As much as I loveJunji Itoand his work, I’m getting kind of tired of his most iconic character. Over the past few decades, Junji Ito has become a major name for the horror genre. His work has sent chills down readers' spines with amazing stories likeUzumaki,ReminaandGyo. However, with his popularity, there have been some that have proven to be more iconic than others, and his most iconic one,Tomie, has become so overused that I’m kind of tired of it.
First debuting in 1987,Tomiebegan a long and dedicated 13-year run due to its deconstruction of femme fatale tropes. The story followsa girl named Tomie who’s so beautiful that she becomes an object of obsession by countless people.In fact, her beauty tends to drive these people to murder, with her winding up being the target. However, due toa fascinating regeneration abilitythat makes her grow a new body with every piece removed, she continues to spread terror after death. This series has captivated readers for years, leading to a major compilation of her stories released in the 2010s. With her popularity, though, I can’t help but feel that she’s being overused.
How Tomie Got to Where She Is Today
There’s a Reason She’s a Mainstay Character
Before diving into things, I want to make it clear that I don’t think Tomie is a bad or overrated character. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I love the stories featuring her because of how outrageous they can become. Junji Ito is known for being a master of body horror in the manga medium, andtheTomieseries pushes this to the extreme.There’s constant bodily dismemberment and odd changes to others' bodies that make it a must-read for anyone that loves the work of David Cronenberg. The violence is a terrific subversion ofwhat’s expected from afemme fataleas she ends up being the victim 99% of the time.
In fact, it’s this reason whyTomiehas become a smash hit over the years. Her design is instantly recognizable among anime fans because of the impact she has played on the horror scene.There have been countless adaptations of her storiesthroughout the years with movies, anime, and even a novel. Fans can’t get enough of this incredibly creepy character, and it’s because of how well Junji Ito developed her to the point of making her a well-realized personality. However, popularity tends to lead to oversaturation, and in recent years, it’s clear that Tomie is beginning to overstay her welcome.
Junji Ito’s Latest Upcoming Collection Proves Tomie Has Become More Mascot than Character
Moan Shouldn’t Need Tomie to Stand On Its Own
Earlier this year, Viz Media officially announced on theirXaccount that a new Junji Ito collection calledMoanwould be premiering this October. However, while it’s always fun to get another series of stories from the Master of Horror Manga,I noticed that Tomie was featured on the cover.It immediately made me feel unsure about Tomie’s status in Junji Ito’s bibliography because she had already received a major collection, publishing every story she was in years ago. This essentially gives fans a place to read nothing but her stories all in one place, rather than divide them into varying collections.
Highlighting Tomie in the cover art forMoansuggests that one of her stories will be included in the collection. Of course, this is just the Japanese cover art, which will likely get a new cover closer to the US release date. However, I can’t help but wonder why Tomie should be featured at all. There’s a plethora of Junji Ito stories that haven’t been published outside Japan yet. Giving one of these spots to Tomiepushes back a potential new favorite for readers in order to sell the book based on recognition.This just feels like Tomie is being incorporated as a marketing ploy at this point to sell books, rather than giving her a reason to truly be there.
Tomie’s Oversaturation Stems Further Than the Manga
Junji Ito’s Adaptations are Becoming Overly Reliant on Her
While the most frustrating thing about Junji Ito adaptations is easily how they miss the mark on what made the original manga scary, there’s also a clear preference to highlight certain characters over others. Soichi is the second-most featured character in both Junji Ito anthology series,CollectionandManiac. However, Tomie gets the most spotlight. She’s featured relentlessly onthe twisted OP forJunji Ito Maniac. However, despite this, she’s only featured in one episode. It’s clear thatshe was the star of this OP because of how marketable she isas one of Junji Ito’s most famous characters, and it seriously downplays the other terrifying stories that lie within the show itself.
It’s clear to see why a lot of modern Junji Ito adaptations and collections feature Tomie in some capacity. Her stories are some of the mangaka’s creepiest with a heavy helping of blood and gore to round out the uneasy tension. However, it’s gotten to the point where the marketing behind current Ito adaptations, with the exception ofthe much-anticipated but disappointingUzumaki, are relying too much on her. I’ll always be a hugeJunji Itofan, but with how muchTomieis being shown, I’m just starting to get a bit tired of her.
