Summary
The anime adaptation of legendary horror mangaka Junji Itо̄'sUzumakiis a title that anime fans have waited a very long time for, as the title is perhaps the author’s most famous work. Adaptations of Itо̄'s manga have been a mixed bag, but many would agree that the usual pattern is that theysuffer greatly from the “curse of adaptation”, and after the diabolically poor animation quality of the second episode, it appears thatUzumaki: Spiral Into Horroris set to suffer the same fate.
The series executive producer, Jason Demarco, took to the social media platform Bluesky Social to air out his frustrations about major production issues that, in his words, could have very well been the reason the series “never saw the light of day”. TheUzumakiadaptation was first announced in 2019, and following a great first episode, the production quality dropped considerably for the second episode, which aired on Saturday, October 5.
What Was Said
Demarco’s Comments Were Later Deleted, But The Internet Doesn’t Forget
I can’t talk about what went down, but we were screwed over, and the options were A: not finish and air nothing and call it a loss; B: just finish and air Episode 1 and leave it incomplete or C: run all four, warts and all. Out of respect for the hard work, we chose C.After waiting so long, it makes sense people would be mad. Unfortunately, I can’t tell them who to blame it on… but someone is definitely at fault here, and we all just had to do our best when things imploded. Maybe others would have made different choices. We did the best we could with what we had.
– Jason Demarco
In a thread posted to Bluesky,Uzumakiexecutive producer Jason Demarco revealed that the production of the series had hit major obstacles which threatened the possibility of it ever making it to air. He describes being “screwed over”, and even says that there is definitely someone at fault for the massive drop in production quality.
Faced with the possibility thatUzumaki, which had faced multiple delays in the five years since its initial announcement, would be canned, Demarco says they chose to release it, as flawed as it was. The pandemic had the biggest impact on the series' production, with work being halted for close to a year.
At San Diego Comic Conin July this year, theUzumakiteam announced its September 28 premiere date. “A lot of people worked very hard on this show, and I didn’t think the actions of just one or two people should be the reason it never saw the light of day,” said Demarco, although he didn’t explain in detail what happened. The first episode ofUzumakihad an incredible reception and many expressed that it was worth the five-year wait; however, the second episode wound up being a disappointing mess, with inconsistent drawings, tragic animation and poor lip-syncing threatening to tarnish the series' brilliant start.
The Anime Adaptation of Junji Ito’s Magnum Opus
Initially announced in 2019, the series saw multiple delays and, evidently, came very close to never being released. It is set for four episodes, the first of which was produced by staff at Fugaku, directed by Hiroshi Nagahama, script by Aki Itami, character designs by Hirokazu Sato, and music by Colin Stetson.
The second episode had most of the same core staff, but animation production by studio Akatsuki, with direction by Yuji Moriyama and Taiki Nishimura as episodic director.After waiting for years, fans are incensed, and according to Demarco, so are many people behind its production. At this point, we can only speculate about what happened for such a dramatic decrease in quality.
Uzumaki’s next episode airs Saturday, October 12, and can be streamed onAdult Swim.
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Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror
Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror is an adaptation of Junji Ito’s acclaimed manga, directed by Hiroshi Nagahama. The series unfolds in the town of Kurôzu-cho where inexplicable events related to spirals plague the inhabitants, leading to terror and madness. Highlighting the psychological and supernatural, the show follows high school student Kirie Goshima and her boyfriend, Shuichi Saito, as they confront the spiraling horrors that engulf their town.
