Junji Ito's new live-action TV series finally gets his horror comics right

One of horror’s most storied creators is back with a live-action show that’s as terrifying as it is hilarious

Adapting any of Junji Ito's terrifying works has proven to be one of horror’s greatest creative challenges. His stories aren’t frightening simply because of their grotesque imagery, but because they unravel ordinary people through obsession, love, vanity, and compulsion before descending into outright nightmare. That's proven hard to accurately render in animation and, following the disaster that was Adult Swim's Uzamaki, Ito's creative ingenuity is in need of a serious reboot. Based on its Anime Expo premiere, Junji Ito: Strange may finally have found the right formula, but not in the form of an anime.

The live-action anthology debuted its opening episode at the 2026 Anime Expo ahead of its premiere on TV Tokyo’s Drama 24 block. The series adapts 13 of Ito’s most celebrated short stories into standalone episodes, including "Lovesickness," "Face Thief," "Penpal," "The Rib Woman," and more.

Daisuke Hosaka and Tatsuro Inamoto serve as writers on the series, while a total of three faces direct specific episodes, including Atsuhiro Yamada, Yuta Shimotsu, and Ryota Kondo, all of whom are Japanese horror veterans with their own specific brand of on-screen terror. Yamada's best known for his eerie uneasiness, especially when it comes to character dynamics, which is reflected in his critically acclaimed thriller film Awake, while Kondo and Shimotsu are more predominantly known for spiritual, psychological dread and cosmic, surreal horror, respectively.

After seeing the first episode for myself, what immediately stands out is how confidently Junji Ito: Strange embraces every side of Ito’s storytelling. The horror is undeniably effective, slowly building an atmosphere of mounting dread through a story centered on obsession and love that's twisted into something deeply disturbing. Rather than relying on jump scares or excessive gore, the episode allows its tension to simmer until every interaction feels just a little wrong. And Silent Hill fans will feel those eerie vibes thanks to the effective use of fog that elevates the tension.

Perhaps more surprising is just how funny it is. Longtime readers know Ito’s work has always contained an offbeat, almost deadpan sense of humor, and the series wisely leans into that absurdity instead of sanding it away. Characters react to increasingly impossible situations with complete sincerity, creating a fascinating push and pull between uncomfortable laughter and genuine suspense. It’s an uneasy tonal balance, but one that feels unmistakably faithful to Ito’s voice.

The production behind Junji Ito: Strange is further elevated by a strong cast, whose performances keep the increasingly surreal events emotionally grounded. Even as the story spirals into grotesquerie, the actors expertly sell the emotional stakes, making the horror feel personal rather than merely shocking.

While Junji Ito’s manga has inspired numerous live-action films over the years — including several Tomie adaptations — Junji Ito: Strange marks the first major live-action television anthology devoted entirely to his short fiction. If the quality of its opening episode is any indication, it could also become one of the strongest screen adaptations of his work to date. Even with just one episode, it's proven to understand exactly what makes Junji Ito unique. His stories don’t simply aim to terrify through jump scares, but are revered because they invite audiences to laugh nervously at the absurdity before pulling the rug out from under them. Junji Ito: Strange captures that unsettling balance remarkably well, but we'll have to wait and see if the remaining 12 episodes can deliver the same level of dread Ito's stories deserve.

While the series premieres officially starting today in Japan, a wider U.S. streaming release has yet to be announced. When the news drops, anyone burned by the Uzumaki anime should mark their calendars.