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海獣の子供 [Kaiju no Kodomo] #5
Children of the Sea, Volume 5
Long-awaited conclusion to the critically acclaimed series!When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost in the water at the aquarium where her dad works. Now she feels drawn toward the aquarium and the two mysterious boys she meets there, Umi and Sora. They were raised by dugongs and hear the same strange calls from the sea as she does.
After following Umi deep into the ocean, Ruka finds herself in an undersea cave where she hears a voice calling to her. She soon realizes it is the meteorite in her stomach, telling her the next step in her journey. The FINAL VOLUME of this majestic tale.
After following Umi deep into the ocean, Ruka finds herself in an undersea cave where she hears a voice calling to her. She soon realizes it is the meteorite in her stomach, telling her the next step in her journey. The FINAL VOLUME of this majestic tale.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 2007
8 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Daisuke Igarashi
49 books165 followersDaisuke Igarashi (五十嵐 大介, Igarashi Daisuke) is a Japanese cartoonist, acclaimed for his refined art style and philosophical themes. His manga often use sci-fi or magical elements to touch on the relation between mankind and nature.
Igarashi began his professional career in 1993 on the pages of the magazine 'Monthly Afternoon'. Therein, he published the stories composing Hanashippanashi (1993-1996), a few other shorts collected in the volume Sora Tobi Tamashii (2002), as well as his first minor success, the series Little Forest (2003-2005).
In 2003 the author started a fruitful collaboration with the alternative manga magazine 'Monthly Ikki', in which he serialised his most famous works to date: the anthological Witches (2003-2004) and Children of the Sea (2006-2011). Both series were awarded an Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival, respectively in 2004 and 2009.
Igarashi's latest works are Umwelt (2017), collecting short stories appeared in various magazines between 2004 and 2014, and the 5-volume long manga Designs (2016-2018).
Igarashi began his professional career in 1993 on the pages of the magazine 'Monthly Afternoon'. Therein, he published the stories composing Hanashippanashi (1993-1996), a few other shorts collected in the volume Sora Tobi Tamashii (2002), as well as his first minor success, the series Little Forest (2003-2005).
In 2003 the author started a fruitful collaboration with the alternative manga magazine 'Monthly Ikki', in which he serialised his most famous works to date: the anthological Witches (2003-2004) and Children of the Sea (2006-2011). Both series were awarded an Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival, respectively in 2004 and 2009.
Igarashi's latest works are Umwelt (2017), collecting short stories appeared in various magazines between 2004 and 2014, and the 5-volume long manga Designs (2016-2018).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
January 8, 2015
Well, I won't give the details of the ending away, but for me it was immensely satisfying. As I've said in earlier reviews, this is less about a coherent tale and more about mystery. All of our questions are not fully answered. And following a set up i the last volume, where we are led to see the limitations of language, we get a final volume that is essentially wordless… well, to be specific, 2/3 of it is wordless, where we see the sea and its creatures depicted in great detail. As Dehdeh says, "precious things are better left unspoken." But intermittently, as through the series, we get from around the world "testimonies of the sea" that open up mysteries and make it clear most people who know the sea from living on or around it defy the limitations of scientific knowledge about it.
From the fourth to the fifth volume it took three years, so you know the art is painstakingly detailed, and the purposes and both mystical and epic, a colossal undertaking. This one is about birth, primarily, in various ways, births emanating from the sea. As DehDeh (who is a kind of sailing sea philosopher) says, "If we liken the universe to a living being, this planet of ocean is the living womb." The sea harbors memory, is collective memory. Unexplained mysteries. Beauty. The importance of listening to the sea instead of just merely studying it with the scientific method (though that is useful, too). Local knowledge and local lore and every day experience of the sea and nature in general as trumping other forms of official knowledge.
Impressive accomplishment I think, as this one (sort of) wraps up, without all the answers, defying conventional narrative expectations. I notice Goodreads raters liked this volume least, but this I liked best, once I settled in tot he rhythm of the series, and I see this finish as most appropriate to its cosmic environmental intentions.
From the fourth to the fifth volume it took three years, so you know the art is painstakingly detailed, and the purposes and both mystical and epic, a colossal undertaking. This one is about birth, primarily, in various ways, births emanating from the sea. As DehDeh (who is a kind of sailing sea philosopher) says, "If we liken the universe to a living being, this planet of ocean is the living womb." The sea harbors memory, is collective memory. Unexplained mysteries. Beauty. The importance of listening to the sea instead of just merely studying it with the scientific method (though that is useful, too). Local knowledge and local lore and every day experience of the sea and nature in general as trumping other forms of official knowledge.
