I have never really been into Manga. Not entirely sure why but this book has made it very clear I was just reading the wrong Manga. Beautiful and creepy. Full of horrific images. I absolutely loved it. I was talked into reading it and now can’t wait to read the rest of them. A whole new world of horror might have just opened for me. ( )

This is a book about a town infested with spirals. What does that mean? Well, a spiral is a shape that draws the eye along its path to the center. In the right circumstances, such as for the inhabitants of this town, spirals might draw and trap people into increasing horror. A teenager (Kirie) and her boyfriend begin to notice strange, inexplicable behavior and occurrences around town. This is a story about what they saw and experienced.

A number of the early and middle chapters read like short, mostly independent stories. While the stories themselves were enjoyable, in at least one instance I felt like an important plot line just fell through the bottom of the world. It had been the focus of multiple chapters and seemed to be going somewhere, but was then never brought up again.

I was torn on rating this a 3/5 or 4/5. I decided on the former because Lovecraftian horror isn't a favorite of mine, and the story suffers a bit from stupid-character syndrome (seriously, get out of that town!). But it was still a solid and weird horror story that really layers stuff on (especially in the last half or third), and I wish I could write about my favorite parts without spoiling the book. ( )

Its one of the best written and drawn mangas I've ever read, I forgot it was even a manga, it doesnt have what I came to expect in a manga, (after reading so many you come to expect poorly written plots, underage looking girls that are over 400 years old and married to a 30 year old man, woman being poorly written if they are even written at all, protagonists gaining power just cause they need to beat a guy up, any type of fanservice like beach or sauna or bathroom episode, random ass or boob shot, that one man that is always creepy, two boys that are friends and rivals that chase after each other and have the most romantic and tender moments you've ever seen later on marrying a random girl they never liked, strongest woman you've ever seen marrying a guy and becoming a house wife, etc) especially for the horror genre, like I expected bad stuff but I was wrong!! and I am so glad I was wrong!! It doesnt have any questionable panels, it really just tells the story, I've never felt this happy and disturbed by reading a manga before, its definitively one of my favorites, no matter the genre, the others simply do not compare.
I must read his other titles, and I will savour every panel like a child that has been lost in the caves of a forest for days, only surviving by drinking water and eating mushrooms.. I strongly recommend this piece of art and literature, I fear I will never truly understand any of his works and what he intended with them, however I am so very happy to be able to read them, I am so so sooo glad to have encountered this manga!! Whenever I see a spiral I think of Uzumaki, I think of Junji Ito.. It is so good to have a media that you don't need to defend, forget or to make a headcannon about a plot or a character to enjoy it, with this, I feel like my soul is finally free from the curse of japanese man writing and drawing the most horrible and disgusting mangas, plots and characters that I've ever seen... I feel light, but also heavy because this incredible piece of art is no joke, I am disgusted and terrified, but it is beautiful and I'm full of joy and happiness.. Junji Ito come to Brazil ( )

Masterpiece, only sold short by its abrupt ending.
There's so much to talk about in this particular omnibus (only the second horror manga I've ever read) - body horror, cannibalism, and so on - that you must read it to believe it. A small coastal town in Japan is cursed (hence the name, which means spiral in Japanese), and everything goes to hell. There are short stories on everything - such as mosquitoes (whose flying pattern is similar), snails (with the shape of their backs), and even tornadoes.
There's little to no characterization here, and I didn't know beforehand that this was a loose collection of short stories with a joining narrative, but that didn't detract from my immersion. There are the usual tropes here - a slightly unhinged deuteragonist with a gory past, the protagonist who's somehow not affected by the mania happening, and so on. Where Uzumaki shines is in creating a sense of helplessness - at no point do you feel that the characters are in control of what's happening, and this is different from the horror we're used to (the main character saving the day). I'd recommend this only for second-hand helplessness if nothing else. ( )

Oh my god. Go into this blind if you can. This is such a beautifully disturbing story, from the visuals to the dialogue. Imagine a mix between Cronenberg & Hitchcock, a perfect psychological body horror story. Read the manga for god's sake. ( )