'Black Paradox' stumbles at the end

Black Paradox (Viz Media, 2022)
Story and Art: Junji Ito
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Four strangers unite around a shared desire to commit suicide and vow to support each other by doing it together. Their attempt goes awry when doppelgangers interfere... and this launches them into a terror-filled journey that could shape not only their destinies but the future of humanity.

"Black Paradox" is a slightly different offering from Junji Ito. While it's got a number of intensely horrific moments, it's mostly a slow-burn work that mixes hints of cosmic horror with urban legends, folk lore, a mounting atmosphere of conspiratorial paranoia, and bits of old-fashioned melodrama. In addition, Ito introduces a cosmology of his own devising and slowly reveals the unique positions the four main characters hold in it... and it all adds up to a thrilling and mysterious ride that keeps growing more intense as the intertwined plotlines of the included stories unfold.

Although "Black Paradox" is told in an episodic format, the episodes become more and more tightly linked as the book progresses. In the end, what emerges is a novel-length tale ala "Remina" but which plays more to Ito's strengths for doing short stories in the way "Sensor" and "Uzumaki" did by having more-or-less standalone episodes linked by an overarching storyline that build toward a single climax.

Unfortunately, as excellent as "Black Paradox" is, it suffers from the same flaw as "Sensor" does: After a spectacular beginning and middle, the end doesn't quite deliver on the promise because it feels rushed and half-baked. The problem is more severe in "Black Paradox", because not only do the last two chapters feel like they are rushed, but there are several important plot elements that remain unexplained, because they are dropped entirely; for example, the doppelgangers mentioned in the teaser summary are never explained. We also needed more development of a couple characters that are introduced during the second half of the book--particularly Dr. Suga--but the rush to wrap things up is so frenetic that there's no room for it. 

So, ultimately, what could have been one of Ito's finest works--and one that might even be rife for a sequel, especially in the light of the dropped plot-threads--is a good and entertaining read, but not great. If it had been more like "Uzumaki" and less like "Sensor", I suspect I would have given it a Ten Rating--there is so much potential set up during the first half of the book that is never fully delivered upon.

If you're a fan of Junji Ito, you won't regret the time spent on "Black Paradox"... but you will find yourself wishing there was more.