Ms. Natsumi Takamori will star in the Animax reading drama of Junji Ito's classic work "Tomie"

On October 9, 2025, the official Animax X account announced a live reading of "Tomie" will be held at HULIC HALL TOKYO from January 12 to 18, 2026, for a total of 10 performances. Natsumi Takamori will play the role of Yasuko Nakamura in the two performances on January 18th at 13:00 and 16:00 Japan Time.

Lemino Presents ANIMAX Live Reading "Tomie"
Original Work: Junji Ito's "Junji Ito Masterpiece Collection" (Published by Asahi Shimbun Publications)
Performance Period: January 12 - 18, 2026
Venue: HULIC HALL TOKYO

Introduciton

The live reading marks the first adaptation of "Tomie," the debut work and masterpiece by horror manga genius Mr. Junji Ito! Mr. Junji Ito has won the "Eisner Award," known as the "Academy Awards of the comic world," four times, and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in July 2025. The peerless beauty "Tomie" he created possesses an irresistible, eerie charm—those drawn to her find their obsession eventually turning into murderous intent; yet, even if Tomie is killed and dismembered, she can resurrect repeatedly.

This live reading will tell the story of people controlled by Tomie's beauty and demonic nature, their fates descending into madness, performed by a rotating cast of popular voice actors, actors, and ghost story narrators. The script and direction are handled by Ms. Natsume Karasuma, leader of the theatre company "Botan Sabo," who won the Excellence in Script Award at the 2018 Sato Sakichi Award. His work "Kashiwabara Terumichi Exhibition" ranked 7th in the 2024 CoRich Stage Arts Award (out of 6668 entries). Furthermore, he has been in charge of the full scripts for TV dramas such as Nippon TV's "The Unerasable 'Me' - Chain of Revenge" and TV Osaka's "UNREAL - Absurd General Store -," earning high praise in the horror genre. Please fully experience this eerie world of horror created by "voice"!

Original Author: Junji Ito

Mr. Junji Ito was born on July 31, 1963, in Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture. After high school, he entered a dental technician school and found employment after graduation. Later, as "Monthly Halloween" (Asahi Sonorama Publishing) established the "Maezuka Award" for new manga artists, he submitted an entry hoping that Mr. Kazuo Umezu would read his work. In 1986, his submitted work "Tomie" won the Fine Work Award, which not only became his debut work but also his representative work later on.

Three years later, Mr. Junji Ito quit his job as a dental technician to focus on manga creation, successively producing classic works such as "The Town Without Streets," "The Hanging Balloons," the "Souichi" series, and "The Love Sickness of a Corpse." Starting in 1998, he began serializing "Uzumaki" in "Weekly Shonen Sunday" (Shogakukan Publishing), followed by other unique works like "Gyo" and "Dissolution Dialogues."

In one of the world's most authoritative comic awards, the American Eisner Award, Mr. Junji Ito's works have repeatedly achieved excellent results: in 2019, "Junji Ito Masterpiece Collection Vol. 10: Frankenstein" (English version) won the "Best Adaptation Comic Award"; in 2021, he won two awards simultaneously; he won again in 2022, making a total of four awards. In 2023, he received the "Special Honor Award" at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France and the "Inkpot Award" at the San Diego Comic-Con International in the US; in 2025, he was inducted into the Eisner Award Hall of Fame, firmly establishing his international status.

Cast

Tomie / Ayaka Nakamura - Played by

• Ms. Kaoru Sakura Performance Dates: Jan 12 (Mon, Holiday) Evening, Jan 13 (Tue) Evening
• Ms. Kanae Ito Performance Date: Jan 14 (Wed) Evening
• Ms. Hinata Sato Performance Date: Jan 15 (Thu) Evening
• Ms. Eriko Matsui Performance Dates: Jan 16 (Fri) Evening, Jan 17 (Sat) Evening
• Ms. Aya Uchida Performance Dates: Jan 17 (Sat) Matinee, Afternoon
• Ms. Marina Inoue Performance Dates: Jan 18 (Sun) Matinee, Afternoon

Yasuko Nakamura - Played by

• Ms. Shiori Izawa Performance Date: Jan 12 (Mon, Holiday) Evening
• Ms. Risa Tsumugi Performance Dates: Jan 13 (Tue) Evening, Jan 16 (Fri) Evening
• Ms. Misato Fukuen Performance Dates: Jan 14 (Wed) Evening, Jan 17 (Sat) Matinee
• Ms. Mariya Ise Performance Dates: Jan 15 (Thu) Evening, Jan 17 (Sat) Afternoon, Evening
• Ms. Natsumi Takamori Performance Dates: Jan 18 (Sun) Matinee, Afternoon

