October 26, 2024 12:30 pm
At this point, it seems that Ito's adaptations are simply cursed.
Renowned horror manga artist Junji Ito has had chronic bad luck with movie adaptations. The movies released in the early 2000s were too low-budget. The anime Gyo, based on the post-apocalyptic manga of the same name, was marred by poor 3D quality. And recent Netflix anthologies have been disappointing with their poor art and not always successful plot choices.
But in this tunnel of sadness for Ito's fans, there seemed to be a faint glimmer of light. In 2019, Production I.G. announced the development of an anime series based on the manga artist's signature work, Uzumaki, in collaboration with Adult Swim.
Uzumaki Adaptation Was a Dream Project for Junji Ito Fans
A chilling, surreal tale of a cursed city driven mad by twisted lines, the manga combines the grounded creepiness of body horror with the sticky dread of H. P. Lovecraft, one of Ito's favorite authors. Chapter after chapter, the sense of creeping dread was reinforced by the artist's signature style of hyper-detailed depictions of nightmares and bodily deformities.
Uzumaki has become Ito's calling card, so fans were excited about the upcoming adaptation. The trailer added fuel to the fire of anticipation – black and white frames, as if ripped from the pages of a manga, replaced by hypnotic, oddly uncomfortable music. It seemed that here it was – the perfect adaptation.
Uzumaki Was Yet Another Victim of the Production Hell
But Uzuamki got into a production hell. First, the pandemic disrupted production. Then the premiere was postponed to improve the quality of the animation – first to 2021, then to the fall of 2022, then several more times. It seemed that an incredible masterpiece was in the making – why else spend nearly five years on four half-hour episodes?
Finally, in June of this year, Ito said that he was shown the first episode, and it lived up to his expectations. At the end of September, fans were able to see the long-awaited anime – and it became clear that the rest of the episodes were apparently hidden from Ito.
Uzumaki Episodes Were Made by Different Studios
Why did the anime, which started out so promising, suddenly plummet in quality? Part of the answer lies in the fact that different studios worked on the episodes. Fugaku was responsible for the animation of the first episode, and then the work was transferred to Akatsuki, who is responsible for the poorly designed backgrounds and strange images of characters.
The reason why the creators decided to change animators remains a mystery – the series' executive producer Jason DeMarco vaguely informed the angry audience that there had been many problems during the five years of production, and that someone was definitely to blame for the current situation.
The writers allegedly had to choose between releasing just the first episode, all at once, or canceling the series altogether. Looking back, it seems that the first option was not the worst: a single, but well-made episode is clearly better than three failed ones.
At this point, it seems that Ito's adaptations are simply cursed.
Renowned horror manga artist Junji Ito has had chronic bad luck with movie adaptations. The movies released in the early 2000s were too low-budget. The anime Gyo, based on the post-apocalyptic manga of the same name, was marred by poor 3D quality. And recent Netflix anthologies have been disappointing with their poor art and not always successful plot choices.
But in this tunnel of sadness for Ito's fans, there seemed to be a faint glimmer of light. In 2019, Production I.G. announced the development of an anime series based on the manga artist's signature work, Uzumaki, in collaboration with Adult Swim.
Uzumaki Adaptation Was a Dream Project for Junji Ito Fans
A chilling, surreal tale of a cursed city driven mad by twisted lines, the manga combines the grounded creepiness of body horror with the sticky dread of H. P. Lovecraft, one of Ito's favorite authors. Chapter after chapter, the sense of creeping dread was reinforced by the artist's signature style of hyper-detailed depictions of nightmares and bodily deformities.
Uzumaki has become Ito's calling card, so fans were excited about the upcoming adaptation. The trailer added fuel to the fire of anticipation – black and white frames, as if ripped from the pages of a manga, replaced by hypnotic, oddly uncomfortable music. It seemed that here it was – the perfect adaptation.
Uzumaki Was Yet Another Victim of the Production Hell
But Uzuamki got into a production hell. First, the pandemic disrupted production. Then the premiere was postponed to improve the quality of the animation – first to 2021, then to the fall of 2022, then several more times. It seemed that an incredible masterpiece was in the making – why else spend nearly five years on four half-hour episodes?
Finally, in June of this year, Ito said that he was shown the first episode, and it lived up to his expectations. At the end of September, fans were able to see the long-awaited anime – and it became clear that the rest of the episodes were apparently hidden from Ito.
Uzumaki Episodes Were Made by Different Studios
Why did the anime, which started out so promising, suddenly plummet in quality? Part of the answer lies in the fact that different studios worked on the episodes. Fugaku was responsible for the animation of the first episode, and then the work was transferred to Akatsuki, who is responsible for the poorly designed backgrounds and strange images of characters.
The reason why the creators decided to change animators remains a mystery – the series' executive producer Jason DeMarco vaguely informed the angry audience that there had been many problems during the five years of production, and that someone was definitely to blame for the current situation.
The writers allegedly had to choose between releasing just the first episode, all at once, or canceling the series altogether. Looking back, it seems that the first option was not the worst: a single, but well-made episode is clearly better than three failed ones.