Impressive accomplishment I think, as this one (sort of) wraps up, without all the answers, defying conventional narrative expectations. I notice Goodreads raters liked this volume least, but this I liked best, once I settled in tot he rhythm of the series, and I see this finish as most appropriate to its cosmic environmental intentions.
June 6, 2024
Fantastičan strip.
[Vrlo je retko da se ja nečim ovoliko oduševim :) ]
Umetnički rad direktno usmeren na čula.
Čista poezija i emocija. Crtački prelep. Vrhunske likovnosti.
Kao "da nije sa ovog sveta" od početka do kraja.
Teško je, doduše, prepričati o čemu se radi pošto su pitanja, nauka, mit, misterija, nesaznatljivost života i smrti, te odsustvo potrebe za bukvalizacijom i potpunom dorečenošću namerno centrirani u samu srž priče.
Izuzetno moderno ostvarenje.
Iskrena preporuka za ceo ovaj manga serijal.
[Vrlo je retko da se ja nečim ovoliko oduševim :) ]
Umetnički rad direktno usmeren na čula.
Čista poezija i emocija. Crtački prelep. Vrhunske likovnosti.
Kao "da nije sa ovog sveta" od početka do kraja.
Teško je, doduše, prepričati o čemu se radi pošto su pitanja, nauka, mit, misterija, nesaznatljivost života i smrti, te odsustvo potrebe za bukvalizacijom i potpunom dorečenošću namerno centrirani u samu srž priče.
Izuzetno moderno ostvarenje.
Iskrena preporuka za ceo ovaj manga serijal.
February 25, 2021
A more perfect finale could not have been written. I know some would prefer something clearer, but that would be missing the point of the story. The manga provides ample information to form whatever lens you wish to view the events of the story through.
"[...] you'll have to figure it out yourself. You must search for the meaning alone. Although the truth was made clear before you came here."
"People love to attach meaning to every little thing. But who knows if it's really valid? [...] Anyone who believes what I say is a fool. The language of the waves and the wind is so simple... yet everyone over-analyzes it."
"[...] you'll have to figure it out yourself. You must search for the meaning alone. Although the truth was made clear before you came here."
"People love to attach meaning to every little thing. But who knows if it's really valid? [...] Anyone who believes what I say is a fool. The language of the waves and the wind is so simple... yet everyone over-analyzes it."
July 18, 2013
This is definitely a series that rewards the patient reader. Luckily, I can be patient. And more than that, the panels of of sea life were so arrestingly beautiful to me that I would have happily read all five volumes if there'd been no story at all, just page after page of beautiful underwater scenes. But there is a story, albeit a slow-moving, very dense one. I'd be lying if I said I fully understood the story and everything that happened. But I was satisfied with where it ended up. Still, I would say to read this series for the lovely art more than the story.
May 2, 2019
I’m not even sure how to describe this series or why I liked it so much. From the first volume it had me hooked with its unique and detailed visual style and it’s strange and mysterious story. I love anything to do with the ocean, so that was definitely my first draw to this series, and the artwork on all the sea creatures and water and space throughout was superb. I FELT like I was under the water or traveling over it or through it. It was such a visual story, especially this last volume, but the dialogue isn’t wasted either and despite the surreal nature of the story it still managed to create characters that seemed real and poignant and maybe not quite human and yet human. It is a story that is in part mythic, in part cosmic, in part existential and goes places that felt otherworldly, even though we never leave earth. I was honestly mesmerized by it and don’t think I can compare it to anything else I’ve read in either manga or books. It was truly unique on all fronts and explores a connection between myths, people, life, the ocean and the universe. I wasn’t prepared for how surreal it would become and I was pleasantly surprised by it all. Truly a unique and fantastic series worth the accolades it’s been given.
August 5, 2020
Ne parlo su Youtube: https://youtu.be/xt2epBp-HNA?t=1729
September 26, 2013
Wow. Just finished this.
One of the finest things I've ever read. I cannot fathom the universe of ideas and concepts inside Igarashi Daisuke's head-- for sure, he is a genius for writing Children of the Sea.
