Kaijuu no Kodomo
Children of the Sea

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This is a very unique manga with amazing, tranquil art. I've never come across a story with such an interesting plot, and was enchanted. I can't say I loved it, however, because of a few things. One, it doesn't feel as short as it is. Although its only about forty chapters, the slow/relaxed pacing makes it feel longer. I also have to admit that there are quite a bit of chapters that talk about scientific topics that I found hard to follow. The art truly is so beautiful and this is storyline that you'll probably never come across elsewhere in terms of manga, so I ... do recommend giving this s read.

The seas are fascinating, and have always held a special place in mankind’s history.

Beautiful yet also turbulent and treacherous, they have divided or bridged cultures and destroyed or benefited civilizations in equal measure. Mythologies and sailors’ superstitions are among the most prominent examples of mankind recognizing the seas’ majesty.

Kaijuu no Kodomo pays homage to this, but is also a unique sample of ecological storytelling, although Daisuke Igarashi is following an approach different of say, Hayao Miyazaki.


[1. Beginning with the story…]

Taking place at a typical modern setting by the seaside in Japan, the story begins during summer. The protagonist is Ruka, a teenage girl with divorced ... parents. Her father works in an aquarium, where she gets acquainted with two mysterious boys named Umi and Sora.

At this point, readers are introduced to supernatural mystery. And gradually, more and more anomalies connected to the sea occur, which baffle marine biologists. However, Daisuke Igarashi does not limit his scope here. Instead, he expands the mystery towards a bigger picture and connects human condition with nature, from which mankind attempts to detach, but in reality remains but a thread of a grand tapestry. This is not unlike what is expressed in the Nausicaä manga.

Retracing to the introduction however, I mentioned how his approach differs from Miyazaki’s. The latter connects in Nausicaä many ideas from social and natural sciences with personal tales to forge a big picture, and the setting covers the land environment. On the other hand, Igarashi connects marine biology, mythology and cosmology with personal “testimonies” connected to the sea.

The result is simply put, unorthodox. I could summarize it as “abstract and monistic, sensual and symbolical”. Some chapters are dialogue-heavy, whereas others go for “show, don’t tell”. Questions are left unanswered, the story has a lot of disbelief to suspend and interpretation is more recommended rather than taking it at face value.


[2. Continuing with characters…]

Ruka is a not-too-ordinary teenage girl. She is quite athletic, independent and mature but also highly introverted and dismissive/aggressive towards her peers. Overall, she gives off the impression of being a true person, warts and all.

The main trio is composed of her and the titular “children of the sea/marine mammals”, Umi and Sora. They too are mature yet detached from their peers but also much more unusual, for they were raised in the sea under unusual circumstances. Their origins drive the narrative, whereas Ruka and the rest of the cast act as observers. The rest also help bridge human condition with the bigger picture, by being part of “personal testimonies” connected to the sea. No true antagonist exists, only humans with conflicting views and different pasts, influenced by the sea in their own ways.


[3. And concluding with the artwork...]

Character designs are realistic if somewhat crude and odd-proportioned at times, but sufficient for the goals of this manga.

The true stars however are the depictions of landscapes and of wildlife and the textures. Oceanic and land environments and marine wildlife - be it e.g. starfish, cetaceans or manta - are brought to life by meticulous (almost photorealistic) sketchy drawing, characterized by rough yet rich linework.

There are also colored (and some colorless) pages whose textures and shading resembles watercolor, adding to the already unique artwork.

Artwork is at its finest during the “show, don’t tell” moments of the narrative, when it becomes purely visual and lets nature do the talk in the place of the characters. Mythological elements are also portrayed quite vividly.

Hope you enjoyed my review!

First of all this work deserves more readers! It's a full-on 10 for me but I can't decide on the wimp of emotion.
Igarashi did a phenomenal job by crafting this based on countless myths around the world and amalgamating it into such an extraordinary story. I liked the way the story takes place with a normal day-to-day life of an ordinary girl but suddenly this normal world transforms into a journey to a world unknown and unheard of for a millennium. I liked the suspense of how the character little by little enclosed the secrets of the world with countless myths and testimonies around ... the world. And the character like Angaled and Jim did a great job by holding the story without interfering with the plot, Igarashi did a good job by focusing very little on these characters though they hold the very focal point of the whole story.

And what to say about the Art, it was phenomenal! I did feel that the ocean came to me from millions of kilometers into my world of cubism. And the way he worked on the sea creatures is so extraordinary.

The reason why this work needs more viewers is that it isn't a normal day-to-day story of a normal being, yet the whole story follows the trials of normal people, it deals with the Truth of the world, how everything is related to everything, how the so-called 'Our world' is far for being to be called 'Our', it is 'Us' that belongs to this unnatural world, the very essence of the reason behind our existence.
Please try to dwell in the not-so-ordinary world of Igarashi and believe in what nature holds to its core the Truth of the world.