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Sanrio Collabs With Horror Manga Maestro Junji Ito

When it comes to modern horror manga, Junji Ito is legendary for his blending of body horror, psychological horror, and traditional Japanese horror. On top of this, he embeds an element of cute into some of his character designs – as the Japanese would say, kimokawaii (a portmanteau of the Japanese words for creepy and cute). What better way to celebrate the kimokawaii in Ito's work than by combining it with the saccharine cuteness of Sanrio characters.

YTE's X (formerly Twitter) account announced the collaboration between Ito and Sanrio on July 8. The anime goods company revealed that the collaboration items would be available at a limited time shop at the Tokyo's Shibuya and Osaka's Shinsaibashi Parco department stores.

The collaboration's official website revealed several items that would be available at the stores. The selections are split into three sections: Tomie and Hello Kitty, the Beautiful Boy at the Crossroads with Sanrio characters, and Ito's characters dressed as Sanrio characters. The items available include acrylic stands, clear file folders, cork coasters, key chains, t-shirts, stickers, and more, and they range in price from 440 yen to 22,000 yen (about US$2.70 to 136).

The Junji Ito and Sanrio collaboration store in Shinjuku will run from August 23 until September 9 at Shinjuku Parco's fifth-floor pop-up space. The Shinsaibashi location will run from September 27 until October 14 at the Shinsaibashi Parco's B1 pop-up space.

Sources: YTE X/Twitter account, YTE, Natalie