While I haven't read all that many manga, Uzumaki is easily the most inventive and entertaining of those that I have read. Junji Ito's twisted tale is alternately hilarious, horrifying, and deeply thought-provoing in ways that I'd come to think that manga could never be. Using spiral patterns as the central conceit of his plot gives Ito's tale an edge that more conventional horror is incapable of delivering, as the author draws ever wider circles (or are they spirals?) around his characters, with each ring of the circle infused with ever more examples of menacing spirals. Uzumaki succeeds both because it's based on an audacious idea, but also because the author has the talent to to spin a genuinely interesting tale with his unusual ingredients. ( )

The three volumes of Uzumaki, written and illustrated by Junji Ito, make up one of the weirdest, most frightening and most utterly brilliant stories I've ever come across. They centre on on a boy and a girl and their struggle to survive when the small town in Japan where they live comes under attack. But the threat in Uzumaki isn’t zombies, or werewolves, or demons, or aliens. The clue is in the title: the Japanese word ‘uzumaki’ describes a particular shape, or pattern…
The town is being menaced by spirals.
No way? Way. Believe it. The threat starts out small. Tiny whirwinds are seen in the streets. The town’s inhabitants become increasingly obsessed with spiral patterns in everyday objects such as springs, drill bits, corkscrews, lighthouse beacons, sirens. From there, with the inexorable, hypnotic anti-logic of a dream, the spirals take over. Spiral patterns appear in girls’ hair, until the hairstyles become sentient and battle each other over which spectacularly curling ‘do attracts the most attention. Spiral patterns appear on slow-moving town residents’ backs, before they turn into snails. And if you think /those/ things are weird, wait ’til you see what happens in Volume 3…
Uzumaki is a horror story: make no mistake about that. But the horror in it isn’t about blood (though it’s got its moments) or monsters (though it’s got those, too!) The emotions Uzumaki produces are something close to the claustrophobic, merciless unease of being trapped in a nightmare. Every few pages as I read it I was saying aloud things like ‘Whoah!’ ‘Ha!’ ‘Ew!’ ‘Gah!’ and ‘Wow!’ With its one dazzlingly original premise, Uzumaki opens your mind to the story possibilities that are waiting in everything around us. I tell you, I’ve never read anything like it. ( )

Excellent, very unsettling, and definitely NOT one for the kids. Really nightmarish. ( )

barely a drop of blood but it was the scariest book ive ever read

Creator of classic horror manga Tomie makes a comeback with this wonderfully disturbing series. Although the plot may seem ridiculous from a glance, it manages to be quite eerie as the series continues on. All horror fans should definitely read this. ( )

A very creepy collection of related stories about a town haunted by spirals (must be read to be believed). It's one of those rare works that changes the way you look at things. If you are not a huge fan of horror manga before reading this volume (and the other 2 following it), after you are through, you will be. ( )