Selah's Manga Mania Reviews: Uzumaki (3-in-1 Deluxe Edition) by Junji Ito

Uzumaki (3-in-1 Deluxe Edition): Includes vols. 1, 2 & 3
by Junji Ito
October 16, 2018
Volumes: 3
648 pages
English publisher: NA Viz Media
Seinen horror manga
Genres: Visual novel, Simulation Video Game, Dark fantasy, Horror fiction, Occult Fiction
Appearing as a serial in the weekly manga magazine Big Comic Spirits from 1998 to 1999. 
Kurouzu-cho, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is cursed. According to Shuichi Saito, the withdrawn boyfriend of teenager Kirie Goshima, their town is haunted not by a person or being but a pattern: UZUMAKI, the spiral—the hypnotic secret shape of the world. The bizarre masterpiece horror manga is now available all in a single volume. Fall into a whirlpool of terror!

It's time to think about stories that freak us out, and Japanese horror has a certain something that just pushes things over the edge and down a cliff. Today, we're looking at one of the greatest authors in the genre and one of his most infamous titles. Today, we're looking at Uzumaki by Junji Ito.

We follow teenager Kirie and her boyfriend Shuichi as they slowly realize something is very wrong with their town and the people in it. It all begins with Shuichi's father's fascination with spirals that becomes an obsession, and then something otherworldly.

The good: This is a freaky series and I really like that the omnibus version collects it all in one place. While this is more surreal than other Ito titles which are more classic horror, the scare factor is definitely there. As the spiral obsession and paranoia jumps from person to person and then starts to physically affect the structure of the town and people's bodies in inhuman ways, the reading experience becomes really disturbing. My stomach dropped at scenes like Shuichi's mom puncturing her ear because she realized there was a spiral in the bones in it. The debate as people turned into snail creatures as to whether they could be used for food or if they were still human is intense. How villagers take shelter in the bunkhouses lets you know you've passed the point of no return.

Ito portrays the line between rational and madness very well, both in his pacing and art. You can physically see the moment where characters fall over the edge or give up, adding to the feeling over impending doom that builds through the story. As the town changes, you realize that this is way bigger than a few peoples' obsessions. I'd call it cosmic horror with patterns instead of monsters, honestly. And the ending took the breath out of me because it's quieter than I expected, but it really capped things well.

Ito's art is exceptional, and the vast amount of ways he incorporates spirals into body horror, architecture, and natural landscapes are impressive. It feels like he's really in his element.

The bad: if you want definite logic as to why things are happening, this will likely frustrate you. There is a reason, but it's vague. I would say the story is more about the effect the spirals have on people and the futility of their fight and just how wrong the decision to stay in town is. This is more surreal vs outright horror compared to something like Tomie, but it still has that Ito feel.

Some of the characters are a little one-dimensional, but in this case, it all pushes the plot forward and showcases the insane vignettes and variations on the spiral theme. He's taking you on a tour via these scenes, and it's your job to see how you feel about them. It won't be everyone's cuppa.

The ick: While a lot of the dramatic violence is off-screen, this is Ito, which means body horror. Contorted anatomy, mutations beyond the realm of physics, melty bodies, and characters in agony - it's kinda his thing. If looking at this isn't something you want to see, this title isn't for you.

Overall, while I would have liked a little more characterization and at times the pace can feel a little meandery, I felt the story super-fascinating and the art insane. I read it all in one night if that tells you anything. If you're looking for a story to get under your skin and never want to see spirals innocently again, this is for you.

5 spiralized sheep

About the Reviewer

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Selah Janel is a writer who is trying to start doing that again instead of reading manga all the time.

Selah's Manga Mania Reviews: Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection

Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection
by Junji Ito
October 16, 2018
408 pages
Genre: horror manga
The master of horror manga brings the world's greatest horror novel—Frankenstein—back to life.

Junji Ito meets Mary Shelley! The master of horror manga bends all his skill into bringing the anguished and solitary monster—and the fouler beast who created him—to life with the brilliantly detailed chiaroscuro he is known for.

Also included are six tales of Oshikiri—a high school student who lives in a decaying mansion connected to a haunted parallel world. Uncanny doppelgangers, unfortunately murdered friends, and a whole lot more are in store for him.


Bonus: The Ito family dog! Thrill to the adventures of Non-non Ito, an adorable Maltese!

We all love classic scary stories, but sometimes it's nice to have a new or even slightly different take. So what happens when you take a horror classic like Frankenstein and give it to someone like Junji Ito? Let's find out.

First off, this is actually more of a collection than a single book. Frankenstein takes up part of the book, and the rest are shorts chronicling a boy named Oshikiri and his descent into paranoia and madness thanks to his house and multiple dimensions.

The good: I was a little concerned with how Ito's art and approach would mesh with a more restrained title like Frankenstein, but they complement each other rather well. He does adjust the story a little, which is fine, because it does give a different sort of view on the story. There's an interesting undercurrent on how Frankenstein views women as a default good vs his own monstrous activities as well as those of his creature. It never goes off the rails crazy, but there is a nice undercurrent of tension and disgust throughout. Visually, it's a great contrast to the pristine timeframe, so in that aspect I think visually this is bang on.

