Uzumaki is a manga that instantly intrigued me as I began reading. By the time I reached the end of the first chapter, I was hooked, slapped with a whirlwind of spiraling emotions, consisting mostly of shock, bemusement, and joy at the sheer insanity and perversion depicted on the pages before me. What a fantastic introduction to what would become the first horror manga I have ever read.
Having a spiral as a horror motif is a fun idea, and Ijo’s interpretation of how this might manifest and unfold throughout a town and its unsuspecting inhabitants is remarkable. Each chapter brings with it its own bizarre picture of what spiral-induced terror might look like, that is as macabre as it is delightful, delivering a story that can keep you excited at all points and milestone, thanks to its continuous originality.
*The accompaning dark and gritty artwork just makes it that much better, with a style that is extremely likable, and a clear product of late 90s manga, with no signs of the super stylized and cookie cutter approaches that have been dominant in the industry post 2010. Ijo draws fantastic expressions of derangement, horror and madness with all his characters, not to mention the town itself, which becomes a vessel for the spiral and a memorable character in its own right as it goes through its own visual transformation.
The first chapter featuring the obsessed father was my favorite, but the Snails and their eventual appeal as food was equally hilarious and depraved. The rearrangement of the towns architectural layout into a giant spiral labyrinth, that eventually consumes the individuals within, was a brilliant concept, and one of the many great moments in the final chapters that contributed to the strong and satisfying ending.
Some of the middle chapters did feel a little underwhelming, particularly the jack in the box and mosquito stories, which despite having some of the most twisted artwork in the book, felt somewhat forced and over the top, coming at a period when more character and story development would have been appreciated and would likely have enhanced the overall pacing and narrative.
I found the character's storytelling and dialogue to also be somewhat disappointing, mostly because their actions and responses to the unfolding events lacked believability and depth. They felt one-dimensional and were almost trapped in a looping emotional state as they went through one spiral madness after another. You would expect them to try to uncover what was happening, discuss the absurdness, flee the town, or maybe warn others, but no. There are numerous responses that would feel natural and appropriate given the circumstances; however, the characters instead reacted with a sense of nonchalance and more or less reset emotionally at the beginning of each new chapter.
It is likely that Ijo intended his characters to serve primarily as vehicles for the central horror rather than as fully developed entities within a complex story, however I'll argue that incorporating genuine human context and emotional responses would enhance the tension and depth of the genre. The later chapters do provide some of this, such as the arrival of battleships from the outside world to investigate the town, which reinforces a sense of hopelessness, as well as the attempt to flee over the mountains while protecting the younger brother. It would have been nice to see more of this worked in throughout the story from the beggining, leaving us perhaps with something as memorable and impactful as the artwork.
VERDICT
Uzumaki will stay with you for months after reading it. How could it not? It's a one of a kind horror manga that uses brilliant dark artistry to conjure up bizarre and grotesque illustrations thats pack immediate emotional response. The characters may be somewhat shallow and the lack of a proper overarching story prevent it from pushing deep into the 80’s, but considering this is a short manga, the author has done a phenomenal job at creating something iconic and one that I am excited to read again in the near future.
RATING BREAKDOWN
Story
Visuals:
87
Characters:
BONUS
Originality
FINAL