Source: Junji Ito x Sanrio
Junji Ito, the celebrated horror manga artist behind masterpieces like Uzumaki, Tomie, and Gyo is collaborating with Sanrio.
Mind-bending horror meets…the unbearably cute? Junji Ito has announced a collaboration with Sanrio for a pop-up event in Japan, featuring art of his most iconic characters alongside Sanrio’s adorable mascots.
The Junji Ito x Sanrio popup store will occur in two locations: Shibuya, Tokyo from 23 August to 9 September, and in Shinbaishi, Osaka from 23 September to 9 October.
From the products listed so far in the official website, we’ll get to see Ito’s most iconic femme fatale, Tomie, posing alongside Hello Kitty! These two characters may seem jarring when placed side-by-side, but Junji Ito is a well known cat-lover, and who doesn’t love Hello Kitty? There's also his iconic Intersection Bishounen (pretty boy) from his collection Lovesickness sitting on a swing hoisted up by balloons of My Melody, Kuromi, and more.
This isn’t the first time Ito has collaborated with much-loved franchises. In 2014, he released crossover artworks featuring Pokemon’s ghost type pokemon Bannette and Gengar. The pieces were released alongside the “Kowapoke” (Scary Pokemon) Halloween promotional event on Pokemon’s official website.
Junji Ito has had a long and celebrated career as a horror manga artist and has developed a strong cult following thanks in part to his amazing, spine-chilling work. He is also the recipient of multiple awards, including the Will Eisner Comic Book Awards in 2019 for his adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
On the other hand, Sanrio has cemented itself as all things cute and adorable in the entertainment world, with beloved characters like Hello Kitty, My Melody, Cinnamoroll, and Pompompurin (among many, many others) filling the rooms and hearts of both children and adults since the 1960s.
