In today’s world, the most popular anime spots are taken up by typical shounen or isekai series, and studios are racing for the money-grab manga. While a handful of unique series are still released, they are often times underrated. A Studio Drive x Production IG collaboration series, however, attempts to challenge this homogeneity by adapting a famous horror manga.
Junji Ito has several critically acclaimed manga, but one of his most famous creations is Uzumaki. The upcoming anime adaptation of the manga has the power to not only make you scared but it will also be one of the few anime that can make you feel goosebumps days after watching it.
Junji Ito’s Uzumaki is Ready to Change the Horror Anime Genre Forever
Uzumaki follows a couple in a quiet Japanese town that is often engulfed in supernatural elements. Both the characters slowly witness the town becoming enveloped with a spiral curse. It makes the inhabitants of the town paranoid, gradually leading them to death. The couple’s attempt at an escape is also met with significant creepy circumstances.
Despite belonging to the horror genre, Uzumaki does not feature any ghosts. It simply portrays the supernatural events in a way that will make you creeped out for an eternity. This is a recurring theme in Junji Ito’s works as he seldomly portrays ghosts or otherworldly matters but rather finds satisfaction in portraying the creepy side of humans or unexplainable phenomena.
The first trailer of the anime is out, and it shows a significant attempt at portraying Junji Ito’s unique art style. Firstly, the anime seems to be a black-and-white production, which enhances the creepiness of the story. Secondly, the subtle abnormality in the air can be easily figured out.
All in all, Uzumaki might be one of the best horror anime productions of 2024, setting an example for all other supernatural-themed series.
Studio Drive and Production IG Face Several Delays in Debuting Junji Ito’s Uzumaki
A four-episode anime adaptation of Uzumaki was first announced in the 2019 Crunchyroll Expo. The series would be animated by Studio Drive and co-produced by Studio Production I.G and Williams Street, the in-house production arm of Adult Swim. While the expo showered fans with hope for a proper anime adaptation, it has already been delayed multiple times.
There have been several updates on the anime, but nothing seemed to confirm when it would air. The series was originally planned to debut in 2020, but its release was pushed back again to 2022 after revealing a teaser video in June 2021. However, updates on the anime went missing once again, and in June 2022, it was announced that the anime was delayed indefinitely, killing fans from the inside.
After another delay in 2023, a new release date was finally set for September 28, 2024. Thankfully, there has been no news of another delay so far, and the production seems to have reached its final phase. Let’s hope that the anime will be released on its expected date and that fans will finally receive the horror anime of their dreams.
You can stream the Uzumaki anime on Crunchyroll once it debuts in September 2024.