At a certain point in volume 5, the work became one of the few pieces of art I've experienced that defies analysis and day-to-day logic, joining a personal pantheon of other cherished works that include Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Under The Sea, Ingmar Bergman's Persona, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and The Clockwork Orange. There were lots of things about Children of the Sea that I did not understand at a surface level. For example, I'm still figuring out how the Testimonies of the Sea described myths, folklore that were only loosely topically related in that they were about the ocean, but still felt, for lack of a better word, metaphysically connected. At a more general scale, I wonder about the enigma of the plot, the inner universes driving the characters.
But for my gut, everything about Children of the Sea felt natural and made sense, beautiful, intuitive sense. Fittingly, acceptance of mystery, the unknowable, all that defies human language and sensory processing are all themes presented in the book, so taking Igarashi Daisuke's advice, for the time being, I will stop trying to jam thoughts into words, and will continue wondering, appreciating the fact that while I still have no idea what the hell transpired across those pages, I have come away with a greater appreciation for the universe, for the planet, life, and bodies of water.
I understand that I speak in vague, nonspecific hyperbole. Just read this thing for yourself. I'd venture to say that even if Children of the Sea is not your cup of tea in terms of enjoyment and escapism, it's worth reading to peer into the mind of someone (namely, Igarashi Daisuke), who approaches the world from a different, mysterious perspective.
One of the finest things I've ever read. I cannot fathom the universe of ideas and concepts inside Igarashi Daisuke's head-- for sure, he is a genius for writing Children of the Sea.
At a certain point in volume 5, the work became one of the few pieces of art I've experienced that defies analysis and day-to-day logic, joining a personal pantheon of other cherished works that include Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Under The Sea, Ingmar Bergman's Persona, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and The Clockwork Orange. There were lots of things about Children of the Sea that I did not understand at a surface level. For example, I'm still figuring out how the Testimonies of the Sea described myths, folklore that were only loosely topically related in that they were about the ocean, but still felt, for lack of a better word, metaphysically connected. At a more general scale, I wonder about the enigma of the plot, the inner universes driving the characters.
But for my gut, everything about Children of the Sea felt natural and made sense, beautiful, intuitive sense. Fittingly, acceptance of mystery, the unknowable, all that defies human language and sensory processing are all themes presented in the book, so taking Igarashi Daisuke's advice, for the time being, I will stop trying to jam thoughts into words, and will continue wondering, appreciating the fact that while I still have no idea what the hell transpired across those pages, I have come away with a greater appreciation for the universe, for the planet, life, and bodies of water.
I understand that I speak in vague, nonspecific hyperbole. Just read this thing for yourself. I'd venture to say that even if Children of the Sea is not your cup of tea in terms of enjoyment and escapism, it's worth reading to peer into the mind of someone (namely, Igarashi Daisuke), who approaches the world from a different, mysterious perspective.
September 22, 2019
Предыдущая книга устами одного из героев заявила, что язык является ограничителем для восприятия (когда словами пытаешься описать чувства), а нынешняя вовсю воплощает эту идею в немногословном крещендо морских глубин. Некоторые страницы только и содержат что многообразие морских жителей, без лишних слов и звуков. Интересно, как это обыграли в экранизации, потому что на бумаге отсутствие слов как поясняющих маркеров в данном случае вызывает без малого благоговение.
Редкая история, что позволяет раствориться в себе, не пичкает морализаторством или слоганами. Можно было обвинить во всех проблемах людей, придать происходящему оттенок расизма, подтянуть побольше экшна – но ничего подобного не происходит. Совсем не тот случай. Дети моря захватывают атмосферой, часть которой создает необыкновенный рисунок. Загадкой, часть которой так и осталась в море. Судьбами, что неизбежно переплетены между собой. Их мелодия – неторопливая, размеренная, постепенное стягивание всех точек в один узел, к кульминации. И возвращение к началу.
Очень много мыслей и идей, часть из которых я не могу облечь в слова. О рождении и смерти. О коллективной памяти и о разнице восприятия. О необъятном водном пространстве, что находится под самым носом, а знаем мы о нем до грустного мало. О том, что можно не стремиться к звездам, когда рядом море.
О том, что пока мы спим, киты продолжают петь.
hisashiburi
Редкая история, что позволяет раствориться в себе, не пичкает морализаторством или слоганами. Можно было обвинить во всех проблемах людей, придать происходящему оттенок расизма, подтянуть побольше экшна – но ничего подобного не происходит. Совсем не тот случай. Дети моря захватывают атмосферой, часть которой создает необыкновенный рисунок. Загадкой, часть которой так и осталась в море. Судьбами, что неизбежно переплетены между собой. Их мелодия – неторопливая, размеренная, постепенное стягивание всех точек в один узел, к кульминации. И возвращение к началу.
