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The Horror Of The Spiral In Junji Ito’s Uzumaki
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The Horror Of The Spiral In Junji Ito’s Uzumaki

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Patterns occur throughout nature. They may appear random but can be explained by physical or chemical reasons. In Junji Ito’s Uzumaki, the master of horror manga takes the idea of patterns, in particular the spiral, and makes them a frightening phenomenon. One that goes into unexpected territory and is not always explainable.

Uzumaki is set in the Japanese seaside town of Kurouzu-cho. It appears to be a quaint little town nestled between the mountains and a lighthouse. However, more sinister things are at play, with the town “contaminated with spirals”. This contamination is hinted at from the first page, hidden in plain view as one of the central characters looks over the town. It can be seen in the blades of grass rolling into spiral shapes and the Vincent van Gogh-inspired clouds. Little does everyone know that the spiral-based horrors will escalate as they twist and turn their way throughout the series.

Uzumaki hardcover by Junji Ito.
Uzumaki hardcover by Junji Ito.

Junji Ito structures the series, spanning over 20 chapters, starting with episodic elements. Each chapter is another weird spiral-based occurrence. These usually happen to someone in the lives of teenagers Kirie and Shuichi. It begins with family members but soon expands to people at school and eventually the town. After a while, an overarching story begins to flesh out and takes over in the back half of the series. The episodic nature of Uzumaki works because it allows Ito to explore different variations of spiral-based horror. Most of these are successful, with only one example involving a vampire-like element being a bit of a stretch on the concept.

Uzumaki uses psychological horror, a common thread throughout much of Junji Ito’s catalogue, to explore obsession. These often begin small: collecting objects with spirals on them, the creative drive of an artist, and the infatuation for a boy, to name a few. However, the intensity escalates to the point that the obsession becomes detrimental. For instance, collecting spiral objects takes over one man’s life. He sits in a room filled with them and examines his trinkets all day. After his wife throws his collection away, he goes to extreme lengths to warp his body to mimic a spiral. Ito’s exploration into obsession never has a happy ending. Instead, it gets under the reader’s skin as they witness this erratic behaviour taken to a horrifying conclusion. Turning human nature into a something grotesque.

Uzumaki page by Junji Ito.
Uzumaki page by Junji Ito.

Staying in psychological horror territory, Ito is also interested in exploring human nature in a crisis. A string of weird disasters hit the town in the latter half. Ito uses this scenario to explore how people react in those situations: whether they look out for one another or take more extreme actions to survive. It’s a smaller element of the series overall – leading to at least one unnerving moment – but one that adds extra dimensions to the manga series. Ito revisits these themes in more depth with Remina a few years later.

Ito’s signature body horror is also littered throughout Uzumaki, with the series having some of his best examples. Bodies are contorted and transformed in ways inspired by the spiral pattern through various scenarios. Without getting into spoiler territory or too graphic, there are snail-based transformations, bending of limbs in ways they’re not meant to, and surreal warping of bodies. Ito builds up to them in most situations, using them as the crescendo to a story. A pay-off for a fright that’s been bubbling away for 20-something pages. Other times, the body horror will be sprung on you when you’re least expected – such as after a page turn.

Art from Uzumaki by Junji Ito.
Art from Uzumaki by Junji Ito.

These are often shocking due to their unexpected nature. However, Ito’s illustrations do a lot of the heavy lifting. These bodily horrors are not for the squeamish. Ito will dedicate three-quarters to a full page – even a two-page spread on the rare occasion – to a horrifying reveal. Additional hatching and cross-hatching are applied to the page with that extra real estate. As a result of this extra detail, Ito is trying to make the spiral-based horrors look as real as possible to shock the reader. While it’s not like you’re looking at a photograph, these have far more detail than other parts of the story – making them feel more alive. Due to this, many images from this manga (plus other Junji Ito works) have been circulating online for more than 20 years, helping build Ito’s reputation worldwide.

Uzumaki lives up to its reputation as being one of the best Junji Ito stories. It unnerves and shocks readers by offering up imaginative, intense, and shocking scenarios couched in psychological and body horror. These are supported through a slow escalation, peaking with a visually dense and detailed surprise. It will keep readers on their toes and burn some warped imagery into their minds.

Uzumaki can be found at all good comic book shops, online retailers, eBay, and Amazon/Kindle.

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