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Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection (Japanese: 死びとの恋わずらい, Hepburn: Shibito no Koiwazurai) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Junji Ito. It was serialized in Nemuki from May to November 1996 and collected into one volume in May 1997. A live-action film adaptation, titled Love Ghost, was released in March 2001.

Manga

Written and illustrated by Junji Ito, the series was serialized in Nemuki from May to November 1996. Asahi Sonorama collected the series’ individual chapters into a tankōbon volume, which was released on May 20, 1997.

At Anime Expo Lite, Viz Media announced that they licensed the series for English publication. Viz Media released the volume on April 20, 2021.

Film

A live-action film adaptation, titled Love Ghost, was released in Japan on March 24, 2001. It was directed by Kazuki Shibuya and written by Naoyuki Tomomatsu. Eleven Arts licensed the film for international distribution.

Reception

Nick Smith from ICv2 praised the narrative of the first half of the story, though he also felt the second half did not fit with the first. Lynzee Loveridge from Anime News Network offered praise for the artwork, while also criticizing the characters as shallow.

The series was nominated for the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia in 2022.

死びとの恋わずらい *(Shibito no Koiwazurai)*
Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection
Genre	Horror Science fiction Supernatural
Manga
Written by	Junji Ito
Published by	Asahi Sonorama
English publisher	^NA Viz Media
Magazine	*Nemuki*
Demographic	*Shōjo*
Original run	May 1996 – November 1996
Volumes	1
Live-action film
*Love Ghost*
Directed by	Kazuyuki Shibuya
Written by	Naoyuki Tomomatsu
Licensed by	^NA Eleven Arts
Released	March 24, 2001
Runtime	95 minutes