Uzumaki (3-in-1 Deluxe Edition) (Junji Ito)

I've started my Junji Ito journey reading the Tomie collection and the Shivers and Tombs collection. I've heard Uzumaki was regarded as Ito's best work, and I think I have to agree. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Every story became more twisted, more horrific than the last, until it unfold into a bittersweet conclusion. The artwork gets a lot of praise, as it should, since Uzumaki has some of the most beautifully horrific panels in manga history (like the famous panel of Azami and Shiuichi's dad's tongue/body). However the story itself was probably one of my favorite of Ito's. It stuck with me for a while, and genuinely freaked me out at times (the mosquito/pregnant women chapters were legitimately horrifying, along with the snails). I also really love Kirie and Shiuichi's relationship, it was beautiful and moving to see a relationship like theirs and how much they both truly cared for each other, even if Kirie didn't believe in the curse of the spiral in the beginning, she still cared for Shiuichi and seemed to be the only one to not write him off as being weird or dramatic. I had to go back and reread this after Gyo, since I found the couple in Gyo to be quite mediocre compared to Kirie and Shiuichi. Overall, if you're a Junji Ito fan or if you love weird horror, don't miss out on such a great classic. There's a reason why 27 years later this is still such a beloved work of art and beloved by Ito's fans.

One of the creepiest horror stories I've experiences. The slow build into the spiral is unsettling and the story sticks with you after. I started noticing spirals everywhere. The artwork is detailed and disturbing but which adds so much to the story. Awesome psychological horror story. If you love horror, it's definitely worth checking out!

Uzumaki is not just horror — it’s psychological descent. Junji Ito takes something as simple as a spiral and turns it into one of the most unsettling concepts in manga history. The slow escalation of madness throughout the town feels both absurd and terrifying at the same time. What makes this story so powerful is the atmosphere. It doesn’t rely on jump scares; it builds dread gradually. Each chapter introduces a new variation of the spiral curse, and somehow it keeps getting more disturbing. By the end, it feels like you’ve been pulled into the obsession yourself. The artwork is on another level. The black-and-white detail is intricate, grotesque, and mesmerizing. Some panels are genuinely uncomfortable to look at — in the best possible way. The deluxe edition really enhances the experience, giving the art the space it deserves. This isn’t light reading. It’s eerie, surreal, and deeply unsettling. But if you enjoy horror that lingers in your mind long after you close the book, Uzumaki is a masterpiece. A must-have for any serious manga or horror collector.

An absolutely STUNNING edition of the classic title! The quality of the hardcover is spot on, and the paper used for the book is perfect! The artwork is done masterfully, and the storytelling makes this a must own for fans of the genre! Most who have an interest in this title know exactly what they’re getting into. If you do, and you wish to have a comprehensive collection of this title, look no further. This fits all your needs at a decent price for the quality! If it’s your first time reading this title, I can’t recommend this book enough! It’s creepy, compelling and “over-the-top” in the best way possible. If you’re not a fan of Uzumaki or the artist, Junji Ito, be prepared to be after you make this very reasonably priced purchase for a masterpiece! Now, for the uninitiated, this is a horror story that can be extremely graphic and deals with extraordinary dark themes. This is NOT a book for children! Please do appropriate research before purchasing for children of a certain age. However, for lovers of horror and the supernatural Uzumaki is Manga lover’s fever dream! It’s a classic for a reason! This collection is HIGHLY recommended! Great price, and an even better experience.

Taking place in the small coastal town of Kurouzu-cho in Japan, Uzumaki mainly follows the characters Kirie Goshima and her boyfriend Shuichi Saito. Their town is a quiet place until some people begin acting crazy with a strange obsession over spirals. It is not long before these people's obsessions turn to complete madness until the spirals consume them and start to affect the entire town. This was the first Junji Ito work that I have ever read. I found that this book was quite enjoyable in several regards. The most notable part of this work is the art itself. I found that the artwork throughout was superb that is not only very detailed in everything, but also does a great job to tell this horror story. The characters are very expressive and distinct and the various settings and backgrounds are well detailed. The artwork really helped in the worldbuilding in this regard. This includes some of the more horror and fantastic elements of the story as people, and the town itself, descend into madness. I thought that the story was interesting as well. Ito is known for taking various inspirations from other authors such as the American writer H.P. Lovecraft. In Uzumaki, Ito constructs his own world of a Lovecraftian-type of horror. The premise of something like the shape of a spiral sounds difficult to take seriously at first glance, but Ito uses this premise excellently to tell his tale. It is an interesting take on how something so simple on its face can lead to some horrific consequences and the various twists and turns of the story as the reader discovers the extent of what is happening. My only criticism of this book would be that some of the chapters, especially the earlier ones, are a little too episodic without much continuity between them. It was a bit jarring, for example, to see Kirie go through some supernatural event in one chapter only to head off to school like very little is wrong in the next chapter. However, this is only a minor criticism that did not seriously affect my enjoyment of the story. I found this to be a fascinating read and I would recommend this to those that like horror stories.

This book is great. It's even silly sometimes and gave me a chuckle here and there. It wasn't until after I read this that I noticed how many spiral patterns there are in real life though, they are very fascinating patterns. The longer you stare, the more fascinating they become. I've been filling my sketchbook with them and booked several tattoo appointments with my tattoo artist to start some full body spiral work. I'm not sure it'll be enough though. Spirals. Spirals spirals spirals spirals spirals spirals spirals spirals. Do you like spirals? If you do, you'll like this book too. Or if you don't, you will.

