by It has been announced that the third season of the anime “Junji Ito’s Crimson,” based on the work of horror manga genius Junji Ito, will be produced. The theme song will be “Karasu Ageha” (Crow Ageha), a newly written song by Yuming, also known as Yumi Matsutoya. Along with the announcement, the music video for “Karasu Ageha” was released, along with comments from Ito and Matsutoya.
Junji Ito, who has won the Eisner Award, known as the “Academy Award of the manga world,” four times, is regarded as a genius of horror manga that Japan is proud of, with fans worldwide. In January 2023, 20 titles selected from his representative works, such as “Tomie,” “Soichi,” and “Hanging Balloon,” were animated as “Junji Ito’s Maniac” and were exclusively distributed worldwide on Netflix.
The series has entered the top 10 on Netflix in Asian countries and was also broadcast on TOKYO MX in 2024. The newly announced production of “Junji Ito’s Crimson” is the third season of the anime, following the well-received “Junji Ito’s Collection” in 2018 and “Junji Ito’s Maniac” in 2023.
“Crimson” refers to the color crimson or bright red, and the concept of this season is “monsters.” We will deliver a collection of horror stories that will immerse you in Ito’s world, which is creepy, bizarre, and yet original, by carefully selecting masterpieces filled with unique madness.
The work was announced at “Japan EXPO 2025,” currently being held in Paris, France, and it was also revealed that the theme song would be “Karasu Ageha,” a newly written song by Yumi Matsutoya. The exchange between the two began when Matsutoya visited the “Junji Ito Exhibition: Temptation,” held at the Setagaya Literary Museum in 2024, and posted a picture of the exhibition on social media. Ito, a long-time fan of Matsutoya’s, saw it.
After that, Ito appeared on Matsutoya’s radio show, which led Matsutoya to write a new theme song for “Junji Ito’s Crims.”.” When recording the radio show, which was their first meeting, Matsutoya was wearing a yukata with an arrangement of Ito’s original drawing of “Beauty of the Deep Sea”, which he had purchased at the “Junji Ito Exhibition: Temptation”.
The protagonist of this song, “Karasu Ageha”, is Karasu Ageha, who plays the role of connecting the two worlds of “the underworld and the present world”. The point of “mixing different spaces” is said to be directly connected to the concept of the album currently in production. The song will be included in Matsutoya’s 40th original album, scheduled for release this fall.
The “Karasu Ageha” that appears in the released music video is an original illustration by Ito, so keep an eye out for it. Ito and Matsutoya also provided comments. We look forward to hearing more about the third season of the anime “Junji Ito’s Crimson,” based on the work of horror manga genius Junji Ito. Currently, an anime series called “Junji Ito’s Crimson,” based on my original work, is being produced. Just hearing the title makes me shiver, and my expectations rise.
I have heard that from my old and new short stories, a work that utilizes the deep red color reminiscent of blood will be selected for adaptation into an anime. I think Yuming, also known as Yumi Matsutoya, is one of the best composers in the world. This time, Yuming will be in charge of the opening theme for “Crimson.”
This is rare, and truly a dream come true. When I first listened to Yuming’s scat-like demo, I immediately felt that it was a masterpiece. It’s a very emotional melody that you can’t forget once you hear it. Recently, this new masterpiece by Yuming has been playing endlessly in my head, and I’m immersed in happiness. I think it’s important that the TV anime “Junji Ito’s Crimson” is an anime series that evokes the image of Crimson.
In addition, with Yumi Matsutoya in charge of the opening theme, it will be an exceptional anime work with a distinct atmosphere, unlike “Collection” and “Mania.” I’m sure the fans are looking forward to it, so please look forward to it! No matter how surreal and grotesque the works of Yumi Matsutoya and Junji Ito are, there is always a delicate beauty and a sadness inherent to “Japaneseness” at their core. Instead, the more bizarre the work is, the more it highlights the longing for something that is there but can never be fully grasped.
We Japanese fans and many French fans are subconsciously aware of this common aesthetic sense. How wonderful it would be to be able to travel together with them through the mysterious world that has been brewed over about 200 years! This music video is a short trip that precedes Junji Ito’s Crimson. Our guide is the ever-changing (Karasu Ageha).
We asked Junji Ito to draw us a picture of a black butterfly. When I was asked to create a theme song, along with the melody set to a labyrinth-like chord progression, I imagined the shape of a messenger that connects the underworld with the present world and wanders through another dimension. Coincidentally, it seems that the black butterfly also has a similar meaning in French.
The image I drew was not incorrect. In the time until the main film is released, this (Karasu Ageha) music video will help as many people as possible build up their anticipation for Crimson. Junji Ito’s Crimson Opening Theme: Karasu Ageha by Yumi Matsutoya
