Junji Ito’s Uzumaki anime finally gets release date, and fans can’t believe it

It looks like Uzumaki, the anime based on Junji Ito’s incredible manga, is finally coming out, as a release date was revealed as part of SDCC 2024.

An icon of horror, Junji Ito’s work has a spotty history of adaptations. There have been movies and anime shows based on his stories, including the Gyo TV show and the Tomei film franchise, but none have captured the uncanny creepiness of the source material.

That could changed in Uzumaki, from Adult Swim and Production IG. Long-delayed, the mini-series has been confirmed to premiere on Saturday September 28, 2024, with a streaming release on Max the day after.

The news comes from San Diego Comic-Con 2024, and it’s a long time coming. Uzumaki has been plagued by delays since being revealed in 2019, and now that we’re getting it soon, fans are in disbelief.

“I thought this would never see the light of day,” says one Redditor. “Finally. They really were pushing it on how long they could keep interest going. Fair play to Adult Swim and the studio for their continued funding, though,” a second adds.

“Must be close to done if they’re announcing a release date this close, but after all the delays I’ll keep my expectations low,” a third states.

Trailers certainly indicate some intricate animation, as the team have worked to replicate Junji’s signature style as much as possible. Uzumaki is one of his most ambitious works, about a town under a curse involving endless spirals.

The manga contains some stunning pages involving impossible architecture, warped by all the spiraling. Converting that into animation is no easy feat, and even at just four episodes, this will be a challenge in terms of consistency.

After several years, we don’t have much longer to wait. Check out our upcoming anime list for more major releases.