It's hard to know what to make of this book. It has a reputation for being one of the better horror graphic novels, yet upon first hearing it described as the story of a town haunted by spiral patterns, one could easily be forgiven for dismissing the idea as ludicrous. However, though it doesn't end up delivering many real scares, it does make for a wonderfully bizarre read. Those of you who, like myself, aren't accustomed to reading manga will likely share my initial reluctance to read a book "backwards" and right to left. Once I got into it, though, I found that the pages were well-constructed enough that the flow from panel to panel became effortless. The story itself draws some clear inspiration from the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft. While Lovecraft's works are generally more successful as works of horror while this book doesn't really provide any good scares, the avid reader of weird fiction will nonetheless find a lot to enjoy in this graphic novel's excellent depictions of strange and horrifying scenes. If you're looking for linear storytelling, this might not be the book for you. While clearly interconnected, the book primarily focuses on a series of vignettes as the main characters face a variety of spiral-inspired terrors. By the end, the stories are woven together to create an overarching mythos which partly (but, thankfully, never completely) explains the events of the earlier chapters. On a note of criticism: the final story in this edition is a "lost chapter" entitled "Galaxies." The story of this particular chapter fits well with the assorted stories told throughout the book, but its inclusion at the end rather than its placement in the book's proper chronology is a bit disappointing and, if read immediately after the rest of the book, could detract from the impact of the "real" ending. The reader would be well-advised to let the book sit for a day or so before returning to read this final chapter. Overall, while I was hoping this book would scare me in a way that it never did, it exceeded my other expectations in terms of art and storytelling and is well worth a read.

I have to say I 100% agree with all the hype this is one of Junji Ito's best long stories he ever wrote/drew. It just has so much going on. It goes from simple tales about 1 person to the entire city being affected by something. The book is over 620 pages and it tells the story of a Japanese city/town on the water's edge. It's set in modern day and something weird is happening to the town. To put it bluntly spirals are happening to the town. People are seeing spirals and reacting pretty crazy but at the same time horrible things are happening to the town. Horrible deaths, ghostly pottery, evil light houses, and etc etc. The story follows a cast of characters while the town slowly decends into maddness. Let me say it's a wild ride if you never read it and trying to guess what will happen next trust me when I say you won't. It goes from typical Junji Ito horror to "what is even happening?" You will definitely get invested into this story. Like the main cast the reader wants to know what is happening why are spirals such a bad omen? why this town? and etc. I was absorbed into the world I didn't want to stop reading. I kept saying "one more chapter." The art is once again amazing. If someone has a Junji Ito tattoo I can guarantee it's from this book. It has some really iconic scenes. This book has it all. Body horror, Gore, mass destruction and etc. He really worked his ass of and it shows. The quality of the book is once again amazing it looks great next to other of his works and the paper is great. I never had a problem with Viz Media published books. The book also comes with a bonus story. The bonus story seems like a cut chapter? I'm not too sure. It takes place while the town is still in it's normal not that crazy yet phase. I enjoyed it. Its a lot longer than his usual bonus strips at the end of his books. I enjoyed it a lot. Overall I have to say this story is a wild ride. I usually say if you never read his works try a short story collection but trust me when I say this story shows off why he has such a devout fanbase. It might be long but it doesn't feel long at all. When I was done I wanted more.

Bent covers and with stain.

I got this off a list of recommended graphic novel lists and I'm glad I did! The artwork is amazing but truly the storytelling is creative, original and works completely from start to end, I'd recommend to any comic book fan.

Absolutely amazing manga and story.

I'm halfway through Uzumaki and I'm bursting out laughing at the increasingly ridiculous stories I'm reading... This reminds me more of 'Tales from the Crypt' rather than the actual horror manga it's being advertised as...

I'm not much of a reader, I read maybe a novella or two a year. I haven't read a manga since maybe 2006. I could not put this down, save for a few minutes between chapters to process the sheer terror of what I'd just seen. I finished it entirely in a day and may go back and read it again tomorrow. This is a masterpiece of horror. I will warn, this is NOT for children, and certainly not for anyone who is uncomfortable with body horror. I had never heard of Junji Ito before. I've always loved horror and have been replaying Bloodborne when I decided to try reading Berzerk as I know that manga was a big inspiration for Miyazaki. As I browsed that listing I saw a suggestion for Tomie, the cover drew me in, and then this caught my eye. I regret nothing. Lately I've been reading Lovecraft... This was far more disturbing, like Lovecraft meets Silent Hill. The pace is perfect, the stakes are always somehow raised, and every time you think "how can this get any more crazy" it just does. MINOR SPOILER: I remember thinking on page 34 after something strange happens "Wow, having something that weird so early is pretty brave, how do you keep escalating from this?" I was not disappointed. This story has quickly risen to my favourites list. Top 5 to be sure. Physically the book is great, paper is thick and sturdy, printing is clear and sharp. My only complaint is that the pages will not stay open on their own like the Berzerk deluxe hardcover. I think this uses glue binding and the Berzerk is stitched. TLDR - still a better love story than Twilight.