GYO, Vol. 1 (2nd Edition) [Paperback]

Junji Ito (Author, Illustrator), Annette Roman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 2007 | Series: Gyo (Book 1)

Something is rotten in Okinawa...the floating stench of death hangs over the island. What is it? A strange, legged fish appears on the scene...so begins Tadashi and Kaori's spiral into the horror (and stench) of the sea. Here is the long-awaited new horror manga series from the Eisner-nominated creator of Uzumaki, Junji Ito.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Junji Ito debuted as a horror manga artist in 1987 with the first story in his successful Tomie series. Uzumaki, drawn from 1998 to 1999, was adapted into a live-action movie, which has been released in America by Viz Films and Tidepoint Pictures. It's influences include the classic manga artists Kazuo Umezu and Hideshi Hino, as well as authors Yasutaka Tsutsui and H.P. Lovecraft.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; 2 edition (October 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421513870
• ISBN-13: 978-1421513874
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #564,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Silent but deadly..., June 26, 2008

By 

ChibiNeko "Sooo many books, so little time!" (Whereever I go, here I am.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: GYO, Vol. 1 (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

Gyo is a horror manga put out by the genius that is Junji Ito (Tomie, Uzumaki). It surrounds a young boy & his very picky girlfriend while they are vacationing at the beach. All goes well (aside from some pickiness & whining from his girl) until they discover an unusual creature that has crawled out of the sea. It has the body of a fish, but with strange legs and tubes sticking into it. Little do the young lovers know that this was the beginning of the end for not only the world, but for their love.

I liked Gyo, but it wasn't my favorite of his works. Like one other reviewer put it, you just can't feel as connected to these characters as you have in his other stuff. Still, the story is compelling and the extras in the books are very creepy. It may not be his best, but it's still something to collect.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another delightful horror manga from Junji Ito, March 29, 2008

By 

S. Miranda "Mystoflare" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: GYO, Vol. 1 (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

I fell in love with Junji Ito's Uzumaki manga, so when I saw the first volume of Gyo, I had to get it, and I don't regret it.
He weaves a good mix of horror and mystery together in the spirit of H.P. Lovecraft, and leaves the reader wondering what will happen next. And the plot summary that got me curious! A mysterious fish-like creature giving off a horrid stench in Okinawa, and the horror spreads further and further, while no one but Tadashi, Kaori and Tadashi's uncle having any idea what's going on initially (mostly Tadashi and his uncle).
Granted, I quickly found Kaori annoying, but as this is from Japan, I take it with a grain of salt. Tadashi is realistic in his way, he wants to know what the heck is going on as much as the next person, but quickly finds himself way in over his head in madness. I don't expect a happy ending for them, but I do want to find out how things come out.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The death stench creeps. . ., December 5, 2007

By 

animate ~ "Rob" (Fayetteville, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: GYO, Vol. 1 (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

I'm very glad that Viz decided to reprint this staple of the horror manga genre. Junji Ito is a master of what the Japanese called "guro", and with GYO, you get more psychologically satisfying and nasally unsettling horror.

Tadashi and Kaori are visiting Okinawa island when a mysterious smell - and then a mysterious fish - enters Tadashi's uncle's house. When a fish with synthetic legs is found walking on land the couple runs for the mainland to find answers, and from there things only get more interesting - government plots, gaseous lifeforms and, of course, the rotten stench. GYO is another great work from Ito. It's not as epic as UZUMAKI, but it keeps you turning the pages.

A few quibbles. Kaori's character isn't nearly as fleshed out as I would've liked to have seen. And with every frame of her face involving a widening scream, things seem to drag a bit and my sympathy for her character was lessened. Also, I see no reason to not print GYO in one single volume. At just over 400 pages, it would be very easy to do so, and would eliminate the need to wait until February 2008 to find the second volume (though I have the previous printing's second volume).

That said, this is a great release from Viz. A few bonus stories are included (with VOL 2), with THE ENIGMA OF AMIGARA FAULT being the best. It's one of the best pieces included in any Ito release. Truly frightening.

Almost as frightening as a shark attack -- on land!

Highly recommended.