Kagome Kagome

Now here’s something novel – take a bunch of school kids, stick them together in a club, give them a bunch of adventures and then stick a love triangle on top of that. Ok, I was being sarcastic – let’s face it, it’s a theme that’s been so well trodden over time, the carpet’s worn through to the floorboards. However, that’s not to say that Yui doesn’t try his best to bring something new to the genre and in a way he has, ending up with an enjoyable little romp.

Personally, I like the use of the two opposing Kagome’s (that's their first names by the way) – Nishino who wants to see ghosts and can’t and Kasuga who can see them and really doesn’t want to, nor does she want to be a part of the club. That is until she lays eyes on Masami and sees him as a potential solution to her problem. You see - how does one say this politely – Kasuga’s ability so see spirits rests upon the fact (as with all good miko) that she’s still a maiden. Should she lose her maidenhood, then in theory, she’ll lose the ability too. Hence her *ahem* interest in Masami, who is of course, holding a flame for Nishino and thus isn’t quite as responsive as she’d like. The last thing Nishino wants, of course, is for Kasuga to lose her skills, as she’s the club’s only link to the spirit world, and this leads to an amusing interplay between the three protagonists during the tale.

As for the rest of the story, well it’s fairly typical stuff, as Masami finds himself first haunted by the disembodied head of his dead mother (Freud would have a field day with him, methinks), and the hunt for the source and solution to the mystery takes off at breakneck speed. It’s generally well done and covers the whole gamut from creaking cupboard doors, possession to long forgotten, creepy shrines and family secrets. The story becomes fairly involved, as more secrets are revealed surrounding Masami’s family, as well as the ties that bind the two Kagome’s together. It does, sadly, get a bit far-fetched as the story progresses, especially once Masami becomes aware of his own “powers,” but I guess that’s to be expected from a shounen-esque storyline, although Yui more than compensates with a refreshingly surprising ending.

Something else that surprised me – artistic philistine that I am – was how much I enjoyed his character design and artwork. The girls’ designs in particular convey a sense of spunkiness, exuberance and fun and I must confess (at the risk of sounding like a dirty old man) that that played a large part in me picking up and running with this particular manga. Yui’s also not afraid to switch repeatedly from ”normal” to “deformed” character styles, using it to great effect to enhance the comedic moments.

At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a fun little story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but manages to bring a little something new to a well-tried formula, Kagome Kagome is an enjoyable, and short, read.

“When the Lord holds out his hand to us, we enter into a contract : To live together with the Lord for as long as our life may last”

Kagome Kagome portrays the daily life of women inside a nunnery, supposedly in France even though nothing is mentioned of the time or place. Inside of it are mainly orphans or women that lost everything after unfortunate circumstances and had no choice but to join it if they wanted to survive. Amongst them is Amilah, an energetic and resolute child trying her best to help around and become like a second hands to the sisters and especially to Marwena that she considers like her mother. Marwena, unlike Amilah, is more solitary and seems filled with regret and nostalgia. All throughout will it slowly reveal her true feelings and why this nunnery seems more to her like a prison than a sanctuary.

As mentioned above, the story focuses mainly on daily life and mundane tasks that these women accomplishes, be it cleaning, making food or simply praying. Its originality lays mainly in its format : originally published in a bigger size than your standard manga and fully drawn in watercolour, Aoi Ikebe is a talented artist that knows how to make the most of her medium and provide an unique and soothing experience. Her color management is especially impressive to render the different feelings of the different protagonists as well as to contrast the different locations. Everything is so well arranged that not one element seems like it doesn’t contribute to one element or another, and that way of presenting the narrative easily makes up for its lack of dialogues, telling visually what it could lazily states. Its poetic and melancholic aspect is even reinforced by some minute details like by how the different panels are surrounded by what looks like frames of a painting.

If you’re looking to escape, even for a brief moment, let yourself be nursed by the rhythm of this peaceful tale.