I love Junji Ito, and I love what is arguably his magnum opus, Uzumaki. I said as such in my lead-up to the four-episode series, which is currently airing on Adult Swim and MAX in weekly increments, and I’ll say it again. I love Uzumaki!
And yet, as much as I wish I could say that this new anime is perfect, I still feel that while I love it for the most part, there are a few things about it that still leave much to be desired. Come, stare into the abyss with me for a little while?
Love: The Music
I love anime, especially if it’s dark like my beloved Attack on Titan. That said, most of the anime that I enjoy is action-packed, which lends itself to having super rousing music.
Take, for example, Attack on Titan again. I wrote a whole article ranking the various intros to the show, and a major determinant for my placement of each season was the music. That’s why Season 2’s intro had to be number one, as “Shinzou wo Sadageyo” is just impossible to beat.
However, Uzumaki is the antithesis of rousing. This is a story that creeps up on you and leaves you unsettled for long stretches at a time. It’s a story that would lose its value if it had anything like the kind of songs you’d hear on Dragon Ball Z, or any other classic anime.
So, I was kind of worried about what kind of music they would use for Uzumaki. Thankfully, my worries were assuaged, as they got the perfect composer in Colin Stetson to score the soundtrack.
Stetson is probably most known for working with bands like Arcade Fire, and Bon Iver, but is also revered for his work in movies like Hereditary, as well as on the video game, Red Dead Redemption 2.
As a saxophonist and multireedist, Stetson employs an almost dreamlike quality to the score that is both lulling, but also maddening. It perfectly matches the images on the screen, and I don’t think I can ever read the manga again without hearing Stetson’s riveting score in my head. It’s perfect.
Don’t Love: The Dub Leaves A Little To Be Desired
Now, I’m biased. When it comes to sub vs. dub, I will side with sub 100% of the time. That’s because sub is better than dub (and you’re never going to convince me otherwise).
So I’m definitely not the best person to critique the dubbed version of Uzumaki since I think the subtitled version is magnificent, and the characters sound just as I imagined they would in their native Nihongo.
But, the dubbed version… well, I will say this: it’s not bad. In fact, I think it might be one of the better dub jobs that I’ve heard in a long time. However, I don’t know if, “It’s not bad” is the most ringing endorsement. Because I feel like something is lost when you hear somebody speaking in English in this very Japanese story.
Also, I feel like a lot of newcomers won’t even bother going to the options to switch over to the subtitled version. That’s a real shame. But what do I know? I’m just another subtitle snob. You might feel entirely differently if you happen to prefer dub over sub.
Love: The Strict Adherence To The Source Material
There are people out there who judge a movie adaptation solely on how slavishly it sticks to the source material. Now, I’m not one of those people. In fact, I actually prefer when the movie is better than the book. That’s because if I already read the book, then why the heck would I want to experience it again on the big (or small) screen if nothing’s changed?
Well, you’re in luck if you’re one of those people who wants nothing changed, as this anime sticks very closely to the source material. It's almost to the extent that I could actually tell people to skip the manga altogether and just watch the show, as they’re almost identical.
This is actually quite appreciated. I’ve been telling people to check out Uzumaki ever since I first read it, but I know a lot of them won’t read it since they haven’t cracked open a book since high school.
But Uzumaki, being such a direct adaptation, allows people who may not have given the manga a shot an opportunity to finally experience it, which makes me so happy. They’re going to get the real deal, and I love that for them.
Don’t Love: The Strict Adherence To The Source Material
Yes, you read that right. I know I just said that the strict adherence to the source material is something I love about this adaptation, but it’s also something that I don’t love, since I already read Uzumaki... multiple times. So now there’s nothing that’s really surprised me so far.
This is a big problem. Because even though films like The Martian, or arguably the best Coen Brothers’ movie, No Country For Old Men are pretty close to the books they’re based off of, they still deviate in interesting ways.
Not Uzumaki, though. At first, I was like, "Oh, wow. This is super faithful to the book." But, after a while, it felt a little stale. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still creepy, but not in a way that I was satisfied with since I already knew where the story was heading.
This is great for newcomers, but for fans who already love the story, it still leaves much to be desired.
Love: The Visual Style
I mean, just look at it. Even still images paint a pretty accurate picture of how close this anime is to the manga. Yes, I’m sure they could have just colorized the story, as most manga adaptations do. But, they didn’t, and I really applaud them for that, since this looks just like Junji Ito’s artwork, but in motion.
This is no small feat, and I’m sure part of the reason this anime took so long to come out was because they were likely settling upon how to get the art style just right. I’ll tell you, while the manga is marvelous, something is gained when you pair amazing music with staggeringly beautiful animation. I knew I would like the visual style, but I didn’t know I would like it this much. It’s fantastic!
Don’t Love: The Episodes Are Too Short
Don’t get me wrong. They really packed a lot in as little time as possible with this adaptation. However, the manga of Uzumaki is over 600 pages long, and this anime is being told in bite-sized increments.
For example, the first episode was only a little over 30 minutes long, which doesn’t feel nearly long enough given how much ground they covered. In fact, this is a great concern I have since there are little side-stories within the manga’s narrative that don’t seem entirely necessary on a grand scale, but really expand the world of the story in greatly meaningful ways.
It’s too early to say whether these stories are going to be cut out of the anime entirely since the series is still on. Still, even if they do make it into the show, I have a feeling that they’ll be rushed, as Episode 1 went extremely fast, and not in a good way.
But what do you think? Have you watched Uzumaki yet? For more news on all things spooky, be sure to swing by CinemaBlend often!
