From the Junji Ito Collection comes this short anime recreation of the manga Fashion Model, being one of two segments in the episode. The episode first aired in 2018.
The story starts with Iwasaki having a premonition that something bad is going to happen. He goes to a café and is flicking through a magazine when he spots a model within the pages (Miss Fuchi, though he does not know her name at this point). In contrast to the pretty, young starlets otherwise featured, the model has a singular look (one might say almost Addamsesque). Her image disturbs him so much that she invades his dreams and he is so pre-occupied he almost fails to write the screenplay that he and his student filmmaking buddies need.
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| in the magazine |
As it is, he manages to start to forget her image, writes the script and the film wins a competition. With that success they are going to make a second film and decide to audition non-school actresses. Iwasaki’s sense of dread returns and, after identifying Tamae Mori as their likely lead, they open another application and it is Miss Fuchi. Despite Iwasaki’s sense of foreboding the others decide to hire her, as well as Tamae Mori, because Miss Fuchi is a professional model and so might raise the film’s profile.
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| Miss Fuchi |
They meet their stars; Miss Fuchi is hugely tall, monstrous in feature and, given the sense of unease that accompanies her (for Iwasaki, at least) I think we could describe her as unhomely, in a Freudian sense, her career anomalous (and Junji Ito was clearly commenting on a monstrousness at the heart of the fashion industry, made manifest). As they drive to location she laughs, revealing a maw of wicked looking fangs. When the crew concentrate their attentions on the pretty lead, she deals with her in a particularly cannibalistic way (assuming Miss Fuchi is human).
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| her bite |
This brings the Fuchi story to life, in colour, animated and with voice acting. The collection as a whole is definitely worthwhile, especially if you love Junji Ito’s work. The imdb page is here.
On Blu-Ray @ Amazon US
On Blu-Ray @ Amazon UK
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