I’ve finally found a good Uzumaki adaptation of my favorite manga and every horror fan should watch the anime series on Max immediately

It’s scarily underrated, despite having 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

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With October in full swing, you might be looking for some of thebest horror moviesto stream. But outside of the classics and the spooky new movies, one of thebest streaming serviceshas just dropped a contender for my favorite horror series of the year, a perfect adaptation of Junji Ito’s mangaUzumaki. After being let down by the 2000 movie (which is available onPrime Videoin the US and Shudder in the UK), it is refreshing to finally see it done properly.

Uzumaki: Spiral Into Horroris a four-part adaptation of Ito’s franklymassivemanga that throws you in the deep end from the first episode alone. The show is streaming onMaxand Adult Swim in the US and Channel 4 in the UK. It wastes no time in establishing this terrifying world, where citizens in the town of Kurouzu-cho are plagued by spirals. Surreal as the concept is, it grips you immediately, with this obsession and paranoia around spirals resembling that of a disease. People are terrified of it, to the point where some seriously crazy stuff happens. It’s gritty, it’sdark, and Max is really delivering that tone especially when you look at DC hitThe Penguin, whichwe compared toThe Sopranos,and rightfully so.

I was also pleased to discover that even people who have never read the manga could get sucked in. My partner watched the first episode with me and since then has been keen to tune in when it airs each week, and ironically, we found ourselves becoming just as invested in the spirals as the people on-screen. With less horrifying stuff happening, of course.

Junji Ito’s lines come to life on screen

For me, the most striking thing of all is just how stunning this is to look at. It’s the reason the manga gripped me too, I found myself desperate to turn to the next page to see what horrific, albeit beautifully drawn thing would greet me this time, and watching the TV adaptation is no different. Sticking to the original black and white design, it’s like watching a moving version of the manga. This is exactly where the movie failed, in my opinion, because it was a color live-action take on the tale and it simply did not work. Ito’s terrifying world is best when it’s devoid of any color at all, I say let’s keep it that way.

The art is beautiful. It’s also the worst thing you’ll ever see. I have omitted some of thereally awfulimagery to not spoil it. If you have read the manga already, you’ll no doubt find yourself anticipating certain famous moments, and even when I knew what was about to happen I still found myself cringing. From transformations to mutations to people having psychotic breaks due to the spirals, nothing can fully prepare you for it. If you we wondering, yes, it is even worse when it’s animated.

Uzumakihas been in the works for a long time, and I am glad they spent so much time making it as accurate to the source material as possible. There’s little point diverting from it too much when Ito has given us such a great story. It’s up there with some of thebest anime showsyou’ll watch.

When you’re done here, there are plenty of other spooky offerings to sink your teeth into as well. I also recommend James Wan’sTeacupand some of theseindie horror games(Cult of the Lambis my favorite!). But until then, please do step into the horrifying world ofUzumaki. You won’t regret it.

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Lucy is a long-time movie and television lover who is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. She has written several reviews in her time, starting with a small self-ran blog called Lucy Goes to Hollywood before moving onto bigger websites such as What’s on TV and What to Watch, with TechRadar being her most recent venture. Her interests primarily lie within horror and thriller, loving nothing more than a chilling story that keeps her thinking moments after the credits have rolled. Many of these creepy tales can be found on the streaming services she covers regularly.

When she’s not scaring herself half to death with the various shows and movies she watches, she likes to unwind by playing video games on Easy Mode and has no shame in admitting she’s terrible at them. She also quotes The Simpsons religiously and has a Blinky the Fish tattoo, solidifying her position as a complete nerd.

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