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songwind's review against another edition
3.0
I read this series (only putting in one review) after hearing them mentioned online.
The visual design is very striking and creepy. I found the facial expressions particularly effective in setting the mood and evoking response.
The storytelling, however, needs some work. The foreshadowing is a bit heavy handed in spots, robbing the horror elements of a lot of their punch when revealed. Also, I feel like the story went on too long. By the end of the story, I was no longer shocked on uncertain as yet another bizarre thing happened. It was like a whole season of Twilight Zone having the same setting and theme.
By the end, it had changed from horror to more bizarre, but was still good.
The visual design is very striking and creepy. I found the facial expressions particularly effective in setting the mood and evoking response.
The storytelling, however, needs some work. The foreshadowing is a bit heavy handed in spots, robbing the horror elements of a lot of their punch when revealed. Also, I feel like the story went on too long. By the end of the story, I was no longer shocked on uncertain as yet another bizarre thing happened. It was like a whole season of Twilight Zone having the same setting and theme.
By the end, it had changed from horror to more bizarre, but was still good.
shalini_gunnasan's review against another edition
5.0
This review is for the entire series.
Uzumaki is truly visceral horror, body horror so extreme you feel nauseous. It isn't even splatterpunk and there's little gore, but it's very distressing just the same. I couldn't even look at swirly for a couple of days after reading this. True to Ito's style, there is never any hope, and all we can do is watch everything crumble so very, very slowly. Be glad this is a work of fiction... or IS IT?
Uzumaki is truly visceral horror, body horror so extreme you feel nauseous. It isn't even splatterpunk and there's little gore, but it's very distressing just the same. I couldn't even look at swirly for a couple of days after reading this. True to Ito's style, there is never any hope, and all we can do is watch everything crumble so very, very slowly. Be glad this is a work of fiction... or IS IT?
analyticalchaos's review against another edition
3.0
Junji Ito's Uzumaki: Spiral Into Horror begins with a bang. The town of Kurozocho has always had strange air to it. Suddenly, residents of Kurozocho fall into unexplainable obsessions with spirals. Kirie Goshima, a high school student, is the witness to these strange obsessions. Her boyfriend is adamant she leaves town with him to get away from the paranormal activity. Kirie is disbelieving, yet as the story goes on, the spirals are unavoidable...
Ito's art is truly horrifying. His exquisite shading and precision in detail brings the character's fear to life. When character expressions are shown, Ito's soft line work makes the facial features hauntingly realistic.
While the plot was engaging, the character development of the protagonist left much to be desired. Kirie had no motivations besides her relationship with her boyfriend and her father. Often, decisions that Kirie made had little rhyme or reason. It felt as if Kirie was a shell for the narrative and not her own character.
TW: bodily horror, blood, self-harm, death
Ito's art is truly horrifying. His exquisite shading and precision in detail brings the character's fear to life. When character expressions are shown, Ito's soft line work makes the facial features hauntingly realistic.
While the plot was engaging, the character development of the protagonist left much to be desired. Kirie had no motivations besides her relationship with her boyfriend and her father. Often, decisions that Kirie made had little rhyme or reason. It felt as if Kirie was a shell for the narrative and not her own character.
TW: bodily horror, blood, self-harm, death
auslyn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
moritaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
sleepingnerd's review against another edition
4.0
I came here for the "what the fuck" and that's what I got. This is creepy at every turn, the atmosphere dense and the images disturbing. Every chapter is like a short story conected to the same theme, and while I admit I would like more of a single story, it's certainly done well. Although, I do wonder if it will keep being like an anthology, or if there's gonna be a plot that encompasses it all.
I never thought I could be be scared of spirals, but damn.
I never thought I could be be scared of spirals, but damn.