Review: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 25-32 (CLAMP)

[nebroadwe]

Is it just me?

In reading reviews of the Tsubasa Chronicle anime, I keep running into people who think that the manga's Jade arc was over-long, dull, badly constructed and off-putting. Which surprises me because it was that very arc which sold me on Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle -- I had picked up the first few volumes because I'm a Cardcaptor Sakura fan; kept going because the art was pretty and Del Rey's translations were wonderfully professional; but didn't really invest in the story until Sakura woke up in that dungeon and figured out how to break herself free. Maybe I was waiting for her to take a more active role in the plot. Maybe I'm a sucker for fairy tales (I taught courses on them, after all). Maybe I appreciated the fact that the Jade story was being carried by atmosphere, investigation and dialogue rather than by action sequences (which, I admit, I sometimes have trouble following in manga, regardless of the talents of the artist. I'm just more used to reading words than pictures, I guess.). De gustibus non est disputandum, of course, but it surprises me that my gustis on this point is so far out of the apparent mainstream. (I'm almost alone in being bored by the Shara/Shura arc, too, though I've grown to appreciate it more lately; it improves a bit on rereading. Fortunately, everyone -- including me -- seems to enjoy the Oto story. Phew.)

Anyone else enjoy watching Syaoran read while riding? :-) I can't be the only one ...

Comments

[fmanalyst.livejournal.com]

I've always been suspicious of earnest characters, and Syaoron is just so terribly earnest that it grates on me, and Sakura is missing too much of her CCS personality. The men are just more interesting to me.

And the trouble with Piffle is that it's basically piffle, all strawberry fluff and no substance.

As for Fai with no sailing room? That's exactly where he is now in the scanlations, no place to go at all. I may be reading the scanlations, but only because Del Rey's volumes aren't coming fast enough. I'm buying them though, as I don't like reading on the computer all that much. I prefer to do my manga reading in bed before I go to sleep.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

I've always been suspicious of earnest characters, and Syaoron is just so terribly earnest that it grates on me, and Sakura is missing too much of her CCS personality.

Hmm. I'm actually fond of earnest characters -- I miss the combativeness of CCS-Shaoran, but I like the "What he wills to do, he'll do" aspect of Tsubasa-Shaoran. (Possibly because I lack that kind of grit myself. :-) I admit that I've been giving Sakura a pass on the grounds that a good deal of her self is missing; I'm hoping to see a bit more assertiveness from her as she recovers more of her feathers.

And the trouble with Piffle is that it's basically piffle, all strawberry fluff and no substance.

Forget Jade -- this is the arc I think goes on for what feels like forever to very little purpose. I suspect it'll translate reasonably well to the anime, however, since it's kinetic piffle. Again, the godchildren enjoy having it read aloud to them. I'm getting major points for doing Nokoru with my best attempt at a cultured English accent. :-)

As for Fai with no sailing room? That's exactly where he is now in the scanlations, no place to go at all.

So I gather. He's got one of the nastiest backstories I've yet encountered in manga (I'm reminded of Seta Soujiro in Rurouni Kenshin) and I'm honestly not sure which way the story is going to jump from this point. (I'm not sure I'd have an idea even if I could see the pictures as well as the dialogue.)

I may be reading the scanlations, but only because Del Rey's volumes aren't coming fast enough. I'm buying them though, as I don't like reading on the computer all that much. I prefer to do my manga reading in bed before I go to sleep.

Hear, hear. Can't take the computer in the bathtub, either. I twitch a bit over scanlations of mainstream material -- it's my J poking me, I suspect. I agree that Del Rey's release schedule isn't so much an exercise in delayed gratification as it is of the Chinese water torture, but at least I'm never disappointed by their work when it finally arrives in the mail. Unlike, say, Viz's translations of FMA. The scanlators almost have the advantage there ...