Tomie

Tomie has had a significant impact on horror and pop culture, challenging traditional gender roles and stereotypes.

Junji Ito

Junji Ito is a Japanese manga artist and writer. Ito began drawing manga in his early 20s, and his debut work was a manga called "Tomie", published in 1987. Since then, he has created many horror series, including "Uzumaki", "Gyo", "Hellstar Remina", and "The Enigma of Amigara Fault.”

Ito's works are known for his surrealism and art style, as well as the horrific themes. He often draws inspiration from his own experiences and various horror folklore.

Ito is one of the best horror authors, known not just in Japan but in the world; his vision of horror is unique and devastating.

Tomie is a horror story about a mysterious girl named Tomie who has the power to seduce and manipulate men, driving them to madness and extreme violence. She is immortal and can regenerate from any part of her body; if you slice her into 42 pieces, you will create 42 new Tomies.

The manga has some of the most disturbing and grotesque drawings and explores very deep themes such as obsession, jealousy, desire, narcism, and female monstrosity.

What Is Tomie?

Tomie Kawakami is a beautiful and alluring high school student who captivates those around her. Even before her first death, Tomie already enjoyed manipulating and toying with the emotions of other people.

At the beginning of the manga, Tomie is murdered by her teacher Yamamoto and dismembered by her classmates on a school trip. Each classmate is given a piece of her body to dispose of.

However, her cells regenerate, and she starts haunting and killing her classmates by making them insane.

Tomie appears to return in various forms, causing absolute chaos and destruction in those who encounter her. She is a supernatural entity that can never indeed be killed.

Yokai and Narcissism

Tomie embodies not only a traditional horror but also draws on traditional Japanese folklore about yōkai, supernatural creatures that inhabit the world alongside humans.

A Yōkai is often described as having bizarre forms and creepy appearances. They have been created from the spirits of things that have been discarded or forgotten, or from natural phenomena such as mountains, rivers, or animals.

Tomie has a similar structure to a Yōkai, created from the remains of the dead, with bizarre forms and a very creepy appearance.

Looking from the perspective of narcissism, you can observe it is a central topic in Tomie's personality. She is defined as a beautiful girl who craves attention and admiration, leading her to engage in manipulative and often cruel behavior toward those around her.

The focus of Tomie on beauty and self-obsession is a common theme in horror and is also very present in yōkai folklore. Many yōkai are said to have originally been beautiful but transformed into something monstrous, like Kuchisake-onna, Rokurokubi, Yuki-onna, and Amanojaku.

In both yōkai folklore and Tomie's story, there is a tiny line between the physical and spiritual worlds, being common the return from death or taking supernatural forms.

Tomie's character draws on a rich history of yōkai folklore and incorporates elements of narcissism and horror to create a compelling and unsettling story.

The combination of these different influences creates a unique and memorable character that has become a staple of Japanese horror culture.

Female Monstrosity and Misogyny

Another two big points of view in Tomie's series are about female monstrosity and misogyny, linked with larger issues of sexism and misogyny in Japanese society.

The idea of a beautiful, manipulative woman who uses her sexuality to control those around her is very popular in pop culture, especially in horror, and is often used to reinforce negative stereotypes about women.

Tomie exemplifies this line, and her actions are often seen as a critique of how women are judged and devalued based on their appearance and behavior.

The violent acts committed against Tomie can be seen as a reflection of the violence directed at women in society. You also can see the objectified and dehumanized of Tomie with the possibility to dismembered her body and scattered across different locations.

Likewise, the fact that Tomie comes back to life after her murder can also be interpreted as a critique of the societal norms and expectations imposed on women, to conform to standards and expectations.

The themes of female monstrosity and misogyny are deeply interlaced with more significant issues of sexism and misogyny in society.

The Legacy

Tomie has had a significant impact on horror and pop culture, challenging traditional gender roles and stereotypes.

Her character's beauty is often associated with femininity and the idea of the "ideal woman", but her monstrous behavior subverts these expectations and forces audiences to confront the darker side of humanity.

Making a woman a principal character and an "evil" character, made a subversion in the gender roles, particularly in a genre like horror, which has historically relied on the victimization of women as a central narrative.

At the same time, Tomie's series has also been criticized for perpetuating destructive stereotypes about women. The readers argue that her depiction as a manipulative, cruel, and arrogant character plays into misogynistic ideas about women as inherently deceitful and manipulative.

Additionally, her violent deaths and supernatural rebirths can reinforce toxic ideas about women's bodies.

Tomie's legacy is unquestionable. She has inspired countless works of horror and has become a cultural icon in Japan and beyond.

Her character's unique combination of beauty, narcissism, and monstrosity has resonated with audiences and sparked conversations about gender, power, and the nature of monstrosity in popular media.

Tomie's is a story written by Junji Ito, but the meaning and effects are created by each reader because that is a masterpiece.