One Hello Kitty fan is giving the world of Sanrio a handful of Junji Ito redesigns in horrifically cute new artwork. The Hello Kitty franchise by Sanrio has been taking full advantage of its popularity over the years with clever crossovers featuring other popular anime, including Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen. Now, one fan artist is taking the adorable characters to the next level in a terrifyingly adorable mashup with the world of Junji Ito and his disturbing artwork.
Fan artist Ito's femme-fatale, Tomie, as she shows off her Hello Kitty looks alongside the Sanrio cast. Her most notable outfits include a take on My Melody and Kuromi that show the sweeter and darker sides of the character, alongside the two adorable characters merged together underneath her. Plus, with other references to Junji Ito's work such as Cinamaroll as Shouichi and Hello Kitty herself as Azami from Uzumaki, it's a wildly dark take on the wholesome Sanrio-verse.
Artist Dharilya Proves Junji Ito's Brand of Horror Can Be Made Adorable
Hello Kitty Transforms Ito's Scariest Stories Into Cute Creations
What's fascinating about this artwork by Dharilya is how well they manage to blend the two franchises despite being completely different in tone. Junji Ito is known for his stories being dark and nightmare-inducing because of how frightening his art style can be. Meanwhile, Hello Kitty is colorful and pops out with how wholesome the characters can be. In no way should these two worlds be able to mesh together, and yet they do.
They're still absolutely uncanny because Dharilya doesn't fully colorize them, but the singular color change makes them feel a bit innocent as well.
The designs are unmistakably Junji Ito's characters, but the mix of pink alongside the black-and-white characters makes the horrifying characters stand out in a new light. They're still absolutely uncanny because Dharilya doesn't fully colorize them, but the singular color change makes them feel a bit innocent as well. It's a perfect way to make the artwork feel like they fit with both franchises yet meld together satisfyingly.
Dharilya's Hello Kitty/Junji Ito Mashup Shows Any Crossover Is Possible for Sanrio
Every Anime Should Take a Chance to Collaborate with Sanrio
This fan-created crossover between Junji Ito and Hello Kitty ultimately shows just how well Sanrio can work with pretty much any anime. Sanrio's characters are so beloved by fans all over the world for their wholesome designs, and certain collaborations with other franchises have proven that they can make for fun crossovers with other anime. Dharilya's dip into the dark world of Junji Ito ultimately proves though that these adorable characters can jump into any anime they wish and make it work. If they're able to blend into Ito's style of horror without sacrificing what makes them so adorable, they could forces with other series like Tokyo Ghoul or Death Note as well.
The possibilities are endless for what could come for Sanrio's beloved franchise. Plus, they've even hinted towards expanding their potential crossovers with their own official collaboration with Junji Ito back in August. However, Dharilya's fanart is the ultimate proof for fans that anything is possible for Hello Kitty and her friends, even taking the dark and twisted world of Junji Ito and making his characters terrifyingly cute.
Source: Dharilya
Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty is a globally recognized character created by Yuko Shimizu in 1974 for Sanrio. Initially designed for children, its popularity expanded to teens and adults, becoming a major part of kawaii culture. Depicted as a friendly, anthropomorphic cat from London, Hello Kitty has appeared in numerous animated series, comics, films, and video games. The brand is known for extensive merchandising, with over 50,000 products worldwide.
