Japan has produced some of the best live-action horrors to date, including Ringu and Ju-On: The Grudge, and now it’s time to witness the disturbing but brilliant work of mangaka, Junji Ito, come to life on Netflix and we reveal how many episodes are in Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre, confirm the release date, and introduce you to the voice cast.
Ito has had his work adapted many times, including the film series, Tomie, which ran for nine installments between 1998 and 2011, following Tomie Kawakami who terrorizes her admirers.
Created by Shinobu Tagashira with a script written by Kaoru Sawada, Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is an animated series adapting a collection of tales from a master of Japanese horror.
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre release date and time
Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is scheduled to release on Thursday, January 19, 2023, on Netflix.
Following the release schedule of most Netflix shows, Maniac will debut at Midnight PT on the platform.
This release time translates to the following global release times where you are:
Netflix’s official synopsis for the show reads:
“Horror manga masterpieces penned by the king of the genre Junji Ito are coming to Netflix in 2023 in an anime series. From Ito’s wealth of works, 20 outstanding stories with the shared theme of madness will be animated.”
The series will adapt 20 of Ito’s stories – including Hanging Balloons, Ice Cream Bus, and The Thing That Drifted Ashore – spread across a smaller episode count.
How many episodes are in Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre?
Junji Ito Mania has 12 episodes within its first season, with each installment promising to be disturbing to the core.
The series has been given a strict TV-MA rating for its contents, which is likely to involve gore, violence, and disturbing imagery.
Below, we have included an episode guide to aid your binge-watch of the bizarre:
- Episode 1: The Strange Hikizuri Siblings: The Seance
- Episode 2: The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel/Ice Cream Truck
- Episode 3: The Hanging Balloons
- Episode 4: The Room with Four Walls/Where the Sandman Lives
- Episode 5: Intruder/The Long Hair in the Attic
- Episode 6: Mold/Library Vision
- Episode 7: Tomb Town
- Episode 8: Layers of Fear/The Thing that Drifted Ashore
- Episode 9: Tomie: Photo
- Episode 10: Unendurable Labyrinth/Bullied
- Episode 11: The Back Alley/Headless Statue
- Episode 12: Whispering Woman/Soichi’s Beloved Pet
Meet the Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre voice cast
It’s a mini Attack on Titan reunion within the cast of Maniac, with Romi Park and Yûki Kaji – who voice Hange Zoe and Eren Jaegar in the popular anime – playing significant roles in the anthology.
Other vocal talents include Kingdom Heart’s Tomoko Kaneda and Final Fantasy’s Takahiro Sakurai.
Below, we have included the cast working behind the Netflix tales:
- Romi Park – Kiko Hikizuri
- Tomoko Kaneda – Colon
- Yûki Kaji – Gorô Shirasaki
- Takahiro Sakurai – Kazuya Hikizuri
- Yoshimasa Hosoya – Kôichi
- Kaito Ishikawa – Umi Hirohara
- Hiro Shimono – Oshikiri
- Tomokazu Sugita – Tachi
- Lynn – Rei Minoru
- Yôko Hikasa – Chiemi
- Sayaka Senbongi – Eri
- Fumiko Orikasa – Rumi
- Mao Ichimichi – Kaoru Yoshikawa
- Ryôtarô Okiayu – Sonohara
- Daisuke Kishio – Shinya Shiraishi
- Yûji Mitsuya – Sôichi

By Jo Craig – [email protected]