Book Cover

What a bewitching girl…

# Review

Tomie is the first horror manga I’ve ever read; it’s composed of different stories surrounding the titular character, a schoolgirl with special abilities. The stories range from the bizarre to the grotesque but often depict Tomie being the center of desire for (usually older) men and her being subjected to physical abuse by the people around her. Tomie, however, always gets the upper hand as she is not human, but an immortal supernatural entity.

There were several thematic topics throughout the book, such as the objectification of Tomie by men and the societal treatment of beauty. These themes, however, are not well flushed out and are ambiguous at best. For instance, Tomie is sometimes a victim and sometimes a villain; her character changes from story to story and there is no real character development outside of a superficial demonstration of her abilities. Many of the themes may also be misinterpreted, as Tomie is technically a schoolgirl yet in some stories, she seduces men who are much older.

If one does not try to find meaning within the stories and if one just tries to enjoy them at a superficial level, the book is quite entertaining. The artwork portrays the unsettling and macabre scenes excellently and the stories are just weird enough to be interesting.

# Conclusion

A very gory but interesting story collection.

# Overall rating: 7.4

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