Review: Angelic Layer Omnibus Vol. 2

Remember how during my Tokyo Babylon review I gushed about how I was a CLAMP fangirl? Well, I’m channeling that part of my personality once again this comic review day to tackle the second Angelic Layer omnibus! In the sense of full disclosure, I haven’t read the first omnibus, but unlike Tokyo Babylon, I have watched and enjoyed the whole run of the Angelic Layer anime, so I’m familiar with the storyline and characters. It’s cute, fun, and definitely much more lighthearted than Tokyo Babylon, but as far as CLAMP goes, it isn’t all that special to me. For fans of the group, it’s worth a read if only because it’s fun to see them do a storyline so different from their usual ones, but I have to say: it’s far from great.

Angelic Layer is a prequel series of Chobits, one of CLAMP’s most well-known and well-received series (and one of my personal favorites). Some characters even have brief cameos in Chobits (Kaede, a Deus scene in this omnibus, for example, is Minoru’s older sister. For those of you that have read Chobits, you know why that’s a big thing.) It does not deal with Persocoms, however, but their precursors, fighting dolls called Angels that resemble really awesome ball-joined dolls that can be mentally controlled by their owners, called Deuses, when played on an arena called a Layer. The Layer can take on a variety of features that impact how the game is played, and different Angels have different stats depending on the Deus’ play style. The series follows Misaki Suzuhara, a prodigy Deus, and her rise in fame through the ranks of Deus players despite only learning of the game at the start of the manga when she arrives in Tokyo. She fights with the Angel Hikaru, who is inspired by the character of the same name from Magic Knight Rayearth, because if there’s one thing CLAMP loves, it’s having a lot of inter-series references and cameos – they’re a little like Pixar with that, I suppose.

Anyway, it all sounds a bit tournament-battle-based, right? Well… it is. It’s basically the story of Misaki using the Angels to make friends she typically wouldn’t have and, in the broader scheme of things, reunite with her estranged mother (unbeknownst to her).  A lot of pages are devoted to Angel battles, which I’m not sure work as well in print as they did in animation. It’s difficult to follow what’s going on in the fights sometimes, and they just don’t seem necessary. You get a very strong “Believe in the heart of the cards, Yugi!” (if you’ll pardon the veering into Yu-Gi-Oh! land) vibe from the title, and while that works for the anime it works far less so in the manga.

CLAMP isn’t new to the battle-of-the-week, of course: Card Captor Sakura relied heavily on that, with each episode or chapter dealing with capturing a different Clow Card. The difference between CCS and Angelic Layer is that I don’t feel like the fights add much, which is a big problem when the fights take up as much of the manga as they do. They begin to feel formulaic and poorly-paced, with lots of interjected thoughts. This could be really bothering me because the second omnibus begins in the middle of a tournament, so it doesn’t feel balanced between Angel fights and actual plot. They just feel dragged out, with a lot of repetition. For example, in Misaki’s fight with a higher ranked player, Sai Jonouchi (yes, Jonouchi like Joey Wheeler’s Japanese name… is Yu-Gi-Oh! slowly invading my Angelic Layer review? It’s more likely than you think), we get three different sets of characters all explaining the same thing, at the same time, in basically the same way. I found myself going, “Yes, yes, I get it, please move along to the part where Misaki realizes it as well and then wins anyway because that’s how this sort of manga works”. It gets reallytiresome when the “reveal” regarding an opponent is given to the reader before Misaki realizes it, so you spend a few pages waiting for Misaki to catch up to everyone else.

The art style contributes to this, in a way. Angelic Layer uses CLAMP’s more modern art style, which focuses more on exaggerated gestures than the very fine details like those used in Tokyo Babylon. As such, there are a lot of action lines used for some fight scenes, which make the panels feel messy and chaotic. That was probably intentional, but it doesn’t make the fight easy to comprehend. Everything is blurry, it’s hard to see specific moves; it’s just a mess, especially if you read the manga after watching the beautifully and clearly animated fights of the anime. This is most evident during Misaki’s fight with Ohjiro; a move happens, there’s some blurriness, it’s hard to see what happens but then you get to the next page and she’s won the fight and you have no idea how. It’s infuriating! I was able to figure out what move was used only after I relooked at the pages a couple of times, knowing it was the kill move. This happens again with the later fight against Arisu, and it’s just… bad. Even outside of fights, though, I found myself very annoyed with the style, as it fell back to over-simplified silhouettes multiple times, which I find as a lazy trick, especially when I know what CLAMP is capable of. A bit of simplified silhouettes-with-hair is one thing, but multiple pages in a row with the majority of panels being that way? It annoys me, to be frank.

