With October in full swing, you might be looking for some of the best horror movies to stream. But outside of the classics and the spooky new movies, one of the best streaming services just released a contender for my favorite horror series of the year, a perfect adaptation of Junji Ito's manga. Uzumaki. After being disappointed by the 2000 film (which is available on Prime Video in the US and Shudder in the UK), it's refreshing to finally see it done properly.
Uzumaki: spiral into horror is a four-part adaptation of the frankly massive manga that takes you deep just from the first episode. The show airs on Max and Adult Swim in the US and on Channel 4 in the UK. He wastes no time establishing this terrifying world, where the citizens of the city of Kurouzu-cho are plagued by spirals. As surreal as the concept is, it grabs you immediately, with this obsession and paranoia around spirals that resemble those of a disease. People are terrified, to the point that really crazy things happen. It's sandy, it's darkand Max is really conveying that tone, especially when you look at DC's success. the penguinwhat we compare with The Sopranos, and rightly so.
I was also pleased to discover that even people who had never read the manga could get hooked. My partner watched the first episode with me and has since been interested in tuning in when it airs each week and, ironically, we found ourselves just as interested in the spirals as the people on the screen. With less horrible things happening, of course.
Junji Ito's lines come to life on screen
To me, the most surprising thing of all is how impressive it is to see. It's the reason the manga grabbed me too, I found myself desperate to turn to the next page to see what horrible, yet beautifully drawn, thing would greet me this time, and watching the TV adaptation is no different. Following the original black and white design, it's like watching a moving version of the manga. This is exactly where the movie failed, in my opinion, because it was a live-action version of the story in color and it just didn't work. Ito's terrifying world is best when it's devoid of any color, I say let's keep it that way.
The art is beautiful. It's also the worst thing you'll ever see. I have omitted some of the really horrible images so as not to spoil it. If you've already read the manga, you'll no doubt anticipate certain famous moments, and even when I knew what was about to happen, I still felt embarrassed. From transformations to mutations to people suffering psychotic breaks due to spirals, nothing can fully prepare you for it. If you're wondering, yes, it's even worse when it's animated.
Uzumaki It's been in the works for a long time and I'm glad they spent so much time making it as faithful to the source material as possible. There's little point in digressing too far when Ito has told us such a great story. It's right up there with some of the best anime shows you'll ever see.
When you're done here, there will also be plenty of other spooky deals to sink your teeth into. I also recommend James Wan's. Teacup and some of these indie horror games (Lamb Worship It's my favorite!) But until then, please step into the horrible world of Uzumaki. You won't regret it.