Mitsuo Mori / Yukio - Played by

• Mr. Masato Nakazawa Performance Dates: Jan 12 (Mon, Holiday) Evening, Jan 14 (Wed) Evening
• Mr. Takuya Masumoto Performance Dates: Jan 13 (Tue) Evening, Jan 15 (Thu) Evening
• Mr. Yukihiro Nozuyama Performance Dates: Jan 16 (Fri) Evening, Jan 17 (Sat) Evening
• Mr. Daiki Yamashita Performance Dates: Jan 17 (Sat) Matinee, Afternoon
• Mr. Kengo Kawanishi Performance Dates: Jan 18 (Sun) Matinee, Afternoon

Ryo Koizumi / Tadao Iwata - Played by

• Mr. Tomohito Takatsuka Performance Date: Jan 12 (Mon, Holiday) Evening
• Mr. Junta Terashima Performance Dates: Jan 13 (Tue) Evening, Jan 17 (Sat) Matinee
• Mr. Ryota Iwasaki Performance Date: Jan 14 (Wed) Evening
• Mr. Shugo Nakamura Performance Date: Jan 15 (Thu) Evening
• Mr. Jun Kasama Performance Date: Jan 16 (Fri) Evening
• Mr. Eiji Takeuchi Performance Dates: Jan 17 (Sat) Afternoon, Evening
• Mr. Yohei Azakami Performance Dates: Jan 18 (Sun) Matinee, Afternoon

Narrator

• Mr. ROCK Murakami Performance Dates: Jan 12 (Mon, Holiday) Evening, Jan 17 (Sat) Evening
• Mr. Takku Performance Dates: Jan 13 (Tue) Evening, Jan 17 (Sat) Matinee, Afternoon
• Mr. Yasuhiro Hayase (from unit "Metropolitan Boys") Performance Dates: Jan 14 (Wed) Evening, Jan 16 (Fri) Evening, Jan 18 (Sun) Afternoon
• Mr. Kisuke Tsukumo Performance Dates: Jan 15 (Thu) Evening, Jan 18 (Sun) Matinee

Story

In her childhood, Yasuko Nakamura saw an unforgettable painting together with her mother and younger sister, Ayaka. It was a work by a talented painter named Mitsuo Mori, who died young long ago, depicting a woman named "Tomie"—and Mitsuo Mori was one of the men enchanted by Tomie's charm.

As she grew older, Yasuko's sister Ayaka became a beauty known around the neighborhood, yet strangely bore no resemblance to Yasuko or other family members. One day, Yasuko realized with a shock: Ayaka's appearance was exactly the same as the beauty "Tomie" in the painting.

Soon, rumors spread in the town: besides Ayaka, there were multiple other beauties who looked extremely similar to "Tomie." These beauties eventually met and, holding onto the belief that "there can only be one true Tomie," used the boys captivated by them to kill each other.

At that time, a man approached Yasuko. His name was Ryo Koizumi, a former top model who had also been controlled by Tomie. And Ryo Koizumi made "a certain request" to Yasuko, hoping for her assistance...

Schedule

※ Audience Entry Time: Scheduled for 30 minutes before showtime.

Theater

HULIC HALL TOKYO (ヒューリックホール東京) Address: 2-5-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Yurakucho Center Building 11th Floor) Postal Code: 100-0006

Ticket Information

• Ticket Type: All Seats Reserved
• Price: 11,000 Yen (Tax Included)

Booking Period

[Earliest Official Advance Booking]

• Application Period: October 9, 2025 (Thu) 12:00 ~ October 20, 2025 (Mon) 23:59
• Payment Period: October 24, 2025 (Fri) 13:00 ~ October 26, 2025 (Sun) 21:00

Production Team

• Original Work: Junji Ito's "Junji Ito Masterpiece Collection" (Published by Asahi Shimbun Publications)
• Script / Director: Natsume Karasuma (Leader of theatre company "Botan Sabo")
• Production: Age Global Networks
• Production Cooperation: style office
• Hall Operation: Super Eccentric Theatre

Important Notices

※ The following are notices related to the event. Please be sure to read them carefully.

Notices Regarding the Performance

To allow audiences attending the performance to enjoy it with peace of mind, we kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation with the following rules and etiquette for courteous viewing.

