In the year 2002, a series of earthquakes split Japan down the middle, forcing the government to look to America and China to help with the rebuilding. Fifteen years later, and the country has effectively become two separate nations, but for many of the exiled refugees, all they care about is the day when they are allowed home. And in the Japanese refugee camps of Taiwan, tensions are brewing between the Japanese and the natives, with disaster sure to follow. Will the resolve of a young man named Genichiro Ryu prove to be enough to defuse this potentially explosive situation?

Having enjoyed Zipang, it seemed only right to branch out and try another series by the same mangaka, and so when the first three volumes of A Spirit of the Sun were translated into English, it hardly seemed like much of an effort to try them. What sort of socio-political tangles would Kaiji Kawaguchi have to offer this time around?

In fact, whilst these three volumes are certainly interesting in their own right, they just don’t feel like enough to really get to grips with this long-running story. After setting the scene with a recounting of the earthquake, the series unexpectedly jumps ahead to 2017 Taiwan in order to focus on the refugees there rather than the situation in Japan itself. There is certainly enough action and drama to be found from the tension between the Taiwanese and Japanese to fuel the series, but at the same time it feels as if we’re focusing on one aspect of a larger whole- at some point I’d also like to get back to Japan itself as it tries to emerge from the stranglehold the Americans and Chinese have placed on it.

At the heart of the story is the character of Genichiro Ryu, a positive-thinking young man who endures the earthquake firsthand, only to end up growing up in Taiwan after he loses his memories. His ‘mixed’ heritage and optimistic attitude make him the perfect vehicle for driving the story, but at the same time that’s all he is- a device for forwarding the plot rather than a person whose development and personality you especially care about. Meanwhile, the supporting cast are largely unmemorable so far, with only ‘gangster-turned-good’ Zhang proving particularly noteworthy (and that may just be due to his dreadlocks and immense muscles).

Kaiji Kawaguchi’s artwork has never been the most aesthetically pleasing, favouring a functional rather than ornate look, and A Spirit of the Sun is no exception. As always, the technical details are intact and the style suits the content of the series, but the work of this mangaka is never going to be something to please those looking for eye candy.

Final Thoughts
Although the artwork and political side of things may put some readers off, A Spirit of the Sun actually has the makings of a good manga- it’s just that three volumes seem like barely enough to judge it. Unsurprisingly, it seems as if this is another Kawaguchi manga that is in for the long haul, and I only hope I get the chance to read more of it in the future.

Many months ago, I reviewed the Zipang anime, a series which defied all my expectations by being a story that combined World War II and time travel in a way that was most definitely worthy. At the time, the manga was nigh impossible to find in English, but since then, the first volume has come into my possession, and whilst it is only the first link in a much longer chain, it is at least a start.

As anime viewers will know, Zipang did not have the most auspicious of endings- having gotten as far as it could within twenty-six episodes, it basically just stopped, leaving us to wonder just what was supposed to happen next. Obviously, a single volume of the manga isn’t enough to tell us that, but at least the series wastes no time in getting on with it, with this opening instalment seeing the 21^st century ship Mirai go back in time to 1942, witness the Battle of Midway, rescue a downed officer and get attacked by an American ship- all events that anime viewers will immediately recognise. Yes, on the surface the series looks to be for military buffs only, but rest assured- just like the anime, this is something everyone can enjoy.

With the anime sticking so close to the original in terms of content, it should come as no surprise that the main difference comes in the quality of the visuals. Whilst never the most aesthetically pleasing of series, the Zipang anime was at least technically accomplished, but whilst the manga puts a lot of effort into accurately rendering the setting and technology of both the past and present, the character designs are generally simplistic and ugly (even the female medical officer looks like a chubby man). Shading also seems particularly flat, relying on large area of uniform grey rather than anything more complex, and the few colour pages would have been better left as black and white.

Final Thoughts

Although the average artwork and lack of anything new for those who have already seen the anime may seem to render reading this volume generally pointless, it is nonetheless a solid start to a worthy series. Hopefully more of this manga will be made available, with the eventual aim being to pass the finishing line of the anime and delve into the mysteries of what happens next.

For the newly commissioned cruiser Mirai, it was meant to be a straightforward trip from Japan to Pearl Harbour, nothing more. Certainly no one on board could have anticipated the storm that would envelop them once they got out to sea- a storm that would send them sixty years into the past, right into the middle of 1942’s Battle of Midway. Now trapped in an unfamiliar era amidst a globe-spanning war, the Mirai must tread carefully, for any action they take could alter the course of history and make returning to the twenty-first century impossible…

When I first read about Zipang, I can’t say that it was a title that greatly appealed to me; not only did it appear to be the latest in a long line of dull military stories set during the Second World War, but it also involved the overused and somewhat tiresome concept of people travelling back in time and trying desperately not to change the past. It hardly seemed like a concept that could last for three episodes, let alone twenty-six, but on the strength of some very positive recommendations, I decided to give it a try anyway.

Thankfully, within the course of a few episodes, all my initial assumptions about Zipang had been proven to be incorrect. This was by no means a series that would run out of steam in its early stages- if anything, it needed far more than twenty six episodes in order to properly tell the story (as I later learned, this was no surprise, given that the original manga is at twenty-three volumes and counting). Despite the off-putting mix of WWII and time travel elements, the story is actually an increasingly absorbing one, charting the ripple effect of the Mirai’s appearance in the past. Unable to simply isolate themselves in the deep ocean, the crew must decide how best to interact with this era, but with each choice they make, inevitable consequences must follow- even saving the life of one man can have a drastic effect on the course of events.

What really brings the story to life is the level of human drama contained in the series; admittedly, there are very few strong and memorable characters, but it is the cast as a whole that makes the series work. Unsurprisingly, centre stage is given to the crew of the Mirai, a group of Self Defence Force officers suddenly thrown into a bloody war where holding onto morals and principles is far more difficult than it would be in a time of peace. Unfortunately, the rather abrupt ending to the series doesn’t really give us any resolution to their stories, but it is nonetheless interesting to watch their evolution across these twenty-six episodes.

Visually, Zipang sticks to a very realistic (some may even say drab) look, using subdued colour tones and a somewhat generic and limited range of character designs. Whilst this is indeed an appropriate choice for the series, it does mean that Zipang is not a particularly aesthetically pleasing anime, with only a very few scenes having anything significant in the way of visual impact. Background music is generally solid, although the opening and ending themes are eminently forgettable.

Final Thoughts
Within a handful of episodes, Zipang was easily able to defy my expectations of a dull WWII rehash and prove itself to be an intriguing and well written series whose only flaw was ending too soon. Instead of struggling to reach the end, I found myself left wanting more- what a shame that the manga isn’t available in English[i].

[i] Yes, I know a scanlation group released about six chapters, but since the torrents are unseeded and the IRC channel is dead, I have no way of getting it.