Children of the Sea, Vol. 1 (Volume 1)

Originally reviewed 2009: A very intriguing fantastical story of the sea. Two children were raised in the sea by dugongs and now are living partially on land with a guardian who works with Ruko's father at an Aquarium. Ruko has just been kicked off the summer kickball team as she is too rough and she spends her time near the ocean. She meets Umi, one of the sea boys, and begins to find out about his mysterious life. At the same time, scientists are reporting the disappearance of certain common fish life from aquariums around the world. Ruko's father is studying this but one day Ruko sees it happen before her eyes in the aquarium. An extremely unique story that had me captivated from the beginning! The story is very well told, the characters are interesting and real and I am totally intrigued with the plot, which I haven't decided yet whether it is fantasy or science fiction. This is a Japanese book read back to front and the artwork is done realistically. At 316 pgs there is plenty of room to give a good background on the characters and proceeds well into the story up to a cliffhanger ending that makes one eager to read Vol. 2. The book is rated T (ages 16+ for disturbing images). I waited the whole book for this to show itself and near the end there was one image that was 'disturbing', though I'd just say weird. It is of a deformity. Other than that the book is totally clean and I, of a very conservative nature, have no problem recommending the book for 13+.re-read Aug/2013: Upon my second reading of this book, I am a much more experienced manga reader than I was back in 2009. My initial observations this time around are the exquisite beauty of the detailed drawings, especially the backgrounds and the full two-page spreads. Gorgeous! A magnificent book. Still very unique and unlike much else I've read. This is seinen, aimed at young male adults, 18-30/40. The book is plot and character driven, mature and does deserve the 16+ rating simply based on interest rather than there being anything inappropriate for youngers. An intriguing mystical experience. One observation I made this time around is that the book starts with a woman on a boat talking to a young boy telling him about a story of the sea when she was a young girl. This I missed the first time around. Now I will be paying attention, is this book the story that a grown-up Ruki is telling the boy? Upon re-read I still give a rating of 5/5

As a young girl, Ruka sees a fish turn into light and disappear at the aquarium where her father works, but no one believes her. Years later, the mystery of the ghost of the sea unfolds before Ruka and a pair of weird young lads, Umi and Sora. Both boys (who have spent most of their lives in the ocean) can hear the same strange calls from the sea that Ruka does. The kids gradually become involved in a worldwide mystery of disappearing fish.I first came across Daisuke Igarashi's work in a short story in the excellent compilation `Japan: As Viewed by 17 Creators' (French/Japanese collaboration from Ponent Mon) for which he also drew the cover. His style was interesting enough for me to take a chance on `Children of the Sea' without any prior knowledge of the series. I'm glad i did because it is a great book and i am now waiting patiently for Viz to publish the next one.The style of the story reminded me of Hayao Miyazaki in many ways and i have since read that Miyazaki was a big influence on Daisuke Igarashi choosing to work as a Mangaka. You can see the same great love of nature in his work and a quieter, more subtle realism that stands it apart from alot of the brasher commercial seinen work out there on the shelves.There is a mysterious and mildly supernatural feel to everything that i am confident will unfold satisfyingly as the series goes on. The pacing of the book is fairly slow, reflecting the long summer days of a sea-side town, far removed from the bustle of city life.I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in alternative manga, it reminds me of work currently being printed in English by publishers like Fanfare/Ponent Mon and Drawn and Quarterly. The series is currently on-going in the monthly seinen magazine `Ikki' in Japan. Viz have done a great job with the quality of printing and materials for this book and on the English translation. A+