Manga Review

Tsubasa: Those With Wings

Volume 1

Natsuki Takaya

1996, Hakusensha, Tokyo

Phuah Hwee Mian (English Adaptation)

2008, Chuang Yi, Singapore

Romance/ sci-fi

6 ½ /10 stars

            On a desolate 22^nd century Earth, food is scarce and work is even rarer.  That doesn’t stop sixteen year old Kotobuki from hanging up her thieving ways and search for a proper job.  Nor does it prevent the handsome and elite military man Raimon from quitting his position in the army and traipsing after Kotobuki.

 She may be a thief, and he an ex-policeman, but don’t get the wrong idea: all Raimon wants from Kotobuki is romance.  He’s willing to wait, while the two pair up in this war-torn wasteland of a world, and go in search of work.  Unfortunately for the budding couple, virtually everyone on Earth is searching for the “Wings”, legendary devices said to be able to grant any wish.  Seeing as Raimon is ex-military and a self-proclaimed genius, many Wing hunters figure he knows the location of the Wings and how to summon them, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to convince him to help.  Ah, foo.  Romance will have to wait.

 Those With Wings is, at its heart, a tale of young love in a world devastated by war.  Well, when I say “devastated”, what I really mean is “hard hit”.  The world doesn’t actually seem any worse than a drought stricken rural area.  Themes present here are reinforced by Natsuki’s über later work, the international phenomenon Fruits Basket. Especially notable in this category are the themes of true love, and the unrelenting desire to be independent.  This latter manifest itself in Those With Wings as Kotobuki’s drive to find a job.  She’s not willing to be a burden on Raimon, no matter how often he says he doesn’t mind, and that desire to prove one’s self is the driving force behind this series.

 The world itself isn’t the harsh, loveless wasteland you may expect.  Technology is plum with our current state – computers, wind turbine generated electricity, motorbikes (although there’s only been one so far), and remote detonators.  Horse and cart is a popular way for rural folk to travel, which is fantastic, because Natsuki Takaya can’t draw horses to save herself.  Oh, how I laughed.

 There are both good and bad features in this volume.  The bad on Natsuki’s behalf is the lack of flow to the story.  The author’s apparent reluctance to draw backgrounds and intermittent frames means the action often leaps from one location to another (and once, even back again), with no explanation attempted for the mean time.  The other element in need of improvement is the length of the long, long chapters.  The good is the entire bonus story towards the back.  Knockin’ on the Wall predates Those With Wings, and provides an interesting insight into Natsuki’s early art style.

 There’s action, there’s comedy, there’s drama and a whole lotta romance, plus a touch of sci-fi and western.  But so far, no Wings.  Not even a solitary Wing.  If Kotobuki keeps the ball rolling and beats those dastardly Wing hunters to the punch, I guess we’ll have to wait and see!