I think Junji Ito is cursed. Or at least his work might be. Because anime adaptations of his manga never seem to come out right. In 2018, the Junji Ito collection was released. This collection is made up of his various stories, is anthological in nature, and has no source that leaves me feeling like I can’t sleep because of a single enthralling page. The mind’s eye. Of course, when it was announced that Uzumaki would be working on the anime, expectations were high for a good adaptation, considering it’s one of his most famous works.
These hopes were well and truly met in the first episode a little over a week ago. It’s actually 2D and contains disturbing 3D shapes that you can’t tell if they’re rotoscoped or CG. Sure, it was a little fast-paced, but if it meant the next three episodes looked and felt just as good as this one, I’d take it. Then on the weekend… Episode 2 was broadcast. I’m not going to beat around the bush. It was bad.
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The fast pace of the first episode was somewhat forgivable, but here it felt much fuller, except it wasn’t the worst either. No, the biggest problem was that it didn’t actually look that good. Barely moving characters feel stiffer than 100-year-old wood, cuts feel pointless, and the 3D quality is simply gone. The specifics of the situation are unlikely to be revealed, but it is a confusing situation caused by a continued lack of attention from higher-ups to the industry’s animators. The episode doesn’t bode well either).
The second episode was so bad that I’m honestly considering not caring about the last two episodes. Why waste your time doing that when you can enjoy the original comics? That’s it though, right? Why go through the process of adapting something? This is not to say that Ito’s work is impossible to adapt. I think if they let the first episode rest a bit longer and split it into two episodes, it could have been something really special. I’m not sure we actually have to adapt everything under the sun.
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For many people, animation is the final product, the complete version of a given work. How can you pick up, read, enjoy, and put down a lowly comic without video or voice acting? , and what about music? I don’t really agree with this position. Yes, I love seeing how certain directors choose to adapt comics. Sometimes I think comics can be comics, and that’s okay.
Ito’s work is clearly highly regarded by many around the world, but it can feel like the animation is the validation factor that makes it legitimate, something he doesn’t really need, especially when the end result is the second episode of Uzumaki no see. Sometimes comics are good on their own. It’s a really difficult effect to capture in motion, especially for Ito, whose work is all about page turns (no, cuts aren’t the same; it’s the physical act of forcing yourself to do something that really sells his work). When you find out, turn the page).
Maybe someday Ito’s work will come out, but there are so many of his comics worth reading that I don’t think I’ll care whether I read them or not.
