imagine-nation S2018E23 - Main theme: Master of Horror Manga, Junji Ito

This episode of imagine-nation will be featuring Junji Ito, a popular manga artist who's marked 30th anniversary in 2017 since his debut. Currently he is writing a new manga "Travelogue of the Succubus" for the comic magazine "Nemuki+" after 4 years of non-activity. Since his 1986 debut, Ito has continued to put out horror manga. His short stories that paint a unique, strange, and fearful world in super detailed drawings have received high praise. He is dubbed the prince of the horror manga industry by many enthusiastic fans. His overseas popularity is also very high, as he was officially invited as an honorary guest to the Angouleme International Comics Festival held in France in 2015 and was awarded the Angouleme Honorary Citizen Award. Furthermore, in China, he is so popular that he was nicknamed the "National Treasure Manga Artist." In 2016, his work was even adapted into an online drama. Since last December, he has also been holding a solo exhibition tour "Junji Ito Fear Experience Exhibition - Extreme Getaway" in China which has been attracting lots of Chinese fans. Ito is the first Japanese manga artist to open a solo exhibition in China. During the China tour, an exhibition was held in Shenzhen until October 28, and on the first day of the exhibition, Ito himself was there to exchange with the local fans. Through an interview with Junji Ito on his new manga, we'll be exploring the secret behind the worldwide success of Japanese horror, as well as his exhibitions in China, and the popularity of Japanese manga across Asia.