Note: I also wrote this review on Goodreads under the name Animelove24 but it is my review.

** spoiler alert ** Junji Ito, from what I can tell just loves to mix humour and horror, however I can't tell which this story is trying be more. I guess I would classify this as a more Cabin in the Woods type of deal and less The Ruins. The concept is scary, weird tentacle fish monsters that will take over a person's body and turning them into some horrifying, bloated monster resulting in some great images(some of my favourites are the giant shark, the gas faces and the whole part when Kaori is left alone in her room). However they also make that body very gassy resulting in farts and burps which I guess isn't really my cup of tea when it comes to funny? Or it wasn't supposed to be funny? I'm not sure. There was also a part involving a circus that seemed totally out of place but I'm guessing was there to add some lightness to the story, but for me just made me think 'Why on earth is there a circus in the middle of all the chaos?'.

Some more things that didn't make sense were, how where some of the animals alive after being on land for what I presume was hours? Why were there machines the size of whales when they were meant for people? Why did the organic machines turn on Kaori? What are the rules for the germs?(SPOLIERS)Why was Tadashi not infected but Kaori was?(END SPOILERS)What's up with the ghost faces in the gas? So many questions, so little answers.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would have liked this book more if there was some semblance of structure and atleast some rules to this world, which in my opinion makes the stakes higher and makes you feel more for the characters situation.

I will say I really liked the second bonus story; The Enigma of Amigara Fault which is about people who find holes shaped perfectly like their bodies in a mountain and those holes draw the people into them; walking until they get so far they can't look back so they have to keep walking into the hole. That story legitimately scared the pants off of me and stayed in my mind for days with just the visuals of people getting squashed and the thought that no matter what they try they have no choice in the matter. The thought of getting stuck in there and the claustrophobia really gives my anxiety just thinking about it.

Overall it's a fine read but not something I'd go after again. If you're looking for straight-up horror look elsewhere but if you're looking for horror why a dash of possible humor, this book may be for you.(Except for last story because that is terrifying.)