Wandering Island

Not to be confused with The Wandering Islands.
Wandering Island

The cover of the first volume of Wandering Island
冒険エレキテ島
(Bouken Erekitetou)
Manga
Written by Kenji Tsuruta
Published by Kodansha
English publisher Dark Horse Comics
Demographic Seinen
Magazine
Original run July 13, 2010 – present
Volumes 1

Wandering Island (冒険エレキテ島 Bōken Erekitetō) is a Japanese seinen manga series written and illustrated by Kenji Tsuruta. It is about a woman who runs an air delivery service and her quest to find a moving island. It was first published as part of Kodansha's manga anthology Manga Box AMASIA on July 13, 2010 and continued serialization in Kodansha's manga magazine Afternoon in 2012. Kodansha published the first collected volume on October 21, 2011. The manga has been licensed in North America by Dark Horse Comics, with the first volume being published on July 26, 2016.

Release

The manga was first published as part of Kodansha's manga anthology Manga Box AMASIA on July 13, 2010.[1] It continued sporadic serialization in Kodansha's manga magazine Afternoon in 2012.[2] Kodansha published the first collected volume[lower-alpha 1] on October 21, 2011.[5] In December 2015, Dark Horse Comics announced that it had licensed the manga in North America,[2] publishing it on July 26, 2016.[6] The manga has also been published in Taiwan by Tong Li Publishing.[7]

Themes

According to Anime News Network's Rebecca Silverman, the protagonist Mikura Amelia's cat named Endeavour is likely a reference to James Cook's ship HMS Endeavour and her family name "Amelia" a reference to Amelia Earhart. Silverman also suggests parallels between Electric Island and Shangri-La, as well as influences of Gulliver's Travels and Treasure Island on the manga.[8]

Joe McCulloch of The Comics Journal found the combination of Mikura's "devastated mental state" and her scant attire to give the manga a voyeuristic aspect. He also detected moe[lower-alpha 2] undertones in the attitude and content of the manga, but called it a more sophisticated application than usual.[9]

Reception

Zainab Akhtar of The Guardian listed the manga as one of the "comics and graphic novels to look forward to in 2016".[10] At Comic-con International 2016's "Best and Worst Manga" panel, the manga was part of the list of "Best New Manga for Grown-ups".[11]

Silverman commended the detailed art and the believability of Mikura's island, noting that her light attire comes off as being for comfort rather than fanservice. Silverman concludes that the first volume is "the kind of book you can get lost in".[8] Kate O'Neil of The Fandom Post noted Tsuruta's use of his intricate hand-drawn art to tell the story, describing the manga as "filled with whimsy and obsessive detail." However, Silverman was disappointed in the cliffhanger ending, saying: "perhaps it lingers a bit too long on setting the mood because it feels like the story is just beginning as this volume ends."[12] Shea Hennum of The A.V. Club complimented the manga's art, calling it a "beautifully drawn and precisely detailed rendering of life on the Izu and Ogasawara islands". However, Hennum found the story to be "quotidian and mundane [...] devoid of sexuality or even romance". She concludes that the juxtaposition of this innocence with Tsuruta's fanservice leads to a mismatch in tone, resulting in a bemusing experience.[13] McCulloch compared Tsuruta's art to Hiroaki Samura's—whose Blade of the Immortal is also serialized in the same magazine—calling it "lithe and painterly", where it could also possibly be appreciated for distinguishing itself from the art of shōnen manga.[14]

Notes

  1. ↑ The initial Amasia publication was 152 pages,[3] while the collected volume had 192 pages.[4]
  2. ↑ McCulloch defines the term as "the aesthetic that encourages a protective attachment to young cartoon ladies".[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Manga Box - Amasia". Akadot. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Dark Horse Comics Licenses Kenji Tsuruta's Wandering Island Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "新雑誌「AMASIA」はボリューム満点の宝箱！7月に講談社より". Natalie (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "冒険エレキテ島(1)". Amazon Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "冒険エレキテ島(1)". Kodansha (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "Wandering Island". Comixology. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "冒險島艾爾基特 (第1集)". Tong Li (in Chinese). Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  8. 1 2 Silverman, Rebecca. "Wandering Island GN 1". Anime News Network. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  9. 1 2 McCulloch, Joe. "This Week In Comics! (8/10/16 – Maximum Relevance)". The Comics Journal. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  10. ↑ Akhtar, Zainab. "The comics and graphic novels to look forward to in 2016 – part two". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "Best and Worst Manga of 2016 Results - Comic-Con International". Anime News Network. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  12. ↑ O'Neil, Kate. "Wandering Island Manga Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  13. ↑ Hennum, Shea. "Kentucky Fried Chicken and DC Comics continue their weird, fruitful collaboration". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  14. ↑ McCulloch, Joe. "This Week in Comics! (11/14/12 – I Can Still Feel Shame)". The Comics Journal. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
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