8Bit/Digi

Junji Ito is known for his works of horror but less known is his love of drawing cats. A passion that he got to showcase during last years event. Due to popular demand, the horror icon returns to talk a little about his latest work and a lot about being a cat dad.

Life With Cats

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu Panel with Junji Ito was hosted by Tim Lyu along with Siobhan Sullivan during Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2020. The virtual panel looked into his life during the pandemic along with life cats.

The first topic brought up was life during the pandemic. For the horror mangaka, not much has changed. The only major change is that it’s harder to go shopping for necessary supplies. However, he is still working like normal and spending more time with his cats.

When asked about the inspiration for the Yon & Mu manga’s, it’s all about how he became a cat person. Growing up, he never had a cat and was introduced to them because of his wife (who owned them). At first he found them odd but grew to find them cute. He was encouraged to make a manga abut living with cats by his editor during some downtime.

Sadly the the real Yon and Mu have passed away. His current cats are Tenmaru and Tonichi. While both cats are described as cowardly (as they hide from guests), each one has their own charm. Tenmaru has a funny way of asking for food and Tonichi is very friendly (but loud). He would also go more into details regarding their fear of weather and what could be suspected as a fear of hunger.

As a special treat of Junji Ito, both Tim and Siobhan brought their cats for everyone to see. Ito shared his thoughts on their cats while they also shared advice on being a cat parent.

More Cats in the Future

The end of the panel was a focus on the future and joys of having a cat. They all shared the what they love about their cats and how they bring them joy. He is currently working on more Cat Diary stories but nothing with Tenmaru and Tonichi (not yet anyways).

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu Panel with Junji Ito is one of many panels being presented during Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2020. The digital event is taking place from September 4th to September 6th. All panels will be available to watch anytime until September 7th.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides an insight into the video game community and industry of the San Francisco Bay Area.