In recent years, voice acting has emerged as a popular profession. Voice actors often participate in official anime series panels and are increasingly valued more than animators in terms of respect and pay. Even Chika’s voice actor from Kaguya-sama requested a love story for her character, and cats are now being hired for voice acting roles. However, it is rare to hear of a manga creator voicing a character in their work’s anime adaptation.
Famed manga author Junji Ito has been announced to voice a character in the anime adaptation of his creation, Uzumaki. The specific character he will voice has yet to be revealed.
In December 2021, the Uzumaki anime’s official Twitter account shared a behind-the-scenes video, showing Junji Ito preparing to voice a character in the series. The tweet with the clip can be found here:
The video begins with anime director Hiroshi Nagahama praising Ito’s work, followed by Ito standing in front of a microphone to record his lines. The audio is muted to maintain the secrecy of the character he will be voicing.
Director Nagahama appears impressed with Ito’s performance, even asking if he has previous ADR or voice acting experience. However, Ito’s character will likely not be a lead role, as the director comments, “That’s it for him?”. Regardless, fans are eagerly anticipating Ito’s low-pitched voice in the anime.
The Delay of Uzumaki Anime
In July 2022, the Uzumaki Twitter page shared an update:
The tweet includes an apology from the production team for the anime’s delay, asking fans for more time to ensure the quality of the work aligns with Ito’s vision. The team emphasizes their commitment to not compromising on quality and promises to announce a release date once they feel confident in the final product.
Junji Ito and Uzumaki
“Uzumaki” is the first manga series of Junji Ito distributed worldwide in the 1990s. Other works of Junji Ito were also present then but weren’t published in English yet. Junji Ito’s work on Uzumaki is perfect regarding art style and story. The art style features creepy and disturbing panels, and the story of the manga is perfectly constructed and well-written, which is not seen in most horror manga series.
Uzumaki Synopsis:
Kirie Goshima lives a mundane life in Kurouzu-cho town, where she meets her boyfriend, Shuuichi Saito, at the train station. One day, Kirie notices Shuuichi’s father staring at a snail shell in an alley and informs Shuuichi. Shuuichi reveals that his father’s strange behaviour is due to his obsession with spirals, which he believes have infected the town. As events unfold, the town’s residents spiral into madness, and bizarre and terrifying incidents occur, leading to chaos and death.
What are your thoughts on Junji Ito’s voice acting role? Share your opinions in the comments below, as we’d love to hear your thoughts on this development.
Source: Uzumaki Official Twitter
