Uzumaki

Episode 3

Uzumaki shows a surprising course correct in this episode. It still can't deliver the sophisticated animation as seen in episode one, and Nagahama is still out of the director's chair, but it is a graphical improvement, and the tightened narrative does wonders here.

Episode three combines chapter two's finale and elements from chapters 10, 11, 12, and 13. This is the same amount of ground as previous episodes, but thanks to some judicious cuts, the paired stories are cohesive, and there are more than a few startling body-horror moments throughout. This is the first episode of Uzumaki that I enjoyed as a piece of entertainment, plotholes and all.

Kirie is recovering in the hospital following her near-fatal immolation inside the Black Lighthouse. About two-thirds of the episode smartly sticks to this single location. Scriptwriter Aki Itami moved the conclusion of Shuichi's mother's story here, allowing it to happen simultaneously with Kirie's recovery. That portion lacks punch; it's the "Mosquito" and "Umbilical Cord" chapters that take the cake.

Shuichi drops the latest spiral-related trivia that breeding mosquitos form spiral-shaped swarms, and lo and behold, whirlwinds of insects begin appearing outside the hospital. Around the same time, an influx of pregnant women are admitted, including Kirie's cousin Keiko. This evolves into one of the most interesting "vampire" stories I've seen in a while. It's Junji Ito's brand of humor while delivering a truly horrific concept. Suddenly, the small group of pregnant women begin killing other patients in the night, using hand drills to puncture and drink their blood. They feast on sleeping patients and attack staff they encounter in the hallways. It was ghastly! I would have loved to see it elevated by the techniques utilized in episode one, especially on the "leader" of the troupe, but it was still very effective.

This logically segues into the "Umbilical Cord" story as the pregnant vampire women give birth. This segment is a bit more nonsensical as the fresh babies are shown talking to one another about returning to the womb, and we see fleshy, fungus-like placenta growths overtake the delivery room. Some of the horror is implied here by Keiko's state in the delivery room; her fresh sutures suggest that the doctor has put the infant back inside her post-birth. Keiko's transformation into a Frankenstein of sorts is great, but I wish they'd been even more frank with the nudity. Barbie doll anatomy for body horror doesn't hit the same.

On-screen nudity can serve multiple purposes. The obvious one is erotic or titillation, but another is to communicate vulnerability. It can also be used to blur the line between sensuality and disgust. If you think of the bathroom scene in The Shining, it does not function the same if the woman is in a bathing suit. Kubrick skillfully juxtaposed sexuality with horror; Jack is committing a betrayal in that moment by indulging in his base desires (similar to his indulgence in alcohol), and it is literally mirrored back at him when the woman is revealed to be a rotting corpse. Similarly, Keiko is in a vulnerable position as a nude mother about to bring life into the world, only to turn on a family member to take life from them. Removing the nipples sterilizes some of the reality of the situation, its frankness, and the overall message of the image.

There's also a point where the bloodthirsty women eat the overgrown placentae, and it is gnarly.

The latter third of the episode isn't quite as effective as Kirie, Shuichi, and her family take shelter in one of the long houses while a typhoon rolls up to their doorstep. They meet a neighbor (Wakabayashi) who quickly becomes obsessed with Kirie as other refugees begin to develop horn-like protrusions all over their bodies. This culminates as expected, with the neighbor becoming a giant mass of calcified horns. Also, the Jack-in-the-Box guy reappears briefly. Unfortunately, the animation limitations can't quite get there to make Wakabayashi truly frightening. I can imagine the many horns would be difficult to render in CG under the best circumstances. Instead, we never get a good look at him to take in his transformation.

I almost can't complain too much in this specific instance since the manga chapter triggers my tryptophobia.

I'll be honest: If Uzumaki had looked like this from the start and hadn't had the rushed narrative problems in episodes one and two, I wouldn't be mad at it. This is the same outsourced studio as episode two but under a different episode director. Shigeki Awai takes the reins here under Yūji Moriyama. Awai has been in the business since the 1980s, with episode director credits for nearly as long (the man was on the original Trigun staff). I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention a tweet by episode two director Taiki Nishimura that went out on October 8 referring to pressure put on him by a chief director. After looking into it more, I'm more inclined to think it's about his work on Tower of God Season 2, where he served as director underneath chief director Kazuyoshi Takeuchi. The kanji used for the staff credit is specific to "chief director," so it seems unlikely he was alluding to the Uzumaki staff.

Ultimately, this looks like Uzumaki is realigning itself for what could be a serviceable conclusion. We'll just have to stomach the "could have been."

Rating:

Uzumaki is currently airing on Adult Swim and is streaming on Max.