Очень много мыслей и идей, часть из которых я не могу облечь в слова. О рождении и смерти. О коллективной памяти и о разнице восприятия. О необъятном водном пространстве, что находится под самым носом, а знаем мы о нем до грустного мало. О том, что можно не стремиться к звездам, когда рядом море.
О том, что пока мы спим, киты продолжают петь.
hisashiburi
November 1, 2021
What a weird ass story
July 28, 2023
This series was a masterpiece. I came here from a very non sense film which I really didn’t appreciate. I just watched the film for the graphic and the story was totally messed up so that after I read a comment saying the manga work is actually pretty good and more detailed about the story I thought that maybe reading this series would have convinced me more about this project. In fact I’m totally delighted right now. To be honest I can say there are some parts of this story which are still not completely understandable, but I believe those parts are actually planned to be a little in suspence and mysterious. Although I definitely assure I 100% enjoyed the reading. It was majestic, sensational and breathtaking; I would even recommend this to any non-manga reader.
January 31, 2024
Zanimljiva završnica.
Ne u smislu da se desilo nešto neočekivano, čak se desilo vrlo malo toga, ali vizuelno vrlo dopadljivo i onako romantizovano, na momente i vrlo poetično.
Čak vrlo malo dijaloga u ovom petom tankobonu, poptuno je vizuelan.
Za ceo serijal bih mogao da dam jednu 3 ili 3+ ocenu. I dalje sam vrlo ubeđen da je sve trebalo biti duplo kraće i da bi tako bilo efektnije. Mislim da je Igaraši u želji da što više mistifikuje more i morski svet preterao, umesto da je pokušao da pojednostavi stvari.
Jer kao što i lik Dede kaže u samoj završnici ovog serijala:
"Ljudi vole svemu, pa čak i najmanjoj stvari, da daju neko značenje. Ali ko sa sigurnošću može reći da je ono ispravno... Jezik vetra i talasa je tako jednostavan. A ljudi ga uvek prevše tumače."
Ne u smislu da se desilo nešto neočekivano, čak se desilo vrlo malo toga, ali vizuelno vrlo dopadljivo i onako romantizovano, na momente i vrlo poetično.
Čak vrlo malo dijaloga u ovom petom tankobonu, poptuno je vizuelan.
Za ceo serijal bih mogao da dam jednu 3 ili 3+ ocenu. I dalje sam vrlo ubeđen da je sve trebalo biti duplo kraće i da bi tako bilo efektnije. Mislim da je Igaraši u želji da što više mistifikuje more i morski svet preterao, umesto da je pokušao da pojednostavi stvari.
Jer kao što i lik Dede kaže u samoj završnici ovog serijala:
"Ljudi vole svemu, pa čak i najmanjoj stvari, da daju neko značenje. Ali ko sa sigurnošću može reći da je ono ispravno... Jezik vetra i talasa je tako jednostavan. A ljudi ga uvek prevše tumače."
June 29, 2020
Children of the Sea kept up a feeling of equal parts horror and wonder all the way up to the end. This series filled me with deep existential curiosity of a kind I haven't often felt since I was a child. In a traditional sense there's not much of a story, but instead the evocative seascape imagery fills your heart with all kinds of strange and contradictory feelings. A brilliant experience of sequential art.
June 20, 2017
Una historia preciosa y un dibujo alucinante. Ojalá traigan más cosas de Igarashi.
Read
August 15, 2025such a beautiful and mystical series!! I could hear the music through the pages
January 20, 2022
Oh wow! What a great, self contained story about humans, the sea and the universe.
Even though I was confused about the ending; who is the woman telling the story (is it Ruka?), who did Ruka's mom have another baby with (was it Azumi?), did Jim really try to kill Anglade?!, how often does the ocean become one with the universe?, what does any of this actually mean?, what was the promise Ruka made?
Maybe that is just the nature of the beast; so much enigma and speculation. But I also have the anime which I will watch asap and see what the adaptation holds.
I know, at the very least, it will be beautiful.
Please read this if you like mysticism and the universe. I love origin stories of the world. It's so nice to not see any Christian theology. There is a whole world out there with their own beliefs!
Even though I was confused about the ending; who is the woman telling the story (is it Ruka?), who did Ruka's mom have another baby with (was it Azumi?), did Jim really try to kill Anglade?!, how often does the ocean become one with the universe?, what does any of this actually mean?, what was the promise Ruka made?
