The men who murder Tomie often do it because she wants to leave them or is unnecessarily cruel. Yes, Tomie is a horrific thing spreading like a virus and causing destruction to those who gaze upon her, but she is clearly not the only monster, with the men far from innocent in their thoughts of her. Femme fatales have always been able to manipulate the people around them through gaslighting, emotional manipulation, and of course, their beauty, but Tomie adds the supernatural factor to that list as well, offering a terrifying spin on the well-known trope.ĭespite his choice of monochrome art style, Ito is also very good at not making Tomie's story purely black and white, allowing readers to sympathize with her.

Perhaps once she was a regular girl, but now she is some sort of horrific creature who is never satisfied. In this way, no one is ever free from Tomie, and she is never able to escape her fate. And yet, which each new installment of Tomie, readers see her return in different forms, lives, and circumstances. The body horror and twisted ways Tomie dies in Ito's story are pure nightmare fuel. Related: Junji Ito's Frankenstein Makes the Classic More Horrific With One TwistĮvery man who falls under Tomie's spell murders her viciously and violently in the end. While Tomie does have the uncanny ability to use her beauty, it always ends with deadly consequences for Tomie herself, rather than just the seduced men. Like most of his fantastic manga, the story quickly takes an unnatural and dark turn. However, Ito does not bring readers a typical noir story in Tomie. Sometimes they are seduced and end up paying dearly for that vulnerability. Usually, these men know this woman will cause them problems, but their love and obsession for her keep them at her side. A femme fatale is a classic trope, typically seen in old noir, of a woman who brings rot and ruin to the men around her.

Tomie junji