this is the best manga i have ever read, period. The characters don't really seem to grow, but thats alright since they're already pretty mature anyway. I don't think its really needed to show how they changed over time.
The horror was a realistic mindf*ck and even though its really a bunch of oneshots with the same characters in it the story kept me engrossed.
Theres even a little bit of romance, but i dont suggest reading this just for the romance.
The ending was open, but it wasnt that confusing-although it might be for other people.
The art is amazing, with all the spirals and whatnot.

this manga was so disturbing D:

The manga is about the characters of a city getting obssessed and taken over by spirals. And it starts small, take over one person at a time and then keeps cranking that shit up till it gets sadistic. The manga is about about a city being enveloped by spirals.

The story follows our FMC with her boyfriend the MMC. We basically follow these 2 characters throughout the movie. The MMC actually notices the oddities with the spirals and tries the FMC but she doesn't listen even after witnessing a lot of crazy shit. Why you ask? So the manga can happen of course.

So basically overtime lots of nasty crazy shit happens throughout the manga. Characters get in fucky situations that seemingly have no way of getting out off. And this shit is constant throughout the entire series.

The thing is i did enjoy *some* parts of the manga but most of it was pretty mundane. In terms of horror.

The series is considered horror but calling it disgusting is probably a more apt description of the series. Lots of nasty shit happens in this series. Characters turning into horns, characters turning into snails. I mean it sounds not that bad but its pretty gross and a lot of it is because Junji ito has a very insane imagination.

Dude can think of some wacky ass shit its impressive.

With that being said i am kinda disappointed in Uzumaki. I thought it would be terrifying but arguable the most terrifying part about this series is the ending. Some of the implied shit is scarier than most of the *horrifying* parts about the series.

The thing is Gross stuff is not scary. Its just gross. It doesn't make me stay awake at night it makes me gag. If that was intended intention than good job. I am now less interested in reading more of Junji Ito's works.

It's kind of my own fault really. I sort of built up Junji Ito as the guy for horror. He is practically the face of horror at least in the west. Even as a non horror I know of the guy. But after actually reading his works. They really don't hold up to anything. IF you are the type that enjoys you nasty ass shit like Human Centipede or whatever than this is probably more your speed. But if you are looking for something actually frightening this is not it.

Some of the stories also just end. There is no flow to the next episodic series. What happens after this incredibly big event? Who cares move on. Contining the story from the last chapter would require structure having, to put actual effort in writing. And who's got time for that?

Considering a lot of the horror parts are just shock value maybe reading them back to back is a bad idea. If you are a Junji ito fan i recommend more like 1 chapter at time to bring back to his fucked up imagination after reading a very nice SOL series.

TLDR: Its ok. I expected better. 5/10

... Last updated on May 28th, 2021, 7:23am

If you're looking for a story, this is not for you, it doesn't have any conclusion or reason. It's more about the happenings and the unsettling feeling that is supposed to be invoked. You should be warned though, after reading this you will feel drained, I can't really explain it, but as the journey progresses you can really feel how the protagonists lose hope. The way it is objectively narrated adds to this feeling. The pacing is a bit slow in the middle but gets better to the end.
I love his art, I think we can all agree that his drawings give this eerie vibe that draws you in (not necessarily because of the spirals). When I say 'true horror' I mean that there is more than jump scares or gore and Junji Ito proves that, I've walked past a *colorful* drawing of a spiral, months after I've read Uzumaki (and wasn't aware of this manga anymore), and felt this unsettling dread spread through my whole body.

... Last updated on August 26th, 2020, 1:48am

Perfect horror series. Bleak, bittersweet, funny and bizarre.

As expected, Junji Ito's preposterous ideas are executed with chilling verve. Nobody else could've approached this concept with the solemnity, humor, and inventiveness it deserved. Don't fail to check it out!

The first 2 chapters despite being over the top in resolution are somewhat reasonable. However pretty much everything that happens afterwords is valid reason to just leave the town however the one character that suggest it is considered crazy. It would have been better if the author justified a reason they couldn't leave.

The title says it all. I liked this manga for a lot of reasons: the subject is original, the story is engaging, the characters are likeable and credible, the art is very nice.

Actually, the only "flaw" I could find is the fact the manga seems to be spit in two: the first part is episodic (it talks about several odd events that don't seem to be connected except for the fact that they all involve a spiral), while the second part starts focusing more on the main plot. But after finishing reading the manga, I realized that the first part was meant to explain how it all began, case by case. So that wasn't a flaw at all.
Then maybe the fact that the story doesn't have a moral? At least, if there was, I couldn't find it. That could be a flaw. But to be honest, even without a moral, I enjoyed the reading.

As most of the reviewers wrote, I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is looking for a real horror manga, but if you are into odd stories, this manga is the right one. Also, this is more of a light reading, so don't expect too much.

... Last updated on April 3rd, 2018, 2:05pm

it was awesome! At first you don't understand why the author used spirals, of all things, in a horror manga.Well the reason is because spirals are so mesmerizing and that they follow the Fibonacci Sequence (also google 'the golden ratio') that is found everywhere!

why are spiral so beautiful? if an object follows the golden ratio or the Fibonacci Sequence very well, it is considered beautiful. Golden ratio masks are also made to see whether you have a pretty face! Okay, so back to the review....
The reason the manga went well is because it shows that these spirals are everywhere...
And it's true, we can find spirals everywhere or the golden ratio anywhere which that is actually really creepy...
The manga was a page turner but the only thing that was upsetting was the ending as it was not satisfying. I also feel it went a bit overboard with a few of the chapters..

it will make more sense if research is done over the topics I mentioned...
overall was not bad since it was the reason i started reading manga

... Last updated on August 23rd, 2016, 1:38pm

Oh no, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the idea of this manga. The premise itself was great. Moreover, the art is gorgeous and the characterization is decent. I just adore how madness is a very part of the atmosphere.

However, my problems mostly lie on the disconnectedness of the stories. Through it all, one would wonder why nobody was fleeing the goddamned town. The townsfolk experience all this weird-ass shit and the next day they would act nothing happened! Perhaps it has something to do with the hypnosis with the spirals. But why aren't the protagonists, who are sensible enough, fleeing?

I read this back in 6th grade...at night...while everyone else was asleep...I love and hate this story at this same time. It is creepy as shit but it was so good that I finished the entire thing. Honestly it was a horrible move on my end. I'm in 11th grade now and when I see something in a spiral sometimes I still feel like throwing up. So if you want a horror with lasting effects this is the way to go...though I may have mentally scarred myself...hell my fingerprints are all swirls so on days when something triggers an Uzumaki flashback I can't stand to look at my hands...yeah so I officially have semi-issues now because of this manga...LOLZ!