{"rewrite":{"id":"r_1cf1d86055b65e41417ed5ef","clusterId":"c_7b1b574b74b9ebbb9e3c6c4f","slug":"yuta-shimotsu-built-strange-around-junji-ito-s-world-not-jump-scares","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Yuta Shimotsu Built Strange Around Junji Ito's World, Not Jump Scares","summary":"Director Yuta Shimotsu told Anime News Network that the live-action anthology Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights was built to recreate Junji Ito's world with as few jump scares as possible. The opening song is performed by the K-pop group IVE, and the lettering hides characters from the adapted manga. Shimotsu also said he has signed with a Hollywood management company and is developing a Hollywood project.","whyItMatters":"Shimotsu's stated method, fewer jump scares and more world-building, is the practical answer to why Ito's manga is hard to adapt, and his Hollywood signing puts a director working in that method into a development pipeline outside Japan.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eShimotsu said the opening was made by another creator and the producers, not by him, but he pointed to the lettering: the characters from the adapted Ito stories are hidden in it. The opening song comes from the K-pop group IVE.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the two episodes screened for ANN, \u0026#34;Lovesickness\u0026#34; and \u0026#34;The Bully,\u0026#34; he described a deliberate sound choice. \u0026#34;The Bully\u0026#34; is about someone who aged without growing up, so the team used a toy piano to carry that idea. The slow-motion blood in episode 1 came from uncertainty about how far broadcast television would allow the imagery to go.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Yuta Shimotsu says the lettering in Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights hides manga characters, so the horror sits in the frame before any scare lands.","twitterPost":"Yuta Shimotsu hid manga characters inside the lettering of Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights, scares placed before the scene starts.","threadsPost":"Yuta Shimotsu built Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights to recreate Junji Ito's world with few jump scares, and the lettering carries hidden manga characters. The dread is planted in the frame itself, before any scare arrives.","newsletterBlurb":"Yuta Shimotsu discussed the live-action anthology Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights, saying he focused on building Ito's world with as few jump scares as possible. He also described the IVE opening song and the toy piano used in \"The Bully.\" Shimotsu said he has signed with a Hollywood management company and is developing a Hollywood project.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2026-11-11/director-yuta-shimotsu-stirs-up-scares-in-strange-junji-ito-tales-for-sleepless-nights/.243599\",\"title\":\"Director Yuta Shimotsu Stirs Up Scares in Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5649,"outputTokens":745,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1794426493,"createdAt":"2026-11-11T19:42:56.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-11-11T19:47:10.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-11T19:47:10.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_7b1b574b74b9ebbb9e3c6c4f","canonicalTitle":"Director Yuta Shimotsu Stirs Up Scares in Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights","representativeArticleId":"a_06520d0dd544136b013c474a","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Yuta Shimotsu\",\"Junji Ito\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-11-11T18:58:10.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-11-11T18:58:10.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-11T19:47:11.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2026-11-11/director-yuta-shimotsu-stirs-up-scares-in-strange-junji-ito-tales-for-sleepless-nights/.243599","title":"Director Yuta Shimotsu Stirs Up Scares in Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights"],"studios":[],"people":["Yuta Shimotsu","Junji Ito"],"type":"news","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Yuta Shimotsu directed the live-action anthology Strange: Junji Ito's Tales for Sleepless Nights.","The opening song is performed by the K-pop group IVE.","Shimotsu said he used as few jump scares as possible to build Junji Ito's world.","The first two episodes are \"Lovesickness\" and \"The Bully.\"","Shimotsu said he has signed with a Hollywood-based management company."],"pageLinks":{"healthSlugs":["strange-junji-ito-s-tales-for-sleepless-nights","yuta-shimotsu","junji-ito"],"storySlugs":[],"entities":[{"slug":"strange-junji-ito-s-tales-for-sleepless-nights","supported":1,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":6,"overall":"green","story_count":3,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"yuta-shimotsu","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":3,"overall":"unverified","story_count":1,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"junji-ito","supported":4,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":11,"overall":"green","story_count":19,"has_dossier":true}],"stories":[],"entitiesOk":true,"storiesOk":true}}