ABOUT TOMIE JUNJI ITO 2022

ABOUT TOMIE JUNJI ITO 2022

 

me whenever tomie did anything; you’re doing amazing, sweetie

The story revolves around the many replicas of Tomie. She appears as a young girl, the perfect person for a painter’s model, or a siren figure. There is Ito’s signature grotesque body horror to go along with each version of the wicked maiden.

Tomie, Junji Ito’s first manga, reflects the time it was made. The beginning is dated in comparison to the later chapters, but its worth checking out. Uzumaki (1999), his other work, is better if your new to his art.

image
Books are often much more disturbing than films because they give you the opportunity to imagine horrific scenarios that the film may not show you. For this reason, I'm always uneasy when reading a Junji Ito book. They're the sort of books that won't let me sleep and will keep me up for days on end. Sure, it's still a book, but with Ito's expertise, I don't have to use my own imagination to be scared, he does it perfectly fine on his own.

I read this book which is the size of a hardcover novel by Stephen King. Ito wrote the Tomie manga in 1987 - 2000, so you can see it's early in his career because it wasn't as well polished compared to the rest of his work. He also goes into detail about his experiences during and after WWII and I think that this book is great for anyone who just wants some nice drawings or those who want to explore themes like war.

gif
The story line is not cohesive, and some stories in the book are better than others. Characters will sometimes appear for an entire section of the book, and then disappear without warning. The storyline seems to shift around quite a bit. Some readers could get the feeling that the ending doesn't make much sense after reading recent chapters.

However, the uneven nature of Tomie is worth it because we get to see something of a history of Ito himself. As he started this so early into his career and played with it for 13 years, we get to see him evolve as an artist all around.

Tomie, and not just the pacing, is problematic in some ways. Tomie seems like a succubus and grudge spirit that can seduce any man she meets. On one hand, this story seems halfway criticizing what Japan does with school girls – it's creepy how all of the men want her. But on the other side, it's also uncomfortable how all of the women are focused on Tomie when she only destroys people’s lives and nothing else.

One of the only points that I can flaw about this book, or any horror story for that matter, is just how discomforting it can be. And at the same time, I need to concede that though horrifying, it still may very well have been the point of this and many other horror stories.

Tomie is a  surprising masterpiece because of some non-effective chapters, but it is worth reading for horror readers because of its unique style and riveting parts.

You now know about the many different types of insects. Considering everything you’ve learned today, do you think insect-inspired technology will ever be the norm? And what bug-based products are out there that I haven’t mentioned?

Tomie is a collection of stories with Tomie as the main character. Tomie can easily be killed and still come back. Tomie has an unknown origin, but she seems to regenerate no matter what.

I'm really excited about this manga, it's my second one by Ito. I thought manga would be a once in a lifetime experience for me because of my introduction to manga with UZUMAKI. But, it looks like I'll have time to enjoy more as I read more manga from all over the world.

I found the story in TOMIE to be not as captivating as that of UZUMAKI. With this being a compilation, I would have liked some variation between the stories. However, reading these one story at a time might prove to be more enjoyable.

I was drawn to the show early on, but as the show went on, some things began to bother me. Tomie is far from perfect, and she definitely didn't deserve her fate. After a school field trip goes horribly wrong for her and her classmates, she becomes a beautiful siren who's irresistible to men. Despite this power, she always faces the chance of the person she falls for betraying or hurting her again.

The art of Ito's deluxe manga is exactly what I have come to expect from Ito. The art is both repellent and beautifully stunning. While the stories are basically different versions of the same revenge narrative, I found it more interesting while reading them rather than as a post-view.

HOW TO BUY A TOMIE DOLL ?

EDELWEISSDAY IS A DOLL SHOP I recommend.

My wife, knowing me as an Ito fan, impulse-purchased a doll version of  Tomie and discretly set it amongst her doll collection while I was away for  work. I was equally delighted

Pin page

XOXO~

EDELWEISS

Back to blog

Leave a comment