Uzumaki うずまき in Japanese means spiral, it seems a simple word that has so many diverse references when it comes to symbolism. It can be used to symbolize focus, spirituality or even obsession. We see how it is used in old cartoons as a tool to hypnotize minds. In the world of Junji Ito – it’s a whirlpool of chaos that driving people to their madness!
Uzumaki is 2024 Mini Tv series based on a Japanese horror manga series written and illustrated by Junji Ito. The story follows teen Kirie Goshima and her boyfriend, Shuichi Saito, who seem to be worried about bizarre happening in their town Kurouzu-cho. The spiral-like shapes are taking over the town, and one can witness these shapes in flowers, trees and even in water. These shapes trigger some kind of disturbing behavioural pattern in people and Shuichi’s father seems to be affected by it. He is obsessed with uzumaki pattern to the point that he dislikes things that are not spiral in shape. After his gruesome death, the whole town seems to be affected by Uzumkai Curse and other people start to show bizarre symptoms as well.
The mini-series is also presented in Ito’s signature manga style, which adds further eeriness to the series. Junji Ito’s manga are famous for the body horror and psychological terror they bring with their story-telling style. They also pinpoint the distorted reality along with the dark side of humans. All these combined with a surreal plot present captivating narratives that sometimes shake the core of the audience while . Uzumaki storytelling and style may not be a fit for every audience, but Ito’s fans and people who are looking for an off-beat horror series will enjoy it.
A whole town gets engulfed in this spiral madness. Whether it’s alien, supernatural or just a natural phenomenon, the unfolding of never-ending circles imprints the mind of the audience. The mini-series has a total of 4 episodes with a runtime of 23 min to 33 min. but the slow pace of the series will not make it feel like a mini-series at all. Ironically the events seem kind of rushed to pack in small episodes that don’t do justice to manga. The story and plot are undeniably amazing but animation and quality of work seem compromised to deliver the final work.
Animation in the Junji Ito Collection animated series feels more impactful in terms of storytelling than Uzumaki in the 4-episode series. All in all, it’s worth watching but requires patience. As said earlier, Junji Ito’s work is not everybody’s cup of tea but it is packed with its own beauty like someone can find in cosmic horror. So if you’re looking for something eerie this weekend you can try Uzumaki!
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