Manga – Page 4 – David Peach

Waterfall Basin (Tomie part 8)

A strange salesman is ran out of a local village by its inhabitants. He throws the contents of his briefcase over a cliff edge and into the lake below. Soon after, strange things begin to happen. Young men start to throw themselves off the same cliff, offering themselves to some strange entity beneath the water.

You have a wonderful garden. Why not take this bundle and plant it somewhere? Water it periodically, tend to it, and eventually you will be blessed with a lovely new daughter.

The Salesman tries to sell his wares to the villagers — Waterfall Basin

What is Waterfall Basin about?

In this eighth chapter from the Tomie Collection, Waterfall Basin, we encounter a very strange man – the travelling salesman. This salesman enters a small mountain village one day, carrying a very strange product indeed. Within his briefcase, he carries a selection of small, neatly-tied packages. These packages, one of the villagers discovers, contain pieces of flesh.

Yes, it is safe to assume that the flesh is that of Tomie’s.

The villagers quickly tire of the salesman and his vile product, and chase him out of their village. He is chased up to the edge of a nearby waterfall, where he soon begs for his life. He requests his safe escape in exchange for him dumping his entire stock into the waterfall. They accept his plea and allow him to leave empty-handed. However, the villagers have no idea about the horrors that they have unknowingly brought upon themselves.

Soon after the Salesman’s escape, a very strange thing begins to happen. The bodies of young men start being discovered in the mornings, after having committed suicide off the side of the same waterfall. But what is summoning them to their deaths? And will there ever be an end to the deaths of these young men?

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Who is the mystery Salesman?

This was a strange story indeed. The idea of a random salesman turning up at a village to sell pieces of flesh (Tomie’s flesh) is one of Junji Ito’s weirdest ideas yet, in my opinion.

But do you know what? It works!

Within the context of the world of Tomie, this adds yet more interesting dimensions to the ever-winding tale. And the fact that Tomie herself almost takes a back seat to the story as a whole, was equally as interesting for me. Despite it being a story about her, it feels more centred around the events that she causes.

There is no single Tomie character here; there is only the legion of her that emerge from the water.

The most interesting question posed in Waterfall Basin, is who this travelling salesman actually is. Is he a former lover of Tomie’s who has cut her up like so many before him? Was he driven by madness to decide to distribute pieces of her to unknowing people? Or is he in fact conducting some kind of research into the effects that she could have on an isolated community? These are questions that we may never get answers to, and maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Some mystery can be a good thing, after all.

What to show and what to hide

The gruesome factor got turned up to eleven in this chapter. It also helped to solidify a big facet of Tomie’s character. It shows how she has no problem feeding on human flesh in order to regenerate. We saw this a little bit at the end of Revenge, but Ito has gone even further with that idea here.

Her power over the compulsions of others took on a whole new level too. She was able to summon people to their deaths from afar, ultimately to feed herself back to life. I wonder whether there is some kind of enhanced power that she is able to harness when there is a big enough group of her in one place? Or perhaps the village use that waterfall basin as their main source of water?

I really love how, even though Junji Ito isn’t afraid to show us visual horrors in his work, he equally isn’t afraid to leave some of it to our imagination.

In Summary

A strange one to write about for me, this was. To be honest the story feels very short, but is no less interesting than many of the former chapters. The introduction of the mysterious salesman raised yet more questions for me. However, I’m not worried about not finding out their answers. One of my favourite aspects of the artists I admire, is in the deep mysteries that they leave buried for us to imagine.

I think that Waterfall Basin would be an interesting introduction to the unique imagination of Junji Ito. There is good mystery, grotesque imagery and a haunting closing to the story.

Conversely though, I probably wouldn’t advise this as an introduction to Tomie. This is mainly down to the fact that some backstory is needed here I think. It really helps to know who she is in order to get a grasp of what is going on as a whole. Plus the fact that she isn’t really featured heavily in this story – at least not in the more traditional ways that she is in other chapters.

A great entry into the mythology, with some very iconic imagery, but perhaps best experienced in its proper order within the Tomie Collection.

Revenge (Tomie part 7)

On a harsh snowy mountain, three hikers discover a naked body sticking out of the ice. Surprising to them, the girl they have found is still alive. She introduces herself as Tomie, and things then begin to go from bad to worse.

Such a beautiful woman… having her on your back… does it excite you?

The Captain’s jealousy over Tomie grows — Revenge

What is Revenge about?

Revenge is the first standalone chapter in the Tomie Collection that I have come across, excluding the very first one. It takes place in a single afternoon and evening up in the snowy peaks of an unnamed mountain range. We travel with a group of three people who are hiking across this landscape – their reason unknown. During their journey, they come across a body buried within the snowy rocks. It’s the naked body of a young woman who, amazingly to them, is still alive. That girl, in case you hadn’t guessed it, is Tomie.

After helping her out of the rocks and into one of their sleeping bags, they start carrying her towards shelter. But it isn’t long until Tomie gets a mental hold over the captain of the expedition. Under her control, he gifts her all of his clothes and suffers the sub zero temperatures in just his underwear. Circumstances then lead to Tomie being left with a single member of the group, Tanimura. I wont ruin those circumstances for the people who are yet to read this chapter.

Later in the evening, Tomie and Tanimura make it to a cabin safely. Once inside, they each begin warming up together from the harsh conditions outside. But it isn’t long at all before Tanimura’s true purpose for the expedition is revealed. Not only that, but it seems that his presence is in fact linked to Tomie’s current situation and previously-buried state on the mountain. But how long will his mind stand against the will of Tomie, and what fates await him once their stories are revealed to each other?

