Uzumaki

Horror is not a genre that I usually read, but Junji Ito’s graphic novels never disappoint. This time, I randomly picked up Uzumaki from the library, and it was certainly a peculiar read. Each chapter is set in the same town with the same characters, but with a different horrific twist on the same motif: a spiral. The town and its residents undergo a slow descent into madness over the course of the volume. 

The part I personally found scary was the very beginning. Something about the ceramics dude becoming obsessed with spirals and then becoming one was so unsettling, especially because this was the first strange thing to happen in what was otherwise a normal town. His wife’s case was even worse; her intense fear of spirals led her to stab the inside of her ear, where the spiral shaped organ is located. That horror was completely unpredictable, and it’s great.

Junji Ito’s art style works so well for horror. His harsh use of blacks against whites create such an eye catching contrast that makes it hard to look away from the grotesque or horrible imagery. And over the course of the book, I just felt really bad for Shuichi. He was the only person in the town who was aware of how screwed up the situation was. Everyone else was like a frog in a boiling pot. 

Anyways, I definitely will be reading more from Junji Ito in the future. 

Update: This book gets a 7/10 from me!