Toonami Co-Creator Shares Update on Junji Ito’s Uzumaki

Junji Ito remains one of the greatest masters of horror in the entertainment world, not simply in the anime world. Creating some of the creepiest stories of the modern era, the manga artist’s next anime project remains an original offering from Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. While Uzumaki has been indefinitely delayed, the co-creator of Toonami, Jason DeMarco, has shared a new update on the Production I.G. project that anime fans have been dying to see animated. 

The story of Uzumaki remains one of Junji Ito’s greatest scary stories for a reason. Over the course of the mini-series, manga readers were introduced to a mountain town that was plagued by a curse involving spirals. The curse arrived in some unexpected ways, including transforming people into snails, granting ruffians the power to control twisters, and various other surprising side effects. The manga first hit the scene in 1998 and surprisingly enough, the spooky story received a live-action feature-length film long before the anime adaptation was announced. Based on the promotional material released for the upcoming anime, fans are dying to see how the story of Uzumaki plays out in an animated series. 

When Will Uzumaki Arrive on Toonami?

Unfortunately, for those expecting a release date for Junji Ito’s next anime adaptation, you might be disappointed. Jason DeMarco shared that while the series was still in production, it will be released “when it’s ready”. The series was first announced in 2019 at the Crunchyroll Expo, meaning many fans have been waiting for around five years.

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Many Junji Ito fans feel that there has never been an anime adaptation that has been able to live up to the mangaka’s artwork, as series such as Junji Ito’s Maniac and The Junji Ito Collection disappointed horror connoisseurs. Uzumaki isn’t the only adaptation that is in the works when it comes to Ito’s resume, as Fangoria Studios is currently working on a live-action film for one of Junji Ito’s scariest stories. Blood Sucking Darkness is a short story that sees Junji Ito taking on the world of vampires and will be the first of three live-action movies adapting the horror artist’s works. 

Want the latest updates on the terrifying world of Junji Ito? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for all the latest on the horror master and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Uzumaki.