The usual CLAMP tropes are still present, of course: the role of over-enthusiastic best friend is played by Tamayo, who is Misaki’s biggest fan and will not let you forget it. The somewhat weird but hilarious mentor is played by Icchan, who is easily my favorite character. Missing-parent syndrome is present, but in such a way for it to be a plot point (at least relating to her mother, anyway), And, of course, there’s a smorgasbord of following-your-heart-is-what-matters that spans from relationships to friendships and back again. It boasts a large cast of characters that are all distinct and endearing, and much of the non-Angelic Layer-related plot involves how Misaki changes them and their relationship dynamics. The characters are easily the strength of this title, and it’s what makes the lackluster fights and somewhat flimsy plot bearable.

There also seems to be some pacing issues. A lot of time is spent on battles against named characters, which makes sense, but not when all of a sudden an opponent isn’t named and isn’t developed and thus Misaki beats them in a page or two… especially when that battle is the semi-final one. Don’t really know what was going on there. Also, the end reveal is just… odd, even by CLAMP standards, which is saying something. Dunno how much I buy it. Spoilers: her mother couldn’t live with her because she loved Misaki so much it made her too flustered to function. Seriously.

I say all this having seen the entire run of the Angelic Layer anime, as I said previously, and I loved it in anime form; the fights were beautiful, and for once, I think the anime made changes to the plot for the better. Rather than being estranged from Misaki because she loved her too much to function around her (and I say again, seriously?), in the anime Misaki’s mother lives apart from her because she has multiple sclerosis and was part of the development of Angelic Layer as part of a way to seek out a cure for herself. Much more compelling if you ask me.

In comparison to other CLAMP titles, Angelic Layer is cute, but that’s about all that can be said for it. The plot is flimsy, its pacing is poor, and I just don’t think the medium works for it. I did enjoy Misaki’s diaries, which were put into the series as breathers between battle arcs, but they were too few and far between. At its heart, it’s a solid story with compelling, cute characters, but I just get lost in the messy fights and weird pacing of the manga, which I don’t find myself enjoying nearly as much. If you want to experience the title, my advice would be to watch the anime instead, and that’s not something I usually say. It just suits the anime medium better, plain and simple. For $19.99, I’d say skip this and go right for the anime, and then if you decide you’re a huge fan, you can always pick it up later.

Jeni “Science Whyzard” Hackett is suddenly filled with a mad longing to rewatch the Angelic Layer anime… and Yu-Gi-Oh! while she’s at it. She’s particularly shocked her first negative review is going to a CLAMP title and feels a little like she has betrayed her manga goddesses in the process, but hey, honesty is honesty. They can’t all be Card Captor Sakura! You can find her on twitter under the name @allonsyjeni, email her at jeni.is.a.geek@gmail.com, or find her on tumblr at hellomynameisgeek.

Review: Tokyo Babylon Omnibus #1

Tokyo Babylon is one of the all-female manga powerhouse group CLAMP’s earliest works, and it is rife with all the things CLAMP is now famous for (including crazy fashion designs, gratuitous pratfalls, prophetic but vague dreams and a smattering of the Tokyo Tower). The series opens in a very lighthearted way which is great fun to read, but as you go on it hints at truly dark stuff to come (and, since the manga originally came out in 1991, it’s easy to confirm that suspicion with a bit of googling- don’t do it if you’re wary of spoilers, though!). As a very proud CLAMP fangirl who has always meant to read Tokyo Babylon but never got around to it, I now find that I’m kicking myself for never having sought it out sooner; I may just have a new favorite. It’s textbook CLAMP, and I love it because of it.

Before I get into the meat of the review, I want to take a moment to discuss the art style. CLAMP is currently (in)famous for their “noodlepeople” aesthetic; if you’ve seen anything from Tsubasa or xxxHolic, you know exactly what I mean. While it’s clear to see how Tokyo Babylon’s art style provided the basis for what would become Tsubasa and xxxHolic’s, it’s not quite as pronounced just yet. There’s a decidedly 90s vibe to it, but that’s hardly a bad thing. For someone who’s first real manga series was Magic Knight Rayearth, it’s downright nostalgic; the distinctive eyes and detailed hair of CLAMP’s early work is out in full force here. There’s also brilliant use of black space which provides a strong emotional feel to certain scenes, and, of course, ridiculous costume design. It just would not be a CLAMP series without it.

Now, on to the story. Tokyo Babylon really only has three characters: the twins Subaru and Hotuko Sumeragi and their friend Seishiro Sakurazuka. Subaru is the main character, an onmyogi who is hired out to take care of spiritual problems plaguing Tokyo. His family is a famous clan of onmyogi of which he is the head (although his grandmother is still alive).  Subaru is selfless to a fault, refusing to do anything that might harm another and more than willing to bring harm unto himself if it means protecting someone else from it. Despite wanting to be a zookeeper, he performs his job as an onmyogi willingly because, according to his logic, otherwise people could get hurt.

