On the Coffee Table: Twin Spica, Vol. 3

Title: Twin Spica, Volume 3
Writer and Artist: Kou Yaginuma

via Amazon

Twin Spica tells the story of Asumi, a student at Tokyo National Space School.  My posts about the first two volumes of this excellent manga series can be found here and here.  The two most interesting characters so far, aloof fellow student Marika and Mr. Sano, the physics teacher, both get significant development in this third installment.

As noted in my first post about the series, Twin Spica is classified as seinen, meaning the target audience is men, ages 17-40.  This is a little surprising - at least from a Western perspective - considering the highly sentimental aspects of the story.  American movies targeting men, by contrast, are generally not renowned for emotional depth.  Thinking back in my own experiences in Japan, the men I knew were, indeed, less shy about expressing certain emotions than their American counterparts.  This is not to imply that the macho image isn't a significant part of the culture because it certainly is.  It's just shaped a bit differently.  Wistful longing for elements of the past - school chums, mom's cooking and, especially, those passed on - is part of what it is to be a man.

So, a teenage girl weeping over her long-dead mother?  Chick-flick material in the States.  Totally fair game for seinen manga.

On the Coffee Table: Kou Yaginuma

Title: Twin Spica, Volume 2
Writer and Artist: Kou Yaginuma

via Popdose

Asumi's adventures continue at Tokyo National Space School in Volume 2 of Twin Spica.  For my thoughts on Volume 1 of this excellent manga series, go here.  Since the last installment, I've introduced the books to both wife and daughter.  Daughter has already asked after Volume 3.

Volume 2 includes four issues from the comic book run ("Missions" 5-8) as well as three bonus stories.  As Asumi settles into life away from home, her relationships with the other students are developed.  Of particular interest in this volume is Marika, an ambitious girl but one with little patience for the company of others.  Meanwhile, Asumi's astrophysics teacher clearly has it in for her, apparently due to long-standing resentment of her father (Professor Snape equivalent?).

I continue to be impressed by Twin Spica.  Harry Potter parallels are clearly evident but that is not to suggest that the story is unoriginal.  The development of the relationships between characters is particularly strong.  Asumi is sure to be a fixture at our house for a while.

On the Coffee Table: Twin Spica

Title: Twin Spica, Volume 1
Writer and Artist: Kou Yaginuma

via Wikipedia

Asumi is a high school student with dreams of space exploration.  She is accepted to space school in Tokyo - a Hogwarts for astronauts? - but first must convince her father to let her go.  So begins the scifi/supernatural adventure Twin Spica, a Japanese manga first published in 2002, now available in translation. The story is set in a not-too-distant future in which Japan has already attempted to launch its own manned rocket - an attempt that ended disastrously.

For her first test upon arriving at the school, Asumi is locked into a barren dorm room with two other girls for several days, tasked with building an enormous domino run.  If they give up, they're out of the program.  It is also apparent that they are being observed via video camera, presumably to assess their interactions.  Of course, one of the girls is easy to get along with, the other not so much.

With the female protagonist and the fantasy elements, this is an obvious choice to pass on to my ten-year-old daughter at some point but I think I'll wait a little while.  The language is occasionally on the mature side.   It's classified by the publishers as seinen, meaning it's aimed at younger men, approximately 17-40.  I think Our Girl will be okay with it long before she's 17, though.

Volume 1 includes the first four issues of the manga series plus two prequel stories.  In Japan, the story has spawned two television series: one animated, one live-action.  There are 12 English-language volumes in all.  With strong characters and compelling storytelling, this one's looking like a long-term winner for me.