Tomie

The female character with the most haunting superpower? That's exactly what came to mind when I first encountered this manga series by Itto. Each story seems independent, yet somehow, I feel as if I'm under Tomie's spell. The characters within the narrative are utterly obsessed with her, and so am I. This obsession feels monstrously real. Tomie is a unique character who has the uncanny ability to directly influence the reader's psyche—a rare feat among manga characters, let me tell you. No matter what happens to Tomie, I firmly believe that if she were real, she would dominate the entire world. Tomie is undoubtedly Junji Ito's most extraordinary creation. He could never replicate such a character again, not even with someone like Souichi.

Not that I would say it's my favorite piece of work from Junji Ito, but one of them at least. Tomie is the first piece of work from Junji Ito sensei that I actually got to read and understand what it's truly all about. I mean, I randomly saw a short clip of Tomie popping up on my Twitter feed one day, and I got interested, so I started watching and catching up with it pretty quickly.

Tomie isn't just a good horror manga that you need to read, but in the general world of horror, it's one of the best pieces of work that has ever been created. Every horror movie should be taken as an inspiration, which is why "Girl from Nowhere" turns out to be so amazing because it's influenced by Junji Ito's Tomie. As I've mentioned somewhere else, Tomie has its own story in every single chapter they have, and every story shows how feared and horrifying Tomie could have been.

Tomie is also one of the most dangerous and scariest creatures that have ever been created in the manga world. I'm sure that it's not just that she can't die, but the chaos she brings upon the world and that one specific story she's part of make her even more menacing. Tomie is very scary to read, yet very magnificent and interesting to follow the trace of Tomie and where she goes.

If you like horror stories, Tomie is one of those you need to read before you die.

Story - When I began this manga, all I knew was that 'Tomie' was a woman who could make men instantly fall deeply in love with her. As you might guess, my expectations were low, but I was genuinely impressed by what I read. I enjoyed every chapter and found them all to be very original and well thought out, showcasing how each 'Tomie' manipulated and charmed the characters, ultimately leading to her downfall.

Art - As another review pointed out, one of the strengths of this anime is how beautifully Tomie is drawn in the manga. Her stunning eyes and shiny hair are depicted with great attention to detail, especially when her graceful form is distorted by the lurking 'monster' beneath.

Character - The supporting characters mainly serve as props for the various 'Tomies' appearing throughout the stories. It's particularly unkind to the men who become infatuated with Tomie in each arc. Little is known about Tomie except for her supernatural abilities, and as you grow more accustomed to her character, the stories seem to get increasingly complex and perplexing. Great! And a real mental challenge!

Enjoyment - I thoroughly enjoyed 'Tomie,' even though it wasn't as 'terrifying' as I had anticipated. I found it to be a very intriguing concept about a strange multiplying girl with no purpose other than to make people love her as much as she loves herself.

Overall - Definitely an interesting manga if you enjoy varied story arcs and peculiar characters and plotlines. It can be a bit gory or strange at times, but hey—what can you do?!

As with many of Junji Ito's tales, it leans more towards being a "silly story with horror elements" rather than a genuine horror narrative. Tomie follows this pattern, and although the first 2-3 and last 2-3 stories attempt to create a coherent beginning and ending, the overall experience feels somewhat half-baked like many other Junji Ito stories. On the whole, it is decent. It is generally interesting enough, and some panels are beautifully crafted and enjoyable to view. Similar to other works by Junji Ito, it struggles with character design—many characters look alike both within this story and across his other books. Much of the horror content ends up being rather silly. What it does deliver is captivating art at crucial moments and an intriguing "huh, okay" storyline, which for me is just fine but worth reading if it aligns with your taste.

Tomie is a tale about an irresistibly beautiful girl who captivates men effortlessly. Her scent is enchanting, her looks are stunning, and she can manipulate men to do her bidding without much effort. This allure drives them to madness, ultimately leading to her gruesome demise.

In the beginning, the artwork struggled to convey the plot or what was happening clearly. However, as the story progressed, the art significantly improved. There were some eerie and unsettling panels that aligned well with the theme, which centers around Tomie's irresistible nature—a femme fatale who torments and incites hatred in men.

