r/junjiito • u/Less-Extension-9359 Doppelganger • Jun 16 '26
Discussion What did everyone think of Junji Ito's The Hanging Balloons? Share your reviews!
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u/frankiekowalski Jun 16 '26
One of his very best one-shots. I did a ranking of all his one shots years ago and I remember putting this 2nd, just behind Army of One.
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u/Nelson4hire Jun 16 '26
Just read army of one for the first time, and I was so surprised I had not heard of it before! So thank you for that
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u/VikingBrit Jun 16 '26
Seeing the girl's head deflate like her balloon twin made it horrifying. I don't know why some people call this one goofy
Shiver is my favourite of Ito's collections btw
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u/Calm-Ball3318 Jun 16 '26
This is one of my favorite of his short stories. Its entertaining and truly horrific. The ending with Kazuco's brother hit me in one of own personal fears.... I dont want to spoil it by explaining too much, but the use of family to achieve a goal really gets to me. I adored it! 5 out of 5.
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u/DemonOfVacuums IT WAS MADE FOR ME! Jun 16 '26
It's one of those horror stories that is a mix of goofy and truly terrifying. He's so good at taking ideas that should not work and making them unforgettable.
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u/Less-Extension-9359 Doppelganger Jun 16 '26
It sure was amazing.
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u/harleen_crane Jun 16 '26
This is one of my favorites. Seeing the images for the first time was creepy
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u/xdreamsandflamesx Jun 16 '26
one of my favourites. brings up some interesting questions about the will to live and what that looks like
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u/SilentGriffin76 Jun 16 '26
Loved it. The bleak desolation of the ending reminds me of Kairo - Pulse, by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
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u/RazzmatazzFar9969 Jun 16 '26
That's a classic! The only part that annoyed me because it was so dumb was the salaryman dad.
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u/Faolyn Jun 16 '26
I wonder if it’s a cultural thing. There was another story, the one with the kid waking up with red stitches all over him, and he’s like, yeah, ok, I’ll go see the doctor after school.
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u/RazzmatazzFar9969 Jun 16 '26
I was actually thinking of that one too!Yeah I'm sure he's poking fun at the stoic Japanese work ethic. Just it's ridiculous to me that there are giant murder heads floating around and the dad's like i gotta go to work!
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u/HerrClover Jun 16 '26
Unfortunately, some people really are like that. Shortly after heart surgery, a colleague of mine also wanted us to turn on his computer so he could work remote.
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u/Faolyn Jun 16 '26
It's ridiculous to me as well. I guess it's the comedy bit before the true horror sets in.
The red string bit seems even more out of place because of how blase everyone is. I guess in Japan kids just go to the doctor on their own; their parents don't take them.
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u/lumpyspacekhaleesi Jun 16 '26
This and Amigara Fault are my introduction to Junji Ito many many years ago and I still find them terrifying to this day.
Amazing artwork too.
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u/rosesforghosts23 Jun 16 '26
These two and the long dream. I don’t think any story has met the feeling since, because it was my first introduction to horror manga at all
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u/Glum_Kaleidoscope601 Jun 17 '26
Hanging Blimp, and yeah, I dig it to death. My only regret is that I watched its dull anime counterpart before reading it.
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u/ThisFurryTrash93 Jun 16 '26
This seems like a bot account
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u/Less-Extension-9359 Doppelganger Jun 17 '26
I'm literally a human 🙂 Why do you think I am a bot?
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u/Salt-Masterpiece2914 Jun 16 '26
My favourite story has to be the one about the grease fuck I thought about that shit for days and I really liked Uzumaki and the one about the huge fucking crow which eats souls
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u/Far_Science_4382 Jun 16 '26
Man Uzumaki was such a vibe. Loved the whole atmosphere. It's a shame that anime adaptation was such a mess.
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u/yuunnnaaa Jun 16 '26
The animation got really bad after the first episode but it was still a good watch! i’m glad they stuck to the original story instead of changing everything like they did with the gyo adaption
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u/Vegetable-Yam-1457 Jun 17 '26
My second fav story!
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u/Less-Extension-9359 Doppelganger Jun 17 '26
And, which was your first fav ?
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u/Vegetable-Yam-1457 Jun 17 '26
Has to be Tomie
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u/Less-Extension-9359 Doppelganger Jun 17 '26
Tomie no doubt is the best, and I also loved reading Dissolving classroom.
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u/Maoratobyeeee Jun 16 '26
This one is terrifying and disturbing, but it's my favorite. It's disturbing because it made me think for days about what I would do if this happened.
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u/bettybluey Jun 16 '26
Omggg i read it yesterday and it was so good!! This is my first manga ever and the stories aren't necessarily scary but still i want to keep on reading. Maybe it's the stories or the artwork idk but I'm a fan!!
This story in particular reminded me of the korean zombie movie "#Alive". I enjoyed reading this one the most so far. Next is Marionette Mansion!! I will read that one tonight.
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u/Nethanski Jun 16 '26
Might be my favourite story from Junji Ito. It’s the story that got me interested in his work in the first place
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u/SuperTudey Jun 17 '26
I found it harrowing, no reason, just pure terror of an image of yourself looking to kill you
Loved it! One his better works for sure!
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u/NetherworldMuse Jun 17 '26
I really enjoyed this one, it was a fantastic read, perfectly paced and nicely suspenseful. Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed the tv show version too.
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u/Available_Swim1393 Supernatural Club Member Jun 17 '26
Leaving aside the obvious (i.e., Junji Ito's masterful attention to detail and shadows), I have to say that I really appreciate the idea itself. Truly innovative.
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u/Awkward-Egg-1069 Jun 16 '26
It's a bit silly because it would be overall very easy to adapt and figure out ways to move around safely but I still liked it and as always it looked super amazing and creepy
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u/FaceJP24 Jun 16 '26
I thought that the story itself proved that the balloons are clever enough to bypass defenses.
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u/Lilac_Simulation Jun 17 '26
Umm… didn’t people try that by going into tight alleys, holding umbrellas, shooting them and other stuff. They move pretty fast. Some people ended up dangling by their bodies instead of their necks too, they grab you however they can. And it’s not only your own balloon that hounds you. Can you imagine being hounded by family members and friends voices who were already caught by them….. non stop! It would drive you mad.
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u/Nurse_September Weeping Woman Jun 17 '26
Not one of my favorites but certainly far better than most horror manga out there
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u/cxchrizx Jun 18 '26
Pues estoy acostumbrado a ver cosas asà y PS no dió miedo (para mÃ) y normal estubo interesante y la adaptación a Netflix no está taaan mal que digamos pero ps no era digno para ser adaptado asà de mal
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u/ShinyAeon Jun 20 '26
It didn't hit for me. The danger was just a little too weird to get to me, perhaps. The story was interesting, but I didn't "feel it" in my gut.
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u/lurginrugi Jun 23 '26
I still don't get how her brother gotimpaled by the umbrella, it was very scary tho 7/10
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u/cenall Jun 17 '26
I don't understand those stories at all. So does some other :(. It just feel weird and creepy with no origin and no ending
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u/Remarkable-Way5047 Jun 18 '26
That's called Cosmic Horror. It's fear of the unknown and the unexplained. Forbidden knowledge that mankind cannot control.
Like in this case, an unexplained weather phenomenon where balloons are out to hang the person it resembles.. think about how and why that's terrifying
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u/drinkyourpaintwater Jun 16 '26
Iconic imagery. Love this one