[Ticket Related (Prohibition of Resale for Profit)]

• Please absolutely do not purchase tickets from ticket vendors violating the Nuisance Prevention Ordinance.
• Tickets purchased through this application are strictly prohibited from being resold to third parties for any reason. Resold tickets will be considered invalid, and holders may be refused entry. Please be aware.
• Tickets must be purchased by the individual attending the performance. Due to the information registration process, purchasing tickets on behalf of family or friends is not accepted.
• The organizer assumes no responsibility for any issues arising from tickets obtained through non-official purchase channels.

[Ticket Forgotten / Loss]

• Tickets will not be reissued for any reason (loss, damage, etc.). Please keep them safe.
• If you forget your ticket on the day of the performance, you will not be able to enter (even if you have a copy or receipt). Please be aware in advance.
• Applicants for multiple performances may win the lottery for multiple shows; if you win duplicates, refunds will not be processed. Please apply after understanding this.
• If the ticket stub is detached before entry, the ticket becomes invalid; if ticket face information is intentionally altered, falsified, or the ticket is processed, the ticket is also invalid, and if discovered, entry will be refused.
• For inquiries regarding tickets, please contact the ticket window from which you purchased the tickets.

[Audience Entry / Venue Guidelines]

• This performance does not admit pre-school children.
• Audience entry is scheduled for 30 minutes before the start time. There is no waiting area before the doors open, so please plan your arrival time accordingly.
• After entry, please be sure to take the seat specified on your ticket.
• Restroom traffic in the venue is high. We recommend using the restroom before entry. Please note that restrooms will be closed after the performance ends.
• The venue does not have a changing room. Please do not change clothes in the theater restrooms.
• Please do not sit on the floor within the venue or its surroundings, as it may inconvenience other audience members.
• The venue is entirely non-smoking, and the use of smoking areas is also prohibited.
• The venue does not have a cloakroom or coin lockers. Audience members carrying large luggage such as suitcases are requested to store them in nearby coin lockers before entry.
• To ensure the performers can deliver their best performance, please do not mob, chase, or harass the actors before or after the performance.
• We recommend prioritizing public transportation on the day and planning your route in advance to ensure ample time to arrive.
• If you require wheelchair access or other on-site assistance/guidance, to ensure smooth proceedings on the day, please contact the inquiry desk after purchasing your ticket, by 3 business days before the performance date during business hours. Please also note that accompanying persons also need to purchase tickets separately.

＜Performance Related Inquiry Desk＞ANIMAX Customer Center: 0570-002-600 Service Hours: 10:00～20:00 (Open all year round)

• Eating and drinking in the audience seats is prohibited.

[During the Performance]

• During the performance, please turn off any devices that make noises, such as cell phones and alarm clocks.
• Any form of recording or photography (including photos, videos) is prohibited within the venue. If discovered, you may be asked to leave. Please be aware.
• Entry is possible even after the start time, but depending on the performance flow, there may be times when you cannot be guided to the audience seats. In such cases, you will need to wait until entry is possible. We appreciate your understanding.
• During the performance, please refrain from talking, frequently entering/exiting the audience seats, or making noise, as it may disturb other audience members' viewing experience.
• Please do not wear hats while viewing the performance, and also avoid hairstyles that may block the view of audience members behind you.
• Due to performance schedule adjustments, door opening and start times may change. Please pay attention to announcements on-site.
• Media and official photographers will be shooting and recording within the venue (including audience seats). The captured content may be used for broadcast, online distribution, or reproduction. Please be aware and agree to this.
• If the performance is canceled or interrupted due to weather, actor circumstances, or other unavoidable reasons, please follow the instructions of the staff on-site.
• Please do not leave luggage unattended, to prevent loss or theft. In the unfortunate event of luggage theft, the organizer, venue, and actors assume no responsibility. Please keep your personal belongings safe.

[Other Notices]

• To ensure smooth access to the theater lobby and backstage areas, congratulatory flower stands and backstage congratulatory flower bouquets are not accepted. Also, gifts to actors or handing over letters are not accepted. Please be aware in advance.
• If you do not comply with the above notices, the organizer has the right to interrupt the performance, or you may be asked to leave based on staff judgment. In such cases, ticket refunds will not be provided.

We apologize for any inconvenience and kindly ask for your understanding and cooperation to create a safe and secure viewing environment where all audiences can enjoy the performance to the fullest.