As his brother tries to study, Soichi begins Junji Ito Maniac Episode 4 by slamming around upstairs. Once Koichi has had enough, he chases the man downstairs and confronts his brother about why he is interfering with his study time.
Koichi’s father isn’t much assistance, and Soichi insists that poltergeists are really to blame. Koichi looks more closely as things in his room start to float around and discovers Soichi in his closet manipulating strings.
In the end, Soichi’s antics prompt Koichi’s parents to hire Mr. Tagaisu, a carpenter, who dismisses Koichi’s worries and opts to board up the windows and soundproof the room. He even accepts Soichi’s assistance.
The provided room is extraordinarily quiet—eerily silent and seems soundproof—until Soichi starts making more noise. This time, the sound is accentuated while he is inside, leading Koichi to believe that his brother is fiddling with the walls. Naturally, he is present making cicada noises. Koichi turns to look for him as there is an ensuing chase. Koichi eventually decides to give up and start studying after all, gritting his teeth through it all.
The Sandman’s Lair
Yuri goes outside in the second story of this episode. He appears horrible. He is sitting with Mari at a smokey cafe after going without sleep for three days. He discusses with her his dream self and how he is no longer able to afford to sleep. She eventually advises him to go visit a doctor since she doesn’t think his narrative is true.
That evening, Yuri goes over and witnesses in disbelief as Yuji begins to flip and turn inside out. He ends up flopping inside out at night, and this seems to be his dream self. Since he was a little child, Yuji has been hollow, and for him, the dream world is more real than the outside world. As Yuji drifts off to sleep, his body follows his decision to enter his dream state. Mari is tied to his hands, but she gets lost in the dream realm and is forced to stay with him forever.
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The Episode Review
The severe lack of investigation into intriguing issues and ideas is the issue with stories like this. Both of these stories have intriguing starting points but don’t really develop in any very interesting directions. Both stories finish abruptly, and although I understand that the original tales may have done the same, it still seems like a missed opportunity to not elaborate a little more. It’s unfortunate since this is the collection’s poorest episode because it had the most potential. Hopefully, the upcoming episodes will be better.
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