Serialized from 1998 to 1999, Uzumaki has become one of manga author Junji Ito’s most famous works. Ito is renowned for his horrific and graphic horror, often combining the beautiful with the gruesome. Even if you’re not in the anime/manga sphere, you have probably seen a panel of his work, such as the spiral girl or Tomie.
Junji Ito
Drawing from personal experience, I stumbled upon the Junji Ito Collection anime on Crunchyroll while browsing the horror genre section. I was immediately drawn to the anthological storytelling of each episode. Each story had different types of horror. However, I was surprised to see the anime’s negative reception online.
The main critique was how bad the animation was compared to the manga panels done originally by Ito. When I looked deeper, it was very clear– the animation did the source material a disservice. A lot of the terror evoked by the grisly black and white detail was erased by the colorful and not so detailed art in the animation.
UZUMAKI
The setting is a small, peaceful town in Japan.
Shuichi, the protagonist’s boyfriend, starts to notice spirals “cursing” the town. First, his father becomes obsessed with the shape. Next, things like clouds and plants start to seem to take the shape of a spiral.
Like the shape of a spiral, the story goes deeper and deeper into the madness with each chapter, with the town ending up consumed by the spiral.
Horrific things ensue, lives are lost, but the spiral continues endlessly.
Indefinite Delay
As mentioned previously, Ito’s work has a hard time being adapted into an animated format. When the new Uzumaki anime was announced in 2019 at the Crunchyroll Expo, fans expected better. The four-episode series was slated to release in Fall 2021.
In March 2021, the director of the anime announced the delay of the anime, claiming they did not want to put out mediocre work. A teaser trailer was released, containing scenes from the first episode. This adaptation translated well, maintaining the gruesome detail and the contrasting black-and-white color palette of the source material.
The comment section of the YouTube video indicates a positive and patient reception, hoping for justice for Ito’s work.
Due to the pandemic and requests for more time, the staff kept pushing the release date forward. The show would be delayed indefinitely–once even without notice–frustrating patient fans.
The show was moved from a 2021 release to a October 2022 release, then to a 2023 release, before finally premiering this September.
Fans were very excited by the extremely promising trailers. Unfortunately, the fanbase was let down yet again.
The Good, The Bad and The Mediocre
When the first episode was released, spirits were high. The studio delivered on their promises of good animation, good storytelling and a great soundtrack. The reception was positive all around.
Excitedly tuning in to the next episode, fans noticed an intense drop in quality. The series went from beautifully animated, to scenes which looked like they were animated in PowerPoint. Reportedly, the animation studios changed from the original announcement to episode one to two.
Upon checking the credits of the respective episodes, a different animation studio was credited.
Clearly, a lot happened behind the scenes leading to this unfortunately going from the most promising adaptation yet to a mediocre anime. People were confused why four episodes took over four years in production. Most details are still not public.
Despite all its flaws and a confused fanbase, the anime still ran as usual. The third episode was slightly better animation wise, and the fourth was pretty good. The anime is now rated a 6.8/10 on IMDb and a 6.08/10 on MyAnimeList. The first episode was rated 4.4/5 and the second 2.8/5.
In contrast, the manga is rated 8.16/10.
Is it Worth Watching?
Short answer: Yes.
Despite the lessened animation quality and ultimate disappointment, the storytelling was still captivating.
If you are a comic, anime or manga fan, then it is best to read the manga online or get the physical copy. The story itself is really amazing.
The manga differs from the anime. It is anthological, where every chapter is another story within the same plot. The anime condenses multiple chapters into episodes in order to allow for time constraints.
While one may not be a stickler about animation quality, in this case, it is noticeable. If you wouldn’t be able to overlook it, then just read the manga instead.
For casual viewers of something to quickly put on, it’s passable.
One main issue with the anime was the pacing, not the animation. After reading the manga, it was a bit jarring to see things from chapter eight happen in episode one. The team had to do so, in order to fit time constraints.
The soundtrack is also amazing, it was composed by Colin Stetson, who is most familiarly known for his work on the Hereditary soundtrack.
Although the anime has some big problems, the story is overall the same. And, the story is really good. It is highly recommended for casual anime viewers and horror fans who are looking to venture into something new post spooky season.
For those who actually want to get into Ito’s work or go deeper than the anime, read the manga online. You will not regret it!
Other works from Ito you won’t regret reading include: Gyo, Tomie and The Enigma of Amigara Fault.
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