Newsgroups: rec.arts.manga
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 10:22:14 JST
From: vray@cs2.cs.oki.co.jp (Miho NISHIDA)
To: rec-arts-manga%darwin.sura.net@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Griffin Report

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GRIFFIN MANGA REPORT #1                                   GRIFFIN SCRIPT
========================================================================
"A shohjo manga review by a shohjo manga reader."

        featuring:

                        _Kanatakara_ by Hikawa Kyohko

                        Currently running in LaLa magazine.
                        Hakusen-sha publishing.
                        Book 1&2 out.  More to follow.
                        Continuous novel-type manga.
                        Fantasy.  Plenty of action.
                        Shohjo manga.

1/25/93                                                    Miho Nishida
========================================================================

Story:

        Noriko Tachiki is an ordinary high school student.  Only minor
difference is that her father is a novelist and she dreams often of an
alien world where, though the sky spreads blue, birds fly high, and
animals roam free, they're all slightly different.  A different world.
Things begin to go unordinary when Noriko is involved in an explosion
accident that sends her off to a world completely different from her own.
In the transportation (which she vaguely thinks is all a dream) she sees
miriad views of frantic people in different parts of this other world.
All are desperate to getin their possession the "Mezame <Ajiiru> [Awake]"
that has finally appeared; The "Mezame" that will promise the holder
unlimited power....

        Noriko wakes from her dreaming to find herself on a bed of golden
moss in a forest totally alien to her.  She cries out in desperation the
names of her friends and family.  There is an onlooker, hidden in the
forest trees, watching Noriko's near panic.  Suddenly, the forest is
filled with wild cries of animals and as Noriko turns, she sees a
grotesque worm-like monster capturing one of the small creatures to feed.
The creature (later she finds out that it's called a "hana-mushi
<Niina-Poa> [Flower-Bug/Insect]") turns to her and it lunges.  Noriko,
petrified with fear, cannot move when ... a man intervenes.  He easily
kills (which is not an easy task, we find out later) the creature with a
sword-stroke.  Noriko, finally finding a human in this alien world, jumps
into his arms and screams out her panic.  When at last she calms herself,
she realizes the outrageous action she has taken and speaks to apologize
.. to find that the man is dressed in a clothing she has never before
seen, and that he does not speak her language.  Above the forest,
soldiers on a riding-dragon tries vainly to land a party below to where
the "Mezame" supposedly appeared.  Suddenly, the forest comes alive
with the hana-mushis, drawn by the smell of the cut-downed hana-mushi's
body liquid.  The man escapes with Noriko.  And Noriko finds this human
to be unordinary as well.  During the escape, he runs, jumps while
carrying Noriko, but the speed with which he runs, the depth that he
jumped down are not what an ordinary human (by Noriko's standard) could
accomplish.

        The two head from the underground cavern that they've jumped down
into to the ground above, but it is obvious the man was an unwilling
saviour to Noriko.  He seems puzzled and even troubled.  Along the way,
he produces fire from no where, adding to Noriko's conviction that this
man is not an ordinary human like her.  She wonders if everyone on this
world has the power like he does.  If so, she's totally powerless.  But
she finds that she somehow trusts this man.  She asks him his name.
(Though Noriko does not understand him, we the readers have the advantage
to know that) "The 'Mezame' is an existence that's supposed to lead this
world to havoc and disruption.  I never thought I would be asked my name
by the 'Mezame' so friendily."  (I don't know if "friendily" is a word
or not, so excuse me.  You get the gist) "My name is Izark.  Izark Kia
Taaji".


-----

        Thus begins Noriko's adventure of her life time.  The "Mezame" can
supposedly call awake and control the evil-concentrated monster, the
"Ten-jyou-ki <Derakieru> [Sky-Above-Demon]".  With the "Mezame" in their
possession, any country can guarantee an absolute power over the world;
Thus all the rush to get their hands on the "Mezame".  Izark had head into
the forest to kill the "Mezame", only to find a lost and helpless girl.
The reason is not clearly stated, but Izark fears the "Mezame" greatly.
For he is not an ordinary human in this world's standard either.  Given,
though, that in this world, there are other humans with similar powers,
Izark, as much as Noriko has come across, still tops them in power.  The
mystery builds.


------

Griffin Rating:


        Ms. Hikawa has been one of the more consistent artists that I've
known, but Kanatakara was nonetheless a surprise for me.  This is her
first try at fantasy, but her drawing-style more than matches it.  Her
art is very soft, yet sharp and very appealing.  Very distinct in it's
own way.  Though in the previous works she's done (she's done, of all
things for a shohjo manga artist, western as well), she avoided directly
killing any characters, she has gotten over that distaste this time,
thereby creating a more convincing world.  For all you female readers,
Izark would perhaps make you drool (and maybe not.  I find female readers
to have more varying taste than men).  Noriko is a very likable heroine
who, though powerless and not especailly strong-minded, is nonetheless
fit and strong when needed to be (more of an optimist).  And for all you
male readers, the action sequences in this manga is great.  Perhaps not
as violently satisfying as most shonen mangas, but nonetheless.  Ms.
Hikawa is a puzzle to me.  Her female characters are cute and sweet,
while her male characters are hard and severe.  (With one exception.  The
8 year old heroine, Mirriam, of "Kouya no Tenshi-tachi (Angels of the
Rough Plains)", a western, was perhaps cute, but not sweet.  She was ...
fantastic.)  Ms. Hikawa started out as a typical (I hate to use this term
because I object to people classifying shohjo manga as a romantic hoobla)
shohjo manga artist, but her liking of actions and with the grace she
draws them have always amazed me.  Her drawing style is very distinct and
well matured.  I don't think anyone will experience the occasional
trouble when reading the manga like "What?  All the characters look the
same.  I can't tell who's who."  There are some romantic touches to this
story, but it's not at all unpleasant.  (And why do I have to defend the
romanticism?  All novels have them in one form or the other.  Even in the
hardest violence-actioned shohnen manga, there are somekind of
romanticism.  Be it male-romanticism or female-romanticism, it's
romanticism.)  But Ms. Hikawa's works never fell to the romantic-dribble
that so many male readers object to, and Kanatakara is no exception.  She
is definitely one of my favorite artists and I give Kanatakara (though it
hasn't concluded, so I can't be sure) an A+ in both art and story!!!


1/25/93  Miho Nishida, Griffin Script Manga Report