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Thursday, July 3, 2014

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.
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5 comments:

  1. Tony LaplumeJuly 3, 2014 at 4:22 PM

    Parallels don't have to have anything to do with matters of originality.

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    1. The Armchair SquidJuly 3, 2014 at 10:14 PM

      Right. But as I had made HP references in both of my posts about this series, I wanted to clarify that I see the story as something more than a cheap knock off.

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    2. Tony LaplumeJuly 4, 2014 at 3:41 PM

      Alls I'm saying, and not directed at you specifically, but rather because you got me thinking about it, is that I wish people weren't so obsessed with negatively comparing things to more famous things because of similarities. You could extrapolate any story from any story (hero's journey, for starters). It's just someone's lazy excuse to not think critically. Saying it's "exactly the same" is the opposite of critical analysis. I hate that.

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  2. Stephanie FarisJuly 5, 2014 at 1:31 PM

    Interesting coffee table book! I love the colors on the cover. I think Harry Potter has created a lot of comparisons... I just read a YA book that was clearly inspired by it, but it was a unique, good story, so I didn't mind.

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    Replies
    1. The Armchair SquidJuly 5, 2014 at 10:36 PM

      HP inspired an entire generation of readers. It's reasonable to expect an impact on writers as well.

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