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Akameshi
Le Chant de la mer | |
Gauldoni/Turconi
[Soleil]
Even if the story is set in 17th century Japan, this is no manga here. "Akameshi" offers a clever mix of fantastic, tradition and humour, and tells the tale of two characters, a pretty samurai girl and a very little priest set out in a quest for a demon. The subtle setting of the story, that appears to be already in progress, and the mischievous way it is told, make the two characters and their universe particularly attractive. The choice of the colours, varied but soft, almost pale, the accuracy of the lines, and the peculiar features of the characters, who, funnily enough, sometimes seem to come straight out of a Walt Disney cartoon, all converge to create a serene ambience in which the readers comfortably settles. While the essential part of the comics happens in this undeniably charming environment, the end is dispatched in a few pages, neglecting all that happened before. Whereas one of the most common criticism against comic books is that the script takes too long to settle in, the will to end the story at any cost here leaves the reader nonplussed. This first tome launching a series in which the two characters are bound to come back again, we're quite skeptical regarding the follow-up, even though we'd have the great pleasure to enter the universe of "Akameshi" again, especially if the author sees to better organize his story.
Christophe Labussière |
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