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Silent Möbius 1
788 pages, Paperback
Published December 12, 2024
1 person is currently reading
About the author
Kia Asamiya
445 books23 followersKia Asamiya(麻宮 騎亜, born in 1963) is the pen-name of a popular Japanese manga artist whose work spans multiple genres and appeals to diverse audiences (1990s).
He is well-known for using influences from American comics, television, and movies in his work, and describes himself as a big fan of both Batman and Star Wars. One of the most widely-published Japanese manga-ka, nearly all of his stories have been translated into other languages, including English. His two most successful and popular manga series to-date are Nadesico and Silent Möbius.
Prior to becoming a manga artist, Asamiya graduated from the Tokyo Designer School, and then worked as a character designer for a number of anime series, and even designed models for some of the later Godzilla movies (1980s). For this career, he used a different pen-name, Michitaka Kikuchi (菊地 道隆), and maintained the two professional identities separately for many years. Several of the anime series that he worked on were very popular both inside and outside of Japan, most notably including Sonic Soldier Borgman. Even after focusing primarily on his manga career, Asamiya continued to do character designs and creative consultation on anime series based on his stories, occasionally under the Kikuchi name.
In the early 2000s, Asamiya has shifted his focus from teenage and young-adult stories to stories designed for children and for an American audience. In the former case, he credits his young children as a motivation, but in the latter case, he points to a long-standing desire to work with his favorite American characters. To that end, he has worked on projects with Image Comics, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics, as well as developing a manga adaptation of the movie, "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace".
While many Japanese artists (and artists in general) are quite reclusive, Asamiya often makes an effort to be available to his fans. He maintains a website with news and information about his studio, Studio TRON (named after the Disney movie TRON). He also aids and assists his Official Fan Club by sending them regular announcements and limited-edition merchandise. Despite these actions, he shunned all public photography, and had the often-hilarious habit of depicting himself with a placeholder sign for a face. It has become a trademark feature of his books that instead of a picture of the artist, there is an elaborately decorated rectangle sporting the words "Now Printing".
He is well-known for using influences from American comics, television, and movies in his work, and describes himself as a big fan of both Batman and Star Wars. One of the most widely-published Japanese manga-ka, nearly all of his stories have been translated into other languages, including English. His two most successful and popular manga series to-date are Nadesico and Silent Möbius.
Prior to becoming a manga artist, Asamiya graduated from the Tokyo Designer School, and then worked as a character designer for a number of anime series, and even designed models for some of the later Godzilla movies (1980s). For this career, he used a different pen-name, Michitaka Kikuchi (菊地 道隆), and maintained the two professional identities separately for many years. Several of the anime series that he worked on were very popular both inside and outside of Japan, most notably including Sonic Soldier Borgman. Even after focusing primarily on his manga career, Asamiya continued to do character designs and creative consultation on anime series based on his stories, occasionally under the Kikuchi name.
In the early 2000s, Asamiya has shifted his focus from teenage and young-adult stories to stories designed for children and for an American audience. In the former case, he credits his young children as a motivation, but in the latter case, he points to a long-standing desire to work with his favorite American characters. To that end, he has worked on projects with Image Comics, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics, as well as developing a manga adaptation of the movie, "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace".
While many Japanese artists (and artists in general) are quite reclusive, Asamiya often makes an effort to be available to his fans. He maintains a website with news and information about his studio, Studio TRON (named after the Disney movie TRON). He also aids and assists his Official Fan Club by sending them regular announcements and limited-edition merchandise. Despite these actions, he shunned all public photography, and had the often-hilarious habit of depicting himself with a placeholder sign for a face. It has become a trademark feature of his books that instead of a picture of the artist, there is an elaborately decorated rectangle sporting the words "Now Printing".
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 12, 2025
Esta es una edición completa que comprende 7 capítulos largos del manga, así como una generosa galería de imágenes y algún que otro extra. Es un señor tochaco al que le van a seguir 2 más si funcionan bien las ventas. Ya solo por la intención de rescatar esta obra de culto, creo que la editorial de Manga Line merece un aplauso, aunque la traducción sea mejorable. Una vez dicho esto, voy a hablar ya de la obra en sí.
¿Qué es Silent Mobius? ¿A qué genero pertenece? Pues la respuesta no es sencilla. Se podría decir que predomina lo policial muy acompañado de una atmósfera cyberpunk, pero por otra parte también hay un fuerte componente mágico y algo de satanismo o de ciencias ocultas. En segundo plano también podemos encontrar humor y un poquito de romance, ya que algunas de las chicas del equipo tienen parejas masculinas. Toda esta mezcla es la que hace a este manga tan memorable porque, contra todo pronóstico, funciona. Algunos lectores han comentado que los primeros números son algo caóticos, no voy a negar que puede resultar difícil para alguien que no esté acostumbrado a asimilar términos nuevos y situaciones donde la acción se ha desatado de golpe, sin introducciones ni explicaciones.
Esto en el anime lo solucionaban porque ordenaban más los hechos y porque cambiaban más la personalidad de la protagonista, convirtiéndola en una chica tímida, una recién llegada que tiene que acostumbrarse a la dinámica de sus compañeras y a las operaciones peligrosas enfrentándose a los demonios y a los cyborgs. En los tomos Katsumi lidera desde el principio y revelan que es especial a las pocas páginas y encima es mucho más lanzada y despreocupada, lo cual agiliza bastante la trama, pero se pierden elementos psicológicos interesantes, no hay un crecimiento tan notorio del personaje. Sin embargo, el argumento no se centra solo en ella y a menudo podemos disfrutar de historias autoconclusivas que colocan a otras policías del equipo como el eje principal, ampliando el transfondo de sus pasados y del mundo en el que viven. Esto le sirve al autor para jugar con varios géneros, como ya he comentado, pero todo bajo el paraguas del manga que se hacía en los años 90, así que es un sitio cómodo en el que refugiarse si crecisteis con los clásicos de esa época.