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Standing on it’s own in a single time and place

Revenge is a chapter that stands completely on its own in the Tomie universe. And we get just enough background information to be able to understand the situation. I found that this approach to telling a particular part of Tomie’s life was very effective. I love how even though it is isolated from the main story lines so far, it still fits comfortably into the world as a whole.

Tomie, as a force of nature, has many strands of life and versions of herself floating around in the world. As we know, each time she is killed or cut up, she is able to grow back from the smallest molecule of flesh or blood. For this reason, it is entirely feasible for there to be countless – perhaps even unlimited – stories out there centred around any of these incarnations of the girl.

Also of interest, is that this chapter takes place at a single point in time – the mountain journey of the exploration team across one fateful afternoon. This, along with its single location in the snowy peaks of the harsh mountain landscape, give this story a claustrophobic feel. At least for me. The Kiss chapter had a similar tone with it being set mostly within Tsukiko’s apartment, but this is the first time within the collection that this idea has been expanded more fully.

Closing thoughts (with some minor spoilers)

Revenge is one of my favourite Tomie chapters, mainly because it poses more questions than it answers. Like what happened to the other pieces of Tomie that were scattered on the mountain by Tanimura’s brother? What drove that former boyfriend of hers to take her to that mountain in the first place? What was the ultimate fate of all three of the exploration team? We can always surmise their fates from what we see in the chapter. But I think it’s still left pretty open for the stories of each to possibly continue.

I’d probably list this chapter as one of the best ones from which to dip one’s toes into the story of Tomie. There isn’t any real extreme horror or gore in this one, aside from the last panels perhaps. But even those are pretty light from the pen of Junji Ito.

All in all an enjoyable read, and one that I often go back to from time to time.

Mansion (Tomie part 6)

In the third and final part of the “Tsukiko Trilogy”, Tomie lures Tsukiko back to her mansion home with the promise of seeing her friend Yamazaki. However, she isn’t prepared for the nightmares that are contained within.

You appear to have some extraordinary talent. I’ve been fascinated with these pictures you took of my daughter.

The old man compliments Tsukiko on her photographs — Mansion

We have seen the mansion twice so far, during our exploration of the Tomie Collection. First we saw a wet, slightly-dishevelled Tomie appear on the mansion’s doorstep in the opening to Photo. And from what we could tell, It seemed to be occupied by an old man and his daughter. Second, we see her run back there after the shocking events in Photo, and its follow-on Kiss. She runs back to the old man as if he were her father, meaning she had somehow taken the daughter’s place.

What is Tomie : Mansion about?

In Tomie : Mansion we delve deeper into the story behind that mansion, exploring the secrets within its depths. Tomie mentions to the old man, who I’ll refer to as father from now on, that she has tracked down Tsukiko. (Tsukiko is the girl from the previous couple of stories, Photo and Kiss.) She was one of the lucky ones to have come face to face with Tomie and lived to tell the tale.

Well, it seems Tomie doesn’t let go of grudges too easily, and manages to lure her back to the mansion. She does this with the promise of reunited her with her friend, Yamazaki. But once she realises that it was just a trick to get her trapped, Tsukiko must fight to escape the place.

We then follow her as she comes across past admirers of Tomie – people who are still under her spell. They are hell-bent on using Tsukiko for experiments for research into Tomie’s powers. But will she escape those clutches alive once again, or will her luck finally run out?

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A mystery revealed

We are finally shown the truth about what happened that rainy night; the night when Tomie first appeared at the mansion’s doors. And not only that, but we also have an extra piece of information about that night, that I thought was a nice touch. The reason behind the old man’s apparent acceptance of Tomie is revealed too.

It was nice that Junji Ito took the time to put these details in. It really helps to flesh out this whole world, as well as tying those other stories together. I can’t help but think that Ito must have had some sort of over-arching story line already in mind whilst writing each chapter. Perhaps not so much with the early ones, but there are definitely strong threads through these last few.

What lurks beneath

This chapter felt like a good ending to the “Tsukiko Trilogy” for me. And although it didn’t seem to last very long, it still has some interesting reveals. It also has a good mix of Tomie mutations thrown in for good measure too.

It would have been great to have delved a little deeper into the mansion story. Perhaps if Tsukiko were driven further inside its walls, with a tougher escape journey, it could have been really special. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it for what it was.

A special mention needs to be made for the poor family who call this mansion their home. I wont spoil their ultimate fate for you, but rest assured that they have a bad time with Tomie around. I don’t know why she chose that particular home to essentially invade, but when Tomie wants something – no matter how large or small – she gets it. This girl is a real piece of work.

In Summary

If I’m honest, I was expecting a much larger story within the mansion, as it seemed to have been built up through its previous appearances. Despite this, Mansion was an enjoyable read as always. It was even fun to see some old characters come back from previous chapters – one from very early on.

Tomie : Mansion is probably best read as part of its full story arc – namely Photo; Kiss; and finally Mansion.

Kiss (Tomie part 5)

Tsukiko attempts to nurse an injured friend in her blood-stained apartment. The blood remains from the horrific events of the previous chapter, Photo. But Tomie’s presence in that place is still holding on through very gory means.

I was right, she’s here… Tomie… she’s here… somewhere in this house.

Yamazaki swears he can feel Tomie’s presence still — Kiss

Tomie : Kiss is the direct follow-on story from Tomie : Photo. In it, we’re following Tsukiko again, as she struggles to come to terms with the extreme occurrences that closed that previous chapter. We open the story to her having a nightmare of that previous night, which serves well as a quick reminder if you hadn’t read Photo in a while.

