Glaucos

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Glaucos is one of those titles that made me lament the fact that only a handful of seinen titles without an anime adaptation are recognised and discussed by the general weeb community. One of these series is undoubtedly Morning Magazine's flagship title Vagabond, but I actually think Glaucos would be very appreciated by the same kind of audience that story enjoys. Fans of series like Mushishi or the Climber will probably also get something out of it.

It's a beautifully detailed manga with loads of nuanced facial expressions that takes a meditative look at nature and the sea through the lense of a prodigious free diver, ... drawing on buddhist and classical mythology to illustrate it's points. While in my opinion the gross negligience of some characters is not appropriately called out to the extent it should be and the pacing gets abrupt at parts, there still is basically nobody I would not recommend Glaucos too. A very engaging, expertly crafted, short series.

This manga was quite a bumpy ride. if you've ever read Kokou no Hito, this is quite similar to it, minus the well done character journey. this isn't a review, more of just me naming its strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths: The story is rather interesting and has a *slight* bit of profoundness within it. also does a nice job at reflecting upon nature and the sea which is what allows it to branch off from being a typical sports manga. The artwork is also drawn well, and the pacing, apart from the last volume, is rather steady and works well. while the ending may not be ... as satisfactory as I hoped it would be, i wouldn't consider it "bad".

weaknesses: as mentioned earlier, in the 4th volume the steady pacing randomly goes down the drain and included a small time skip that felt way too out of place. This led to development the protagonist went through that was completely off screen just to have it do a whole 360 reverse a chapter or two later, it was not necessary in the slightest. The manga also lacked depth or development for all the characters, protagonist included. did not help that the only scans i was able to read were more than likely mistranslations.

The last volume was pretty good yet pretty bad at the same time. Overall, i'd give this manga a 7.75/10.

Glaucos situates itself somewhere in between The Climber and Children of the Sea. Though it at first introduces itself like a mature sports manga about dangerous sports and the strange people who attempt to test their limits and find their place in the world, the story's preoccupation with evolution, biology, ecology, the nature of humanity and the potential for evolution slowly seeps in to take over the narrative.

To be fair, Glaucos is rather thin as a sports manga. Aside from his transcendental and contemplative birth as a human born in the sea, sent to the human world by dolphins, Cisse is no Mori Buntaro ... (from The Climber). He is rather flat and uninteresting as a character and much of his characterisation can be chalked up to 'being tied to the sea' due to his birth, or some innate love for water. As a result, the early moments (about 10 chapters or so) do drag quite a bit. Still, while the central character is rather flat, the panelling, art, and pacing of the competition sequences are so excellent that I could not help but feel incredibly tense trying to anticipate what might happen next.

The story itself does get much more interesting later on as the manga deviates from a character study and starts delving into more 'arthouse' territory to explore the human condition and humanity's relation to the sea. Strong transcendental and thought-provoking moments can be found here, especially with the marvellous art. Pivoting to more otherworldly themes, Cisse becomes an impossible and exceptional figure, embracing his status as a child of the sea, and becoming more incomprehensible to the ordinary person. Interestingly, it is here when the manga has stopped trying to make him relatable and appealing to the reader, that Cisse becomes a more intriguing figure to follow.

Sadly, the manga takes a dive for the worst at its most interesting point. The ending is quite one note, rushes straight to the end, and leaves much of its premise and potential at the shore. Reading the manga, you could almost find the point where the mangaka got the notice from the editor that the manga has to close. For that, I find it a bit hard to wholeheartedly recommend this work. Still, its short length might make for an interesting read.

I would, however, recommend the mangaka's other manga: River End Cafe which delves into environmentalism with a less heavy-handed touch and develops its characters much better.