Uzumaki (2024) Official Trailer Courtesy of Adult Swim
After Multiple Delays, The Long-Awaited Adaptation Is Set For Release
From the mind of legendary award-winning horror manga artist Junji Ito, Uzumaki will finally have its anime adaptation airtime. One of his most notable works, the short anime series has been in the works for quite some time.
The Story of Uzumaki
Nominated for an Eisner Award in 2003, Junji Ito’s Uzumaki first appeared in Big Comic Spirits as a serial in 1998 and 1999. Since its release, the manga series has been released in two separate omnibus series, one to celebrate the live-action film and another years later. The series received an English translation after Viz Media serialized the manga in 2001 and 2002. After years of waiting, fans are finally getting the adaptation they’ve been anticipating that showcases Ito’s classic horror style.
The recent release of a full-length trailer teased just what’s in store for fans. Bringing the iconic Ito style to life, the trailer gives viewers a glimpse into the gruesome psychological horror story with disturbing visuals in the classic black and white style. The series description explains, “In the town of Kurouzu-cho, Kirie Goshima lives a fairly normal life with her family. As she walks to the train station one day to meet her boyfriend, Shuuichi Saito, she sees his father staring at a snail shell in an alley.
Thinking nothing of it, she mentions the incident to Shuuichi, who says that his father has been acting weird lately. Shuuichi reveals his rising desire to leave the town with Kirie, saying that the town is infected with spirals. But his father’s obsession with the shape soon proves deadly, beginning a chain of horrific and unexplainable events that causes the residents of Kurouzu-cho to spiral into madness.”
The four-episode anime features voice actors Uki Satake (Space Dandy), Shinichiro Miki (Perfect Blue), Mariya Ise (Hunter x Hunter), Tatsumaru Tachibana (The Apothecary Diaries), Wataru Hatano (My Hero Academia), Takashi Matsuyama (One Piece), Koichi Tokchika (One Piece), and Katsutoshi Matsuzaki (Flowers of Evil). Hiroshi Nagahama (Detroit Metal City) directed the series while Aki Itami (Flowers of Evil) wrote the screenplay. Drive animated the series while it was co-produced by Production I.G USA and Adult Swim’s Williams Street.
Junji Ito’s Work
Renowned for his spine-chilling horror, Ito is well known for his horror manga. Best known for his works Uzumaki, Tomie, and Gyo, Ito has gathered quite a cult following. When it comes to horror manga, Ito is one of the first names people will come up with, being a trailblazer in the genre. It’s been 37 years since Ito’s first manga, Tomie, first released. Since then, he has only grown as a horror manga household name. When he published Uzumaki, the manga gained public attention, making it one of Ito’s most successful and popular works.
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Dubbed an iconic horror manga artist, Uzumaki wasn’t the first of Ito’s work to be adapted, nor will it be the last. His works have been adapted into film and anime series alike, from the Tomie film series to his two anime anthology series, Junji Ito Collection and Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre. In August 2024 it was announced there would be three live-action adaptations based on Ito’s works Bloodsucking Darkness and part one and two of The Mystery of the Haunted House. Let’s hope these don’t take six years like Uzumaki.
Previous Adaptations
One of Ito’s most popular works, Uzumaki has had three other adaptations including a live-action film and two video games. Known as Spiral, though previously titled Uzumaki, the film adaptation was released in 2000 in Japan. The directorial debut film was directed by Higuchinsky and starred Eriko Hatsune (Emperor), Shin Eun-kyung (The Penthouse: War in Life), Fhi Fan (IU: The Red Shoes), Keiko Takahashi (Door), Ren Osugi (Fireworks), and Hinako Saeki. Takao Niita wrote the screenplay for the horror film. Similar to the manga, Spiral has four parts but uses a different ending than the manga due to being produced before the manga’s completion.
Omega Micott developed and published two games based on the manga. The first titled Uzumaki: Denshi Kaiki Hen is a visual novel game that follows the events of the manga. The second titled Uzumaki: Noroi Simulation is a simulation game where players spread the spiral curse. Both games were released in 2000 for the Bandai WonderSwan console.
Six Years in the Making
Most fans of Ito’s work have heard of the anime adaptation since it was first picked up and announced at 2019’s Crunchyroll Expo. Unfortunately for fans, it would take six years before the series would fully come to light. Many were skeptical the series would even happen, but after three delays, the original 2020 release became a 2024 release. But finally, the highly-anticipated Uzumaki has gotten its anime release date after years of disappointing fans with delays. Only one question remains now: Will the four-episode anime successfully bring the famous horror manga artist’s work to life as it did in the trailer?
Uzumaki airs September 28 on Adult Swim’s Toonami block with a stream release on September 29 on Max.
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Kendra Dennis is a Pennsylvania-based creative and content writer. While her passion lies within the creative realm, Kendra enjoys any time she gets to write. Kendra graduated from American Public University System in June of 2025 with a BA in English. She enjoys writing stories that open up to a larger world where readers can get lost. You can find her daydreaming about her newest stories or reorganizing one of her many bookshelves.
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