Outside of her apartment she bumps into Yamazaki. She finds him free from Tomie’s spell after getting beaten up by the possessed boys Daichi and Kimata. Tsukiko, being the friendly girl she is, forgives him for his past actions and takes him back to the scene of the crime – her apartment. Here she attempts to nurse him back to health despite her apartment being a wreck from before.

Within no time at all though, Tomie’s presence makes herself known to Yamizaki. She whispers to him directly, making him go looking for her in the apartment. Sure enough, he comes to the room where Tomie was killed the night before – and subsequently where she got back up from. Tomie then goes on to manifest herself in one of the cleverest ways I’ve seen in the series up until this point.

How far will Tomie’s bodyguards, Daichi and Kimata, go in honouring their commitment to her? Will Tsukiko survive another day under Tomie’s shadow? Will Yamazaki now stay true to Tsukiko, or will he stray back into the arms of the possessor?

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Single point in time

Previous stories from the Tomie collection have been narratives that
would span a decent length of time. Meaning, we would move from scene to
scene – advancing the movement of time for the characters. With Kiss
though, once Tsukiko has brought an injured Yamazaki back to her
blood-stained apartment, we stay there. We are stuck in that room with
them, witnessing the horrors that Tomie still manages to bring.

Kiss
is a chapter that really focuses in on the hold that she has over
people too. Tsukiko is suffering from nightmares of that night; Yamazaki
is still driven by the haunting voice of Tomie. Even the two henchmen
of hers from the previous story have a more central role here. Both
Daichi and Kimata are still hell-bent on killing Tsukiko, after having
now taken Tomie’s mutated head away from the scene.

While this chapter doesn’t really do much in moving the world forward too much, it does manage to give a satisfying – and suitably haunting – closing chapter to what happened in Photo. I like how it really drills down into a single moment in time that seemed to read in real-time for the most part.

The blood is alive

I love seeing new ways in which Junji Ito has Tomie regrow herself.
Not just as simple as limbs growing back after being removed – the idea
of the blood taking control was a nice addition to the canon. The
exploring and pushing of the limits of her abilities show great promise
for the future of the series.

Tomie’s spilt blood giving life to
the carpet underlay is one of those visions that stays with me. Out of
the entire Tomie collection, it is one of the scenes that I remember
most. I loved how it brought back my memories of the scene in Terminator
2: Judgement Day. Specifically that scene where the T-1000 rises up out
of the ground in the mental hospital. Even though the basic idea is
similar, it was good to see it here in a much more raw and bloody way.

It was also fun to see this idea fleshed out further in the closing pages of this chapter.

In Summary

Tomie : Kiss is a continuation of the events in Photo. However, its still worth reading on its own if only for the visuals that Ito creates.

The story itself is very simple and set in a single location for the most part. This really lets you focus in on the horrifying scenes that unfold for Tsukiko, without having to hold a bunch of extra characters and locations in your mind.

Photo (Tomie part 4)

A photography student is asked to get some pictures of Tomie – another student at the school. However, the developed photos uncover something strange beneath Tomie’s beautiful exterior.

Before I moved here, I lived in spain for a while. I was born in France, though.

Tomie offers a possible explanation as to her origin. — Photo

What is Tomie Photo about?

Tsukiko is a girl in school, who also happens to be a member of the photography club. However, she is using her skills with the camera to turn a quick profit, whilst preying on the desires of her peers. She will take photos of certain boys in school and then sell those photos to any girls who have a crush on them.

Tomie, meanwhile, is the head of the school’s ethics committee, and immediately sees an issue with Tsukiko’s little business venture. She hatches an elaborate plan to entrap Tsukiko, causing her to take photos of her whilst talking about the profit to be made. Just as she planned the teacher overhears this and Tsukiko is immediately suspended from school: Tomie 1 – Tsukiko 0.

However, when Tsukiko gets those photos developed, they reveal a disturbing side of Tomie that the naked eye can’t detect. Something dark hidden beneath the surface; something evil. But when she tries to use these photos to exact revenge on Tomie, things take a nasty turn for her.

As an aside, it is interesting how Tomie Photo begins. We see her in the opening pages arriving at an unknown mansion of an old man and his daughter. Once she enters, we cut forward in time to Tomie being settled into her apparent new life. This mansion will feature in future stories too, including the chapter quite aptly titled ‘Tomie Mansion‘.

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Where is the moral centre?

What I found most interesting in Tomie Photo, was the placing of the moral centre in the story. Things aren’t as simple as Tsukiko good; Tomie bad. In fact, I would argue that Tomie is on the side of right for most of it – all of it perhaps, depending on how you interpret her actions. (See bottom of this post for my reasoning with some spoilers). We saw this theme a little bit in the first chapter where, although she was manipulative, didn’t deserve to be killed and cut up by her teacher. Yes I know that particular death was an accident, but the disposing of the body wasn’t very dignified, was it?

But no matter where you place Tomie, Tsukiko is a bit of a bad girl herself. Essentially using her customers’ weaknesses in order to charge large sums of money for the photos. And at no point does she display regret for this – she’s too busy trying to keep herself alive towards the end from a very pissed-off Tomie.

I mean, really. Taking advantage of those poor girls, not to mention the boys you photograph.

Tomie seems to be on the moral high ground.

This kind of exploration of character is one of the many aspects of Junji Ito’s work, specifically in this series, that make me love his stuff. Nothing is simply good and bad; black and white; light and dark. There is an unsettling shade that weaves it’s way into most things throughout these stories. But don’t get me wrong, there are some purely innocent people who get caught in Tomie’s path along the way. But we’ll come to those in due time.

