With most their other series currently ended CLAMP opens a new Gate.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: CLAMP
Translation/Adaptation: William Flanagan/William Flanagan and Philip Simon
What They Say
An innocent sightseeing trip to Kyoto opens up a magical realm to shy high schooler Chikahito Takamoto! Visiting a legendary shrine, Chikahito finds himself in the mystical world of Hana and her comrades–and his immunity to their powers leads them to believe that he’s no ordinary, awkward teenager! Protecting our world from violent elemental beasts, Hana and her team welcomes the confused Chikahito–who isn’t quite sure that he wants to be caught in the middle of their war! One’s thing’s certain, though, since he’s smitten with aloof, childlike warrior Hana, he’s along for the ride, for better or worse!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Chikahito Takamoto is a young man with a love of things that have a long history to them such as shrines and has a love of learning of the past associated with them. He has finally found himself visiting a city that itself has always had a pull to him as it appeals to his passion-the history laden Kyoto. A key focus of his journey is the Kitano Tenmangu temple which he has been obsessed with visiting for years and he has even talked his mother’s ear off about the shrine for some time. As he crosses one of the small wooden bridges on the property while he is making his way to get a charm after touring the grounds his world is suddenly rocked in a way he couldn’t expect.
The world swirls around him a bit and suddenly he sees an odd pair of figures perched in trees and another one on the ground who are wearing more traditional Japanese clothing. The member in the middle particularly catches his eye but he is unable to tell if the figure is a boy or girl from a bit of a distance. His state of confusion isn’t helped any as the two men on either side of the figure start arguing about things like setting boarders and a “normal visitor” which seem to be aimed in his direction.
The middle figure suddenly rushes at him as some odd shapes start to form behind him. Chikahito he finally learns the person’s name is Hana when one of the men behind her emits a swirl of energy that forms into a sword in her hands seemingly from out of thin air. Surprise is the order of the day though as Chikahito shows another remarkable power besides just breaking through seals to the three though he is in line for one final shock. With his trip over Chikahito leaves Kyoto and these strange people behind, though maybe not for as long as he may think.
Three months pass and an odd series of events have occurred that see Chikahito transferring to a school in Kyoto in March-an act that is incredibly rare within the Japanese school system. He decides to head to a noodle shop he wanted to visit for some time and discovers three faces gathered around a table that he already knows. As he spends some time with the trio he learns (as another CLAMP character would say) there is no such thing as coincidence though in his case it is more than simple fate either.
As Chikahito goes with the trio he sees some of how they work as they travel around at the request of a fourth individual and take care of supernatural events that break out. The two tallish men can call forth an elemental weapon that Hina can use to fight in the process of completing their tasks. Since Hana wishes it and he could help out in the kitchen Chikahito is welcomed into the group and gains a place to live, though he will have to meet with the trio’s employer, Hidetsugu. Chikahito’s first impression is that the man is shady-a judgment not helped when he starts talking of Oni and bloodlines and ancient Japanese history. While Chikahito’s role in events may not yet be written in the stars it is clear he is embarking on a path less traveled as he and Hana share a strange link between them.
Previous to getting to read the volume in its entirety I had the opportunity to read just the initial prologue chapter and it left me underwhelmed as it left so much up in the air. Now having the chance to read a couple of the chapters after it that are contained in this collection my opinion has changed quite a bit for the better, though there are a few hints dropped that leave me wondering if this might not turn out a bit shallow. On the positive side we get to see more of the characters which provide them a bit more chance to show off what make them unique but at the same time there are some familiar pieces in their personalities that feel a bit repetitive of other CLAMP character traits. CLAMP does do a spectacular job with the buildings in Kyoto in addition to their usual spectacular work on traditional clothing.
There is also a good deal of material here that looks like it is trying to lay a deep mystery that has supernatural connections to some of the most famous Japanese leaders during the Warring States period. Right now it feels like this exist to deepen the story but only time will tell if this angle pays off or just winds up with CLAMP spinning their wheels by trying to make something more complicated than it really needs be.
Also of note at the end of the book there is a Translator’s Notes section that deals with a good amount of the Japanese terms and concepts presented in the book. While it eschews the mini pictures that some other companies use it is a rather thourough presentation with a good deal of info present for each entry. In my reading of the first chapter I missed the very few honorifics used but they are present, though it appears that the majority of the characters simply don’t use them which may be a story point later in the series.
In Summary
Having the entire book to read rather than just the first chapter does make a sizable difference in the presentation as the reader is thrown in to some odd events initially as blind as the protagonist. With some further material to flesh things out that confusion gets some relief while a number of new questions get added in their place. Gate 7 isn’t one of CLAMP’s series that gets off to as strong a start as some others but there seems to be plenty of room to develop things to balance that out in the long haul if used correctly.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: N/A
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 12th, 2011
MSRP: $10.99
