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Uzumaki’s Animation Quality Takes A Downward Spiral In Episode 2
After eagerly awaiting Uzumaki for over five years and enduring multiple delays, there was a considerable hype when the anime finally started airing.
However, there has been a noticeable drop in animation quality of the anime in episode 2, which premiered on Oct 6.
The moments of the characters were robotic and stiff, while the art itself was questionable at many points. In fact, if you mistake this episode for a fan animation, there would be no surprises.
Following the impressive debut of the first episode, which showcased stunning visuals and atmosphere, the drastic dip in the animation quality of episode 2, has naturally led to a wave of critical reactions online.
Many expected the animation to maintain the same high standard seen in episode 1.
This setback will no doubt raise questions about the production choices, as the final quality was severely lacking despite the long wait for the adaptation of Junji Ito’s iconic horror manga.
Given the short run of the series, which has only four episodes in total, the inconsistency between the episodes will be a point of concern going forward.
The animation quality aside, the pacing of the episode too was off, as the production team crammed almost 5 chapters into little over 20 mins.
In comparison, the first episode only had adapted 2 chapters.
While an increase in quality will be expected for the upcoming couple of episodes, it needs to be seen if these episodes can salvage something good for the anime.
Considering that there are more than 10 chapters left to adapt, questions regarding the pacing of the series are bound to come up subsequently.
Social media platforms have been flooded with reactions from disappointed fans. Many felt misled by the high-quality trailers and the impressive visuals of the first episode.
Uzumaki was initially set to premiere on Toonami in 2020, ahead of its Japanese debut. However, the production faced multiple delays. Initially postponed to 2021, it was later rescheduled for October 2022. In June 2022, another delay pushed the release date further.
The anime finally started airing on Sep 28, 2024.
Cast includes:
- Uki Satake as Kirie Goshima
- Shinichiro Miki as Shuichi Saito
- Toshio Furukawa as Kirie’s Father
- Takashi Matsuyama as Shuichi’s Father
- Mika Doi as Yukie Saito
- Mariya Ise as Azami Kurotami
- Katsutoshi Matsuzaki as Katayama
- Wataru Hatano as Okada
- Tatsumaru Tachibana as Tsumura
- Kouichi Toochika as Yokota
- Ami Fukushima as Shiho
- Gen Sato as Boy 1
- Shunsuke Takeuchi as Boy 2
- Anna Nagase as Girl
- Kōsuke Okamoto as Attendee 1
Hiroshi Nagahama is directing the 4 episode Uzumaki anime at Studio Drive, with Colin Stetson composing the music. The mini-series is coproduced by Adult Swim along with Production I.G. USA.
Uzumaki is a Japanese horror manga series written and illustrated by Junji Ito. Appearing as a serial in Shogakukan’s weekly seinen manga magazine Big Comic Spirits from 1998 to 1999, the chapters were compiled into three bound volumes published from August 1998 to September 1999.