If Junji Ito ever drew SpongeBob into his spiral horror manga Uzumaki, this creepy illustration might be what readers could expect to see.
The official SpongeBob Twitter account posted a black-and-white illustration of SpongeBob looking shocked. Still, it’s what is happening in his left eye that is catching people’s attention, especially those who understand the reference. Aside from being bloodshot, there is a black spiral around SpongeBob’s left eye, a reference to Azami Kurotani, a character straight out of Junji Ito’s critically-acclaimed manga Uzumaki. Inside SpongeBob’s porous holes are more spirals.
Regarded as Ito’s greatest work, Uzumaki received a nomination for an Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material in 2003. The story follows teenagers named Kirie Goshima and Shuichi Saito, who live in a quiet fictional town called Kurouzu-cho cursed by a phenomenon of spirals. Those cursed possess an equal amount of fear of and obsession with spirals. They start seeing spirals in everything — objects, the sky and even within themselves. Shuichi wants nothing more than to escape from the town but Kirie wants to figure out what is causing the curse.
Ito Can Make Even the Mundane Horrifying
Critics have praised Ito’s storytelling abilities. In particular, his skill in subverting symbols that are normally portrayed positively in media, in this case, spirals and turning them into horrific elements. His art has also garnered critical acclaim, especially how his detailed and somewhat elegant depictions of body horror combine with psychological horror, creating a disturbing blend. An anime adaptation of Uzumaki, produced by Production I.G. USA and Adult Swim’s Williams Street, was announced but is delayed indefinitely due to the animators’ commitment to faithfully bringing Ito’s story to life. In 2000, Uzumaki received a live-action adaptation of Uzumaki but had mixed reviews.
In 2022, Ito’s Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection won the Eisner for Best U.S. Edition of International Material — Asia award, beating Chainsaw Man, Kaiju No. 8 and Spy x Family. That same year, Ito also received a nomination for the Best Writer/Artist award. He won the award last year for his Remina and Venus In The Blind Spot manga.
While it may be some time before fans can watch Uzumaki but in the meantime, another Ito horror anime, Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre, will premiere on Netflix in January 2023. Uzumaki is available to read on Viz Media.
Source: Twitter
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