The horror manga master Junji Ito has spent over forty years making readers feel uneasy with his twisted tales. Now one of his most famous stories is escaping the pages of his books and becoming something you can actually hold in your hands. A new Kickstarter campaign launched on March 12, 2026 aims to create a real vinyl record based on his short story In Old Records, about a cursed record that drives listeners insane.
The project from Zero Zero Enterprises brings together a surprising mix of talent. Grammy-nominated artist Poppy provides the English narration, while Japanese star Shoko Nakagawa handles the Japanese version. Writer Ryan Cady adapted the story for audio, and artist Acky Bright designed the jacket artwork. The campaign has already exceeded its funding goal of $20,000, with 222 backers pledging over $21,800 so far.
What Is Junji Ito’s ‘In Old Records’ About?
The story first appeared in December 1990 in Monthly HALLOWEEN magazine. It was later included in the tenth volume of the Horror World of Junji Ito collection under the title House of the Marionettes. The plot follows a mysterious unmarked record containing a haunting jazz tune without lyrics. Anyone who hears the song becomes dangerously obsessed with possessing the record.
In the story, a woman named Nakayama visits her friend Ogawa who owns the record. Both women become fixated on listening to the song repeatedly. When Ogawa refuses to let Nakayama borrow the record, Nakayama steals it. Ogawa chases her and attacks her in an alleyway. Nakayama defends herself with a rock and accidentally kills Ogawa. But even in death, Ogawa continues singing the song.
The story reveals the record contains the final performance of a fictional jazz singer named Paula Bell. According to the tale, Bell was hit by a car outside a recording studio but refused medical help. She insisted on recording her song first, collapsed at the microphone, and died. The studio staff accidentally recorded what they believed to be her voice from beyond, creating the cursed record.
The Junji Ito Collection anime adapted this story in 2018. Crunchyroll described the episode as featuring “otherworldly music that is anything but normal”. The new vinyl adaptation takes this concept literally by creating an actual record that fans can play on their turntables.
The Star-Studded Creative Team Behind the Project
Poppy voices the English version of the audio drama. The two-time Grammy-nominated artist has built a career spanning bubblegum pop, industrial metal, and experimental rock. Her album Disagree made her the first solo female artist nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance. She has collaborated with bands like Knocked Loose, Bad Omens, and Babymetal. Poppy also wrote two graphic novels, including Genesis 1 with Ryan Cady, making this collaboration a natural fit.
Shoko Nakagawa, known across Japan as “Shokotan,” performs the Japanese narration. She is a singer, actress, voice actress, and illustrator who has been a fixture of Japanese pop culture for two decades. Nakagawa sang the opening theme for the hit anime Gurren Lagann and has voiced characters in the Pokémon and Dragon Ball franchises.
Ryan Cady adapted Junji Ito’s original story for the audio format. Cady has written for Marvel (The Punisher, Venom), DC (Green Lantern, Batman: Urban Legends), and Image Comics. His experience collaborating with musicians on graphic novels made him the right choice for this project.
Acky Bright designed the vinyl jacket artwork. The self-taught Japanese artist from Osaka is known for his bold black-and-white style. He has worked with DC Comics, Marvel, McDonald’s, Netflix, and BMW. Bright led the design for the global WcDonald’s campaign and created over 70 illustrations for Netflix’s official Squid Game coloring book.
Junji Ito himself worked directly with the team on this adaptation. One special edition of the record even includes his actual bloody handprint as part of the artwork.
Kickstarter Campaign Details and Collector Editions
The Kickstarter campaign runs for 30 days until April 11, 2026. All recordings for the project are already completed. Zero Zero Enterprises is now in the pressing and shipping phase. The current expected ship date is June 2026, with a possible delay until July at the latest.
Backers can choose from several collector editions:
The Early Bird Standard Vinyl Edition costs $25, which is $10 less than the regular price of $35. This edition is limited to 200 copies and includes Poppy’s English narration.
The Blood Splatter Variant costs $50 and is exclusive to this campaign. Only 600 copies of this edition will exist.
The Blue Edition is limited to 500 copies and comes signed by Poppy. The Glow in the Dark Edition has only 100 copies and is also signed by Poppy.
For serious collectors, the Complete Collector’s Bundle includes all four vinyl versions signed by both Junji Ito and Poppy. Only ten of these complete sets exist.
Backers can also add the Vinyl Single of “The Last Song of Paula Bell” to their pledge. This is the actual song from the story that drove people to murder and madness. The campaign describes it as “the kind of thing that probably shouldn’t exist as a physical object”.
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A Creative Twist on Horror Adaptation
What makes this project unusual is how literally it interprets the source material. The story is about a cursed record that destroys anyone who hears it. Creating an actual physical record based on that story turns the horror concept into something tangible. Fans who buy the record can experience the story in the same format that caused so much trouble for the characters.
The In Old Records story has appeared in multiple formats since its debut in 1990. It was part of Junji Ito’s tenth collected volume and received an anime adaptation in the Junji Ito Collection. Now it exists as an audio drama pressed onto vinyl, bringing the concept full circle.
Zero Zero Enterprises has a track record of delivering projects with artists like Lisa, Czarface, and The Doughboys. The company states that all recording work is complete, reducing the risk of major delays.
Junji Ito was inducted into the Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2025. He has won four Eisner Awards for his work, which includes horror classics like Tomie, Uzumaki, and Gyo. His stories have been adapted into films, anime series, and animated specials over the decades.
Acky Bright held his first New York solo exhibition, Studio Infinity, at Japan Society through early 2025. He describes his artistic style as “kawakakkoii,” meaning cute and cool, and performs large-scale live drawings at events.
Poppy continues to push boundaries in music and performance art. Her collaboration with Junji Ito’s horror universe brings together two very different but equally unsettling creative visions. Fans of her work will recognize how her performance style fits the eerie material.
The Kickstarter campaign remains open for pledges until April 11, 2026. Backers who want to own a piece of horror history that technically should not exist in the real world can still join before time runs out. Whether the record carries any actual curse remains unknown, but collectors seem willing to take that chance.
Also Read: Why Megumi Fushiguro Represents Jujutsu Sorcerers Better Than Yuji Itadori in Jujutsu Kaisen
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