Impressive
on a level of both art and story, Tomie creator Junji Ito's
horror manga Uzumaki slithers into your consciousness and
makes you question the very shapes that surround you. It's
a startling work by an artist of immense visual power. Echoing
H.P. Lovecraft (an admitted inspiration), Ito digs at the
things that exist just below the radar of regular reality
and probes the possibilities of great outer darkness just
beyond your walls of comfort.
Uzumaki means "the spiral" and it is this shape that colors
the forces at work in the stories here. It's allegedly the
"hypnotic, secret shape of the world", and this patterned
obsession draws in several characters even as horrific events
occur. The spiral simultaneously evokes the strangeness that
can be found in nature and the slow harrowing descent taken
by the unfortunate characters.
Our story centers around teen girl Kirie Goshima and her boyfriend
Shuichi Saito. Shuichi's father develops a fascination with
the spiral in the first story. As events unfold, we begin
to realize a darkening pattern and the inevitable path it
takes. Each of the installments herein puts a new twist on
the spiral concept as Kirie and Shuichi can essentially only
watch in horror.
I can't say enough about Ito's art. The detail is utterly
incredible. Ito seems depict regular people and coastal villages
with the same effortless grace as he displays impossible biological
horrors and terrible patterns in the sky. He's an incredibly
gifted stylist.
Fans of Lovecraft and horror manga should certainly seek out
Uzumaki. It's a sharp, disturbing piece of work that will
have you glancing sidelong at the carpet and certain wallpaper
patterns for days.
Note: There is a live-action film version of Uzumaki available
from Viz as well.
Troy Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of Shotgun Reviews.
The bit with the ears is just plain wrong. Email Troy at psikotyk@aol.com
|
