The indestructible Tomie is like that proverbial bad penny, always turning up no matter what the hell you do. No matter how many times you decapitate, dismember, or disembowel her, she always comes back, reborn from some missing limb or lone scrap of flesh that managed to become mobile and make its getaway. She's like the Japanese schoolgirl Jason Voorhees, and much like Mister Voorhees, she's getting quite a few films under her little skirt.

Including the soon to be released Tomie: Revenge, we've got seven films imported here stateside. That puts her neck-and-neck with Michael Myers and one behind Krueger. Unfortunately, like all three of our aforementioned “unkillable” movie maniacs here, the formula's lost its fizz.

So what can one do to rejuvenate a flagging franchise? Why, return it to its roots, of course! Not only does Ataru Oikawa reprise his role of director from the first Tomie, the storyline is based upon the “dirty little secret” of the first Tomie film, whereas Tomie met one of her many ends at the hands of her classmates.

The problem that arises from this format is twofold. One, the entire story is discussed after-the-fact between the two surviving members of Tomie's class, Reiko and Inoue. Not only do viewers of the first film already know the outcome of the film based upon the story that the movie hinted at, but even new viewers simply feel no sense of suspense or dread knowing that the one character we care about, Reiko, makes it out alive.

Secondly, this movie is simply more of the same for Tomie. While the fleshing out of one of her “legends” is certainly an intriguing concept, is there really any point when the legend becomes just another cookie-cutter piece of the puzzle?

Therein lies the inherent flaw with Tomie's character. The tragic irony that she is forced to follow the same path to doom time and time again due to no fault of her own is lost when the viewer has to follow the same path throughout her filmography. She comes into someone's life, where they watch as she manipulates all of the men to her will through manic lust. Inevitably, the men, driven mad by their love for Tomie, slaughter her. She is then dismembered and reborn from the pieces, to continue the cycle again and again, as she has for centuries.

Where Tomie: Beginning manages to set itself apart from its predecessors is in its sheer lunacy. Whereas the previous films were played off as rather serious films, T:B seems to revel in absurdity. Tomie herself, played by the obscenely gorgeous Rio Matsumoto, comes across as much more sadistic and crazy than ever before. She truly revels in the suffering of her tormentors, having her man-slaves smother them with plastic bags and force-feed them “cockroach tea” and mealworms. Her wide-eyed wonder and amusement at their torture is truly disturbing and affecting. At several points during the film, my girlfriend simply shook her head and said, “That girl's crazy!”

Crazier still is the film's climax, in which Tomie is killed and dissected by her classmates. Not enough to simply cut her up and dispose of her, they gleefully examine her parts like a biology-class frog. “She had a sandwich for lunch!” one girl cries as she pulls out a fistful of semi-digested glop. “Look how beautiful her lungs are!” another exclaims as he hoists her pink organs high for all to see. Even weirder, the entire scene was lit with a cold, clinical white light, emanating outwards from Tomie's thoracic cavity. Creepy.

So even though we know the destination, there is a twisted enjoyment to be found in the journey, as bumpy as the road may be. However, there is a completely inexplicable twist ending tacked on that almost ruined the entire experience for me. Without giving too much away, it suddenly gives Tomie new “powers” that make no sense, nor would there be any reason for her to have them. But all is forgiven when we're given a familiar sight of the eye patched Inoue peering into a tear in a grocery bag...

Moving from Adness to Tokyo Shock has helped out Tomie in the audiovisual department. Whereas the previous films looked rather bland and uneven, Tokyo Shock delivers the goods in full force. Contrast is nearly perfect, with the multitude of night scenes looking great and clear. Color looks just about right as well, with the candy-apple red of the blood practically spraying off the screen. Audio is available in either 5.1 or 2.0 Japanese, with the former providing minimal surround usage, and both offering clear dialogue and nice mixing overall. Extras include the obligatory trailers (for both Tomie: Beginning and a few other titles) and a slim featurette.

Tomie: Beginning is another fine example of “more of the same,” much like virtually all of the Tomie movies. However, it offers up a few nuggets of bizarre nastiness that make the familiar ride quite enjoyable. Recommended for fans of the series, and for lovers of the absurd.