Category Archives: reviews

Aria The Masterpiece, Vol. 1

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By Kozue Amano. Originally released in Japan by Enix, serialized in the magazine Stencil. This edition released in Japan by Mag Garden. Released in North America by Tokyopop. Translated by Alethea and Athena Nibley.

Third time’s the charm? This is definitely the year of lost causes getting another break. First we had Urusei Yatsura, cancelled over and over by Viz back in the 90s, getting a deluxe omnibus treatment. And now Aria, beloved by bloggers and a cult classic, but cancelled when ADV Manga collapsed and then cancelled again when Tokyopop hibernated, is getting its own deluxe treatment. These editions came out in 2016 in Japan, and this volume has the “Aqua” volumes, i.e. the start of the series before the Enix split that led to Kozue Amano moving to Mag Garden. It is a standard Japanese omnibus, meaning that it looks great but also eliminates most of the author’s end comment pages and extra side stories. What you get here are the first nine chapters, looking significantly better in this format than they did on first release here. The translation is the same, I’m fairly sure.

The series is a LOT more popular than it was back in the day, though, mostly as the anime was a bigger hit than expected. For those still unfamiliar, the series takes place on Mars, now renamed Aqua, sometime in the future. It’s been terraformed to be a water planet, and Neo Venezia is one of its stunning cities, done up to be just like Venice. This means they need gondoliers, and that’s where our heroine, Akari, comes in. She’s flying up from Earth… erm, Manhome… to join Aria Company, one of three companies in the city that are considered the cream of the crop. Of course, when she gets there she discovers that the company is just her and her mentor, Alicia. Plus President Aria, who I will discuss later. Even worse, her rowing technique, while awesome in terms of speed and flair… is less awesome as she’s rowing backwards. Fortunately she quickly gains skill, and also acquires a best friend/rival (who has a crush on Alicia) and a teasing guy friend/rival (who also has a crush on Alicia).

That said, as Aria fans know, the plot and characters are great, but they’re secondary to the scenery. Neo Venezia is the star here, and the larger format shows off the art to an even better degree. I especially loved the chapter that introduced Cait Sith, the huge, vaguely supernatural cat that will also, in a way, mentor Akari throughout the series. I was also very amused at how quickly everyone falls for Akari’s shining optimism and love of life. Aika attempts to be grumpy, with “no sappy lines allowed!” being a running gag, but it doesn’t work at all. It’s also not hard to see why everyone (including me) loves Alicia… she’s a fantastic gondolier, clearly cares for those around her, especially Akari, but most importantly, is the very definition of “ara ara”, the phrase that she spouts constantly in the original Japanese.

Manga or anime, Aria is the equivalent of a peaceful breeze running through your hair as you go down the river in a slow boat. It’s worth buying again.

Kokoro Connect: Michi Random

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By Sadanatsu Anda and Shiromizakana. Released in Japan by Enterbrain. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Molly Lee.

A running theme of both Kokoro Connect and Book Girl, a series I’m finding it very easy to compare to, is that, unlike your typical anime or manga, problems and traumas are not magically “solved” or gotten over just because the characters now realize they exist. The first volume of this series had Iori talking about how she’s never been able to really figure out who her true self is, and theoretically she had moved past that. But it’s not that easy, especially when you’re a teenager, and Kokoro Connect is pretty much using a sci-fi plot to examine the mindset and foibles of emotional teens. And the phenomenon this time around, where the five protagonists occasionally broadcast their thoughts to each other, is the absolute worst for someone like Iori who’s hiding her darker self. As a result, everything blows up after Taichi decides to finally confess to her on Valentine’s Day. The confession does not succeed, but that’s only the start of everything being terrible. Oh, and they also have to save their club from losing its advisor.

