![**[Uzumaki] Spoiler Review! A Masterpiece of Horror Manga Blending Beauty and Terror**](https://hyper-manga-diffusion-club.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_5875.jpg)
This time, I’d like to introduce Uzumaki, a horror manga by my favorite, Junji Ito.
Immerse yourself in this masterpiece where beauty and eeriness blend into a chaotic horror experience!
- People who enjoy unknowable, mysterious horror
- People who like beautiful protagonists
- People who appreciate gloomy and unsettling depictions of towns
[Uzumaki] Spoiler Review! A Masterpiece of Horror Manga Blending Beauty and Terror
| Author | Junji Ito |
| Publisher | Shogakukan |
| Serialized in | Big Comic Spirits |
| Publication Period | 1998年〜1999年 |
| 1998–1999 | 3 (Complete) |
Kirie Goshima, a high school girl, is on her way to the station to meet Shuichi Saito, who attends a neighboring town’s high school. Along the way, she notices Shuichi’s father sitting in an alley, staring intently at a wall. He seems completely unaware of Kirie’s greeting, his gaze fixed on the shell of a snail stuck to the wall…
A master of unique horror, Junji Ito weaves a bizarre and eerie world of fear in this spine-chilling masterpiece!
Citation: Shogakukan eComic Store
The protagonist, Kirie Goto, is a high school girl living in the cursed town of Kurozucho, where a series of eerie, spiral-themed supernatural events begin to occur around her. The father of her boyfriend, mesmerized by the spiral, contorts his own body into a spiral shape and dies. Witnessing this, her mother, who develops a fear of spirals, goes insane and eventually dies. Even the smoke from the crematorium spirals and gets sucked into the pond of Kurozucho…
In this way, all the bizarre phenomena are triggered by the spiral, pulling people into a terrifying whirlpool, making this a horror manga about spirals.
The astonishing creativity and power of expression.
I couldn’t help but feel envious of the extraordinary creativity behind such an outlandish story, something that would never come to the mind of an average person. While it’s possible to imagine people captivated by the spiral, the twisted individual who breaks their own bones to contort their body into a spiral shape is beyond the reach of the average person. Let alone being able to visualize or depict it. Truly, Junji Ito is a genius…!!
Moreover, the expression of the twisted person is incredible. Though I’ve never witnessed it firsthand, there’s a certain quality in the expression that makes you feel like this is how people in real life look when they’ve crossed a line. The terrifying realism embedded in the artwork is enough to send shivers down your spine. (And I also love the confused expression of those looking on coldly.)
And, of course, we can’t talk about Junji Ito without mentioning the beauty of his female characters. You rarely see such a beautiful protagonist. Absolutely amazing!!
The anime of Uzumaki was also really great!
Related to this, there’s an anime called UZUMAKI: Animated TV Series, which is exclusively available on Netflix. It’s a black-and-white anime, so it feels like the manga is coming to life, offering a fresh experience. It provides a different kind of horror compared to the manga, and I really enjoyed it.
The structure is slightly different from the manga, but the quality and the distinct “Ito-ism” are so strong that it doesn’t even matter. It’s a great work, so if you have the chance, I highly recommend watching UZUMAKI: Animated TV Series.
Summary
So, this time I introduced my beloved horror manga Uzumaki. It’s an exquisite horror manga that allows you to fully appreciate the genius of Junji Ito. If you’ve been curious about it, I highly recommend giving it a read.
