Tomie (1998) coming from Arrow

[whiteberry]

Based on the smash-hit series of the same name by cult manga artist Junji Itō (Uzumaki), Tomie tells the tale of an evil high-school seductress identifiable by a beauty mark beneath her left eye, whose bewitching kiss drives men to madness.

Photography student Tsukiko (Mami Nakamura, Tokyo Trash Baby, Love Exposure) is plagued by violent dreams as she struggles to recall long-suppressed memories following a teenage trauma with the help of psychiatrist Dr. Hosono (Yoriko Douguchi, Cure, Charisma). Meanwhile, as Detective Harada (Tomorō Taguchi, Tetsuo: The Iron Man) leads an investigation into a missing high-school girl, he discovers a long line of similar cases that can be traced back decades, with all of the victims going by the name of Tomie Kawakami, and all slaughtered and decapitated by jealous lovers before they reach womanhood. Meanwhile, Tsukiko’s new neighbor seems to be harboring something nasty in the downstairs apartment, something which rapidly begins to take on a dangerous form.

Tomie is a creepy supernatural chiller directed by Ataru Oikawa (screenwriter of the pioneering Japanese horror Door) and featuring a chilling turn by the sensational Miho Kanno (Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness, Dolls). Arrow Video is proud to present this key title from the J-Horror boom of the late 1990s, which spawned a string of sequels, for the first time on Blu-ray outside of Japan, with a host of newly produced extras.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Original lossless 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Brand new audio commentary by critic and Japanese cinema expert Amber T.
• It’s a Girl’s World, a brand new interview with director Ataru Oikawa
• Scream Queen, a brand new interview with actress Mami Nakamura
• From Manga to Screen, a brand new interview with producer Mikihiko Hirata
• Trailer
• Image gallery
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Zack Davisson and Eugene Thacker
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck

https://unobstructedview.com/tomie-l...av641-web.html

TOMIE (1999) - YouTube

[DukeTogo84]

I'll be picking this up. I wish it was a boxset of more of the films, but I'll take them one at a time if I have to.

[starsteam]

Woo, I've been waiting for this. Though I was wanting a box set with the other films too. Maybe they'll pop up for somewhere else.

[filmlover22]

Yes, surprised this isn't a box set, but glad it's coming

[darkness2918]

Very nice. Haven’t seen this one in such a long time so I’ll be picking this one up. Have a couple of the others on DVD also well that I still need to watch.

[Shogun MacArthur]

I have to say that, as a fan of Junji Ito's work, I found this adaptation quite dull and hardly capturing of the source material. Maybe I need to rewatch it, but I found Tomie: Beginning superior.

[Mose Harper]

I'm completely unfamiliar with this as well as the source manga.

Are there several sequels that are generally regarded more highly than the first film?

If you were going to recommend one release, would it be this or one of the films in the J-Horror Rising set?

[Shogun MacArthur]

Originally Posted by Mose Harper

I'm completely unfamiliar with this as well as the source manga.

Are there several sequels that are generally regarded more highly than the first film?

If you were going to recommend one release, would it be this or one of the films in the J-Horror Rising set?

J-Horror Rising wins easily because of Noroi, which is considered by many to be one of the best Japanese horror movies ever.

I personally have only seen three of the Tomie movies. This first one, which isn't bad, but lower tier J-horror, Another Face, which was really forgettable, and Beginning, which is pretty fun. To my understanding the rest are in the range of bad to decently enjoyable, no stand outs to my knowledge. All pale in comparison to Junji Ito's work, which has a reputation of being hard to adapt.

[Mose Harper]

Thanks for that, Shogun.

I'll prioritize the Rising set.

[logboy]

Originally Posted by Shogun MacArthur

J-Horror Rising wins easily because of Noroi, which is considered by many to be one of the best Japanese horror movies ever.

erm.

[DarknessBDJM]

I was hoping it'd be a collection like the Ringu, Ju-On, and One Missed Call collections. I remember liking the Replay and/or Rebirth sequels more than the first.

[starsteam]

Really have to wonder why they went with only the first film. It sounds like people are more favorable of the sequels, which makes this seem like something that would sell better as a set. The sequels are streaming in HD on Prime in Japan, so it's not like those were not ready for Blu-ray.

