Triton of the Sea Volume 1

海のトリトン [Umi no Triton] #1

by Osamu Tezuka

The ocean holds many tales. Tales of mermaids, of underwater kingdoms, and of fantastical beasts lurking in the deep. Spurred by these tales, Kazuya sets out to find the truth, but what he finds is a baby?! Not just any baby, the baby Kazuya finds is Triton! The last of a once mighty and proud race of people from the sea. Triton seems human, but unusual and terrible events begin to happen with all those around him. Who is Triton, and why does he bring misfortune to everyone around him? From the imaginative mind of Osamu Tezuka, creator of the beloved AstroBoy series, comes his original and thrilling take on the legend of Atlantis: Triton of the Sea!

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Shonen, Japan

200 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1969

About the author

Dr. Osamu Tezuka (手塚治虫) was a Japanese manga artist, animator, producer and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. He is often credited as the "Father of Anime", and is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney, who served as a major inspiration during his formative years. His prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such titles as "the father of manga" and "the God of Manga."

Reviews

[Dave Woodward · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Osamu Tezuka stories I've read. It might look like a Little Mermaid story at a first impression, but it's full of great action, some downright heart-breaking moments, and great artwork. As always, Tezuka was the true master of manga.

[Mary Shyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very surprised this work is not more well-known in English.

[Lissibith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was aggressively OK.

I've read a lot of Tezuka's manga over the years, and while his work is very much a progenitor of a lot of what we see in manga today, that kind of by default means that it can feel rough around the edges. So while Triton of the Sea is an interesting story with a lot going on, it's also paced at a breakneck speed, and things happen kind of out of the blue a lot of the time.

We follow Triton, a child of one of two warring sea-based races, as he's rescued from a cave at the edge of the ocean. It's immediately clear that something sinister is after him, and that saving him may have dire consequences for the humans who took him in. But letting him die could have dire consequences for everyone. The other family, the family of Poseidon, will stop at nothing to see Triton dead, and Triton himself decides he needs to stop this by killing all 33 of Poseidon's kids, then take care of Poseidon himself.

There are a few things about this that kept me from getting fully immersed. The first is that I had some trouble getting into Triton's character. I was never entirely clear from one scene to the next whether Triton would be forgiving or not. I thought he had a romantic interest, only to have a much creepier romantic interest show up.

The side characters don't really fare much better. There's Pippy (a bit of a nod to an earlier story I believe), whose personality through the first book is "besotted ingenue." He makes one school friend, who's probably the most interesting character ... but I could do without her family driver having a crush on her. they don't really do anything too much with the crush, but its just ... eh. His mom is a mom. His brother is ... well, he gets more to do, but a lot of it seems a little disconnected.

The children of Poseidon are even worse off, most of them only being around for a few chapters if that, only a few of them getting real personalities. And that means it was pretty hard for me to feel real stakes when Triton is taking them on. And they come and go so quickly that when Triton remarks near the end of this book how many he's gone through, I was genuinely shocked at how high the number was.

That said, there is a LOT of action in this, and it keeps you guessing. I was never bored reading this, and am looking forward to the second half.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish. It's a cool concept with some great set pieces, but also exemplifies the character and dialogue problems I have with a lot of manga. The dialogue is too literal; everyone says exactly what they're feeling. Which I guess wouldn't be as much a problem if the characters weren't all so unbelievably keen to switch emotions with no consideration for logic or sense. Not all manga is like this, but when I encounter those that are, I lose interest quickly.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the classics. Mostly action and a fast moving plot. What stood out is the constant, almost meaningless struggle with no ultimate hope.

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgot to add this one, I read it this week and finished it today. It's good so far. Volume 2 wraps up the story, I'll write more about it then.