The Oshikiri stories come as a welcome catharsis, though, and honestly they felt much more Ito, because duh, it's his original work. It was a little hard to figure out how they relate to each other at first given how the first story opens, but once the alternate dimensions come into play, it all makes sense. Oshikiri becoming paranoid and having to confront doppelgangers and different versions of his friends in horrific situations is a wild ride, and the art really goes all-out to express all the craziness he's trying to combat. Ito's fantastic at character reactions, and as Oshikiri becomes more unnerved and unhinged and has to take a proactive approach, it becomes a great set of horror stories.

The bad: I wouldn't call it bad, but the first part of the book was definitely harder to get through than the first. It wasn't boring, but I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop because of who was doing the storytelling. It also feels like Frankenstein's monster was made more evil and the doctor a bit more of a hero (Kinda. It doesn't shy away from the grave robbing or playing God.), which for me dilutes the point of the story. My only issue with the Oshikiri bits is that they seem to contradict each other until you keep reading, so you have to read all six to appreciate the full effect of those, which is fine.

The ick: The body horror Ito is known for doesn't really kick into high gear until after Frankenstein, so you could feasibly read the first half and stop if that sort of thing bothers you.

Overall, I liked this one, and I don't think Ito could put out bad work if he tried, but it isn't quite as punchy as titles like Uzumaki or Tomie. It's an interesting idea and take on a classic story, but I'd say I enjoyed his original stories more than i did his re-interpretation.

4 alternate dimension sheep

About the Reviewer

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Selah Janel is a writer who is trying to start doing that again instead of reading manga all the time.

Selah's Manga Mania: Tomie by Junji Ito

Tomie: Complete Deluxe Edition Hardcover

by Junji Ito 

December 20, 2016

Genre: Horror

Written by Junji Ito

Published by Asahi Sonorama

ComicsOne (former)

Dark Horse Comics (former)

Viz Media (current)

Demographic: Shōjo

Original run 1987 – 2000

Volumes: 3 (List of volumes)

The complete classic horror series, now available in a single deluxe volume. Murdered, again and again, one girl always comes back for more...

Tomie Kawakami is a femme fatale with long black hair and a beauty mark just under her left eye. She can seduce nearly any man, and drive them to murder as well, even though the victim is often Tomie herself. While one lover seeks to keep her for himself, another grows terrified of the immortal succubus. But soon they realize that no matter how many times they kill her, the world will never be free of Tomie.

Not everything in my life is hearts and sparkles and paranormal boyfriend dreams. Crazy, I know. Today, I want to pause on the shojo to take a look at a truly amazing and horrifying piece of manga: Tomie by Junji Ito.

I checked this out on the recommendation of a friend, and I’m so glad I did. I plowed through this massive volume in an evening, it is that good and that insane. It’s very different than a lot of horror I’ve read, and I like that while it plays on succubus themes there’s no huge attempt at explanation about what Tomie is. People are too busy trying to survive her.

We start off mourning the death of Tomie with her school class, and through events learn that they actually all had a hand in killing her.

And then she comes back to school days after the funeral and slowly drives everyone mad.

The themes of the chapters are pretty much that men fall in love with her to the point of homicidal insanity and women suffer their own madness by being around her, if they don’t end up as her victims. Tomie ends up dead a lot, but she keeps coming back (sometimes as a whole army of Tomies). I guess this is kind of a love-based series in a way, albeit love in all-consuming, toxic, crazed form.

This should come off as sexist and tropey, but somehow, it ends up legitimately terrifying and haunting. Part of it is because Tomie is impossible to escape – when she’s dismembered she multiplies, she can take over someone with a blood or organ transfusion or transplant (or even a bit of hair), she can entrap friends while making them feel broken down, even ensares a little boy and turns him against his parents. She’s vile, she demands attention, she wants absolute focus. She’s smart and manipulative, and I think that’s what raises this above some sort of bizarre slasher story – it really explores a range of emotions with many different types of people and their interactions with her.

Part of the success of this book is the insane art – this is body horror cranked up to eleven, and Tomie’s mutations don’t ever really feel repetitious, which is amazing because she goes through a hell of a lot of them. Between that grossness and her ability for psychological warfare…you end up putting yourself in some of the scenes, thinking how you could get away or outsmart her, and I just couldn’t come up with much. This has a very bleak feel, because she gets her way and keeps getting her way and those around her desperately struggle to regain their lives and get her out of them (or keep her in them, depending on the situation). Her callousness and hunger for love/attention is truly frightening.

This likely isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you like horror that’s both gruesome and psychological, you’ll definitely want to check this one out. 

Five mutating, love-hungry sheep

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About the Author:

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Selah Janel is a writer who is trying to start doing that again instead of reading manga all the time.