This review is spoilerfree. 120284120315 120321120309120310120320 120324120316120319120313120305 120315120316120321120309120310120315120308 120304120302120315 120303120306 120320120302120310120305 120321120316 120303120306 120304120306120319120321120302120310120315... At the core adaptations are an incredible concept. Having the ability and opportunity to breathe new life into a story by giving it a fresh and distinctive coat of paint is nothing to scoff at and time and time again we are reminded how these creations can elevate both the source material and the narrative itself especially since audiovisual formats tend to attract a broader audience due to their sheer accessibility. Given all of this it is no wonder that countless creative teams have rolled up their sleeves and had a crack at bringing Junji Itohttps://anilist.co/staff/97410/JunjiItous manga to the small screen hoping to marry his haunting imagery with equally effective animation and sound design. Yet despite their skyhigh hopes and ambitions these illfated projects have all crashed and burnt in spectacular fashion and the 2024 adaptation of Uzumaki is no exception. To be perfectly blunt this might just be one of the most disrespectful disgusting and downright disheartening adaptations I have ever had the misfortune of seeing. 350https://i.ur.com/V7aVZn8.jpeg Before I get to the meat and potatoesor rather address the elephant in the roomthere is something I need to make crystal clear. I am in no position to ponder speculate or fill anyone in on what exactly happened behind the scenes or why the final outcome turned out to be so repulsively lacklustre. Frankly even if I had the full lowdown on the whole predicament it would not excuse or justify the atrocious quality of the production one bit. While I have the utmost respect and adoration for every animator who pours their heart and soul into their work in the end what really counts is the finished product and oh boy what a terrifying sight it is. To call Uzumakis production values a laughable mess would be an understatement of the century as this multiyear endeavour feels more like something cobbled together on a shoestring budget rather than the aftermath of numerous months of hard work spent on tirelessly bringing Itos poster child to life. However I am getting way ahead of myself so we need to rewind and take a closer look step by step. Before the series spirals into the memeworthy fiasco that it is for a solid 25 meaning the first episode of its run Uzumaki actually looks like it has some real potential at least from a purely visual standpoint. While I personally would have preferred to see the mangas impeccable memorable surroundings and body horror rendered in grim cold and otherwordly coloursa palette like this would have allowed the twisted narrative to truly get its claws into you and send a shiver down your spine in a unique mannerthe anime seems adamant about staying true to the mangas blackandwhite aesthetic almost frantically and passionately following the source materials style and vibe down to the smallest detail where not even a single pebble is allowed to be out of place. In a sense the adaptations mission might have been a onetoone recreation which while not the best way to translate stories between mediums shows a genuine fondness for the original. The first episodes art style is on point to a surprising degree adequately reproducing the locations character designs and overall atmosphere. What is more the liberal use of rotoscoping throughout the episode adds a lot of flair and stylishness to an already impressivelooking premiere. Nevertheless that is precisely where my praise comes to a screeching halt and hits a brick wall. The remaining 75 of Uzumaki is nothing short of embarrassing and the way it violates your eyes with its hideousness should be studied for years to come. From episode two onward the quality takes a nosedive and it is downright ridiculous how many animation and drawing errors made it through. I will not supply you with actual examples of those things appearing on the screenyou can easily find them online if you are morbidly curiousbut imagine something very much akin to Berserk 2016https://anilist.co/anime/21560/Berserk/ in terms of visual clarity and you will have a good idea of what you are in for. Episodes three and four may not be as utterly irredeemable as the infamous second one yet their quality is still woefully horrendous across the board: The art style goes from vibrant to watereddown lifeless and merely ugly which is surprising considering how promising it seemed at first. The once impressive animation becomes laughably rigid and primitive making many scenes look like something straight out of an oldschool lowquality video game. The lighting is atrocious adding insult to injury by making the already hardtolookat stills and scenes that much more unbearable. The chaotic editing has no sense of timing or interconnectedness glueing every sequence with little to no care for fluidity or cohesion. The camerawork seems oddly comedic completely undermining the eerie feel the manga is known for. The goofy sound effects wholly ruin the atmosphere beyond repair. The voice acting is sufficient but nothing to write home about.There are many many more inadequacies and shortcomings within the audiovisuals department each one chipping away at both the core essence of the original and the shows ability to stand on its own two feet. The only shining light in this otherwise dark tunnel is the soundtrack by Colin Stetsonhttps://anilist.co/staff/144471/ColinStetson. It is an absolute banger that deserves all the praise and love it gets but sadly it cannot singlehandedly save the rest of the production from falling apart. And yet even these depressing issues and flaws are nothing in comparison to the treatment the narrative received. 