Adult Swim’s monochrome anime series “Uzumaki,” but it turned out to be a botched, downright insulting adaptation in the end. Fret not, though: We still have “Spiral,” the 2000 live-action film adaptation that makes up for its flaws by leaning sincerely toward the twisted, illogical nature of Ito’s “Uzumaki.”
Omega Micott
The problems that plague the Adult Swim anime boil down to unfortunate behind-the-scenes developments, including the show swapping directors and studios after a promising season premiere. What followed was a rush job that failed to capture the essence of Ito’s evocative art, as the animation lacked care or detail. The result was an adaptation with a jarring, unfinished quality that made everything look terrible.
This is truly disappointing, as the Adult Swim series initially had the good idea to translate Ito’s monochrome panels using motion capture and CGI-aided animation, but it ended up thwarting its own potential by compromising on quality control. In comparison, the 2000 live-action “Spiral” emerges as a competent, faithful companion piece to Ito’s manga. While it is unable to recreate the efficacy of a horror manga due to the limitations of the live-action medium, it makes up for this by adopting a Lynchian sensibility that isn’t afraid to push the limits of what looks terrifying onscreen. Combine this with an effective use of the J-horror curse trope, and we have a fun, weird little film that comes close to the disorienting vertigo that “Uzumaki” evokes.
Just like in the manga, “Spiral” throws Kirie (Eriko Hatsune) and Shuichi (Fhi Fan) into a whirlwind of bizarre happenings, but nothing feels stranger than the spine-chilling events they’re unwittingly swept up in. A vibrated, blue-green tinge bleeds into every frame, conveying the fact that the movie’s fictional world is as odd and ominous as it gets. Here, a woman traumatized by the spiral curse stabs her own ears because the cochlea (inner ear) is a spiral cavity, while Kirie’s straight hair grows and mutates endlessly to form sentient, nutrient-sapping spirals. But even that’s less shocking than the culmination of Kurouzu-cho’s fate, as we soon realize there’s no hope left in this deteriorating wasteland. In both “Uzumaki” and “Spiral,” humans give in to their hardwired tendency to self-destruct.
Although “Spiral” doesn’t fully satisfy the itch for a competent “Uzumaki” adaptation, it holds its own by fashioning a delightfully eccentric identity for itself — one that echoes Ito’s best impulses as an artist.