Maybe that is just the nature of the beast; so much enigma and speculation. But I also have the anime which I will watch asap and see what the adaptation holds.
I know, at the very least, it will be beautiful.
Please read this if you like mysticism and the universe. I love origin stories of the world. It's so nice to not see any Christian theology. There is a whole world out there with their own beliefs!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2026
I was sad that this manga had finished because it’s my comfort anime fr.
I’ve liked how they showed the most-attend ritual of so many years! Finally we got to discover the secrets of the sea and it’s creatures.
But I have a question.. at one point(towards the end) we see Jim in the hospital visiting Anglade because he was badly injured, but I don’t remember reading how Anglade got burned..
Also the ending was ‘meh’ not so bad but also not so good, after all we’ve been through seeing all the sea creatures.. it ends like ‘I made a promise I can’t tell’ It’s only my impression or they’ve rushed the ending?
(PS: Umi and Ruka were so cute together I’m sad he had to vanish..🥲)
I’ve liked how they showed the most-attend ritual of so many years! Finally we got to discover the secrets of the sea and it’s creatures.
But I have a question.. at one point(towards the end) we see Jim in the hospital visiting Anglade because he was badly injured, but I don’t remember reading how Anglade got burned..
Also the ending was ‘meh’ not so bad but also not so good, after all we’ve been through seeing all the sea creatures.. it ends like ‘I made a promise I can’t tell’ It’s only my impression or they’ve rushed the ending?
(PS: Umi and Ruka were so cute together I’m sad he had to vanish..🥲)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2013
Finally the conclusion to the "Children of the Sea". Having waited three years between publication of volumes 4 and 5, I decided to re-read the first four before diving into this one and I am so glad that I did. This manga is classified as seinen, aimed at an under 40's male audience and contains a very deep metaphysical, existential plot that I think the author allows the reader to put their own meaning and deeper understanding into. I found this last volume absolutely fascinating and rewarding. I'm not going to say anything that happens so this may all sound mysterious to those who don't know what I'm talking about. The story ends as it begins with the woman on the boat talking to the boy and I'm not going to say who they are but this is important to remember from book one. I had talked about the importance of birth in the last volume and hoped this one would culminate in that theme and boy does it ever! The ocean is compared to the womb and I found the whole story when given this ending to be incredibly pro-life! I'd like to re-read the whole thing again in a few years with that theme in mind as I read. This volume contains a lot, and I do mean a lot, of wordless panels so we get to experience the full glory of Igarashi's intricate, awesome artwork of marine life. Nothing is spelled out for you in this series though, so it isn't gong to be to everyones tastes. But it sure is to mine and this series will stay on my shelves permanently.
August 26, 2013
I won't spoil the end (this is the final volume in the series), but readers should know going into Children of the Sea that there are no clear, simple answers to the mysteries it presents. I'm not always fond of ambiguous endings, especially in a five volume set of books as big and demanding as Children of the Sea, but this one works for a couple of reasons.
First of all, Children of the Sea is worth reading if only as a delivery system for Igarashi's beautiful art. He not only has a perfect grasp of the anatomy of sea creatures, he's also able to show underwater light patterns and communicate the vast depths of the ocean using nothing but black ink on white paper. He does this for page after page, pulling readers into his world with the sheer force of the imagery.
And that's the second reason the story's ambiguity works. Whatever the scientific or mystical explanations for why things happen in the series, what's important is the connection between the main characters and the sea. The reason for the connection isn't as important as the connection itself, and Igarashi proves it by forming the same connection between reader and story. I don't have to completely understand it to feel it.
First of all, Children of the Sea is worth reading if only as a delivery system for Igarashi's beautiful art. He not only has a perfect grasp of the anatomy of sea creatures, he's also able to show underwater light patterns and communicate the vast depths of the ocean using nothing but black ink on white paper. He does this for page after page, pulling readers into his world with the sheer force of the imagery.
And that's the second reason the story's ambiguity works. Whatever the scientific or mystical explanations for why things happen in the series, what's important is the connection between the main characters and the sea. The reason for the connection isn't as important as the connection itself, and Igarashi proves it by forming the same connection between reader and story. I don't have to completely understand it to feel it.
February 1, 2019
3,5
Unfortunatly I was disappointed by this last volume.
There was a lack of story overall in this volume. Some recently added story arcs ended, without having an answer to them. I already felt like they had been pushed in, and now, oops, they needed to end. This story is a mystery, and the questions at the end about what really happened in the ocean were great. But a lot of the other things felt convenient. Characters that we didn't know became important and I couldn't bring myself to care about it. Why they were important? I didn't get an answer to that. This is not unusual in of itself, but not for a whole cast of characters!
