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A review by thepurplebookwyrm
Tomie by Junji Ito
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
Tomie is the worst Junji Ito manga I've read so far, unfortunately. π
It was way too long, and way too repetitive. Given this was essentially a collection of related vignettes, or very short stories, centred on the supernatural (?) character of Tomie, there was no real overarching story here, and no true resolution to the very mystery of Tomie. She remained a demonic, succubus-like cypher, and that was that.
I get that you can sort of read theming on the objectification of women, sexual violence committed by men against women, and how the responsibility for said sexual violence is often laid at the feet of victims, out of this 'story', through the embodied metaphor, shall we say, of its character Tomie. But I mean... it was honestly a pretty janky metaphor β besides, I'm not a huge fan of stories over-committing to 'embodied metaphors' in any case β because as far as I understood it, Tomie is a supernatural monster who enjoys violence, if only to a certain extent β and even seducing children. Which is pretty fucked, if you ask me, in terms of theming. It's perfectly acceptable in terms of sheer horror, of course.
It was interesting to see the evolution of Ito's artistic skills (since Tomie is one of his earliest creations, I believe), and it was fun, yes, for a while. But I also struggled to finish it β those last 300 pages were honestly kind of boring.
Uzumaki thus still reigns supreme!
It was way too long, and way too repetitive. Given this was essentially a collection of related vignettes, or very short stories, centred on the supernatural (?) character of Tomie, there was no real overarching story here, and no true resolution to the very mystery of Tomie. She remained a demonic, succubus-like cypher, and that was that.
I get that you can sort of read theming on the objectification of women, sexual violence committed by men against women, and how the responsibility for said sexual violence is often laid at the feet of victims, out of this 'story', through the embodied metaphor, shall we say, of its character Tomie. But I mean... it was honestly a pretty janky metaphor β besides, I'm not a huge fan of stories over-committing to 'embodied metaphors' in any case β because as far as I understood it, Tomie is a supernatural monster who enjoys violence, if only to a certain extent β and even seducing children. Which is pretty fucked, if you ask me, in terms of theming. It's perfectly acceptable in terms of sheer horror, of course.
It was interesting to see the evolution of Ito's artistic skills (since Tomie is one of his earliest creations, I believe), and it was fun, yes, for a while. But I also struggled to finish it β those last 300 pages were honestly kind of boring.
Uzumaki thus still reigns supreme!