©Courtesy of Adult Swim
Do not expect much cross-promotion for this new anime series in the Guggenheim rotunda. For many viewers, the sight of any seemingly benign spiral will cause great unease, even after just one episode. As fans of Junji Ito’s cult-classic manga and the 2000 live-action adaptation directed by Higuchinsky (a.k.a. Akihiro Higuchi) knows full well, spirals in all their many manifestations exert an evil influence over the formerly sleepy provincial town of Kurouzo-cho. Two earnest high school students must watch the adults around them succumb to strangely sinister geometric forces in the four-part anime series Uzumaki, produced by Production I.G. (USA), which premieres Saturday on Adult Swim (and streams the next day on Max).
When viewed from the mountains above, Kurouzo-cho looks like a charming seaside town. However, according to Kirie Goshima’s voice-over recollections, her ambiguous pseudo-boyfriend Shuichi Saito already sensed something profoundly sinister plaguing the town. For Saito, it hit close to home, because his father is one of the first to display a bizarre obsession with Uzumaki (meaning “spiral”) forms.
Inconveniently, the town suddenly appears rife with spirals, including unusual eddies forming in the river, small freakish funnel clouds, and an influx of snails. This time around, it is Goshima’s friend, Azami Kurotani, who must deal with classmates exhibiting borderline stalker tendencies. However, the often-truant Katayama is just as slow-moving and disturbingly slimy as fans might remember from Higuchinsky’s film.
©Courtesy of Adult Swim
The dramatic black-and-white animation of the anime truly looks like the pages of Ito’s manga have (menacingly) sprung to life. The spirals hold a truly hypnotic effect over viewers, while the unlimited possibilities afforded by animation allows series director Hiroshi Nagahama to more faithfully adapt Kurotani’s subplot, which was cut from Higuchinsky’s film. Frankly, the look of the animation is so powerful, it arguably better compares to a painting like Edvard Munch’s The Scream than your average workaday horror anime.
Based on the initial episode (provided to critics for review), screenwriter Aki Itami fully captured the themes and tone of Ito’s manga. It is amazing how many recognizable elements from the film and manga are already incorporated into the first episode. Frankly, this opener almost feels like a self-contained story-arc, even though Goshima and Saito have considerably more horrors left to encounter.
Uzumaki is indeed visually stunning, while Clint Stetson’s score is eerily evocative and distinctively mournful, but never overbearing. His themes further enhance the atmosphere and the vibe, working in perfect concert with the ominous imagery.
©Courtesy of Adult Swim
Likewise, Uki Satake and Abby Trott each sound sufficiently youthful and sensitive providing Goshima’s teenaged voice, in the Japanese and English audio tracks, respectively. Yet, there is also a haunted tone to their voiceover work that aptly suits her narration, framing the terrifying events that the audience will watch unfolding, from a “had-I-only-known” perspective.
If you have boorish acquaintances who dismiss anime as mere mecha and ninjas, sit them down and force them to watch Uzumaki. The artistry shines through on every frame, but more importantly, it is profoundly scary. Indeed, it frightens us in the same way as the manga and (to a lesser extent) the 2000 film did. During every second, viewers are keenly aware something sinister is tormenting the village. Even though it clearly follows some kind of intentional design, we still never truly understand the nature of the horrors. That “unknowableness” is deeply terrifying.
Uzumaki went through a tortured development process, but it was worth the wait. October is still a few days away, but it already lays a strong claim as the best new series for this year’s Halloween season. Very highly recommended for fans of Ito and Japanese horror (in any medium), Uzumaki launches Saturday night (9/28) on Adult Stream and streams the next day on Max.
Grade: A
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Here’s the trailer of the film.