The premise of this comic is a passionate love accompanied by the desire to mutilate. Tomie is a beautiful teenager who is loved by every man. Everyone is captivated by Tomie at first sight, then goes crazy, chases after her, and finally kills and mutilates her. However, she is an immortal being and keeps regenerating. The severed body parts, such as ears, arms, and even toes, continue to grow into complete bodies on their own. She multiplies again and again. The first chapter is the most horrifying. Tomie is mutilated by almost all of her classmates into small pieces and then thrown away in various places! When everyone is sure that she has died (because they themselves killed her), suddenly the next day she enters the classroom! While reading this comic, the reader will be presented with a parade of love, madness, and mutilation without end.
I have an interpretation. Tomie may not have been intended as a criticism or something like that by Junji. However, as a reader, I see it that way. The cycle of beauty, love, and violence that Tomie experiences is the fate of many women. Men like women who are beautiful. Unfortunately, the standard of beauty of most men, if not all men, is a creation of the market: white, sexy, straight hair, and so on. Of course, we can say that the desire for beauty in women is not something that arises from the effort to attract men, but the nature of human beings towards beauty. Nevertheless, that beauty is the same as mutilation. We want to have a higher nose, suck fat to be thinner, inject skin-whitening substances, and so on. Our love for our partner now always has to be colored by the beauty that is a product of self-mutilation.
Gorgeous female evils!
This is some of Ito's blandest and least thematic work.
However, it is still so compulsively enticing and beautiful.
The female characters in Ito's works are often depicted as gorgeous and alluring, yet they also possess an element of evil or darkness.
This combination of beauty and evil makes them both fascinating and terrifying.
Even though the overall work may lack a strong thematic focus or be considered bland by some, the allure of the female evils is enough to draw the viewer in and keep them captivated.
Their beauty is like a siren's call, luring the audience into a world of mystery and danger.
Despite the lack of a clear theme, Ito's work still manages to create a sense of atmosphere and mood that is both captivating and unforgettable.