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Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror (Manga)
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Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror (Manga)Posted:

Zesri
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Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror

Written and illustrated by Junji Ito

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Kurozuchou, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is cursed. According to Shuichi Saito, the withdrawn boyfriend of teenager Kirie Goshima, their town is haunted not by a person or being but by a pattern: uzumaki, the spiral, the hypnotic secret shape of the world. It manifests itself in small ways: seashells, ferns, whirlpools in water, whirlwinds in air. And in large ways: the spiral marks on people's bodies, the insane obsessions of Shuichi's father, the voice from the cochlea in your inner ear. As the madness spreads, the inhabitants of Kurouzu-cho are pulled ever deeper, as if into a whirlpool from which there is no return...

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I was looking online for some images to turn into new avatars when I stumbled across some art from a manga that was drawn by Junji Ito. His art caught my attention. Since I really liked his style, I decided to check up on some of his work and I found a manga called Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror. The synopsis sounded interesting so I decided to read it.

To me, the overall story was enjoyable. Right from the beginning when you first start reading, you can tell that things are strange within the town where the whole manga takes place. It gets right to the point. The first chapter itself is already extremely disturbing (in a good way, I guess) and things only get weirder from there. Shit goes from weird obsessions with spiral patterns to humans twisting their bodies, humans turning into giant snails, cannibalism and babies being put back into their mother's stomachs. wtf, Japan. Anyway, almost every chapter presents itself in its own twisted events that may seem to be full of plot holes and don't really connect to the other chapters, but at the end of the manga, it should all make somewhat sense. There are some parts (whirlwind gangs, lmao) that are so dumb that it actually starts to get funny. Sure, there are still some minor plot holes that would've been nice to see established in the end, but it shouldn't really affect the enjoyment of the manga. Also, at the end of the volumes, there are these "short funny stories" about the author himself (Junji Ito), finding out the mysteries of the spirals. They're nice to read, especially after reading a volume of Uzumaki.

As for the art, everything about Junji Ito's art style is beautiful. The way he incorporates spirals into nature, architect and the human body is really pleasant and trippy to look at. The way things are dark, shaded and detailed really sets that good horror mood, imo. Some of the scenes are so nasty that it just makes you wanna continue reading to see more of that good shit. Here's some examples from the manga so you know what I'm talking about.

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The manga is 3 volumes long with a total of 19 chapters. So if you're interested in reading it, which I suggest if horror manga (or horror in general) interest you, it shouldn't take too long to complete. This manga is for sure not for everyone. Also, unlike other manga, instead of reading from right to left, it's reversed. I don't know why it's like that, but it's not something that really matters, though. I thought I'd just mention it as well.

And for those who have read this manga before --

What did you think of it?

Did you enjoy it?

The following 6 users thanked Zesri for this useful post:

WoodsfIame (01-30-2018), Tasty (12-16-2017), 9nty (06-25-2017), Activez- (06-25-2017), Ethan (06-24-2017), RepBandit (06-24-2017)
#2. Posted:
Activez-
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Read the first chapter and I have to say... It is extremely odd lol. I'll continue reading it and edit my post on what I think of it again.


Okay, that was the weirdest shit I've read. Wasn't a real big fan on how it ended. I honesty have no words for it.
#3. Posted:
9nty
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Yeah I enjoyed reading this for the first time reading a anime topic before. This is all new to me, thought why not read your topic while the site is dead. The story get bit weird lets be honest - to "twisted bodies" to "humans turning into giant snails" It gets weird fast and you think to yourself do you really wanna read more as you've read what I've read.....no Manga is new to me as well. I may read about Manga and what's about. It's interesting.

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#4. Posted:
Tasty
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Hey man, I saw you linked this old thread, so I checked it out. I agree I love the art style, its beautiful. I might give the first one a read if I find a good copy online
#5. Posted:
WoodsfIame
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I read this years ago and I still remember it vividly. I'm 90% certain the creator was on LSD at some point in their life. XD Overall I thought it was a great read, if only for humor's sake.
#6. Posted:
Zesri
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WoodsfIame wrote I read this years ago and I still remember it vividly. I'm 90% certain the creator was on LSD at some point in their life. XD Overall I thought it was a great read, if only for humor's sake.

lmao.

It was a great read, indeed.

Also, there's a Junji Ito anime that's currently airing this season. It's called [ Register or Signin to view external links. ] . It adapts a lot of his shorter works, but I don't think Uzumaki is included, sadly. Anyway, it's definitely, umm... Interesting. If you have time, you should give it a watch. EP1 wasn't that great, but it gets better after that.
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