Adult Swim’s long-awaited Uzumaki anime is now airing, leading a whole host of people to discover horror mangaka Junji Ito for the first time. While IGN’s Uzumaki premiere review said the anime retains most of its source material’s “twisted spirit,” Junji Ito is known for extreme levels of detail in every panel. Realistically, not all of that detail is going to make it into a four-episode anime.
Whether you’ve been hooked by the show or just want to check out one of the best horror manga to ever exist, Uzumaki is worth experiencing in its original form, especially while the 3-in-1 Deluxe Edition is over 30% off.
Uzumaki (which means “spiral” in Japanese) follows high school student Kirie Goshima as hypnotic “spiral” shapes manifest in increasingly horrifying ways across her hometown. There’s a Lovecraftian element to these looming spirals, but Uzumaki also contains some of the most disgusting imagery I’ve seen in print. In the best way possible, of course.
Junji Ito’s Uzumaki manga was originally serialized in Japanese magazine Big Comic Spirits from 1998-99. The manga received an official English translation across three volumes in the early 2000s, which led to an Eisner Award nomination in the Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material category in 2003.
VIZ Media published this hardcover Deluxe Edition of Uzumaki as a complete collection in 2010. It includes all three volumes of the original Uzumaki manga as well as several full-color splash-pages, a “Lost Chapter,” and an Afterword.
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Uzumaki may be considered one of the best Junji Ito stories, but across an almost 40-year-long career, the author has produced plenty of haunting visuals. Ahead of next week’s Target Circle Week sale and the October Amazon Prime Day, most Junji Ito manga is discounted.
Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who is always looking for the next great horror story and fantasy RPG.
