| I have read several of Junji Ito's works but didn't find any of them to be particularly fantastic. One in particular that many people seem to rave on about is Uzumaki. Some people say that they weren't able to sleep at night and that it was the scariest manga they had ever read... Well, this may be my unpopular opinion, but I didn't think Uzumaki was all that good. From an artistic standpoint I will give props to the mangaka for his work, it truly is a sight to behold. However aside from that, the story itself was lackluster to the point of being cheesy sometimes, and the characters were stupid and bland. The horror element was also not very scary. This leaves three conclusions, either I am blind in the face of art and cannot discern the true meaning of the manga, I am an emotionless rock and or read the manga from the wrong viewpoint, or people simply praise this manga for being the scariest when other manga like it, just aren't scary themselves. Please help me understand the love for this manga. |
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brandonvu said: I have read several of Junji Ito's works but didn't find any of them to be particularly fantastic. One in particular that many people seem to rave on about is Uzumaki. Some people say that they weren't able to sleep at night and that it was the scariest manga they had ever read... Well, this may be my unpopular opinion, but I didn't think Uzumaki was all that good. From an artistic standpoint I will give props to the mangaka for his work, it truly is a sight to behold. However aside from that, the story itself was lackluster to the point of being cheesy sometimes, and the characters were stupid and bland. The horror element was also not very scary. This leaves three conclusions, either I am blind in the face of art and cannot discern the true meaning of the manga, I am an emotionless rock and or read the manga from the wrong viewpoint, or people simply praise this manga for being the scariest when other manga like it, just aren't scary themselves. Please help me understand the love for this manga. I did enjoy this manga, but I can see what you are talking about. The character's were very bland, there actions made no sense whatsoever most of the time, the story did get kind of shoddy at the end too. Some parts were pretty visually intense and scary though. Other then that, I don't think its anything out of the ordinary. |
| I have no idea. It's not even mildly creepy, unlike Amigara Fault or Long Dream. |
| I liked the manga, but I didn't think it was that scary. It crept me out with the distorted bodies and non-human figures (e.g. human snails), but it wasn't enough to give me nightmares. Several ppl have the manga on hold at the public library I used to work. Guess they heard about it being "one of the scariest stories ever." I do like Junji Ito's works though. |
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| I just found it silly tbh. Of all the manga I've read I consider it one of the worst. |
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| I love Uzumaki, it has very creative horror sequences and I love its theme, but I think Junjo Ito falls into the category of so bad it's good. I usually don't take his work seriously, it's just entertaining and somewhat creepy. I love his art though. |
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| i didn't think it was really scary, but it was weird enough to the point where i was looking forward to see what new ordeal was going to come next. |
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| I liked it but I get where you're coming from. It kind of takes a lot to scare me though, but I found mostly the imagery was creepier than the story, and I think that might be part of the point. Amigara Fault literally gave me chills though. I don't know why that one got to me but it sure did. |
| Even though I read only 1 volume, I find it okay. Not to scary, but I can't say for the rest. I enjoyed it though. |
| I like cake. |
| I think you're right on many accords, but I also think this manga is fantastic. It's just that it's original - it takes a strange topics and turns it into a disturbing journey. There's so much new stuff going on, that in the end you feel like, wow, I haven't seen anything like that, it's worth a grade A for surprising me. Many "masterpieces" are like that - flawed things, good by virtue of being the only ones in their field or very memorable. That's my opinion, at least. After I read a bunch of manga, I started to notice that there aren't many things that stand out. |
| Doing horror manga that is actually scary is very difficult. And there are not many mangaka doing that. Junji Ito is great because he is one of the best in the horror genre, even if his works are, just as you said, not that scary. But what can you do when you can't use scary music/sfx to go with the story, like they do in movies? About the stories... they could be better, but I like the fact that there are (almost?) always a love-couple involved. |
| The writer who penned Clashing Feelings. You can buy the light novel on Amazon. |
| I think it's a matter of personal experience and preference. Many people may say that it's really creepy to the point of being scary is they haven't had a lot of exposure to horror as a genre, others may not find it scary but still enjoy it. Personally I liked the progression of it and how it got to the part at the end. Some parts could've been left out because they seemed to have been done for shock value only and not because they were relevant to the plot (like the snail people), but in general I enjoyed it. It's true that the mood is cheesy, but I think that's part of the charm, too. It tells itself like a teenage camping story-time tale. |
密室殺人はなぜ美しいのか。 |
| Junji Ito is good on wtf stories, I dont consider most of them scary but I love how crazy he can be with those stories, of course if you're gonna value his work with how scary it is, some people will tell you that its the most scarier manga they've read and some others like you, would think its not, its subjective, I mean, I haven't found any manga yet that truly scare me...but Junji Ito works are defently interesting to read at least, and Uzumaki has great creepy moments in my opinion. |
