Gyo (2-In-1 Deluxe Edition)

4.5* stars. Tadashi and Kaori's Vacation is cut short when Kaori's sensitive senses get overwhelmed by a mysterious stench. Finally, they find the cause of it on the last day there; a fish with large metal-like legs. They dispose of the creature, but the stench ‐ and it's corpse - follows them home, to where the real horrors had begun. Junji Ito's works are always spine-tingling, but all of his stories I read have been short stories. Gyo is the first long form story and I gotta tell you... it is freaky and fantastic! Very few times had my suspicions on where the story was going been right on any of his works, and Gyo was no exception. Everything felt surprising yet straightforward, every twist and turn made so much sense and was disgustingly perfect for how everything shaped up. And of course, the art just upped the eeriness of the story with not only the main visual of the panel, but the background images, whether out in the open, hidden in fog, or in herds of creatures, the details added a touch of realism, really bringing and grounding you to the scene. Gyo was a really fun read, that was so disturbing in the best of ways. Fair warning, there's a bit of body horror, but for fans of that or just strict horror, this book will fill your morbid little heart like it did mine.