[Book Review] Tomie (1987)

*Warning-this review contains spoilers*

Manga artist Junji Ito, one of the pioneers of modern horror in manga, kick started      his career with Tomie. The title character, Tomie Kawakami, at first appears to be  a lovely, kind, sympathetic teenager who is hopelessly in love with her schoolteacher.

However, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that she thinks she is more beautiful than anyone else, lacks empathy      for others, and like a succubus, she entices men to fall in love with her. Each of her lovers gets the urge to murder her by chopping her into little pieces. Every time Tomie is murdered, she is reincarnated to haunt and destroy everything and anyone in her way. 

Ito’s story     telling is masterful because the pace changes so quickly. In the first chapter, I remember feeling sorry for Tomie, I thought she was an outcast and a victim of bullying, but by the tenth chapter: “Assassins”, I wanted her to die. I thought that she deserved to die. Ito constructs the characters so intricately that many readers are empathetic towards them, and this is also why his storytelling is so compelling     . 

The theme of male violence is prominent in Tomie. A man killing the woman he loves disturbs traditional gender roles. Usually, society scorns women for being too emotional, hysterical, and delirious. In Tomie it is the men who are driven to insanity by Tomie’s beauty, whilst she never returns their affections. Tomie is monstrous to the men: once they show her affection, she ignores and ridicules them. Tomie “only sees men as little more than adornments; her only real interest is herself”. Even if the men are beautiful, Tomie does not care, which is reinforced in the story “Top Model”. Although Tomie is extremely rude and completely lacks emotion, she does not physically harm anyone. Does she really deserve to die each time at the hands of lovesick lunatics? 

Ito’s work is grotesque and pushes the boundaries of horror, therefore, when reading the manga there are      moments that are      physically repulsive. Ito’s ability to invoke strong emotions in his reader is what makes him a master of horror. One of the most disturbing stories for me within the collection is “Boy”, which follows a little boy named Satoru. Tomie forces Satoru to call her mommy, and she also asks him to “comfort her”. There are even graphic images of Tomie forcing Satoru to kiss her on the lips. Tomie’s paedophilic actions made me feel extremely uncomfortable. 

Overall, Tomie reaffirmed why I love horror and there were many moments when      I felt tingles down my spine. Despite the story making me feel uncomfortable, I felt compelled to find out what form Tomie took next. 

You can purchase Tomie here.

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