In Summary

This chapter is a favourite of mine from the Tomie Collection. It has an interesting exploration of character between protagonist and antagonist. Not only that, but even a few surprise left turns that took me off guard on first reading. The world begins to open up even more with this chapter also. Not only with the introduction of new characters, but also with the mansion she arrives at in the opening pages. This mansion will be explored further later on, which helps tie these stories together even more.

Although part of a bigger story, this is actually one of the chapters that can be enjoyed completely on its own too. The last couple have been continuations of the same thread in Morita Hospital, but Tomie Photo shifts gear – opening up the world a little more for my favourite manga lady.

Interpretation of Tomie’s actions (some spoilers)

My reasoning as to why she could be considered “good” in Tomie Photo, is down to the possibility of her being possessed by an evil alternate persona. We see it time and again through this series that she has the outward appearance of a normal woman. It only tends to be once she’s triggered somehow that things turn nasty. There are moments when these triggers don’t necessarily show her to be unveiling her true self, but rather her true self revealing itself against her will.

We can see this in that final harrowing scene in Tsukiko’s home. She calls Tomie a “monster”, which triggers a reaction in her that appears to be against Tomie’s wishes. This causes another head to start growing from her body. Tomie pleads to her bodyguards / lackies to cut it off of her which, in true Ito fashion, they do.

If indeed there is a foreign body within her that causes this, as opposed to her being in control of it all, it gives Tomie an even more multi-faceted personality.

Basement (Tomie part 3)

Following on from Morita Hospital, there seems to be some strange things happening in the Hospital Basement. A mysterious growth is beginning to take a familiar form.

You know he tried to kill me? I’ve a hunch it was your idea, though.

Tomie — Basement

What is Basement about?

Basement follows on directly from the events of Morita Hospital. We saw how the kidney that Yukiko received had mutated and formed a complete head – the head of its donor, Tomie. Well, the doctors managed to separate the head and remove it and the donor kidney out of Yukiko. The Doctors have now stored those pieces in a secret basement area for studying. They wish to understand how these body parts are able to regenerate. And regenerate they do – and at an alarming rate.

The main character in Basement is a young, inquisitive boy named Sato who is currently admitted to the hospital. He follows his nurse into that basement for clues to the rumours he’s been hearing of a mystery in the basement. However, he will discover more than simply a mystery as he bumps into the lady on everyone’s mind – Tomie. He also befriends Yukiko and starts to fall for her own unique charms. That is until Yukiko’s charms become threatened by an unstoppable force from within. (Sato is apparently one of those rare people not to fall for Tomie’s power – strong of heart and mind, it would seem.)

As the story continues we see how the flesh spirit of Tomie fights to return – back into the beautiful woman she was before. But now her DNA has multiple pathways within the Hospital from which to emerge. But what will happen when multiple Tomies emerge together?

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Changes

Basement is a story all about change and rebirth – like much of Tomie’s stories to be fair. We follow her as she fights to come back to the world of the living, becoming reborn and yet still maintaining the same consciousness as her previous incarnations. This is what I meant by the term “flesh spirit” above. She seems to be able to inherit memories from the past versions of herself, even carrying grudges along with them.

And remember Yukiko from the previous story? Her continuation in this is pretty interesting too. It seems that the use of Tomie’s kidney in her previous operation, although removed soon after, may have left some of its cells behind. And if Tomie gets her grip on you, no matter how slight, she takes a firm grasp and doesn’t let go.

What I found perhaps most interesting in this part of the Tomie series, was yet another aspect of her character that was revealed. Although all of the replicas originate from the same flesh, there seems to be some animosity between each of them. Like rival sisters each wanting to be the favourite. Except each will stop at nothing to physically rid the others from existence. Each and every Tomie wants to be the centre of attention, and will share that limelight with no-one – not even with herself.

In Summary

This third entry in the Tomie collection delves a little deeper still into her character. Although not nearly my favourite of the stories, it does give a good conclusion to the events of Morita Hospital. As such, you will want to at least read that previous chapter before this one. Many of the Tomie stories are quite self-contained. However, there are a few, like Basement, which will need the previous entries in order to give some context to the events.

Morita Hospital (Tomie part 2)

A young girl awaiting a kidney transplant meets the mysterious Tomie through a friend of hers. But after a warning by Tomie to stop seeing that friend, it seems she has much more to give the patient than just threats.

He speaks ill of you to no end… and yet, I guess that’s the kind of man I like.

Tomie — Morita Hospital

What is Morita Hospital about?

Yuki is a school girl who is being kept at Morita Hospital awaiting a kidney transplant. She waits patiently while her condition slowly deteriorates. Often found sitting with her is her friend – a boy named Tadashi. The pair seem close, but the boy seems slightly withdrawn from the room when we join them.

As he leaves Yuki to her hospital room, she spots him out of the window walking with another girl. She knows nothing of the other girl, except for what she can see of her. This new girl is beautiful and has a distinctive mole under her left eye. We as the reader know that this is Tomie, but these people know nothing of her or what she is capable of.

Although it isn’t explicitly stated, I believe that this is the Tomie that Reiko found growing beneath the cave at the end of Part 1. Tadashi reveals how he met Tomie at the beach, which in itself isn’t that strange. But considering the fact that Tomie is referring to herself as Reiko, my theory is that she killed the original Reiko and assumed her identity. I can’t confirm this, but I like to think that this is what would have happened.

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Tomie is a spoilt brat

We start to see the spoilt brat side of Tomie in the Morita Hospital
story too. When she is walking with Tadashi, she tries to get him to buy
her some new earrings on a whim. Unable to afford any more financial
offerings of love, Tadashi unwillingly causes her to go storming off in
search of a rich man who can cater to her wants.

