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Uzumaki Episode 1, released on September 29, 2024, impressed fans with its art, closely matching the manga's style. However, the anime's pacing was a concern, as it skipped key panels and pseudo adapted the first three chapters.
Where the skipping of the opening scene didn't make much difference to the overall episode, the skipping of some key panels where Shuichi's mother gets haunted by her late husband could be an injustice to the series because these panels added true horror to the series. Moreover, the introduction of Azami showed how the series could show the skipped scenes in the future.
Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the Uzumaki episode 1 and has the author's opinion.
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Comparing Uzumaki episode 1 to its corresponding chapters
Uzumaki episode 1: The introduction of Shuichi's father
Uzumaki episode 1 commenced with Kirei picking up Shuichi from the train station as they walked through the village discussing the condition of Shuichi's father. However, things happened differently in the manga series. As Kirei walked towards the station, she witnessed Shuichi's father on the side of a fence, staring into a snail.
Later in the episode, Kirei visited Shuichi's house to deliver some items and she was scared to face him. Kirei witnessed the spiral obsession of Shucihi's father in the manga so her fear made sense but as this scene was skipped in the anime, her fear wasn't as 'believable,' but something that was necessary for the plot.
Uzumaki episode 1: The haunting of Shuichi's mother
After the death of Shuichi's father, his mother started getting haunted by her late husband and she became paranoid. Where the anime did do justice by animating some of her scenes accurately (her cutting her fingertips), it skipped some 'crucial' panels which made the haunting more 'eerie.'
While Shuichi's mother was sleeping, his father appeared as a centipede and formed a spiral, similar to the way he died. Shuichi's father also appeared as a spiral inside her mother's IV, and the spiral inside the mother's ear, the Eustachian Tube, compelled her to stab her ear using scissors. All of these scenes would have made the series better than it already was.
Uzumaki episode 1: The introduction of Azami and Takayama
Azami was introduced when Kirei took her to the station to pick up Shuichi, which differs from the manga where Kirei introduced her at Shuichi's home. This change suggests that skipped scenes may appear later, hinting that Shuichi's mother might still be alive and not yet affected by her husband's haunting.
Another interesting detail about the episode was the introduction of Takayama, a character that appears in chapter 8 of the manga series. The current episode adapted the first three chapters so introducing him was a brave decision.
However, there is no telling whether this could be his last appearance in the anime series as he could be introduced just to show Kirei the true curse of the spiral (through the spiral present on the back of Takayama). Look forward to Uzumaki episode 2 for further answers.
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