When viewed from the mountains above, Kurouzo-cho looks like a charming seaside town. However, according to Kirie Goshima\u2019s 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 \u201cspiral\u201d) forms.<\/p>\r\n
<\/ins>\u00a0 \u00a9Courtesy of Adult Swim\u00a0
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\u2019s 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\u2019s film.<\/p>\r\n![\"Uzumaki\"](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Uzumaki1.png\")
\u00a9Courtesy of Adult Swim\u00a0
The dramatic black-and-white animation of the anime truly looks like the pages of Ito\u2019s 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\u2019s subplot, which was cut from Higuchinsky\u2019s film. Frankly, the look of the animation is so powerful, it arguably better compares to a painting like Edvard Munch’s\u00a0The Scream<\/strong>\u00a0than 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\u2019s 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<\/strong> is indeed visually stunning, while Colin Stetson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\r\n![\"Uzumaki\"](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Uzumaki2.png\")
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Likewise, Uki Satake and Abby Trott each sound sufficiently youthful and sensitive providing Goshima\u2019s 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 \u201chad-I-only-known\u201d perspective.
If you have boorish acquaintances who dismiss anime as mere mecha and ninjas, sit them down and force them to watch\u00a0Uzumaki.<\/strong>\u00a0The 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 \u201cunknowableness\u201d is deeply terrifying.
Uzumaki<\/strong>\u00a0went 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\u2019s Halloween season. Very highly recommended for fans of Ito and Japanese horror (in any medium),\u00a0Uzumaki<\/strong>\u00a0launches Saturday night (9\/28) on Adult Stream and streams the next day on Max.<\/p>\r\n
Grade: A<\/p>\r\n