400https://i.ur.com/dMQvr6m.gif Let me get this off my chest firstUzumakihttps://anilist.co/manga/30436/Uzumaki/ is not a wellwritten manga. Even though the atmosphere and horror elements are phenomenal the story and the characters become progressively more lukewarm and shallow as the chapters progress. Yes the plot itself has its moments and some of the miniarcs peppered throughout the earlier chapters can pack a punch but ultimately it is the visuals that do all the talking and heavy lifting. So does the anime manage to smooth out these rough edges with clever techniques and creative ideas? Not in the slightest. In fact it completely shits all over every single cool and unique plot point in the most banal brutish and brainless way possible. The root of the problem lies in what might just be the worst pacing I have ever witnessed which somehow makes the oftentimes goofy and unintentionally unserious events and happenings of the manga look infinitely worse. For those not in the know Uzumaki is essentially a collection of chapterlong stories that form one somewhat understandable storyline. The order in which they appear is by no means randomthey follow the chronology of events each one revolving around a specific object of horror that is inevitably connected to the spiral motif. The climax of these short tales is always the protagonists confrontation with some grotesque monstrosity which leads to the pice de rsistance of the entire manga: the twisted nightmarish reveal of said entitys contorted inhuman appearance. While the manga does tread at a rather hasty pace that can deter some people from liking it it still retains some of its inherent charm. Sadly the anime does not follow suit. You see the anime throws caution to the wind and decides to experiment. Thus it comes to the insane conclusion that mixing and intertwining the stories so that they create one continuous string of events happening simultaneously is a wise idea. As you can imagine this bold move backfires spectacularly. Picture a Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/ playlist where every single song is from a different genre in a different language and plays at varying volumes or those cartoon cooking pots filled with every random ingredient the characters could get their hands on or a joke with no setup where the punchline falls on deaf earsthat is what watching this anime feels like. By getting rid of the stories independence the show robs them of their proper setups and makes them feel incoherent. How can the horrifying iconic imagery be considered striking when the buildup that is supposed to lead to them is flatout nonexistent? How can the stories be considered logical or impactful when their chronology is all over the place? How can the sincerely frightening content affect the viewer in any way shape or form when they are presented in such a nonsensical haphazard fashion? This is in my eyes the animes gravest sin as it turned something painfully lukewarm into something absolutely unwatchable. 300https://i.ur.com/tUUswLw.gif So is there something to enjoy here? The answer is a resounding no. Sure the first episode may be pleasing to look at but all the issues mentioned above utterly sucked the enjoyment out of the experience. Now throw in the absolute abomination that is the second episode and the halfbaked loweffort slop that makes up the rest and it is no surprise I found myself bored to bloody tears while watching. In other words there is zero reason to waste your time on this steaming pile of excrement. If you are genuinely itching to check out Itos most iconic scenes and imagery do yourself a favour and pick up the manga instead. It might not be that compelling of a read but the atmosphere and the art style make it worthwhile. All in all the meme about the Junji Ito manga adaptations being horrible is still alive and kicking and Uzumaki might have permanently killed my interest in any future passion projects that aim to convert the horrifying manga panels into a TV series. We waited years for this to come out and the payoff for all that waiting and anticipation is a product that not only should have been baked for a little longer but honestly should have stayed in the oven until it was charred beyond recognition. Twist turn and spiral downthis is easily the worst advertisement the manga could have asked for and I am well and truly sick of thinking about it. ...120306120325120304120306120317120321 120305120306120302120321120309 120321120302120325120306120320 120302120315120305 120309120316120319120319120310120303120313120306 120284120321120316 120302120305120302120317120321120302120321120310120316120315120320.