Ep. 395 - Spiral Issues (Uzumaki Ep. 1) with guest Tim

·1 hr 18 min·5 clips

Guest Tim finally confronts his 20-year fear of Junji Ito's Uzumaki as the podcast shifts from JoJo to horror anime.

The episode begins with hosts Mark, Miles, and Jackie welcoming back guest Tim to discuss the new anime adaptation of Junji Ito's Uzumaki, moving away from their usual JoJo's Bizarre Adventure focus. They explain the show's release schedule on Adult Swim and Max, noting it's part of a horror-themed month. Before diving into Uzumaki, they handle Correspondence Corner, answering listener questions on topics like pumpkin spice lattes, stereotypes, and favorite images, with Tim linking Food Wars' horniness to Catholic communion. The hosts then introduce Uzumaki, detailing its troubled production history due to COVID-19, the involvement of director Hiroshi Nagahama and composer Colin Stetson, and its four-episode format. They share their prior experiences with Junji Ito's work, with Tim admitting he avoided Uzumaki for 20 years due to fear. The analysis of episode one covers the plot, following protagonists Kirie and Shuichi in a town consumed by spiral obsessions, including the father's death in a spiral tub and Azami's head becoming a spiral vacuum. Discussions focus on the animation style, which uses rotoscoping and a black-and-white palette to mimic the manga, and the pacing, which some find too rapid. The hosts debate whether the adaptation effectively builds horror by showing characters' descent into madness or lacks emotional depth due to its speed. They also touch on themes like the golden ratio, spiral symbolism in nature, and comparisons to other media like the film Pi. The episode concludes with final thoughts on Uzumaki's oppressive atmosphere and anticipation for future episodes, along with podcast logistics like Patreon promotions and listener engagement.

As heard by us

A loose, funny horror-anime roundtable finds lived-in meaning in Junji Ito's spiraling nightmare.

Junji Ito's Uzumaki gives JoJo's Bizarre Podcast a strong horror-anime focus and a panel that clearly cares about Ito's work. The best moments come when the group connects Uzumaki to their own history with Ito stories, especially the memory of discovering The Enigma of Amigara…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want Uzumaki talk with Tool, Junji Ito memories, and a PlayStation detour in the same sitting.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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