Hope you don't feel shoehorned into making videos like this forever, but I'd love to see more Junji analyses from you! Keep having fun making videos, this is great!! :))
*Spoiler* The father of Midori's aunt's late baby is that guy from the opening scene, the middle aged man telling that girl that, "Everything will work out if she takes the initiative." *Spoiler* Also, the same middle aged guy is the father of the mysterious boy in the black shirt with the pierced ears. *Spoiler*
From what I gathered when I first read this story, the boy in the black shirt... *Spoiler* He disappeared from elementary school after Ryuusuke moved away from the foggy town. *Spoiler*
That first part I didn't catch, I assumed it was Ryusuke's dad because he's introduced right after talking about fortunes, and the person is shrouded in fog. Might have misread it though.
The other points I did suspect, I've spoken about them a bit more in this comment section.
The story writing is crazy in this one
for real
great essay!!
Thanks so much!
Loved the video, I didn't know there was a new serie cumming up, I will definitively check it out
Yeah it's being done by Adult Swim/Toonami, there's a trailer out on youtube
Great video! Lovesickness is my favorite Ito story and the chapter with the crazy lady cracks me up everytime 😂
It's such a great chapter, I love how quickly it goes between absurdly funny and just plain dark, amazing tone control
@@RatatTalks absolutely! I think that’s one aspect that makes ito‘s works so great 🙌🏾
Almost to 1k! You certainly deserve so much more. Marvelous content.
Thank you so much!
wonderful story! also music selection was wonderful! starting with behilit and ending with leaves on the vine? im dead
I got a serious ATLA and Berserk addiction so glad to see people picking up on it
@@RatatTalks Berserk analysis series when
I came across this video by chance and thought this was a large channel until you pointed it out! So good job, nice good video!😊
Thank you!
I subscribed to your channel because of how good this video is. Please continue to be awesome. Thank you for making my day brighter.
His second best protagonist is in Hillstar Reina, and he’s a hobo
Love this story!
This is a great video! Keep up the great work! The Sigma Edit was genuinely hilarious
Glad you enjoyed it!
I always watch sh2 videos and yours is my favorite for talking more about Angela she always seemed to be glossed over a bit for me
Glad this is how I found the channel
I'm glad people found it lol
This is the first video of yours I’ve seen - I would LOVE to see more Junji Ito content! These deconstructions are so fun, please make more! Thank you for your hard work!
Edit: got to the conclusion and heard Leaves From The Vine, setting up upload notifications as we speak lol
subscribed! I love when people cover Ito’s stories. Your commentary and editing were great. Can’t wait to see what else you got cooking :)
Welcome aboard and thank you!
Well you gained a follower! The editing, your narration and just the vibe of the channel. Great work on this video! I look froward to seeing more from you. :)
Thanks!
Wow, I'm a huge fan of Ito but I didn't know this story. It seems amazing! As is this video essay. And yes, I will like and subscribe, no matter how cringe you think it is.
Haha thank you, definitely check out the book, it's got a few other amazing stories in it alongside this one.
Yep, i really like this sutff. 3rd video 3rd banger. pls keep making content
Man i love stories that lowkey talk about concepts so much,
like at the end of the story, ryusuke just pratically turns into this "Be kind" beacon its just so idk, inspiring
i also find it interesting that the boy in black is strangely beautiful, and considering the fact that one of the main aspects of this story is love and such, he might be based on like playboys|fuckboys that play with the heart of others without any empathy, at least his design reminds me of the stereotypical playboy
It feels like the boy in black is this beautiful individual that, at least while alive, used his beauty to manipulate others(Most likely all girls considering his victims), be it for getting things or romance, while Ryusuke is said to be beautiful and yet he tries to be humble and be kind to others, the parallels are so intriguing
Really shows how one person being kind and a good individual can really change everything
I agree, and I love the Chaz pfp lol
Lmao , I thought my phone was ringing due to that guts bg in the very start 😂
Hahahaha, awesome ringtone to have
6:35 came back for this absolute bop twice
My hardest manga edit so far :P
This was so good! Thank you! 💕
Thanks!
I saw this video and I waited to watch it until I bought the collection featuring Lovesickness. It's interesting because in my copy Reishi is named Suzue and the death of Midori's aunt was 8 years ago, but nonetheless it really was an amazing story. I actually cried.
About the origin of the boy in black, I feel like Junji Ito didn't uselessly threw something out there. I do believe Midori's cousin became a dark vehicle of hatred and that he consumned his half brother into the fog and has been using him for a physical body to reach out to Ryusuke for vengeance.
I never read Lovesickness before, this sounds like a cool as hell story!
It's amazing and well worth picking up, the English anthology it's published in has 5 other stories, 3 are really good horror shorts, 1 is a quirky adams family style j-horror story, and the final 1 is about fake poop
Great great content, keep this up exactly, love you making the videos YOU want to make, keep up the good content and you’re going to go places ❤❤
Appreciate the kind words!
my second favourites after Tomie
Also all these tattoos, this woman has money
Yeah imagine the cost of all that ink
Just found this video of yours and I already subscribed you're just good. You actually inspired me to try and analyse a story myself!! May I ask what did you use to like put together the video? Im just super new to any of this things and wanted to get advice from a professional!! Thanks!!
I’d hardly say professional.
To make this video, as with all my early videos, I just found a scan of the manga and isolated the panels I needed, then recorded my take into my cheap headset and put it all together with stock editing software which on windows is Clipchamp. I think on Mac OS the stock is iMovie, and I have no idea outside of that.
It’s all just stock transitions slightly sped up and with a few filters applied to the images. The thumbnail was made in GIMP which is a free photo editing tool.
The total budget for this channel was £0 at the time of this video, and since then it’s hardly increased.
Best of luck with your own projects!
@RatatTalks Thank you so much!!
i do love lovesickness its one of the rare stories that have a somewhat happy ending, tho it was written pre-pandemic- and is more an observation on japanese society and it's loneliness epidemic while mixed with japanese culture- it feels more like a meditation on how culture itself can save us from loneliness if we remember the reasons for this culture to begin with; ie; fortune telling should be more for helping people move forward positively with their decisions in life- rather than the financial scam its become in modern years
I like that take, the pre-pandemic thing was already pointed out in the top comment, but I feel my overall thesis still stands. I think the entire world is getting more lonely, and, as you point out, the only real way to fix it is just by being more open with each other.
best of luck growing this channel man, your content is great
Thank you so much
i just came across your vid in the midst of looking for some background noise to draw in- and let me just say, oh my god !! you're super underrated for the quality that you put out; this vid had me hooked and even distracted from drawing itself, its so good ! i'm def sticking around for any new exciting future uploads! you deserve all the support you get!
Thanks so much for the kind words and sorry for distracting you from drawing haha
My man literally became a ghost to help people even in death that man a gigachad let go
yeah it rocks
my love for wu chang brought me here. its nice to see the story of his junji crossover skin
holy shit i thought i came across another 100k+ channel, this was a great and interesting video !! i hope ur channel grows like crazy
Thanks so much!
This analysis is rlly amazing and i agree with it! Im subbed now, stay safe and have an amazing day
Thanks for the kind words and the sub!
This was a good video and I'm doing my good deed by subscribing.
Haha appreciate it
Oh WOW i think I might be ur 1000th sub fr! 🎉❤❤❤
This was a GREAT VIDEO ESSAY btw! Hope u do more Junji Ito stories
. cheers!
yo thanks so much, yeah I'm planning on it!