A common thread
of her personality is the wanting to drain the men who dote after her of
all of their money. She just wants to be pampered and waiting on; told
she is beautiful; and never crossed or betrayed in any way. I agree with
not being betrayed, but what she considers betrayal, and what normal
people consider betrayal, are two completely different things.

I felt that this story went further in developing her character for us than her first outing did. Of course, that initial story we discussed last week was just the kernel of the idea. Once he had received the praise he did for Tomie part 1, I assume it gave him the conviction to go further into his imagination, leading him to really begin fleshing her story out.

The organ donor

Due to an unfortunate encounter between Tadashi and Tomie, she ends up in hospital and ultimately dying. The doctors then, under advisement of someone claiming to be Tomie’s next of kin, decide not to let her healthy body go to waste. I won’t spoil who this apparent next of kin is, but it is somebody you may know from before.

It turns out that she also happens to be a perfect match for a certain patient awaiting a certain kidney transplant. The operation goes ahead and with great success. However, the spirit of Tomie is strong and she can not be killed – not easily at least. Her darkness will always find a way back to the light, squeezing through the cracks from within any living flesh.

In summary

The second part in the Tomie series continues pretty much from where we left off. However, it does take the story into a new direction with new players. This seems to be a running theme throughout the series. Tomie will show up in new people’s lives and pretty much just put them through hell.

Although not my favourite in the series, Morita Hospital is another layer across the character of Tomie. I think Junji Ito was really starting to find his feet with his artistic style in this chapter. Especially with the final panels and seeing just how Tomie manages to keep her spirit alive.

Hanging Blimp

A young woman is found hanging from a telephone wire outside her apartment. Soon after, a strange vision of her head is spotted floating over the night sky.

Her face was hanging up in the sky, right above that tree there.

A student explains the strange sights he saw — Hanging Blimp

What is Hanging Blimp about?

Hanging blimp felt like a waking nightmare to me. The other stories in the Shiver Selected Stories collection had at least some kind of explanation to them. However, with Hanging Blimp, there isn’t any explanation offered as to why strange, head-shaped balloons are coming to town. And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing either.

The strange occurrences of this Horror Manga begin when a well-known girl is found hanging from the telephone line outside of her bedroom window. What follows soon after is very strange indeed – her head, floating in the wind, is spotted by one of her school friends. And this isn’t even the strangest part about this story.

What is initially thought to be her actual head, is in fact a giant balloon that bares her exact image. As the story progresses we of course see more of these blimps and even find out what their true, horrific, intentions are.

From out of a dream

Perhaps the reason that Hanging Blimp lacks any solid basis for its events, is because it came from a dream of the young Junji Ito. In the commentary contained in the Shiver collection, he explains how a dream came to him before he became a mangaka, which led him to the images that you will find in this story.

I actually love how he hasn’t tried to force any kind of back story into this. Instead, he seems to have stayed true to his dream. Half of what I love about Ito’s work is the artwork itself and the unforgettable images he conjures up. And this story contains, what I would say are, some very memorable images indeed.

In Summary

This isn’t the scariest story in the Shiver Collection by a long shot. But it is one of the stories that made me think the most about it after reading. The appearance of these head-shaped balloons felt to me to represent the inevitability of death. I felt as if it was showing, very vividly, those people running from their own self-imposed doom. Without ruining the end of the story, I can’t really elaborate on these thoughts though.

Why not give it a read yourself, then we can have a chat and swap ideas below in the comments.

Tomie

Tomie kicked off what was to become one of the most engrossing and enjoyable horror manga series I have ever read. Not only that but this, its first chapter, kicked off the career of perhaps the most well known and celebrated mangaka, Junji Ito.

My friend Tomie is dead. Pieces of her body were found scattered everywhere.

From Tomie (Tomie part 1)

This first entry in the Tomie series is fascinating to me for two
reasons. Firstly, it is the starting point for all of the stories that
follow. Perhaps not all of them are linked to this specific incarnation
of her, but it is our first meeting with the young lady. And since she
has gone on to have such a huge legacy within the world of Horror Manga,
is worthy of discussion.

Secondly, it is the first manga story that Junji Ito completed – while he was still a dental technician. He submitted it to the Umezu Awards where he went on to earn an honourable mention for it.

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The beginning of a legacy

In this first entry of the series, we are introduced to Tomie and how
she has seamingly managed to rise back from the dead. Of course, we
only know this at the start from the account of Tomie’s friend, Reiko.
However, we come to learn that not only did she in fact die, but that
the witnesses went to some very extreme lengths to hide her body.

We
learn how she has most likely been sleeping with her Teacher, who
himself is also married. This in itself is a light introduction to a
large facet of her character – that she really has no moral boundaries.
If she wants something she goes after it. And most of the time she gets
what she wants.

There isn’t too much in the way of Ito’s signature “body horror” in this story, save for the very last panel. But gosh how I loved how he decided to close this first chapter. We get to glimpse the genesis of Ito’s flourishing talent in that very last scene.

The start of a great artist

Junji Ito is now regarded as a titan within the horror manga
community – in all manga in general, in fact. When you look back at this
chapter after seeing his more recent stories, you will notice the
difference in quality immediately. The detail isn’t anywhere near where
we now know his work to be. But that does not detract from the story’s
impact.

What you have to remember is that this is his first published story. It feels akin to the debut albums of great bands – like Nirvana’s ‘Bleach’, or The White Stripes’ eponymous debut. Yes, it’s rough around the edges and not indicative of the quality that comes later, but it is the honest, unfiltered core from which his talent would come to grow.

In Summary

The opening chapter in the Tomie series is a staple in the chronology
of the Horror Manga genre. It not only begins the life of the beloved
Tomie, but also marks the beginning of one of the most exciting artist
careers within this world.

