Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Transitions throughout the book were kind of rough. I had some difficulty figuring out who was talking and figuring out the sudden change in scene.
Read this for JAPA 310
Read this for JAPA 310
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This is a great manga for fans of mermaids and seaside aesthetics. I love Satoshi Kon's art style and the unique faces that he gives all of his characters.
My main complaint is the romance between Yosuke and Nami, which ties into the general, sexist undertone of the story. There aren't any egregious moments where I thought, "Dang, this guy hates women." Instead, there were a variety of small comments, like Nami chastising Yosuke's little sister to behave properly and the fact that Nami isn't allowed to exist in the story as her own character without also being a love interest for Yosuke.
I'm rather picky when it comes to depictions of romance, since I often feel as though authors throw it in to "improve" their story, when it reality, the romance barely serves the plot and detracts from otherwise fascinating character dynamics and personalities. I really enjoyed Nami's character; I just wish she hadn't been Yosuke's love interest, because it diminishes her role in the story and makes her seem like a "reward" for the male protagonist to "win" by the story's end.
Besides that, I found Kon's story fascinating and its themes compelling. "Tropic of the Sea" takes place in a rural seaside town in the midst of industrialization, being renovated to become a resort and a popular tourist destination. Not everyone in the small town welcomes these changes, and we see firsthand how the contractors invested in profit disregard the community's wishes and its natural landscape. The mermaid's egg that Yosuke's family protects is a great stand-in for humanity's commitment to Earth more generally, and it adds an exciting layer of fantasy and magic to an otherwise realistic story.
I would love to see an animated adaptation of this manga at some point. There were several scenes that took up a single page or two and relied on moments of silence and empty space between characters to have an emotional impact. The manga transitioned to the next scene rather abruptly, and I didn't make the transition any easier, considering how quickly I can read a single volume of manga. I did not linger, but an animated adaptation would force me to. It could highlight all of the silences between lines of dialogue and linger on the town's natural landscapes. It would also add a musical score, which would be an absolute delight. I would love picking out which melodies are associated with mermaids, which instruments are used in the town versus on the open ocean, and so on.
The manga is great, and I don't mean to diminish its achievement by saying, "Hey, let me know when this gets animated, okay?" Instead, I want to emphasize how much I enjoyed existing in the world of this manga and how much more immersive it could be in full color, in motion, and with surround sound. "Tropic of the Sea" is already amazing as it is, and if I want to see Satoshi Kon's stories set in animation (which I definitely do), then I already have some great movies to choose from. ("Tokyo Godfathers" is near the top of my list!) In the meantime, I'm thankful that this manga introduced me to Kon's work, and I'm looking forward to sampling more of his stories in the future.
My main complaint is the romance between Yosuke and Nami, which ties into the general, sexist undertone of the story. There aren't any egregious moments where I thought, "Dang, this guy hates women." Instead, there were a variety of small comments, like Nami chastising Yosuke's little sister to behave properly and the fact that Nami isn't allowed to exist in the story as her own character without also being a love interest for Yosuke.
I'm rather picky when it comes to depictions of romance, since I often feel as though authors throw it in to "improve" their story, when it reality, the romance barely serves the plot and detracts from otherwise fascinating character dynamics and personalities. I really enjoyed Nami's character; I just wish she hadn't been Yosuke's love interest, because it diminishes her role in the story and makes her seem like a "reward" for the male protagonist to "win" by the story's end.
Besides that, I found Kon's story fascinating and its themes compelling. "Tropic of the Sea" takes place in a rural seaside town in the midst of industrialization, being renovated to become a resort and a popular tourist destination. Not everyone in the small town welcomes these changes, and we see firsthand how the contractors invested in profit disregard the community's wishes and its natural landscape. The mermaid's egg that Yosuke's family protects is a great stand-in for humanity's commitment to Earth more generally, and it adds an exciting layer of fantasy and magic to an otherwise realistic story.
I would love to see an animated adaptation of this manga at some point. There were several scenes that took up a single page or two and relied on moments of silence and empty space between characters to have an emotional impact. The manga transitioned to the next scene rather abruptly, and I didn't make the transition any easier, considering how quickly I can read a single volume of manga. I did not linger, but an animated adaptation would force me to. It could highlight all of the silences between lines of dialogue and linger on the town's natural landscapes. It would also add a musical score, which would be an absolute delight. I would love picking out which melodies are associated with mermaids, which instruments are used in the town versus on the open ocean, and so on.
The manga is great, and I don't mean to diminish its achievement by saying, "Hey, let me know when this gets animated, okay?" Instead, I want to emphasize how much I enjoyed existing in the world of this manga and how much more immersive it could be in full color, in motion, and with surround sound. "Tropic of the Sea" is already amazing as it is, and if I want to see Satoshi Kon's stories set in animation (which I definitely do), then I already have some great movies to choose from. ("Tokyo Godfathers" is near the top of my list!) In the meantime, I'm thankful that this manga introduced me to Kon's work, and I'm looking forward to sampling more of his stories in the future.
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced