Junji Ito, the mastermind behind the horror genre, is putting out novelty horror merchandise based on his legendary Tomie manga.
According to information on Hypebeast, Ito is working with renowned DJ and body painter Doooo to create a collection of unique “human flesh items.” The collection includes a finger stamp, a coin purse shaped like the lower half of a face with human lips, and Tomie’s left eye inside a square of flesh that can function as dice and blink realistically. From December 26 to January 16, these products, which range in price from 33,000 to 660,000 yen (roughly $240 to $4,819), will only be accessible at Tsutaya Books, a bookstore situated in Tokyo’s Shibuya-ku neighborhood.
Who Is Tomie?
From 1987 to 2000, Ito’s Tomie manga was serialized in the manga magazine Monthly Halloween. It centers on Tomie Kawakami, a stunning high school student who is brutally murdered by an unidentified killer. The fact that the murderer hacked Tomie’s body into pieces before it was discovered may have served as inspiration for the creation of the aforementioned items. After being killed, Tomie returns as a mysterious, regenerating being that manipulates men’s emotions and minds to make them fall in love with her.
Ahead of the upcoming season of Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre, Ito and Doooo’s novelty goods are starting to appear on store shelves. 20 of Ito’s stories, including Tomie, will be adapted for this anime, which premieres on Netflix in January 2023. The Hanging Balloons, about a town that is haunted by the ghost of a deceased celebrity, Unendurable Labyrinth, about two friends discovering a disturbing religious cult, and Where the Sandman Lives, about an insomniac who is troubled by fears that a dream version of himself is attempting to escape into reality are a few examples of the other stories.
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre is being directed by Shinobu Tagashira, who also worked on the Junji Ito Collection anime, at Studio DEEN (Higurashi: When They Cry, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen). The script for Maniac is being written by Kaoru Sawada, who also wrote the script for Junji Ito Collection. The music for the show is composed by Yuki Hayashi (My Hero Academia). Aya Uchida (Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story), Daisuke Hirakawa (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba), and Rie Suegara, who is reprising her role as Tomie from Junji Ito Collection, are just a few of the well-known voice actors on the cast list.
Many of Junji Ito’s manga series and anthologies are available in English from VIZ Media.
Source: Hypebeast
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