I’m a big fan of manga, especially one offs. I do love series don’t get me wrong, but I have a poor attention span and single volumes are easy on the wallet (Looking at you One Piece). My favorite mangaka is Junji Ito, and Remina was my first dive into his work. Remina was first serialized in 2004 and us lucky folks in the U.S. received a gorgeous hardcover volume at the end of 2020. The art work is the first thing that drew me in, like look at how gorgeous this is!

I’m not good at explaining stories without going on some long tangent, so here’s an excerpt from the product description:

“An unknown planet emerges from inside a wormhole, and its discoverer, Dr. Oguro, christens the body “Remina” after his own daughter. His finding is met with great fanfare, and Remina herself rises to fame. However, the object picks up speed as it moves along in its curious course, eliminating planets and stars one after another, until finally Earth itself faces extinction… Is the girl Remina the true cause of the catastrophe? A masterwork of horror from Junji Ito, unfolding on a universal scale.”

If I had to describe it, I’d say it was an M rated Majora’s Mask. Without giving away too much, the daughter shares the same name as the planet/moon/celestial thing so when things suddenly go sideways, of course they blame her. Art imitates life right? While it is horror, it’s a somewhat relatable horror, not the typical gruesome and gory type. Sure there’s some of that, but it’s not the only thing that defines this as horror, like most other things.

Ito has a fantastic way of creating unsettling and cohesive short stories. If you haven’t experienced his work yet, I highly recommend Remina. I give it 5/5.

You can check out the official release trailer and read a free preview over on the Viz Media site – here. As always, thanks so much for tuning in. If you have any questions or comments, drop em’ below and I’m happy to answer. Until next time!