Episode 3 – Whirlpool – Anime News Network

Maelstrom shows off a surprisingly correct line in this episode. It still doesn’t offer the complex animation seen in the first episode, and Nagahama still doesn’t serve as director, but it’s a graphic improveand the tight narrative works wonders here.

The third episode combines the ending of Chapter 2 with elements of Chapters 10, 11, 12 and 13. There are shocking moments of body horror sprinkled throughout. This is the first episode of Maelstrom, which I enjoy as entertainment, plot, and all.

Kiri nearly died in the Black Beacon and is currently recovering in the hospital. About two-thirds of the plot cleverly stays in this single location. screenwriter who is itami Move the ending of Shuichi’s mother’s story here so that it coincides with Kirie’s recovery. This part lacks impact; the most exciting chapters are “Mosquito” and “Umbilical Cord”.

Shuichi reveals the latest spiral-related trivia, in which breeding mosquitoes form spiral-shaped swarms, and lo and behold, a whirlwind of insects begins to appear outside the hospital. Around the same time, a large number of pregnant women were admitted to the hospital, including Kiri’s cousin Keiko. This evolved into one of the funniest “vampire” stories I’ve seen in a while. it is This is Junjistyle of humor while conveying a truly terrifying concept. Suddenly, a small group of pregnant women began killing other patients at night, piercing them with hand drills and drinking their blood. They feed on sleeping patients and attack staff they encounter in corridors. How terrible! I would have liked to see the technology used in the first episode step up a notch, especially on the “leader” of the troupe, but it’s still very effective.

This logically segues into the story of the “umbilical cord” when a pregnant vampire woman gives birth to a child. The sequence is a little ridiculous, as the newborns talk to each other about returning to the womb, and we see the delivery room covered in fleshy, fungus-like placenta. Keiko’s state in the delivery room hints at some horror. Her new stitches showed doctors had put the baby back inside her after delivery. Keiko’s transformation into some kind of Frankenstein is great, but I wish they were more candid about the nudity. Barbie’s body horror anatomy isn’t the same.

On-screen nudity serves many purposes. The most obvious one is erotic or titillating, but the other is about conveying vulnerability. It can also be used to blur the line between sexy and disgusting. If you think of bathroom scenes in movies The Shiningif a woman wears a swimsuit, its function is different. Kubrick deftly juxtaposes sex and horror; in that moment, Jack indulges his baser desires (similar to his addiction to alcohol) and thereby commits betrayal, when the woman is revealed to be a rotting corpse , which actually reflects on him. Likewise, Keiko is in a vulnerable position as a naked mother about to bring life into the world, only to betray her family and take their lives. Removing the nipple removes the reality, candor, and overall message of the image from some of the situations.

There’s also the point where bloodthirsty women eat the overgrown placenta, and it’s gross.

The last third of the episode isn’t as effective, as Kee, Shuichi, and her family take shelter in a long house as a typhoon hits. They meet a neighbor (Wakabayashi) who quickly becomes obsessed with Kirie when the other refugees start growing horn-like protrusions all over their bodies. As expected, this came to a head, with the neighborhood reduced to a mass of calcified horns. Additionally, the Jack-in-the-Box guy briefly reappears. Unfortunately, the limitations of the animation don’t make Wakabayashi truly scary. I can imagine that that many speakers would be difficult to render in CG under the best of circumstances. Instead, we never get a close look at him to understand his transformation.

In this particular case, I can hardly complain too much because the comic chapter triggered my color blindness.

Let’s be honest: If Uzumaki had looked like this from the beginning, and hadn’t had rushed narrative issues in the first and second episodes, I wouldn’t be mad. This is the same outsourced studio as Episode II, but led by a different showrunner. Ai Shigeki Take control here Moriyama Yuji. Awai has been in the business since the 1980s and has been a series director for almost as long (the man was on the original three shots staff). I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the tweet from the director of episode 2 Big tree in west village The article, published on October 8, noted pressure exerted on him by a lead director. After more research, I’m more inclined to think it has something to do with his work tower of god In the second season, he served as director under the general director Takeuchi Kazuyoshi. The kanji used to indicate an employee’s credit is specific to “Lead Director,” so it seems unlikely that he was alluding to Uzumaki employees.

Eventually, the vortex seems to be reorienting itself toward a useful conclusion. We can only live with what “could have been.”

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“Whirlpool” currently airing adult swim and live on Max.