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badwolf45f said: Junji Ito is good on wtf stories, I dont consider most of them scary but I love how crazy he can be with those stories, of course if you're gonna value his work with how scary it is, some people will tell you that its the most scarier manga they've read and some others like you, would think its not, its subjective, I mean, I haven't found any manga yet that truly scare me...but Junji Ito works are defently interesting to read at least, and Uzumaki has great creepy moments in my opinion. Yes, I though that the manga was really interesting, at least original, and weird. And the artwork is fantastic as well. The last volume is when the story gets annoying, though the characters were stupid in the first two ones too. I didn't find it scary, but the genre of horror does suit the manga. So it's because: - The amazing artwork - It's a manga, the artwork is a considerable factor on liking the manga or not. - The story is original, and really weird. I love weird things, if they are well done. Deadly spirals?! - Some people though that the ending was beautiful - But I didn't. Tastes differ. It doesn't matter that you didn't like the manga, you will always find some series that people praise a lot and you would be like wtf. |
| Did you speed read it or something? Take the time to appreciate the artwork. |
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Oh yeah, that is one of the best part of the manga. The artwork is really good. |
| I like cake. |
| Thank you for all the feedback. I can see the appeal of the manga though I, personally, didn't find it incredible. But beyond that, I still found it interesting enough to finish it. Perhaps I'll read it through again from a less critical standpoint and just enjoy the art and atmosphere. |
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| I agree. I mean sure it's creepy but it's not particularly lasting or something that will make you disturbed for a while. Some of it was just silly. I've seen better in manga that don't even center around horror. |
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| The art is good. And unlike most horror manga out there, it actually has a fantastic plot. Some people misinterpret Uzumaki as a horror manga, but it's actually a grotesque manga. It doesn't scare people in a way manga with ghosts do, some people feel scared because it's gruesome. |
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Toska said: People tend to over-exaggerate their experiences with something, especially if the thing in question already boast a reputation, which may compel people to try to "fit in" with the popular opinion. You're right about it, but i think Uzumaki is a manga you must interpret to get all the creepyness. Once you understand what the spirals mean... And yeah, characters is one of the Junji Ito's weak points. I n nearly every work. |
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| I'm happy to hear that i'm not the only one appreciating "Amigara fault". I do like Uzumaki but i don't find scary either and Junji Ito's work's tend to be just random and just driven by the art. "Amigaras fault" other hand is genuinely chilly story. |
| I enjoyed it in the way that one may enjoy reading Rip Van Winkle, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Wuthering Heights, etc. (basically romantic literature). It was fantastic BECAUSE the characters were so simple-minded, arrogant, hopeless, and clueless, because their actions made no sense, because of the senseless terrors and massacres that were wrought. The pure insanity of what Ito wrote was fantastic to witness. Any horror movie has a simple plot and cheap scares (things jumping out, etc.) dressed up in special effects and cool music. Uzumaki isn't any different except for the creativity of it. Just read it like you're the mastermind behind the killer spirals. Which is why I say, placenta mushroom babies and cannibalized snail people? Hell yes. |
| Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. ~That Nietzsche guy |
| His work isn't really scary. It's unsettling. That's where his appeal comes from. There's really nothing quite like his stuff. |
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| I read it some time ago and I have to agree with the general consensus here. Uzumaki is not scary it's just interestingly weird, so you keep on reading. |
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| Well, I do agree with @delija9091 it weird but it can be disgusting when people turn themselve into snail & the ending is really disappointing. |
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| Prolly cause they don't knoe wuts going going so it's gotta b really good. The joke is on me cause I like Uzumaki a lot (tho Junji has some much creepier stories.) But it's a reaaaly bizzare manga, Junji Ito had some great ideas (those goddamn snail people, that dude who turned himself into a spiral, mother who cut out her body parts until she killed herself, will I ever forget that...) It's mcfricking insane. So I argue that Uzumaki really is damn good, perhaps not as a horror in the classical sense tho. |
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Toska said: People tend to over-exaggerate their experiences with something, especially if the thing in question already boast a reputation, which may compel people to try to "fit in" with the popular opinion. If the thing in question boast a reputation it's because alot of people already like it tho, so I don't know if this answers the question.. Rxargyros said: Well, I do agree with @delija9091 it weird but it can be disgusting when people turn themselve into snail & the ending is really disappointing. It's Jungi Ito it's suppose to be disgusting. |
| ゴロゴロゴロ ゴロゴロゴロ ゴロゴロゴロ ゴロゴロゴロ ゴゴゴゴゴゴ ゴゴゴゴゴゴ ゴゴゴゴゴゴ |
| I mostly agree with your critiques, but what made it so great for me was the stories themselves. I loved every single one. I loved how they were all original, even when compared to each other, and although the manga didn't scare me it did manage to gross me out which doesn't happen often. |
| It's not amazing, but it is interesting. The artwork, as many others have already stated, is incredible, and a lot of the events that unfold in the story are very shocking and strange. It's not scary, but it is disturbing. |
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| uzumaki... hmmm, how should i explain abt this i didnt say it was too good or too bad it just that the plot getting eerie but overall he created a unique story whether is less chapter or more. |
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| Finished reading it this morning, and let me be honest here i almost dropped it at the "Mosquitoes" chapter cause i felt extremely uncomfortable reading it and the art was just too much at times. (i was reading late at night on my tab so probably that didnt help) |
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