The rest of the cast also gets a good look in. Yui and Aoki both have POV scenes, which is important as they both individually meet Heartseed, something that’s unusual. Yui in particular is getting a lot more aggressive and natural, and is slowly coming to terms with liking Aoki, though despite her inner thoughts she’s not ready to act on it yet. And of course Taichi confessing means Inaba is on the losing end… but let’s be honest, most readers never saw Taichi and Iori as the main couple, mostly as, due to her core issues, Iori is a lot less developed than Inaba is. I think Taichi is better off with Inaba, particularly if he’s going to remain as stupid as he is in this volume, sacrificing first his reputation and then his body in order to solve the issues. Sure, Inaba’s main character description is basically “hot mess”, but at least the two are sure of themselves. That said, we aren’t even halfway through this series of books, so who knows?

I was not all that enamored of the dramatic ending, which featured Inaba getting kidnapped and tied up by thugs (somehow I doubt THAT fear will linger into future books) and everyone coming to the rescue. Better was confronting Iori, which amounted to Inaba basically yelling at her until she broke down. It’s something that should be obvious, but the entire book talks about how it’s easier to think of solutions than to actually put them into action. The book also amusingly has a lot of “but this isn’t fiction, this is real life” references, which I might have appreciated more were it not for the rescue from thugs fictional drama. That said, the dialogue (wonderfully translated as always, though with Inaba in this book it’s at least an R rating just for language) is fantastic and quotable, and I really like these kids. Next book is short stories, so perhaps we can take a break from teen angst and move into teen comedys being SNAFU.

Oh yes, and “Random Paths” seems to be the translation of the title.

Maiden Railways

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By Asumiko Nakamura. Released in Japan as “Tetsudou Shoujo Manga” by Hakusensha, serialized in the magazines Melody and Rakuen Le Paradis. Released in North America by Denpa Books. Translated by Jocelyne Allen.

We’ve seen the occasional short story volume in North America, but they’re still a rarity compared to picking up long-running series. Sometimes, though, you’re in the book for quick bites… or in this case, short trips. As the title might suggest, this volume’s short stories revolve around trains and train stations. Except for one chapter, they’re not interested in makes and models in a trainspotting sort of way. The train is a vehicle into the heart, as we see various couples and singles meet, interact, and move forward around the train setting. The author is known for being skilled in the shoujo and josei world, and also has some noteworthy BL to her name, including Doukyuusei, which came out digitally here eons ago and which Seven Seas is finally putting out in print this summer. There’s no need to worry about the engineer here – this train is in good hands.

The stories are interconnected only in the setting, though there is a final chapter that shows all the protagonists of the previous stories moving past each other in a nice callback. The first story is mostly from the POV of a young wannabe pickpocket as she gets involved with a husband who thinks that his wife is cheating on him with his younger brother. It’s honestly probably a good thing she’s there, as I found the husband really aggravating (deliberate, of course, but still…) and the story works better from her semi-detached POV. Things work out well, mostly as she’s very familiar with the schedules. (OK, not so well for her, but don’t pick pockets, OK?) The second story involves a love triangle/square among high school students who are graduating, and also involves catching a lover by knowing the timetables- I was reminded of the Monty Python skit about murder and train schedules.

The third story, if I’m honest, may be what a lot of readers are here to see, as it’s the “yuri” story in the book. A high school girl who’s getting romantic attention but isn’t interested… at least not in that person… runs into an older woman who’s breaking up with her lover. Loudly. The difference between the two personalities is the reason to read this (though the height difference is also cute). The fourth story may have been the one I enjoyed the most, as a husband buys cakes every Thursday from a shop, but is hiding a deep, dark secret. Is he cheating? His wife resolves to follow him, but we know the answer isn’t that. This is the story in the book most closely related to trains and their makes and models, and I found it rather sad and sweet. The last story is also sweet and sad, and has two women bonding at the station after the last train leaves about their boyfriends. This is really the only story with a spoiler, so I’ll leave it at that, but it was also quite good.

As noted, the book ends with a story that interconnects all the other ones (though I could have done without the implication that the pickpocket might be romantically involved with the security guy) and shows that this sort of thing happens all the time on this train. It’s a nice gimmick that leads to some well-told stories. Definitely worth a read, and I’d love to see more by this author.