While this won’t show you the wildest
imaginings of Ito, or his better artistic work, it will enrich your
knowledge of the genre. I’m eternally grateful to Junji Ito for keeping
Tomie’s story open like he did in this one. And also for continuing this
lasting saga for the years that have followed.

Welcome to the story of Tomie.

Final thoughts with slight spoilers

I can only imagine what it must have been like to read this when it
came out. Without the knowledge of Ito and his now-heavy back catalogue.
That moment two thirds in when the teacher stands over Tomie’s dead
body with his students. All stripped down to their underwear and ready
to cut her up into twenty pieces with knives and saws.

As
mentioned above, the only real body horror in this story is on the
closing page. And that whole regrowth from one of the parcels of Tomie’s
dismembered body parts was cool as hell. This was the demonic glue that
brought the whole chapter together for me. Not only did she arise from
the dead in some ethereal way, but that she is physically capable of
regenerating from separated pieces of her body.

Protected: Dissolving Classroom

Fashion Model

After seeing the modelling photos of a strange — almost demonic — woman, a film student starts getting nightmarish visions of her. Not long after, that same model is hired on his current film and things begin to take a turn for the worse.

But, Oda… She’s been gradually transforming in my memory, so that now she’s basically a monster

Iwasaki talks about his obsession with the unknown model — Fashion Model

What is Fashion Model by Junji Ito about?

Iwasaki is a screenwriter, who is currently working on a script for
his film-making friends. In a chance reading of a fashion magazine he
comes across the portrait photo of the creepiest looking model you could
ever hope to see. After this brief encounter with her visage, Iwasaki
is unable to get her face out of his mind. Everywhere he looks; every
time he tries to sleep – there she is, in his mind’s eye. And every time
he imagines it, she becomes more and more distorted and demonic.

After
some success with their film, Iwasaki and his friends begin casting
calls for the lead in their next feature. And guess who’s profile
picture comes up in the three envelopes they open? Yep – you guessed it –
that creepy model whose name, they discover, is Fuchi. Fuchi is not
picked for the lead, but is instead chosen for another part, in the
hope that her professional model prestige will help elevate their own
status.

Fuchi seems immediately fond of Iwasaki and spends most of her time gazing across at him. During filming of this new feature they all head up into the mountains for filming and Fuchi is pretty much the butt of their jokes. Not just that, but she is shunned to the side in favour of the lead actress. But it isn’t long before Fuchi takes matters into her own hands and lashes out at those who shun and mock her.

Sometimes monsters need love too

Fashion Model introduced me to a sort of recurring character of Ito’s
– the horrifying-looking model, Fuchi. She had previously featured in
one of the stories in Souichi’s Diary of Curses: ‘Rumours’. then later
she appears in a bonus short manga at the end of the Shiver Selected
Stories collection in ‘Fashion Model: Cursed Frame’.

Fuchi towers
over all other people around her, and somehow manages to keep it secret
about how she is in fact a flesh-eating monster. It’s not until they are
driving up to the mountains and Fuchi, trying to fit in with the
others, begins laughing along with them. It is here that they all notice
her huge set of layered teeth in her mouth.

Despite knowing where
this story ends up, and what Fuchi ends up doing, I still can’t help
but feel sorry for her. Just because of her looks, she is teased and
critiqued behind her back. They just can’t believe how she has managed
to become a model. And all because she doesn’t fit in with their typical
ideal image of a model.

It’s because of other people’s attitudes towards her that I can’t help but root for Fuchi. The horrific things she ends up doing towards the end seem to be out of an unrequited love for Iwasaki.

In Summary

What I find most interesting with this horror manga is not the story
itself, but rather the character of Fuchi. I actually feel as though
Fuchi is the main character and not Iwasaki, as it first seems. It would
be interesting to see more stories about her – or even have her
mentioned, or ‘pass through’, future manga volumes by Junji Ito.

This was an enjoyable story from the Shiver Collection, which you should definitely consider buying today.

Used Record

A musical record has a strange, hypnotic effect on those that hear it. The music tends to be calm and soothing to those who listen. But it can also trigger a rage in those who will do anything to take it for their own.

I’ve never heard anything like it before. The girl’s voice sounds detached, but there’s a strange intonation somehow…

Nakayama describes the music from the record — Used Record

What is Used Record manga about?

Used Record is a short horror manga story from famed Mangaka Junji
Ito. It follows a girl who sneaks an old record out of her friend’s
house, after that friend refused to let her make a copy.

The song
on the record tends to emotionally move all who hear it in a very deep
and powerful way. You could say that they become obsessed with it.

The story takes place over the course of about an hour or so by my guess. What we see is the havoc that is caused between a selection of unrelated people that the main character, Nakayama, crosses paths with.

More haunting than horror

This short manga contains no graphic horror elements, save for the
killing of one character with a rock. Instead it focuses more on the
haunting aspects of the record itself. This untitled record could be
considered a song from beyond the grave. As the short story progresses,
we find out a little bit more about the origin of the record, which up
till now has been a mystery.

Although the story is a short one, it still feels like it has a big history to it. I couldn’t help but allow my mind to wander around the mythology of it. How had this record made its way from its unusual recording to the main characters? If there were more recorded at the same time, where are they and what effects are they having on the people who have them?

In Summary

Used record is the first story in a collection of short stories by Junji Ito. This collection is called Shiver, and is available to buy here. Although Ito is in his prime with his more grotesque depictions of horror, this story is a good example of his ability to tell a spooky tale without all the gore.

