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Reviewed by Craig Johnson Teen-centric, quirky and romantic, "Translucent" will appeal to shojo fans who like a little twist with their gakuen mono! Shizuka is an introverted girl, dealing with schoolwork, boys, and a medical condition that begins to turn her invisible! She finds support with Mamoru, a boy who is falling for Shizuka despite her condition, and with Keiko, another girl who suffers from this illness and has finally turned completely invisible. The mysterious disease that these teens struggle with becomes a metaphor in the ordinary lives of the students in their classes, as they try to work their way through their friendships and romances. Writer and artist Kazuhiro Okamoto knows how important surfaces are to people, especially at such a pivotal time in one's life - when dreams are meant to be chased, despite all hurdles. "Translucent's" shifting variables between what people can see, what people think they see, and what people wish to see in themselves and others makes for an emotionally sensitive manga, peppered with moments of surprising humor, heartbreak and drama. Sadly the first chapter of the book doesn't live up the hype above, it's an almost incoherent collection of pieces tasked with introducing the problem - parts of Shizuka's body are invisible (her forearms at the start), other people suffer with the same illness, and no-one knows where it comes from. Some form of long-sleeved shirt would appear to be in order, but neither Shizuka nor anyone else seems to realise that. Eventually Shizuka goes all out invisible - and (oh how ironic) hides herself away at home - naked of course - until Mamoru somehow inspires her return to (almost) total visibility and she comes back to school as if nothing had happened. It doesn't hang together particularly well. Being invisible for a day is many people's dream (or should I say fantasy) and to hide oneself away when it happens doesn't tally with reality (and ok, I accept the illness has no tie to reality either, but as it's the central conceit of the series I'm prepared to overlook it, as long as all else hangs together well). Maybe she's really, really shy...in which case, she's too shy to come out and indulge in her invisibility, yet confident enough to be naked in the presence of a male acquaintence...worse, to hug him tightly. He may not be able to see your breasts love, he can certainly feel them, you know what I'm saying? The second chapter introduces Okouchi, ostensibly the prettiest, most elegant girl in school - everyone notices her and yet she longs to be not noticed ... this is plotting by numbers, it's basic stuff and the chapter spends itself exactly as you expect, she wants to be unpopular and ignored, she can't get translucent, she's talked down from an action which might harm her popularity, it's all so A-B-C time. So, just when you think the book's bitten the big one, it comes back strong in the third chapter onwards - Keiko is introduced, she's fully transparent and seemingly content in herself (although we shortly find out she's screwed up mentally too - I mean, she's obsessed with her boyfriend not being able to see her smile, but doesn't think to put some lipstick on (as make-up has been shown to be visible on a translucent person)). The importance of Keiko cannot be overstated - it's a chance for not only Shizuka to find some contentment with her condition, but conversely a chance for the all-seeing Keiko to learn a bit more about herself too. Maybe the stumbles in the early chapters should be put down to the creator trying to find his feet with the concept, maybe it's intrinsically a bad idea to have this illness in the first place (it feels like the invisibility has been shoehorned into a teen school drama, rather than properly thought out), and as such it doesn't have a huge amount of offer older readers who are familiar with HG Wells, shall we say. There's a nugget or two of promise, however, so it's not a total disaster. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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