ENGLISH
This is a complete edition comprising seven long chapters of the manga, as well as a generous image gallery and a few extras. It's a massive tome, with two more to follow if sales do well. Just for the intention of reviving this cult work, I think Manga Line deserves a round of applause, even if the translation could be improved. That said, let's talk about the work itself.
What is Silent Mobius? What genre does it belong to? Well, the answer isn't simple. You could say it's predominantly a crime story, accompanied by a cyberpunk atmosphere, but on the other hand, there's also a strong magical component and some Satanism or occult sciences. In the background, we can also find humor and a bit of romance, as some of the girls on the team have male partners. This whole mix is what makes this manga so memorable because, against all odds, it works. Some readers have commented that the first issues are somewhat chaotic; I won't deny that it can be difficult for someone unused to assimilating new terms and situations where the action has unleashed suddenly, without introductions or explanations.
This was resolved in the anime by organizing the events more and changing the protagonist's personality more, turning her into a shy girl, a newcomer who has to get used to the dynamics of her colleagues and the dangerous operations that involve facing demons and cyborgs. In the volumes, Katsumi leads from the beginning, and they reveal that she's special just a few pages in. On top of that, she's much more outgoing and carefree, which speeds up the plot considerably. However, interesting psychological elements are lost; there's no noticeable character growth. However, the plot doesn't focus solely on her, and we can often enjoy self-contained stories that place other police officers on the team as the main focus, expanding on the background of their pasts and the world they live in. This allows the author to play with various genres, as I've already mentioned, but all under the umbrella of the manga that was made in the 90s, so it's a comfortable place to take refuge if you grew up with the classics of that era.
¿Qué es Silent Mobius? ¿A qué genero pertenece? Pues la respuesta no es sencilla. Se podría decir que predomina lo policial muy acompañado de una atmósfera cyberpunk, pero por otra parte también hay un fuerte componente mágico y algo de satanismo o de ciencias ocultas. En segundo plano también podemos encontrar humor y un poquito de romance, ya que algunas de las chicas del equipo tienen parejas masculinas. Toda esta mezcla es la que hace a este manga tan memorable porque, contra todo pronóstico, funciona. Algunos lectores han comentado que los primeros números son algo caóticos, no voy a negar que puede resultar difícil para alguien que no esté acostumbrado a asimilar términos nuevos y situaciones donde la acción se ha desatado de golpe, sin introducciones ni explicaciones.
Esto en el anime lo solucionaban porque ordenaban más los hechos y porque cambiaban más la personalidad de la protagonista, convirtiéndola en una chica tímida, una recién llegada que tiene que acostumbrarse a la dinámica de sus compañeras y a las operaciones peligrosas enfrentándose a los demonios y a los cyborgs. En los tomos Katsumi lidera desde el principio y revelan que es especial a las pocas páginas y encima es mucho más lanzada y despreocupada, lo cual agiliza bastante la trama, pero se pierden elementos psicológicos interesantes, no hay un crecimiento tan notorio del personaje. Sin embargo, el argumento no se centra solo en ella y a menudo podemos disfrutar de historias autoconclusivas que colocan a otras policías del equipo como el eje principal, ampliando el transfondo de sus pasados y del mundo en el que viven. Esto le sirve al autor para jugar con varios géneros, como ya he comentado, pero todo bajo el paraguas del manga que se hacía en los años 90, así que es un sitio cómodo en el que refugiarse si crecisteis con los clásicos de esa época.
ENGLISH
This is a complete edition comprising seven long chapters of the manga, as well as a generous image gallery and a few extras. It's a massive tome, with two more to follow if sales do well. Just for the intention of reviving this cult work, I think Manga Line deserves a round of applause, even if the translation could be improved. That said, let's talk about the work itself.
What is Silent Mobius? What genre does it belong to? Well, the answer isn't simple. You could say it's predominantly a crime story, accompanied by a cyberpunk atmosphere, but on the other hand, there's also a strong magical component and some Satanism or occult sciences. In the background, we can also find humor and a bit of romance, as some of the girls on the team have male partners. This whole mix is what makes this manga so memorable because, against all odds, it works. Some readers have commented that the first issues are somewhat chaotic; I won't deny that it can be difficult for someone unused to assimilating new terms and situations where the action has unleashed suddenly, without introductions or explanations.
This was resolved in the anime by organizing the events more and changing the protagonist's personality more, turning her into a shy girl, a newcomer who has to get used to the dynamics of her colleagues and the dangerous operations that involve facing demons and cyborgs. In the volumes, Katsumi leads from the beginning, and they reveal that she's special just a few pages in. On top of that, she's much more outgoing and carefree, which speeds up the plot considerably. However, interesting psychological elements are lost; there's no noticeable character growth. However, the plot doesn't focus solely on her, and we can often enjoy self-contained stories that place other police officers on the team as the main focus, expanding on the background of their pasts and the world they live in. This allows the author to play with various genres, as I've already mentioned, but all under the umbrella of the manga that was made in the 90s, so it's a comfortable place to take refuge if you grew up with the classics of that era.
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