Junji Ito's Frankenstein Makes the Classic More Horrific With One Twist
Warning: spoilers for Junji Ito's Frankensteinare ahead.
Famed manga artist and writer Junji Ito is a bonafide horror icon, and his adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein novel cements this truth. Known for works such as Uzumaki, Tomie, and Gyo, Ito's horror is marked by a sense of surreal body horror and psychological madness. Both of these themes fit perfectly with Frankenstein, which tells the story of a young scientist's attempt to create life from death, and the brutal consequences of his actions. Despite being one of the most influential works of all time as the genesis of the science fiction genre, Frankenstein has a notorious lack of faithful adaptations. Spawning several films and forays into other media including comics and manga, Frankenstein nonetheless continues to be an evergreen story that speaks to the anxieties and pains of life and death.
Ito's Frankenstein manga closely follows the plot of Mary Shelley's novel. It begins with the discovery of a shivering Victor Frankenstein in the Arctic Circle, who recounts his early life and education before revealing that he created a creature from the flesh of corpses. Upon seeing his creation come to life, Frankenstein was revolted, rejecting the Creature who in turn discovers that his appearance makes him incapable of joining human society. After Frankenstein fails to deliver the Creature an adequate companion, the Creature kills several of Frankenstein's friends and family, leaving his creator in the same hopeless isolation as him.
Related: Junji Ito's Most Underappreciated Horror Story Redefines Nightmare Fuel
TheFrankenstein manga is refreshingly faithful to Shelley's text, with the exception of one detail that makes Ito's story even more horrifying
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