The artstyle is Beautiful and just what I wanted, but it felt so much more like it was an art book, many pages that I just whisked by. It even got to a Point were I asked myself if the author tried to just show off. I gave up trying to find any clues on those pages because I was convinced that there wasn't any. It really felt like the most pages was dedicated to really good imagery, than a conclusion - and could have been cut.
Recommend?
Volume 1-3, absolutly!
Number 4, sure.
5? Well, there are at least some conclusion in this volume.
Unfortunatly I was disappointed by this last volume.
There was a lack of story overall in this volume. Some recently added story arcs ended, without having an answer to them. I already felt like they had been pushed in, and now, oops, they needed to end. This story is a mystery, and the questions at the end about what really happened in the ocean were great. But a lot of the other things felt convenient. Characters that we didn't know became important and I couldn't bring myself to care about it. Why they were important? I didn't get an answer to that. This is not unusual in of itself, but not for a whole cast of characters!
The artstyle is Beautiful and just what I wanted, but it felt so much more like it was an art book, many pages that I just whisked by. It even got to a Point were I asked myself if the author tried to just show off. I gave up trying to find any clues on those pages because I was convinced that there wasn't any. It really felt like the most pages was dedicated to really good imagery, than a conclusion - and could have been cut.
Recommend?
Volume 1-3, absolutly!
Number 4, sure.
5? Well, there are at least some conclusion in this volume.
August 25, 2017
So, I don't get. The big event happens, and Umi turns into the universe, and then various sea creatures turn into the universe, and then he dissolves. So... hmmm. These books were all so beautiful. The story and the flashbacks and 'testimony of the sea' things were all cool. I think I would recommend these books, even though I don't really get them.
April 14, 2019
Como começar a falar de Children of the Sea? Quer você ame ou odeie mangás, essa leitura vai ser diferente de qualquer coisa que você já experimentou! Enquanto peixes começam a desaparecer misteriosamente de vários aquários ao redor do mundo, uma menina chamada Ruka conhece dois garotos que foram criados por dugongos, Umi e Sora. Ao longo dos 5 volumes, vários eventos fantásticos envolvem os personagens e suas conexões (e de todos nós) com o oceano.
Uma das coisas mais legais dessa leitura é que a narrativa principal é interrompida diversas vezes pelos "depoimentos relacionados ao mar". São pequenos relatos de lendas e causos de pescadores, oceanógrafos, mergulhadores e vilarejos de diversas culturas ligadas ao mar. Esses momentos tem um ar de documentário e são agradáveis pausas na história de Children of the Sea. Aos poucos, eles vão construindo toda uma expectativa para o que pode acontecer no desfecho da história central.
Artisticamente: HANDS DOWN para o Daisuke Igarashi! Os desenhos são LINDOS, LINDOS, LINDOS! Daisuke não poupa a mão na hora de desenhar cenários contemplativos e cenas submersas onde se consegue, praticamente, assistir ao nado dos animais marinhos quadro a quadro, como se fosse você estivesse mergulhando junto com os personagens. Esses são meus momentos visuais favoritos do quadrinho. Neles, Daisuke explora todos os ângulos possíveis, já que, embaixo d'água, seus personagens podem voar livremente em qualquer direção. Inclusive, destaque para o fato de que ele faz tudo isso sem a ajuda de assistentes (algo incomum no ritmo de trabalho frenético dos mangakas)! Dá pra ver um pouco da mágica dele nessa entrevista que ele deu pro Manben. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x40...
Eu terminei essa leitura com uma sensação de que "COROIO...O_O." São vários insights ao mesmo tempo e, por isso, acho que cada leitor vai sair diferente depois de mergulhar na história de Children of the Sea. Ah, e caso você não se satisfaça em somente ler o mangá, não se preocupe: em Julho essa história vai virar FILME!!!! <3
Uma das coisas mais legais dessa leitura é que a narrativa principal é interrompida diversas vezes pelos "depoimentos relacionados ao mar". São pequenos relatos de lendas e causos de pescadores, oceanógrafos, mergulhadores e vilarejos de diversas culturas ligadas ao mar. Esses momentos tem um ar de documentário e são agradáveis pausas na história de Children of the Sea. Aos poucos, eles vão construindo toda uma expectativa para o que pode acontecer no desfecho da história central.
