Uzumaki

I think I went into this expecting something different. The pitch of “a town conquered by spirals” made me imagine a slower, more character-driven piece wherein the town is slowly taken over, the protagonists trying and failing to raise the alarm. As it is, rather than infect the town like a virus, spirals seep in like damp. Far from only protagonists noticing the threat, everyone appears equally aware and apathetic. The manga is primarily episodic, each chapter often resolving in a handful of panels with no clear impact on any ongoing narrative.

What there is is definitely intentional, a dream-like atmosphere for the town sleepwalking into disaster. Many of the concepts for each chapter are great, and there is a dread in anticipating where spirals will appear each time. The organic and ritualistic patterns that result often reminded me of Annihilation. The detail on the larger panels were impressive, and imagining their creation now feels as if that’s only an extension of the in-universe infection, a motif which the epilogue chapters play into. Using such an abstract concept as the focal point for a story allows such a broad range of elements to be interpreted through it.

I enjoyed reading Uzumaki, and will seek out more of Ito’s work in future. I’m always impressed by every work made to such a strict and regular deadline. I just can’t stop feeling that something slightly different and more cohesive would have been much more to my taste.