Shiki Tsukai #1

Rating T+ Genre manga Publisher Del Rey Manga External Links Official Del Rey Manga

As I read Shiki Tsukai I had the impression that I had read all this before. Young boy with a destiny? Check. Mysterious girl? You got it. Mystical powers? Yep. All against the backdrop of a normal life full of school, homework, and after-school chores? Sure enough.

There's just very little that I've seen in Volume One to differentiate Shiki Tsukai from the typical shonen, action-adventure series. No specific titles that it resembles come to mind, but maybe that's a testament to the genre. Very few stand out.

Shiki Tsukai follows the adventures of Akira, one of the titular characters who can control the seasons. The day before his fourteenth birthday, Akira goes to school, spends time with his friends, is forced (because of his impending birthday) to clean up after class. And then his life changes forever. He meets the mysterious Koyomi, a girl about his age who becomes his protector. She is also one who controls the seasons--she is affiliated with Spring. Forces gather to turn Akira to their side, but which will Akira ultimately choose? As one character in the book puts it, "What is an enemy?"

This book suffers from some rather poor dialog. This may be the effect of walking the line between ease of reading and accuracy to translation. Some things the characters say simply sound awkward. For example, in the beginning, Akira asks his mother to stop calling him "Ah-chan, since he is getting older. She replies, "Ah-chan is Ah-chan!" It just doesn't look right in English. At other times, the dialog is adequate. I wouldn't say it rises above that level.

The characters are cardboard cutouts. Akira is the brave young boy. Koyomi is the strange girl (who, like many strange girls, doesn't seem to know it's not appropriate to take her clothes off in a fourteen-year-old boy's room). Their teacher, Rei, is brash and powerful. Akira shows an affinity for living creatures, not wanting to fight the monsters created by the supposed enemy because it is alive. This seems a little forced to me, like Akira is being fed a character trait that is meant only to cause additional conflict in the story.

There is an audience for this book. It may be the sort of audience that enjoys a lot of action (and fanservice--from a fourteen-year-old anime girl). But in terms of depth of character, depth of plot, the story is lacking. I'll be looking elsewhere.