Artisticamente: HANDS DOWN para o Daisuke Igarashi! Os desenhos são LINDOS, LINDOS, LINDOS! Daisuke não poupa a mão na hora de desenhar cenários contemplativos e cenas submersas onde se consegue, praticamente, assistir ao nado dos animais marinhos quadro a quadro, como se fosse você estivesse mergulhando junto com os personagens. Esses são meus momentos visuais favoritos do quadrinho. Neles, Daisuke explora todos os ângulos possíveis, já que, embaixo d'água, seus personagens podem voar livremente em qualquer direção. Inclusive, destaque para o fato de que ele faz tudo isso sem a ajuda de assistentes (algo incomum no ritmo de trabalho frenético dos mangakas)! Dá pra ver um pouco da mágica dele nessa entrevista que ele deu pro Manben. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x40...
Eu terminei essa leitura com uma sensação de que "COROIO...O_O." São vários insights ao mesmo tempo e, por isso, acho que cada leitor vai sair diferente depois de mergulhar na história de Children of the Sea. Ah, e caso você não se satisfaça em somente ler o mangá, não se preocupe: em Julho essa história vai virar FILME!!!! <3
March 17, 2018
Once upon a time, in my impressionable youth, I used to spend hours at the local library in the 'Graphic Novels' section perusing volumes of Battle Angel Alita, Evangelion, and Akira. While the Children of the Sea series does not involve radioactive children, cyborgs or child soldiers, it still gave me similar vibes when it came to the plot... of which it is very hard to follow at times.
From what I can gather, there is a meteorite that is the origin of all the water in the oceans and a girl, Ruka, swallowed it and by doing so has triggered a strange chain of events. Umi, a boy raised by dugongs with his brother, Sora, whom she met at the beginning of summer, finds her in a cave and removes the meteor from her mouth and swallows it himself, thus ensuring that he will become one with the ocean and the universe?
Probably the most gorgeous manga I have ever come across! The depth and detail are evident in every panel, plus the visual storytelling is beyond anything I have seen before.
Highly recommended for hardcore manga fans jonesing for the good old days of when reading manga was like entering another dimension of thought.
From what I can gather, there is a meteorite that is the origin of all the water in the oceans and a girl, Ruka, swallowed it and by doing so has triggered a strange chain of events. Umi, a boy raised by dugongs with his brother, Sora, whom she met at the beginning of summer, finds her in a cave and removes the meteor from her mouth and swallows it himself, thus ensuring that he will become one with the ocean and the universe?
Probably the most gorgeous manga I have ever come across! The depth and detail are evident in every panel, plus the visual storytelling is beyond anything I have seen before.
Highly recommended for hardcore manga fans jonesing for the good old days of when reading manga was like entering another dimension of thought.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2022
I finally bought this volume to support the artists, though it's difficult to get one of those volume since there's no person or even anime and manga lover in my country that lay their attetntion to this series that actually great (but, since in here is only popular with Shonen series I just want to shut up).
Just like what I see on Manben episode Igarashi Daisuke, I'm feel surprise with how he managed to use mixed pen for manga and usual ballpoint to creating to lines for giving atmosphere of cloud, sea, or how the wave swaying and also giving some details of the sea animal.
Although this series is hard to get understand the purpose by how all the plot goes with the story flows I still could to enjoying the way Igarashi sensei telling the stories and the wonderful feels and mysterious of the big show in this last volume, I wish to get other volume too to catch the full story to reread again.
Just like what I see on Manben episode Igarashi Daisuke, I'm feel surprise with how he managed to use mixed pen for manga and usual ballpoint to creating to lines for giving atmosphere of cloud, sea, or how the wave swaying and also giving some details of the sea animal.
Although this series is hard to get understand the purpose by how all the plot goes with the story flows I still could to enjoying the way Igarashi sensei telling the stories and the wonderful feels and mysterious of the big show in this last volume, I wish to get other volume too to catch the full story to reread again.
December 24, 2024
The ultimate We Are Star Stuff story. The phrase is a cliche but such is the fate of many truths and it's sad we've let it become a joke. Thankfully Daisuke Igarashi is here to re-infuse it with mystery and awe. This is not wishy washy or pat or anything else you might associate with stories about the links between human and nature, nature and the stars thanks to countless lackluster efforts without intellectual rigor. Igarashi understands that oneness is not an inherently comforting idea, that there is violence and fear in the natural world and the universe is cold, vast, and unknowable. To experience true awe can take a lifetime and last less than a minute. Igarashi's skill is such that he can channel the miraculous into the comics form, utilizing the page turn better than probably anyone else working in the medium. As in Witches, there are page turns in this that took my breath away, moments where the cumulative effect of his panels of harmonious sea life gives way to splash pages of the supernatural, a sudden break of content and form that recreates the feeling of encountering something awe-inspiring (if not supernatural) in real life.
