Author: Junji Ito
Genre: Horror, Mystery and Suspense
Format: Hardback
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The story is set in a small town called Kurozu-cho located on the coast of Japan. Strange spiral shaped symbols started appearing everywhere inadvertently leading to the slow yet inevitable madness of the inhabitants.
As I mentioned horror is the main theme utilised in this manga. It is present in the chilling atmosphere as we are introduced to the spiral entities of unknown origin. Every page of this manga rivetted me with a range of emotions from being horrified to a sense of relief. We get to view the downfall of Kurozu-cho occur through the eyes of the main protagonist, Kirie Goshima. She notices the supernatural effect of the spiral plaguing her hometown and the insightful fear her boyfriend: Shuichi Saito has as he tries to convince her to abandon their hometown together before it is too late.
I am a huge admirer of the mangaka Junji Ito and have read most of his works. His horror manga’s are a work of art and his stories are thought provoking. I urge you all to read this manga, as it will introduce you to a different version of horror than what mainstream media presents.