Like with some of his more famous works, this one deals with the idea of obsession. Like the men who obsess over Tomie, or the people of Kurouzucho who become obsessed with spirals in Uzumaki. But unlike those larger overarching stories, Used Record tells it’s story in a very condensed format, ideal for a quick 5 minute read.

The Enigma of Amigara Fault

After an earthquake reveals lots of human-shaped tunnels within its fault line, people from all over are drawn to what they believe to be their own shape. But what will await them on the other side of these tunnels?

That hole was my silhouette! It was based on me. I swear, I’m serious!

Yoshida is convinced — Enigma of Amigara Fault

The Enigma of Amigara Fault is the first horror manga I ever read, recommended by a friend at work. Like with almost all of his stories, Junji Ito left me slightly haunted and disturbed when I finished this one.

What is The Enigma of Amigara Fault about?

It tells the story of two young people who meet as they climb up the Amigara mountain to see a recently opened fault line. On arrival they discover many other people who have had the same idea. They have all come to see the curious human-shaped holes in the recently-revealed rock face.

As the story moves forward, people start to find the holes that they believe have been specifically created for them. With each moment that passes, the inexplicable force that pulls them to their holes becomes too overwhelming. Those people are never seen again after entering their hole. At least not until a later discovery finds them as changed people at the end of their horrific destiny.

The horror is in the psychology of people

I believe that this story explores something that classical Freudian psychoanalytic theory refers to as the Death Drive. Simply put, this is a person’s unconscious desire towards self-destruction and death. Junji Ito, in his unique way, explores this through his characters being drawn towards their holes by their own curiosity. Their conscious minds will know that certain death will await them if they enter, but they do it any way.

Like with all of his work that I’ve seen, the art style is great and the stories have a dark Lovecraftian flavour to them. This story only takes about five to ten minutes to read, but is sure to leave a lasting mark on you.

Where you can read it

The Enigma of Amigara Fault was released as one of two extra stories in the Gyo collection, which I definitely recommend you buying. Not only will you be supporting the artist, but you will also get to read even more of his dark works.

Black Paradox

Black Paradox follows four characters who meet on a group suicide website. We join them as they are meeting in person for the first time, in preparation for performing their suicide together.

What is Black Paradox about?

Black Paradox follows four characters who meet on a group suicide website. We join them as they are meeting in person for the first time, in preparation for performing their suicide together. After their failed attempt, one of them starts regurgitating large shiny balls that he says are from a “Dazzling world”. Yer I know – stay with me.

As the story progresses, we discover that this Dazzling World is in fact the spirit world. The shiny balls that they are able to acquire from this spirit world become very sort after in the real world. They end up calling this material ‘Paradonite’. Paradonite has huge amounts of stored energy within, as some find to their horror.

As each of them learns their own access points into the spirit world, a doctor tries to capitalise on it. He helps them to fulfil their odd destinies as a way to help the future of the human race. Within his mansion, he sets up an underground lab where these events are studied and ultimately normalised.

Body Horror

Black Paradox is a good introduction to the body horror artwork that Junji Ito is famous for creating. It’s a bit milder than a lot of his stories, but there are still some things in here to keep the most ravenous of Ito fans placated.

Each of the four main characters accesses the spirit world through the manipulation of a particular body part. Piitan’s Pylorus, the body part that normally connects the stomach to the small intestine, connects him to the spirit world. The other characters later discover that they too can access that world, but in even more stranger ways.

One person’s face is their gateway and must have it removed before it destroys her. Another has a small tumour in their brain which must be removed. While a third accesses it through their own shadow. If I only say one thing about Junji Ito, it’s that he has an imagination like no other.

Are people just resources?

Interesting in Black Paradox is its looks into the darker sides of human nature. The side that will try to advance through the pain of others. Once the first of the four starts uncontrollably regurgitating the Paradonite, one of them immediately wants to use its high value for their own financial gain. Then later, once the doctor has them all under his roof, he uses them simply as a means to get hold of more of the material “For humanity’s sake”.

However, after seeing a vision of the world’s future, one of them learns how the continued mining for Paradonite is actually detrimental to the future of humanity – real people, specifically. But with the planet’s growing reliance on the material for its energy, the doctor keeps them on the path that may ultimately lead to destruction.

I couldn’t help but find parallels between our own world and the future Paradonite-dependant world of Black Paradox. The way in which the materials are used for the apparent greater good, but at the expense of many real people in the process of acquiring it. Whether such parallels were intended by Junji Ito I don’t know, but anything that sheds light on such things is a good thing in my mind. I wont spoil the story by saying just how they are affected, but affected they are.

In Summary

Black Paradox was a very enjoyable read for me. Although not specifically a horror manga story, it does have many elements and drawing styles that veer on that side of the road. It felt to me to be like an origin story for this group of four, who ultimately refer to themselves collectively as Black Paradox. I’d even go so far as to say that this was Junji Ito’s ‘Fantastic Four’.

She is a Slow Walker

Junji Ito takes on the zombie genre in this short story. It centers around a couple trapped in their apartment during a zombie apocalypse. The manga is actually set in the same universe as the ‘I am a Hero’ manga series, and is from an anthology manga called ‘8 tales of the ZQN’.

She is a Slow Walker — Synopsis

The story centres around Shinichi and his girlfriend Yumi. We join them in mid argument about what the best type of zombie is — slow or fast. Shinichi is of the opinion that faster moving zombies are the better ones. Whereas Yumi is a firm fan of George A. Romero and favours the classic slow-moving zombies. Not two seconds after storming out in anger, Yumi runs back in, having just been bitten by a zombie.

It turns out that the world outside has quickly evolved into chaos, with the infected attacking the living right outside their door. They lock themselves inside in the relative safe, but Yumi has already been bitten and they both suspect she’ll soon turn.

