Synopsis: “Tomie Kawakami is a femme fatale with long black hair and a beauty mark just under her left eye. She can seduce nearly any man, and drive them to murder as well, even though the victim is often Tomie herself. While one lover seeks to keep her for himself, another grows terrified of the immortal succubus. But soon they realize that no matter how many times they kill her, the world will never be free of Tomie.”
Our Thoughts: With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we thought now would be a perfect time to review Tomie.
To the delight of many horror fans, the Complete Deluxe Edition of Tomie was recently released by Viz Media. The hardbound book is jam-packed with over 700 pages of horror manga by creator, Junji Ito.
In Tomie, Ito shows us that incredible beauty can sometimes play host to the ugliest of all horrors. The books titular character, Tomie Kawakami seems like a normal girl but we quickly learn otherwise. She has the ability to turn normal men into obsessed killers. Often this madness causes the men to turn their murdering eyes towards Tomie herself.
These poor souls soon learn that Tomie is not so easily dispatched. What makes Tomie unique though, is that she keeps coming back. This is where the true fright of the book shines through. Ito creates so many unique ways to bring back Tomie that it will delight even the most hardcore horror fan.
Twenty stories make up this deluxe collection. Each story has its own unique feel as Tomie and supporting characters are thrust into varying situations. In classic Ito fashion, each story is more unsettling than the last.
When it comes to artwork, Ito is a master. The quality and detail in Tomie is simply amazing. Gruesome scenes are done so beautifully that readers will want to look away but will be unable to.
Simply put, Tomie is a manga that should be in every horror fans collection. The book is available to haunt your dreams through the Viz Media website.
