Uzumaki, Vol. 1
By Junji Ito
Viz, 208 pp.
Rating: Older Teens
In this, the first of a three volume series, we’re introduced to a small town with a big problem: Kurozu-cho is haunted, not by a ghost but by a shape. The shape of the spiral. While that may not sound terribly threatening, Junji Ito shows just how bizarre and unnerving the spiral can be as it weaves its way into the lives of the townspeople with horrifying results.
The volume opens with a two-parter introducing the spiral menace and the two main characters, a school girl named Kirie Goshima and her boyfriend Shuichi Sato. What starts out as merely an odd obsession of Shuichi’s father slowly begins to spread, infecting the town in more and more obvious and outlandish ways. As the story unfolds, Shuichi and Kirie are sometimes pushed the side, watching and relating the tales of others whose lives are affected by the spiral madness. Bizarre, spiral-phobic self-mutilation, possessed pottery, and demonic hair cause just a few of the things we see in the first volume. Some of these tales–the initial madness of Shuichi’s father and mother for example, or the bodily deformation caused by the slow growth of a scar–are disturbing; others don’t quite hit the creepy and freakish mark, but are no less interesting. The possessed hair story that features a hair fight between Kirie and another girl at school misses the horror mark by a fairly wide margin. Scary? No. Cool? Definitely!
Junji Ito’s artwork throughout is magnificent. He incorporates the spiral pattern into the backgrounds of the book from the very beginning, creating the sense that there’s something not quite right with the town. Twisted blades of grass, strange cloud formations, patterns on the walls–all suggest this shape is somehow permeating the town in an unnatural fashion, and lends credibility to Shuichi’s desire to escape Kurozu-cho (not to mention his mother’s fear of spirals). The level of detail in the artwork adds further weight to the body-deforming acts that occur as the story progresses. From the sickening sight of an over-extended tongue, to the writhing, twisting mass of a human body, Ito’s artwork ensures that each is depicted in appropriately creepy and unnerving matter.
With two more volumes on the way, this series is far from over, and I can’t wait to see what kind of horrors await the townspeople of Kurozu-cho as the story progresses. Uzumaki is a must-have for fans of Japanese horror.
Volume one of Uzumaki is available now.
Gyo, Vol. 1
By Junji Ito
Viz, 200 pp.
Rating: Mature
Tadashi and Kaori are two teens looking to have a nice vacation by the sea. Unfortunately for them, the quiet resort town they’re visiting is about to be invaded by fish. With legs. What follows is a fun little monster story about.. well, walking fish. Japan is slowly being overrun by these mysterious creatures. Where do they come from? What do they want? No one knows at this point in the story; they’re just trying to deal with the sheer number of fish, the overwhelming stench, and the strange disease that’s begun infecting humans.
The characters in Gyo are an odd couple. Tadashi, the boy, is likable and level-headed, coping with the madness of the mutant fish as best he can. His girlfriend, Kaori, is a different story altogether. She’s annoying, bossy, and prone to hysterical screaming fits about smells. Sadly, this works against the story, since we don’t care a wit once she’s infected with the fish-borne disease. In fact, I chuckled quite a bit at Kaori’s fate, especially when the mutated, bloated girl attempts suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan, only to be propelled around in a circle by noxious gas escaping from her… um, rear. It’s a very silly moment which gives the story a popcorn movie feel. In fact, the entire story is full of moments like that. Between watching people flee from hordes of walking fish and Tadashi and Kaori fending off an attack from a walking Great White, Gyo feels like the kind of action/horror story you’d expect to see on a big screen.
Ito’s artwork here is actually a bit more polished than in Uzumaki. It seems a bit tighter and cleaner, but at the same time, something seems to be missing. Still, it’s strong art that does a great job at depicting all the action and fish. Ito’s fish are amazing; the leg design is surprisingly organic-looking, which lends to the “wrongness” of the situation.
While Gyo isn’t as off-the-wall as Uzumaki, or as gory as some of Ito’s other work, it still manages to be a fun little monster thrill ride.
Volume one of Gyo is available now.
I read the preview for Gyo in an old Viz sampler I got, and I gotta say, that fish really creeped me out! It gave me nightmares! Just thinking about it, with those long, spiny legs…. Ewwwwww!!!
I was really surprised at how well the fish design worked. I’ve only ever heard them described as “fish with legs” which.. well.. the images that came to mind were much sillier than what we got.
The pipes into the gills really creeped me out. I don’t know why, but stuff coming out of fishes gills weirds me out.
[...] Portus, Uzumaki & Gyo: These titles from Viz have garnished a lot of attention from manga reviewers. Charles Tan of Manga Village, as well as Ken Haley from Manga Recon have given these titles attention. Portus seems like J-horror, Uzumaki is freaky with it’s spirals, and the fish in Gyo gives me nightmares. Check out the reviews for more info. Charles Tan’s Portus, Uzumaki 1, 2, 3, and Gyo 1, 2. Ken Haley’s Portus, Uzumaki and Gyo. [...]