A review by chazaiya
Uzumaki by Junji Ito

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

while, yes, dark and deeply unsettling, i think people are undercutting just how funny this story can be. there is an undertone of anxiety that permeates the whole thing, and certain chapters are greatly disturbing (the first two chapters and hospital section stand out to me as easily the most horrifying parts), but as the story progresses and the town sinks further into the spiral the scenarios get more and more absurd. like the whole snail thing? i was laughing my ass off that entire chapter. and those kids blowing away houses like a gang of big bad wolves? they say comedy and horror are closely interlinked, i find a lot of what happens here to be a perfect example of that relationship.
story-wise for most of the run it's alright. it goes through a new scenario every chapter with a new horrifying idea relating to spirals. it's cool how creative Ito gets with how exactly he can make something as simple as a spiral scary. but the real greatness of this work starts to show in the later chapters once Chie enters. at this point the story has more structure to it and Ito is writing not purely for the sake of being scary but to reach a logical conclusion. those last few chapters are incredible. 
and needless to say Junji Ito is masterful with his art and how he uses it for worldbuilding. the way he uses his pen draw such unnerving figures and settings is unlike anything i've seen. 
it's good. i get why people praise Ito so highly for this. i might check out some of his other multi-chapter stories like Tomie or Gyo. i'm particularly interested in his adaptation of No Longer Human, so maybe that next.
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