Adaptations of Uzumaki and Japanese horror icon Junji Ito’s work, in general, have been a mixed bag. Between Netflix’s one-shot anthology series of many of his stories in Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre and a live-action Uzumaki, these projects have left fans wanting more. Unlike most adaptations of popular manga, translating Ito’s unsettling and horrific imagery into moving pictures is a real struggle. Junji Ito’s horror stories have a profound impact as still images on a page, but it’s clear that translating his works into a live-action movie or anime isn’t the most straightforward process. The art style and imaginative cruelty of Ito’s bibliography are unmatched, and it’s a shame that no project has been able to truly capture the full essence of his work… until now.
Uzumaki is now being brought to life in a collaboration involving Production I.G. (Terminator Zero, Ghost in the Shell) and Adult Swim with a brand new 4-part animated series. The anime tells the story of Kirie Goshima and her boyfriend, Shuichi Saito, as they begin to experience unsettling, terrible things and supernatural events in their small town of Kurouzu-Cho. Some of the town’s inhabitants start to develop obsessions or phobias related to spirals (hence where the franchise gets its name of Uzumaki, Japanese for “spiral”), which slowly creep up everywhere in subtle and prominent ways. The first episode of the Adult Swim series washes away any immediate concerns about being a faithful adaptation of the classic manga, as I.G. & Drive have crafted a stunning and mesmerizing anime that fully incorporates the ominous nature of the manga in all facets of its production.
Directed by Hiroshi Nagahama (Mushishi, Detroit Metal City), it’s abundantly clear within the first few minutes of Adult Swim’s Uzumaki that this will be a superbly creepy anime series. The animation work is overseen by Production I.G and done by Drive Animation Studio, which looks like a cacophony of different techniques, using rotoscoped work and traditional 2D animation with a slight touch of CG added in to make movements feel hyperrealistic. However, the scenery and characters feel surreal. In keeping with the look of the Japanese manga, Adult Swim’s adaptation is almost entirely devoid of color, using only black and white to tell the story of a town gone mad with spiraling horrors. The hybrid animation style, paired with Colin Stetson‘s music, creates a truly immersive experience, bringing demented strings and slow-tempo music that makes the unease creep up on the viewer.
While this new anime’s visual look and technical production feel like a Junji Ito manga come to life, there are some issues with the storytelling. Given that this is a four-part series adapting an over 600-page horror manga, it’s no surprise that some narrative threads would be condensed and some other moments clumped together. However, Junji Ito’s manga is as revered and celebrated as it is because of the pacing and structure of its story. In the first episode alone, several inciting and disturbing incidents are wrapped together to tell one cohesive story. Unfortunately, when the body horror and spirals begin to shine, these scenes lose some of their impact due to some interactions between characters being either shortened or straight-up removed from the plot.
Thankfully, the voice performances from both the Japanese and English dubs of the anime help to make up for the shortened segments. Abby Trott (Demon Slayer) delivers an excellent performance as Karie Goshima, giving a sense of innocence that bounces well off Robbie Daymond (Jujutsu Kaisen) as her boyfriend Shuichi, who gives a much more intense voice performance that accentuates the horror of Uzumaki. The Uzumaki manga had an incredibly strong start with the story of Shuichi and his father’s obsession with spirals, meaning that this anime adaptation had a lot riding on whoever portrayed the instability of the character. The initial interest hinges on this first horrific story, and thankfully, Aaron LaPlante (Genndy Tartatovsky’s Primal) does a spectacular job voice acting as Shuichi’s father, which really sells the obsession and eventual downward spiral into madness.
Cristina Vee, as Azami Kurotani, also has some fun in a creative and twisted segment in the first episode. Much like in the manga, the spiral curse finds new and imaginative ways to destroy the human body, and Azami’s segment most reflects that when the small crescent scar she’s always had on her forehead evolves into a spiraling black hole. The sound design, animation, and musical score all combine to create grisly sequences worth the buildup throughout the episode.
Adult Swim’s Uzumaki also cleverly engrosses audiences in the mystery of the spiral pattern that haunts the town with subtle details in its animation. There are plenty of spiral patterns to point out in the background of scenes, occasionally even making them slightly move. The creative inclusion of less obvious imagery helps to make the viewer all the more immersed in the mystery. Color Director Hirohito Umezaki and Art Directors Takeshi Sato and Rie Oda make the most of the black-and-white art direction, making certain moments feel like a classical horror film.
Despite some struggles adapting the ambitious story of the horror manga, Adult Swim’s Uzumaki anime series is still an inspired effort. While there have been attempts at live-action Uzumaki movies, as previously mentioned, it’s evident that Ito’s work is best suited to the medium of animation. Although some extensive cuts were made to scenes that could have been horrifying in the anime, there’s a palpable level of respect and dedication to the source material. From watching the first episode, fans can understand why the series had a 3-year delay after being announced in 2021. The Drive & Production I.G. team took their time to create a riveting horror anime that somewhat lives up to the iconic manga’s reputation. Uzumaki on Adult Swim is the long-awaited adaptation fans have been waiting for.
Uzumaki Premieres on September 28 on Adult Swim and streams the next day on Max!
Premiere Date: September 28, 2024.
Created by Junji Ito.
Based on Uzumaki: Spiral Into Horror by Junji Ito.
Executive Producer: Jason DeMarco.
English Voice Cast: Abby Trott, Robbie Daymond, Cristina Vee, Doug Stone, Aaron LaPlante, Mona Marshall, & Max Mittleman.
Composer: Colin Stetson.
Production Companies: Production I.G., Drive, Williams Street.
Episode Count: 4.
