When I was first recommended the manga “Uzumaki,” written by prolific author and illustrator Junji Ito, by my boyfriend, I did not at first know what to expect.
It was the first time that I had read a manga, a Japanese graphic novel and/or comic book, and it was of a genre I do not often gravitate towards- horror.
Despite being hesitant at first, I decided to stick with it due to the passionate nature of not only my boyfriend’s reviews, but seemingly all that read either “Uzumaki” or other of Ito’s work.
As I kept reading and eventually finished the novel, I realized that not only was it far beyond what I had anticipated, but also far beyond what my imagination could have ever dreamt up.
From riding tornados, to people transforming into snails, “Uzumaki” takes creativity to a whole new level. Not only this, but the illustrations of the manga are stuff that one would associate with nightmares. I found myself unable to stop myself from flipping through the pages, not only with a sense of urgency, but also with a sense of fear of what body horror Ito may have placed on the pages of his novel.
The story follows Kirie Goshima as she recounts the strange occurrences throughout her town of Kurouzu-cho, all seemingly revolving around the spiral shapes that become a normal sight in her small town.
Said occurrences that unfold are beyond terrifying in nature, with each chapter seeming that the curse that the town is under is not only never ending, but unable to be broken. Throughout the novel one sees insanity, fear and perseverance towards this curse where it terrorizes the town and takes its citizens down with it.
As I researched more about not only the novel, but about Ito himself, I learned that he himself is often the one that pokes fun at his work, knowing it is often camp and almost comical in nature if not for the crazed horror within the pages.
Moreover, I found it undoubtedly impressive that the entire plot of “Uzumaki” was dreamt of due to spirals being of good fortune in Japanese culture, but Ito decided to reverse the trope and belief and make it his own. Even more so impressive, “Uzumaki” is sometimes seen as Ito’s more tame work, incredibly surprising seeing as I sometimes had to put the book down after some of the graphics.
As someone that has never read a manga but is fond of horror novels, I would strongly recommend people who are also interested in anything terror to look into not only “Uzumaki,” but also other of Ito’s work.