The themes presented are strong. Tomie serves as an obvious metaphor, open to various interpretations. Some readers perceive Tomie as representing idols, with men being her devoted fans who obsess over her while receiving minimal attention in return. I interpret her character as the mistress—enticing married men to abandon their families and wives out of a lack of true love, thus driving them to infidelity through Tomie. She embodies the mistress seeking financial gain from married men and deriving satisfaction from breaking up homes. Additionally, I see her as a succubus—an enduring entity that continuously seduces men or perhaps symbolizes the deepest desire.

This multifaceted interpretation is what makes Tomie truly ingenious. Her character offers multiple perspectives, keeping the story consistently engaging. While there are a few exceptions, I've enjoyed almost every chapter. Do I consider it a masterpiece? No. Nevertheless, it remains an enjoyable story that I highly recommend.

Tomie is one of my favorite manga, so I'll try not to be biased.
Before you start reading Tomie, beware that it's intended for adults only due to extremely graphic scenes.
There isn't really a main story; instead, there are several minor and major arcs. One character, Tomie, always reappears in each different story. Each tale has its unique intrigue with various side characters impacted differently by the protagonist. It's hard to explain without spoiling, so if this review piques your interest, you should definitely check it out.
The art style is quite unusual compared to what you typically see. Personally, I enjoy the more depressing, realistic approach by Junji Ito. Considering the age of the manga, it's quite impressive. It might be off-putting for those used to more conventional styles, but you should give the art style a chance.
As I mentioned, there's one recurring character throughout the stories: Tomie. So, be warned—there might be some spoilers ahead!
Tomie isn't like other main characters. Throughout the stories, her actions and personality remain similar, but she's never actually the same person; she lives on forever. She also has the special ability to seduce any man she wants and make him do specific things.
If you want to know more, definitely read the manga.
I greatly enjoyed Tomie from beginning to end. It was different, it was special, and sometimes it scared the living daylights out of me. In my opinion, it's a great combination—a solid 9/10.

STORY: 6/ART: 6/CHARACTERS: 5/ENJOYMENT: 6/OVERALL: 6

Tomie is an intriguing manga to read while waiting for another series' chapter release. It's a decent way to pass time but doesn't stand out as exceptional.

STORY: The plot is straightforward. Tomie, a succubus with extraordinary beauty and charm, seduces men, leading them to murder and driving women insane. Often, she becomes the victim of violence herself. When killed, she regenerates, spawning more of herself and continuing her curse. It's hinted that "Tomie" has existed on Earth long before the events depicted in the manga. Each chapter is episodic, affecting different groups of people. The initial chapters were captivating, but after around chapter 9, it started feeling repetitive.

ART: This being Junji Ito's debut manga, the art initially wasn't impressive but showed significant improvement as it progressed. Eventually, it resembles his later, well-known style. Some scenes featuring Tomie were beautifully illustrated, and the gore scenes were powerfully rendered. However, the manga itself isn't outstanding overall.

CHARACTERS: Artistically, some characters were memorable enough temporarily. Most high school boys looked almost identical. Due to the episodic nature of the story, characters changed each chapter, making their identities less crucial except for Tomie and Mr. Tagaki, who frequently reappeared to advance the plot.

ENJOYMENT: Some chapters were genuinely engaging, keeping me invested in the plot. Others barely held my interest due to flat arcs. Predictability towards the end made it less exciting.

OVERALL 6: It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't amazing either. Junji Ito clearly found his niche in horror manga and improved significantly in his later works. If you read his other works (highly recommended), you'll notice his growth as both an artist and storyteller. It's a good introduction to Ito's work and passes the time, but it wouldn't make my favorites list.

I expected a better plot from the manga, but it ended up disappointing me. After all, it is Junji Ito's first manga. The artwork was mediocre in the first few chapters, but the quality improved bit by bit.

The characters were not well-written, causing a lack of interlink between chapters. It’s mainly the character Tomie who appears everywhere. The story felt like different events thrown together in one book. I didn't get to know the secret behind these events, which was pretty disappointing.

The flow of the storyline was a bit off, and there were unnecessary endings to many events in the chapters. As for horror, it was fine as Tomie remained a mystery.

