Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Communication, Language, Literature, and Culture (ICCoLliC 2024)

<Previous Article In Volume
Next Article In Volume>

Tomie and the Resistance of Shoujo (Young Girl) Myths in Japanese Culture

Authors
Aqiilah Bilqiis Salsabiil Harahap1, *, Sri Kusumo Habsari1, Deny Tri Ardianto1
1Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia
*Corresponding author. Email: aqiilah_harahap2003@student.uns.ac.id
Corresponding Author
Aqiilah Bilqiis Salsabiil Harahap
Available Online 24 December 2024.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-321-4_21How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Japanese Culture; Myth; Shoujo; Tomie
Abstract

This study aims to examine the resistance to shoujo myths exhibited by the character Tomie in the anime Junji Ito Collection (2018). Tomie is a physically attractive young woman who engages in flirtatious interactions with men and enjoys destroying their careers. She possesses the mysterious ability to super-regenerate and create clones of every part of her body, enabling her to return to life after being killed. This paper attempts to explore how Tomie’s character as a seductress can undermine the shoujo myth of the kawaii (passive, innocent, and dependent) female figure that is often sexualized in Japanese culture. Data taken from episodes 9 and 1–2 of the OVA were analyzed using the textual analysis method, drawing on Barthes’ conception of myth. The results indicate that Tomie resists the shoujo myth through her seductive nature, thereby becoming an active subject and shedding her innocent image. She also demonstrates her dominant position over men through the destruction of their careers. However, this resistance also appears paradoxical, as Tomie is presented as an object at the end of the story, as she is always the murder victim of the men. Tomie's resistance to the shoujo myth also preserves Kristeva's “abjection” and Creed's monstrous-feminine view of horror cinema, which represents Japanese society's misogynistic views and fear of female sexuality.

Copyright
© 2024 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

<Previous Article In Volume
Next Article In Volume>
Volume Title
Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Communication, Language, Literature, and Culture (ICCoLliC 2024)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
24 December 2024
ISBN
978-2-38476-321-4
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-321-4_21How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2024 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Aqiilah Bilqiis Salsabiil Harahap
AU  - Sri Kusumo Habsari
AU  - Deny Tri Ardianto
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/12/24
TI  - Tomie and the Resistance of Shoujo (Young Girl) Myths in Japanese Culture
BT  - Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Communication, Language, Literature, and Culture (ICCoLliC 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 299
EP  - 307
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-321-4_21
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-321-4_21
ID  - Harahap2024
ER  -