| Uzumaki | |
 First tankōbon volume cover | |
| うずまき | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Junji Ito |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| English publisher | |
| Magazine | Big Comic Spirits |
| English magazine | |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | January 19, 1998 – August 30, 1999 |
| Volumes | 3 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | See episodes |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Aki Itami |
| Music by | Colin Stetson |
| Studio |
|
| Licensed by |
|
| English network | |
| Original run | September 29, 2024 – October 20, 2024 |
| Episodes | 4 |
| Live-action film | |
| |
Uzumaki (うずまき, lit. 'Spiral'[4]) is a Japanese horror manga series written and illustrated by Junji Ito. Appearing as a serial in Shogakukan's weekly seinen manga magazine Big Comic Spirits from 1998 to 1999, the chapters were compiled into three bound volumes published from August 1998 to September 1999. In March 2000, Shogakukan released an omnibus edition, followed by a second omnibus version in August 2010. In North America, Viz Media serialized an English-language translation of the series in its monthly magazine Pulp from February 2001 to August 2002. Viz Media then published the volumes from October 2001 to October 2002, with a re-release from October 2007 to February 2008, and published a hardcover omnibus edition in October 2013.
The series tells the story of the citizens of Kurouzu-cho, a fictional town which is plagued by a supernatural curse involving spirals. The story for Uzumaki originated when Ito attempted to write a story about people living in a very long terraced house, and he was inspired to use a spiral shape to achieve the desired length. Ito believes the horror of Uzumaki is effective due to its subversion of symbols which are positively portrayed in Japanese media, and its theme of protagonists struggling against a mysterious force stronger than themselves.
Uzumaki continues to receive critical acclaim, deemed by many as Ito's magnum opus. The manga has received generally positive reviews from English-language critics. It was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2003, and placed in the Young Adult Library Services Association's list of the "Top 10 Graphic Novels for Teens" in 2009.
In 2000, the manga was adapted into two video games for the WonderSwan and a Japanese live-action film directed by Higuchinsky. An anime television miniseries adaptation co-produced by Production I.G USA and Adult Swim aired from September to October 2024 in the United States on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block.
- ^ Douresseaux, Leroy (December 26, 2016). "Tomie Complete Deluxe Edition manga review". ComicBookBin. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
the creator of the the [sic] acclaimed dark fantasy and horror manga, Uzumaki
- ^ Panamaroff, Adeline (June 16, 2021). "Uzumaki Feeds Off the Claustrophobia of a Small Town". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "The Official Website for Uzumaki". Viz Media. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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