GAH! Sorry it's Friday!!!
Okay, so I was thinking, with every post I’ve done, it’s been too long. So I’m going to try and get this review in just one page of Microsoft word...
Yeah I’m a little shocked too.
RIGHT! Tsubasa... Full title- Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles.
This is (see last review) XXXHolic’s sister manga, running parallel to CLAMP’s other most recent work with many interconnecting points. The story begins in the peaceful desert country of Clow, where orphaned archaeologist Shaoran (sometimes translated as Syaoran) and his childhood friend Princess Sakura live.
It’s pretty obvious that they’re in love, and the only obstacle is Sakura’s royal standing, and her brother’s half-joking dislike of Shaoran although he admits that the two are soulmates. (There’s also a gay little thing with his head priest... but that’s not important) When the ancient ruins light up and strange soldiers appear, Sakura falls unconscious and hundreds of feathers disappear into the sky. The priest and Sakura’s brother force Shaoran to leave the country as the fight rages and he is sent through dimensions to meet the dimensional witch (Yuko! The first delightful crossovery moment), where he meets Kurogane (a ninja from traditional Japan sent away by his princess for his unnatural joy in killing) and Fai (A magician from a mountainous, cold world where he has committed treason), two men on their own mission through dimensions. Yuko forces the three men together, telling them that the feathers are parts of Sakura’s soul which have been scattered throughout dimensions. The price for Shaoran, however, is every memory that Sakura has of him, so that even when she is complete, he will always be a stranger.
She gives them the white Mokona, keeping the Black Mokona for herself as a way of communication with the group, and sends them off. Mokona, again, in my opinion, makes the series. (I have two cuddly toys of the thing) in his overwhelming cuteness.
At this point, I have to confess- I have opened both books (Tsubasa and XXXHolic) to compare the crossover scenes and see where they fall along the story’s timeline. The meeting with Yuko is very close to the start of Tsubasa volume 1 but at the end of XXXHolic volume 1.
This is not interesting is it? But I found it brilliant for no reason at all!
Fans (or not) or Cardcaptors will recognise some of these characters (and in XXXHolic) because Clamp did Cardcaptors too! And the theory of Tsubasa is that in every dimension, the same people exist and lead different lives. However, it is so much deeper, and more adult than its predecessor (For one thing the characters are older).
The other dimensions are amazing- this manga is very aesthetic, and very different to XXXHolic in style, though both use elongated limbs. The morals are of friendship and loyalty, and Tsubasa acts as the lighter side of XXXHolic’s darker themes, though both series are devastatingly complex and dramatic.
What starts as a simple trip through dimensions wearing new clothes and doing small missions (like a computer game) soon becomes an adventure for their lives as it becomes clear that someone was behind Sakura’s accident and memory loss. This someone is now following them on their quest and it soon becomes clear that they can’t trust the same people in each dimension- as an ally in one dimension can be an enemy in another.
The concept and style is undeniably girly and the cuteness of Mokona will have many guys staying far away... but honestly, the overall plot is engaging and the character interaction is often hysterical.
My page is running out. I LOVE YOU MOKONA! This review didn’t do the series justice, honest! It’s awesome!
NO! Just a line over a page! (Before this one, not counting pictures)
Damn it! Another one! NO MORE LINES.
2 comments:
MC - I was wondering have you read Black Cat? have only watched the anime (which I adored) and was wondering weather it is worth reading as a Manga? Sorry to impose upon you but I am just interested.
Oh sure I'll check it out :) I think I've read it but a reaaaalllyyy long time ago x
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