Fragments of Horror

Fragments of Horror (Japanese: Ma no Kakera; English edition: Fragments of Horror) is a collection of horror short stories by the Japanese manga artist Junji Ito, and his first new short-story collection in about eight years, following New Dark Voice: Kaitan. The stories were serialized in the magazine Nemuki+ from April 2013 to April 2014, and the collected volume was published in Japan by Asahi Shimbun Publications in July 2014. The traditional Chinese edition was published by Tong Li Publishing in March 2015, translated by Wu Licheng. The book contains eight standalone stories plus an afterword: "Futon," "Wooden Mansion," "Tomio: Red Turtleneck," "Lingering Farewell," "Dissection Girl," "Black Bird," "Seven Quirks of Beauty," and "Whispering Woman," an earlier work first published in another magazine. These stories continue Ito's signature uncanny imagination: ordinary things of daily life—a futon, an old house, a turtleneck, hair, a flock of birds—are repeatedly transformed into unsettling vessels, pushing the possessiveness of intimate relationships, attachment to old objects, and fear of time and death to absurd and terrifying extremes. The stories often end abruptly on open, ironic notes, leaving a lingering aftertaste. In 2018, the collection and Junji Ito's Masterpiece Collection were adapted into the TV anime Junji Ito Collection, bringing stories such as "Futon" and "Tomio: Red Turtleneck" to the screen and winning the collection a wider readership.