5 Most Anticipated Stories For Uzumaki Anime To Anticipate

The upcoming anime adaptation of Uzumaki is all set to terrify fans. Here are 5 spine-chilling stories that bring the manga’s horror to life.

By Levin Plassery

Published on Jul 31, 2024 | 08:45 PM IST | 89.5K

Uzumaki [PC - YouTube - AdultSwim]

In this Article

1. The Spiral Obsession
2. The Snail People
3. The Scar
4. The Black Lighthouse
5. The Umbilical Cord

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Uzumaki manga

Trigger Warning: This article also contains mentions references to body horror

Uzumaki is undoubtedly Junji Ito’s most popular work. The manga appeared as a serial in Shogakukan’s weekly seinen manga magazine, Big Comic Spirits from 1998 to 1999. The series tells the story of the residents of Kurouzu, a fictional city that is plagued by a supernatural curse involving spirals.

The anime is set to release on September 28, 2024, and will be available on Adult Swim. The anticipation for an anime was high since the manga left a mark on the horror genre. Some of the panels from the manga made a lot of stomach churn, in context to how gruesome they were. And that’s just Junji Ito at his best. Here’s a look at 5 stories from the manga that we cannot wait to see on-screen.

1. The Spiral Obsession

In a preview released by Adult Swim, we get to see that the adaptation by Studio Drive has accurately portrayed the horror from the manga panels. The story begins with Kirie Goshima and her boyfriend, Shuichi Saito noticing strange whirpool/spiral patterns appear all around them. From the wind to the water in the canals, there seems to be no end to these patterns which seem harmless.

Shuichi mentions that his father has started acting strangely and doesn't leave his study room anymore. He sits there all day obsessing over spirals and also becomes one of the first ones in the manga to succumb to them. We are super excited to see how this horror unfolds, especially considering Shuichi will be the first to witness it.

Uzumaki [PC - YouTube - AdultSwim]

2. The Snail People

You may have noticed that the shells of snails have a spiral shape to them, the perfect source of inspiration for Junji Ito. He takes it a step further by turning high school students into snails. The horror unfolds slowly as day by day, each student slowly turns into a human-size shape. Not only the students, but their teacher too became a shelled gastropod.

The site of seeing them evolve into inhuman creatures is not for everyone. In one panel, the snails are even mating, and one wonders how this will be adapted into the anime. Combined with the eerie atmosphere of the school and the reactions of everyone, this will be an interesting watch.

Uzumaki [PC - YouTube - AdultSwim]

3. The Scar

In this story, a girl named Azami has a peculiar-shaped scar on her forehead that seems to have a life of its own. The scar soon begins growing and Shuichi warns her that it is a spiral but she pays no heed to his cries. As the story progresses, the scar keeps growing bigger and bigger, and eventually eats Azami and she disappears without a single trace.

In one panel, the scar eats her friend Okada. Azami’s half-spiral face is nightmare fuel and we hope the anime adaptation does justice to it. The panel in which Azami’s left eye is sucked into the spiral is one of the most well-known parts of the manga.

Uzumaki [PC - YouTube - AdultSwim]

4. The Black Lighthouse

Imagine after being abandoned for several years, a lighthouse suddenly starts to light up again. In the manga, those who get caught in the light beam start walking in circles endlessly. In one panel, Kirie’s brother's friends run toward the lighthouse and enter it. They discover corpses inside the tower.

As they make their way to the top, they see a giant melted circle shaped like a spiral, which seems to be the source of light. In one panel, Mitsuo’s friend is being burnt alive, which won’t be a pretty sight in the anime adaption. Also, we are excited to see the depiction of the big spiral circle in the anime.

Uzumaki [PC - YouTube - AdultSwim]

5. The Umbilical Cord

One of the most gruesome and intense stories revolves around a pregnant woman and her unborn child who are affected by the spirals. As one can imagine, her pregnancy takes a horrific turn when the umbilical cord starts forming into spiral shapes. The anime adaption of this pure horror and disturbing imagery will have an intense emotional impact.

The anime will need to capture the raw, unsettling nature of the mother’s experience, and bring Ito’s vision of those panels to life. If the adaptation succeeds in capturing the essence of the manga, it may set new standards for the horror genre in anime. Stay tuned for more news on similar works of Junji Ito.

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