This is JunjiThe most popular works often focus on the darkness of living with fixation and obsession. exist swirl It is represented through spirals and how people twist themselves to become spirals. exist tom It comes in the form of the titular girl, a mysterious figure who makes men swoon, only to find body horror at the end of the attraction. exist ListAfter a dead fish on a mechanical leg started terrorizing people, a man devoted himself to caring for his partner beyond the point of no return. In these stories, obsession leads to self-destruction or social collapse. What’s less commented on these stories is how intensely satirical they are.
When you’re intimidated by a master storyteller, it can be hard to see how things work behind the scenes. I know I was too busy reading these books the first time and was afraid to read it. Ito’s 2005 sci-fi horror story Lei MingHowever, this is perhaps the most obvious irony in the creator’s work. workit’s easy to see the intention behind the image of hell. It was a hellish sight.
Lei Ming The story centers on a demonic planet that is heading toward Earth, devouring stars and planets in its path. A Japanese scientist discovered the planet and named it Remina after his daughter. Human Remina became an overnight star, triggering the rise of fan clubs and agencies that followed her. As the demonic celestial body approaches Earth, humanity realizes that this thing is powered by an insidious hunger, and it doesn’t just decide to fly over us. This is where the satirical elements start to creep in. Since then, fame has shown just how bad it can be for those in its light.
Things quickly derailed, which was worrying for the characters involved. Ito uses the popular name association argument to explain Remina’s desire for the end of the world, pointing out how absurd the roots of fear are often. Mob rule almost immediately became the standard, and the first thing of the day was to raise a cross and crucify the scientist and his daughter to see if that would appease the demon planet. It is as if the cross was made in advance and stored nearby in case of a global crisis, ready to be brought out as soon as needed.
It’s all absurd and darkly comedic, but also horrifying because it shows how quickly people can rally behind an explanation, going from fear to mob violence in the blink of an eye. However, Ito satirizes the human Remina’s meteoric rise to pop icon status, portraying the mobsters as a group of rabid fans who are not only obsessed with possessing the object of their desire, but also seek out in it the source of all their problems.
It’s a smart move and really points out how fandom is a big problem with real-life horror potential. Things have evolved from this core idea, tying themselves to fan issues in multiple ways. For example, the planet Remina has a giant eye that it opens upon reaching Earth to better observe the ridiculous events happening beneath it, and how it can’t stop the inevitable. In a sense, it became a spectator, a Big Brother presence that temporarily joined the fandom before it eventually grew tired of it and swallowed it whole. Remina doesn’t judge humans. It’s fascinating for its absurdity (something the fandom’s antagonists are all too familiar with).
This idea extends to human Remina’s pitiful group of protectors, which include her agency representative, her fan club president, and a man who wants to marry her. And all this is just the tip of the iceberg. Ito finds more ways to complicate and expand the concept, notably a homeless man who, due to his living circumstances, has no idea who is who in this scene. We also see a group of hooded figures who claim to have the best interests of the planet at heart by pushing the idea of the cross more strongly. As it progresses it gets more ridiculous (to the point where there is only this book) List Probably close).
Lei Ming This is the most ironic thing about Ito. The frustration with fan culture and mob mentality is palpable here. The demonic planet at the center of the story reflects the people who lost themselves in that environment, a sick and always hungry creature that decided to interrupt its feeding to focus on the human drama. In the end, Remina is us and we are Remina. We stop what we are doing to indulge our obsessions, and only when we get tired of them do we turn our backs on them and forget about them.
