Mars Manga Impressions
Manga Impressions
by Karii
10/21/02
thanks to AMY of FAITHFUL4ever
Have you ever been the quiet person in school, wanting to interact with your classmates, but you just couldn’t do it – you were too afraid of ridicule. No? Well, then how about this? Were you the rebel in the class? Wandering in to school whenever you could, schmoosing with the opposite sex… hated, admired, respected, but a good heart underneath. Neither? I guess you just don’t make a good manga character then. Fuyumi Soryo’s shojo manga Mars takes you through the lives of Kira Aso and Rei Kashino (names written Western-style, family name last) and shows how star crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet really had nothing to complain about in comparison to Rei and Kira – but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Fuyumi Soryo’s art style looks feather –light. There are no harsh lines in any of the character design, so when they come up in an intense scene, it adds to the sense of shock and drama that she is conveying. Even in simple scenes, there is always attention to detail. Her art is perfect for this story. Speaking of the story…
Rei is a beautiful bishounen. (anime and manga ‘pretty boy) that is 6 foot 3, with light eyes, long unkempt blond hair and a ‘live for the moment’ attitude.
Kira is very conservative in her attitude and her dress. She is shy to the point that interaction with other students is a nightmare.
Rei and Kira meet by chance when Rei asks her for directions to the University Medical center. Painfully shy Kira, scribbles a map for him and dashes off. Rei goes to visit his friend in the hospital and finds a beautiful picture of a mother and child sketched on the back of his map.
Rei goes to class the next day only to find the girl that gave him the directions is in his class. She will not speak to him because she does not like his attitude towards others. Rei, not being one to be ignored, grabs Kira by the bottom one of her braids to turn her towards him so they can talk. Oddly enough, this strange gesture gets them talking. Kira longs to be an artist but does not have the funds to attend art school. Rei doesn’t care about much of anything, aside from his love of motorcycles. He would be content to be a professional racer.
Now, Rei and Kira are fairly screwed up individuals in their own right (this is explained more as the series goes on, but I assure you, it’s uber angsty) but there have to be supporting characters to make the main characters struggle. All the girls are in love with Rei; some of whom he has even slept with and some of the boys are in love with Kira – namely Rei’s best friend Tatsuya. (gee, I wonder if that will come back to haunt them?) Tatsuya is okay with leaving well enough alone with Kira but the same cannot be said for Harumi, a girl that is madly in love with Rei. Harumi has a quick temper and an awful mean streak. She takes out her anger violently and has her eye on Kira because Rei has shown interest in her.
Will Rei and Kira persevere? Will Kira get her first kiss? Will Harumi go through with her threats of violence? Will Rei go splat from his reckless driving? Will Tatsuya get a spine? Will I have to go through therapy after reading this series? Probably, but it is so good, what’s a few therapist bills? Joking aside, Mars is an excellent manga series. It is focused on romance and interpersonal relationships so if you’re looking for a quick paced battle manga, go read Real Bout High School. If you are looking for a good romance with an extensive back-story, and that soap opera feel, then Mars is definitely for you.
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