Once she inevitably turns, luckily for Shinichi, she is of the slow-moving type. She would be happy with herself with that, I think. But she’s not only slow, she’s extremely slow; taking ages to move even an inch. After Shinichi has a close call after overestimating his own safety, the two of them reach their final destination. The ending is a complete left turn and I couldn’t help but smile at it.

Finally I get to board up the windows. When the zombies come, the zombie buffs will be the last standing!

Shinichi seems almost excited about the impending doom — She is a slow walker

Part of the I am a Hero universe

When I first read ‘She is a Slow Walker’ I thought it was it’s own story in it’s own little universe. But I have since discovered that it is, in fact, part of the much larger universe from the manga ‘I am a Hero’.

‘I am a Hero‘ is a long-running zombie manga series by Kengo Hanazawa. It is about a man finding himself trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic zombie world. I haven’t read it yet but I was vaguely aware of it before hand.

What Junji Ito’s story does is focus in on one couple and their particular story, within the overarching ‘I am a Hero’ world. Presumably this is separate from the main narrative of ‘I am a Hero’. However, I haven’t read it yet so can’t confirm this. But what I can confirm is that this story is freakin’ awesome.

In Conclusion

It takes a special kind of person to find grotesque gore in fiction sometimes funny, and I think I may be one of those people. Although things don’t go great for our characters, this story does have a great level of humour, especially in it’s closing scene.

This one isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s also not one of Junji Ito’s most graphic works. ‘She is a Slow Walker’ is a fun little story that you may not have come across from Ito before now. Not only does it have the power to gross you out, but it may just have you laughing out loud at those very same panels.

You can find this story in the book “8 Tales of the ZQN“. However, if you don’t read Japanese, you can rad a translated version here. (Please always support the author where you can buy purchasing his works where available — Thank You).

Hellstar Remina

A scientist’s daughter is inexplicably linked to a mysterious, newly-discovered planet in the night sky. But when the planet is seen moving at great speeds, and with deadly consequences, the link with the young girl is brought into question by the public.

What is Hellstar Remina about?

One evening, while watching the night sky, an astronomer discovers a mysterious new planet that seems to have just appeared from nowhere. He soon believes that it has appeared from out of a distant wormhole sixteen light years away. He names this new planet Remina, after his only daughter — his sixteen years old daughter.

The daughter Remina, who coincidentally is the same age as the planet – sixteen* , becomes an overnight star due to her new namesake. Fan clubs are popping up all over the world and people scramble in the streets just to see her. The world is obsessed with Remina!

*The new planet is sixteen light years away, which means it takes the light sixteen years to get to us. This means that at the point of it appearing to the astronomer, sixteen years would have passed since it actually appeared. So it must have appeared around the time of his daughters birth.

In the night sky

While the world is obsessing over the girl, the new planet is observed as taking a very strange, irregular path across the distant sky. Not only that, but the stars it seems to come into contact with disappear as the planet approaches. It isn’t long until the planet seems to stop still completely, which leads the astronomers to hypothesise only one thing. They believe that this can only mean that the planet is now heading straight for Earth.

As the planet becomes larger, as it approaches the Earth at speed, the population’s thirst for the girl’s love quickly becomes a thirst for her blood. She becomes the sole target of a full-on witch hunt. The people believe that killing her will stop the impending doom that the new planet threatens them all.

What follows is an extremely harrowing experience for Remina and the few who are still trying to keep her safe. The growing hordes of angry people stop at nothing to get hold of the girl and hold her accountable for their fate.

Remina looked me right in the eye! Remina knows about us, knows we’re here! That’s why… it’s coming for us…

One scientist is driven mad by the new planet — Hellstar Remina

A microcosm of organised religion

What I found most interesting about Hellstar Remina, was the people’s actions and beliefs towards the girl. When the new planet was a thing of awe and wonder, she was revered as such. However, once the planet seemed to pose an immediate threat, they directed their fear and anger directly at the only thing they could seemingly control — her. All of this because her father named the planet after her.

There is no evidence to support a connection between Remina the girl and Remina the planet. However, cast-iron beliefs are held that destroying her will ultimately destroy this evil planet. Even within the mobs of people there is a small sect of believers, dressed in spiritual robes, who believe that sacrificing her in a particular way will stop the planet.

To me this story is like a microcosm of organised religion, taken to the extremes in a way that only Junji Ito knows how. That’s not to say that I believe organised religions are necessarily bad – that’s not what I am saying. What I am saying is it’s interesting how an organised group of people come together under a common belief, to perform an act that they all believe will save them. Even though there is never any proof in this — they are all acting on faith.

Mob Rule

The most shocking things in this story are not necessarily what the mysterious planet does, although it does get pretty crazy. For me, the most shocking actions come from the people and what they put this girl through. Remina gets beaten, dragged through the streets and strung up on a crucifix — as shown in the opening pages.

Whether they love her or hate her, people’s emotions are always taken to the extremes by those who are near her. It’s often hard to remember that Remina is a sixteen year old girl. But when you do, it makes her struggle all the more harder to endure at times.

Summary

Another great story from Junji Ito — one of my favourite in fact — not that I’ve ever found a bad story of his. There is less on the usual body horror front and more of a look at the human psychology surrounding the story’s events.

A world-eating planet and the things people will do to try and stop it based on nothing but their faith.

The story is told in 7 chapters and the official collection will also include a favourite one shot story of mine: Army of One.

This book would make an incredible introduction to Junji Ito’s work if you are new to him. Or perhaps you have read it unofficially online and would now like to own your own official copy. Then you could experience Hellstar Remina in the way it was always meant to be.