As to what I think happens in this volume... What the purpose of the "birth rite" is.... Igarashi is crystal clear about his themes if not the particulars, which is what I want and expect from a work like this. I'd say the children of the sea and the rite that finally succeeds with Umi serve to slowly advance human consciousness toward the oneness of the sea and its reflection, outer space. The glowing orbs the children and other sea life dissolve into that look like stars from afar and tiny galaxies up close are meant to be consumed: they are windows into the state of supreme oneness with the universe that the children and certain sea creatures attain. The purpose of the children's rite is to have a human witness, one who can carry the destiny of all life from the womb of the sea to the human world. It could have been Jim or Anglade but it ended up being Ruka, curious and open, one who won't impose her will but who'll go with the flow. But there's another purpose to the rite, another kind of "fertilization": to communicate humanity to the stars, to nourish the slumbering universe that watches in its dreams.
As to what I think happens in this volume... What the purpose of the "birth rite" is.... Igarashi is crystal clear about his themes if not the particulars, which is what I want and expect from a work like this. I'd say the children of the sea and the rite that finally succeeds with Umi serve to slowly advance human consciousness toward the oneness of the sea and its reflection, outer space. The glowing orbs the children and other sea life dissolve into that look like stars from afar and tiny galaxies up close are meant to be consumed: they are windows into the state of supreme oneness with the universe that the children and certain sea creatures attain. The purpose of the children's rite is to have a human witness, one who can carry the destiny of all life from the womb of the sea to the human world. It could have been Jim or Anglade but it ended up being Ruka, curious and open, one who won't impose her will but who'll go with the flow. But there's another purpose to the rite, another kind of "fertilization": to communicate humanity to the stars, to nourish the slumbering universe that watches in its dreams.
August 10, 2021
watching the animation and reading this i constantly thought i understood the meaning of the story with my heart, not with my brain? but now i finished reading it and thats kind of the point right i can have a hundred different messy interpretations of what i read and all of them are meaningful, theres just no right answer and trying to translate them into words that make sense out loud would just diminish the pure things the story made me feel, think and see and how comforting and unique this experience was 🏡 i love this so much
January 4, 2026
Yeah... I dunno. This is a review of the entire series. I enjoyed the art, but the story is meh for me. Too many ambiguous, distant relationships and situations that aren't clear between people. If I want more of that, I'd just look at my own damn life. I don't want to read about it! I would have been happier if it was just an wordless art series with all the mangaka's beautiful drawings of the sea and it's creatures. Leave the mess of humans out of it altogether. We just muddy the waters.
December 22, 2025
I just realized that Ruka was the woman at the end and the boy is her baby brother lol. i adore this series
nature is all around us and the sea is the womb, its just so beautiful.
however i never realized that Anglade and Jim were meant to be "westerners" possibly kiwis or aussies? they seem island-like if that makes sense.
cuz anglade is my favorite lol his and Soras monologues are the most beautiful to me ✨️
nature is all around us and the sea is the womb, its just so beautiful.
however i never realized that Anglade and Jim were meant to be "westerners" possibly kiwis or aussies? they seem island-like if that makes sense.
cuz anglade is my favorite lol his and Soras monologues are the most beautiful to me ✨️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2018
There's definitely some parts that still seem unanswered even though it's the end of the series. Most of this book was depicted in pictures and not words, so it was difficult to deduct what was happening to the main characters. Definitely an interesting series to say the least, and very deep meanings, most of which I may have missed.
April 2, 2019
Devidamente impactada com a qualidade narrativa e técnica do Daisuke Igarashi. Inacreditável pensar que esta história de cinco volumes foi feita em SETE MESES. Não só pela qualidade do desenho, mas também pelo nível de pesquisa de conteúdo técnico, tanto em texto quanto em imagens. Impressionante, em todos os níveis possíveis.
March 14, 2023
4.25/5 pretty good wrapup, i did get quite emotional, amazin spreads, such a creative series n i appreciate igarashi knowin when to wrap it up, pretty warm feelin, i like the checkin with anglade n jim as i figured we’d never get that again… igarashi sorta goated, wish he had more eng translated works
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