Junji Ito Maniac’s intro is a trippy and creepy first look at the Netflix anime

This Thursday, Netflix announced the release date and showed the first footage for a new animated series that’s sure to inspire thrills and chills. Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is an adaptation of the work of renowned Japanese horror artist Junji Ito. Maniac features 20 of Ito’s original works — some of which are being adapted for the first time — and it’s set to release on Netflix on Jan. 19, 2023.

Junji Ito’s art is iconic; even if you haven’t read one of his works, you’ve probably seen memes or panels from them online. His work is often stark, playing with mundane themes and conflicts that escalate into crises, punctuated by surreal and horrifying imagery. Maniac includes stories from the Tomie, Sōichi, and The Hanging Balloons manga. Netflix shared the opening to the show, and while we didn’t get to see much of the horror in action, we did see some of Ito’s imagery combined with psychotropic effects.

A promotional image also shows watercolor style effects applied to the unsettling image of a woman’s severed head on the floor, smiling eerily at the camera.

Maniac isn’t the only Ito adaptation in the works; Adult Swim is also adapting the dark fantasy manga Uzumaki for an October 2023 release.