How to watch Junji Ito's anime “Uzumaki” without cable

Since its initial release in the late 1990s, Uzumaki has been released in many incarnations worldwide. Now the horror series is coming to screens as an anime.

A creation of manga artist and storyteller Junji Ito, Uzumaki lives up to its name, which means “spiral.” In the town of Kurouzu-cho, residents are affected by a supernatural curse related to spirals. The curse is convoluted and has psychological and physical effects that can lead to death. The story follows Kirie and her friend Shuichi, a pair of high school students who become embroiled in paranormal events while trying to learn how to escape the city and defeat the curse.

Considered one of Ito's most acclaimed works, Uzumaki delves deeply into the structures, myths, and depictions of spirals throughout time. Here's when you can watch the show and how to enjoy it without cable.

Read more: Best Anime Streaming Services of 2024

Uzumaki release date

Uzumaki will make his debut 12:30 p.m. ET/PT on Saturday, September 28th on Adult Swim, where viewers can watch it live. Since there are only four episodes in total, the series ends before Halloween.

Watch Uzumaki on demand

You can stream Uzumaki on Max the day after the episodes air live. If you are not a Max subscriber, you can sign up for the ad-supported version of the service for $10 per month. This is the cheapest tier that Max offers. If you want to watch ad-free, you can subscribe for $17 or $21 per month, depending on your needs. And if you're a fan of Hulu and Disney Plus and want to save money, you can get the bundle with Max and stream all three for a cheaper monthly price.

While Max doesn't have a free trial, you can save money by purchasing an annual plan for one of its tiers. If you want the ad-based tier, it costs $100 per year, $20 less than the price of paying monthly for a year.

Watch Uzumaki live

Several live TV streaming services offer access to Adult Swim content, including Sling TV, YouTube TV, and Hulu with Live TV. Since the show airs late, you can record it using your DVR. These platforms offer this option.

Sling TV offers channels of Adult Swim content in each of its three subscription plans: Sling Orange, Blue, or Orange + Blue. Plans start at $40 per month, but if you're a new subscriber you can get half off your first month.

YouTube TV offers more than 100 live channels, including Adult Swim. The base price for the service is $73 per month and includes unlimited DVR.

Read our YouTube TV review.

Hulu Plus Live TV costs $77 per month, offers additional access to Disney Plus, ESPN, and Hulu On-Demand at no additional cost, and offers Adult Swim. If you are a new customer, you may be eligible for a three-day free trial.

Read our review of Hulu Plus Live TV.

Here's how to watch Uzumaki from anywhere with a VPN

Maybe you're traveling abroad and want to stream Max on the go. With a VPN you can virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to access the TV series from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming.

A VPN is the best way to encrypt your traffic to prevent your ISP from throttling your speeds. Using a VPN is also a good idea if you're traveling and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins when connecting to Wi-Fi networks. Streaming TV can go a little smoother with a reliable, high-quality VPN that has passed our tests and meets our security standards.

You can use a VPN to legally stream content as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you use. The USA and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal. However, we advise against streaming or downloading content from illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you can also choose another provider from our best list, such as Surfshark or NordVPN.

If you're looking for a secure and reliable VPN, check out our Editors' Choice: ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on multiple devices, and offers stable streams. It normally costs $13 per month, but currently a 12-month subscription, where each month costs $8.32, costs less overall.

ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our ExpressVPN review.

Follow the VPN provider's installation instructions and select a US server where Uzumaki on Max will stream. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you are connected to your VPN via your selected region. If you want to stream Max on more than one device, you may need to configure each device to ensure you are logged in. Go to Settings and check your network connections to make sure you are logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you can open Max for streaming.

If you're having trouble streaming, first make sure your VPN is operational on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you followed the installation instructions correctly and selected the correct geographic area for viewing. If you continue to experience connection issues, you may need to restart your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and first connect to your VPN. Note that some streaming services restrict VPN access.