His twin sister, Hotuko, is mainly presented as his caretaker and is constantly enthusiastically trying to get him with Seishiro, largely because she just wants her incredibly selfless brother to want something for himself for a change. For fans of CLAMP work, she feels a lot like a precursor to Tomoyo from Card Captor Sakura, right down to the designing special clothes for the one she loves as a sign of affection. It’s also possible she serves as a bit of comic relief (at least in the first omnibus- I spoiled myself for the end of the series and let’s just say be prepared for some massive mood whiplash) as her enthusiasm and snarky comments can’t help but bring a smile to one’s face. Her line of “It’s like we’re living in a shoujo manga!” firmly establishes her as the character to lean just a bit on the fourth wall.

Finally, there’s Seishiro, the family friend/love interest/guy that is clearly more than he seems. On the surface he’s an easy-going veterinarian who flirts with Subaru and is easily goaded on by Hokuto. However, there are many hints that he is much more than he seems. For one, Hokuto often alludes to his last name, Sakurazuka, which is the name of a clan of assassin onmyogi diametrically opposed to the Sumeragi clan, and wonders if it means he’s part of that enemy clan. For another, throughout the manga it’s clearly shown that Seishiro both has strong mystical power himself and knows a lot more about Subaru than he’s letting on. I don’t want to go too into it as it’s a bit of a plot point, but it’s very obvious there is far more to Seishiro than kindly-family-friend-turned-romantic interest.

On that note, the Subaru/Seishiro pairing should probably be addressed. The early “shipping” of Subaru and Seishiro by Hokuto can feel a bit off-putting, almost Renge (of Ouran High Host Club fame- if you’re not familiar, just think of any fangirl shipper you’ve ever encountered and you’ll be about right)-esque , but this doesn’t last. The more you learn about Hokuto and Subaru, the more sense it makes- Hokuto desperately wants her brother to want something for himself, to show a bit of selfishness, and Seishiro seems the most likely candidate. It’s not simple yaoi goggles going on, in other words. Plus, CLAMP has a well-established trend of having intimate homosexual relationships (Touya and Yuki in Card Captor Sakura, Fai and Kurogane in Tsubasa, Eagle and Lantis in Magic Knight Rayearth, etc.), so really this is par for the course. One of their overarching themes is that love transcends all, and this most certainly includes gender.

The plot itself is set up as a monster-of-the-week sort of affair, with a different job for Subaru each chapter. These jobs range from exorcising a bed to combating a trio of amateur witches to going into the mind of a former acquaintance to bring her out of a coma. Trigger warning for rape regarding that chapter, actually, although the treatment of it was very delicately and poignantly done in my opinion- the character in question poses such questions as “What’s wrong with living in a dream? It may be nicer than the real world.” It’s a pretty emotional, powerful chapter.

Most of these cases allow for some reflection on how horrible things happen every day to all manner of people, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it; the harsh reality of Tokyo life is not glossed over here. Seishiro directly acknowledges this by asking, “Where else on earth do so many people enjoy their descent into destruction?” Looking back on Tokyo Babylon from the perspective of someone familiar with X/1999 (also known as X, but for the purposes of this review X/1999 is just easier for me), it’s easy to see how these themes carried over into that work, and why Tokyo Babylon is a prequel to it. Lots of reflection on the destructive nature of humanity, without a doubt. If you’re a particular fan, moving on to X/1999 (or just X, depending on the format) could be worthwhile, but bear in mind that X/1999 is currently unfinished in manga form and it’s not really clear if CLAMP will ever return to it or not.

When it isn’t trying to rip your heart out, this manga is just plain fun. It’s silly and indulgent, almost as if the early chapters are trying to apologize for the trauma it’s going to put you through—and it WILL put you through emotional distress later on.  For fans of CLAMP, especially xxxHolic which has a lot of thematic similarities, it’s a must-have, and the omnibus form makes it particularly convenient to collect it. That said, I am a little curious if anything was cut from the omnibus format; it feels a bit short for the number of standard manga volumes it supposedly contains, although it does include some color artwork that’s great for fans of CLAMP’s style. I’m mainly concerned they cut a side story chapter of Hokuto’s that I’ve heard of, as I think it was supposed to be in one of the volumes contained in this omnibus yet it’s nowhere to be found.  It’s possible they did cut some material and, if they did, I can only hope it ends up included at the end of a later omnibus.

Even with the possible exclusion of some material, the strong translation and the ease of format make Tokyo Babylon a more than worthwhile purchase for a CLAMP, shoujo, or apocalyptic/supernatural fans. At a staggering 560 pages (seriously, I did a double take during this review as I managed to gloss over the fact that it was an omnibus), its $19.99 price tag feels quite reasonable, considering just a single volume of manga runs around $10. It’s a great chance to grab a well-translated shoujo classic, by one of the greatest manga teams around that’s still going strong.

Jeni “Science Whyzard” Hackett is not joking when she calls herself a CLAMP fangirl, as she currently has over 30 volumes of various CLAMP manga, two art books, a set of Clow Cards and a Mokona Modoki hat and plush toy. She is not ashamed to admit that she created her own CLAMP drinking game in the making of this review. You can find her on twitter under the name @allonsyjeni, email her at jeni.is.a.geek@gmail.com, or find her on tumblr at hellomynameisgeek.