I anticipated that the story would be much better, but it wasn't as engaging as I hoped. The illustrations weren't very detailed initially, but I understand this being the author's first book. Tomie's stories are quite varied and take place in different settings, making it hard to connect the chapters smoothly, and this made things complicated. The story isn’t great, but it will do.

The worst piece of writing I've ever had the misfortune to read. Repetitive, absurd, and stupid... It's the same plot over and over again. I read it all the way to the end because I couldn't believe it. I thought it wasn’t possible to create such a disjointed story. It's as if the author thought it would be cool to have a character that regenerates, and without developing the idea at all, he just started churning out random chapters. Since there’s blood and boobs, some crazy person thought it was an adult story and published it.

At times, you think the story is going to make some sense, but no. There's no progress, and nothing makes sense. I don't know how the author managed to get it so wrong because any reader could speculate with a thousand possible scenarios, but for some reason, none of them are carried out. It's not that he chose poorly; it's that there's no conflict or anything, not even an ending. He hasn't made a story.

We don't know who she is, where she comes from, or anything about the character (really, literally nothing more than that she's a bad bitch femme fatale, with that you know all the development she has). Her power doesn't have much consequence either because there would have to be countless versions of her, and they would have taken over the world, but nothing happens at all.

It's normal that it's considered horror because it really is horrible.

I stumbled upon Tomie thanks to a recommendation from a friend. After reading the synopsis, it seemed intriguing and I thought the manga would offer something deeper and more exciting. This is my first review ever! I hope my explanations are easy to understand :)))

STORY: 5

While I can follow the plot, I struggled to fully grasp its intricacies. Many elements were left unexplained, such as how rumors didn't spread or why people didn’t notice multiple versions of Tomie. The story was riddled with plot holes. By the end of the first volume, things started becoming predictable and repetitive, which became frustrating. Initially, it was cool seeing Tomie return to school after being killed by her classmates, but focusing more on that aspect would have made for a better narrative. All the short stories felt unfinished, leaving me unsatisfied.

ART: 7

The artwork is truly remarkable. The distortion of Tomie’s face and the portrayal of her beauty were exceptional. However, all the male characters looked quite similar, although this isn't a major issue.

CHARACTERS: 5

Besides Tomie, no other character made much of an impact. Since the stories were snippets of different events, it was hard to connect emotionally with the characters, making it difficult to feel sympathy or fear. Consequently, it was challenging to get genuinely scared while reading.

ENJOYMENT: 5

Honestly, I loved volumes 1 and 2, but after that, the series went downhill. Everything became predictable, lacking the suspense that keeps you engaged. No other stories stood out. By the time I reached volume 3, my only thought was, "She should just die already."

ALERT!!! BRAZILIAN REFERENCES ABOARD!!!

Tomie was spotted in São Paulo's Liberdade...

Tomie is the typical girl who ventures out at night in Liberdade to trick nerds and stomp on them. If she were from São Paulo, I bet that's exactly how it would be '-'.

She's a girl who breaks the hearts of poor boys and would probably appear weekly on Cidade Alerta as a victim of some random guy's jealousy...

Besides her beauty, Tomie is almost like a goddess (because she can multiply herself), but even with all men hypnotized by her, she remains unsatisfied, always craving to break more hearts.

I never thought I'd encounter a creature so beautiful that I almost fell for her (just kidding).

.........

Hotties scare me...

Tomie getting into trouble with men as usual, leaving these poor boys hopelessly in love and literally wanting to kill her out of passion... I really enjoyed the stories and understand why it became a Junji Ito classic. What I find cool about the author is his ability to turn any beautiful girl into a potential monster or demon. Next stop, Uzumaki!!

The narrative began impressively, drawing me deeply into the enigmatic persona of Tomie, the protagonist. True to Junji Ito's style, an undercurrent of dread and unsettling visuals pervaded throughout. Regrettably, midway through, the plot succumbed to redundancy, diminishing my initial engagement and leading to a finale that felt anticlimactic. The characters' general unlikability further detracted from the experience. Despite this, it adeptly addresses pertinent issues such as victim-blaming and jealousy without resorting to mere sensationalism. This manga transcends superficial horror, yet its prolonged execution dulled its impact, only reviving interest marginally towards the end. While I admire much of Junji Ito's oeuvre, this particular work posed a challenge for me.