The description states this is the first time the film is available on Blu-ray outside of Japan, but I don't actually see a Japanese Blu-ray release. The film is even SD on Prime despite the sequels being in HD. Maybe someone else already licensed the sequels since they were HD, leaving only the first film for Arrow who paid the bill for a HD scan?

Only other labels that comes to mind with a active Kadokawa deal is Discotek and maybe Media Blasters.

[Kakihara]

Originally Posted by logboy

erm.

Not exactly a controversial statement he made. Many people agree Noroi is top tier Japanese horror.

[horrorscreamer]

Originally Posted by starsteam

Really have to wonder why they went with only the first film. It sounds like people are more favorable of the sequels, which makes this seem like something that would sell better as a set. The sequels are streaming in HD on Prime in Japan, so it's not like those were not ready for Blu-ray.

The description states this is the first time the film is available on Blu-ray outside of Japan, but I don't actually see a Japanese Blu-ray release. The film is even SD on Prime despite the sequels being in HD. Maybe someone else already licensed the sequels since they were HD, leaving only the first film for Arrow who paid the bill for a HD scan?

Only other labels that comes to mind with a active Kadokawa deal is Discotek and maybe Media Blasters.

Seems unlikely, the first one is available on iTunes JP in HD so I'm sure it's the same master.

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by logboy

erm.

Oh dear

[logboy]

Originally Posted by Kakihara

Not exactly a controversial statement he made. Many people agree Noroi is top tier Japanese horror.

one of the best ever? the figures on the output of japans industry and those that have been available to anyone, especially outside japan ... wouldn't stack up. it's hundreds of films a year, for over a century.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by logboy

one of the best ever? the figures on the output of japans industry and those that have been available to anyone, especially outside japan ... wouldn't stack up. it's hundreds of films a year, for over a century.

It's considered one of the best Japanese horror films for sure. It's not like Japanese horror films are not accessible and pre 90's Japanese horror were not as common as you might imagine. There was a lull with the traditional ghost stories in the 70's and 80's. Either way, out of pretty much any genre, horror has been the easiest to access from Japan, so when a film has a reputation as one of the best, it's not unwarranted.

[logboy]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

It's considered one of the best Japanese horror films for sure. It's not like Japanese horror films are not accessible and pre 90's Japanese horror were not as common as you might imagine. There was a lull with the traditional ghost stories in the 70's and 80's. Either way, out of pretty much any genre, horror has been the easiest to access from Japan, so when a film has a reputation as one of the best, it's not unwarranted.

blatantly absurd. thirty or more versions of yotsuya kaidan alone. someone tell me where they found each one, and which i should buy to watch? where can (or would) i find them? doesn't make sense does it?

if i just use a letterboxd list as a guide, and filter the horror from an attempt to gather all japanese films, i see 5509 horror films :

https://letterboxd.com/mishima24/lis.../genre/horror/

i wouldn't have the time, or inclination. who has? how did we land on any one choice as any kind of consensus on best?

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by logboy

blatantly absurd. thirty or more versions of yotsuya kaidan alone. someone tell me where they found each one, and which i should buy to watch? where can (or would) i find them? doesn't make sense does it?

if i just use a letterboxd list as a guide, and filter the horror from an attempt to gather all japanese films, i see 5509 horror films :

https://letterboxd.com/mishima24/lis.../genre/horror/

i wouldn't have the time, or inclination. who has? how did we land on any one choice as any kind of consensus on best?

Thanks for proving my point. Most of those movies are post 1990 films. Again, when it comes to Japanese horror, if it is highly regarded, it must be for a good reason.

[Shogun MacArthur]

Originally Posted by logboy

one of the best ever? the figures on the output of japans industry and those that have been available to anyone, especially outside japan ... wouldn't stack up. it's hundreds of films a year, for over a century.

I don't understand your argument. Yes a lot of Japanese horror movies have been made and not all of them are available overseas, but that doesn't discount the fact that Noroi is very well liked and popular. When Arrow announced the J-Horror Rising set tons of comments were made about how they'd been wanting a blu-ray of it for years and would buy the set for it alone. Noroi is also well thought of in Japan, having a similar rating on Filmarks to other heavy hitter J-horror movies (Noroi has a 3.4 while Ju-On: The Grudge has a 3.1 and Ringu has a 3.5) and good reviews on Amazon Japan, with it currently being the #1 Japanese horror movie in their rankings.