Set in a different universe, it is time for a timid girl to get the center stage.
Creative Staff
Story: Nagaru Tanigawa
Art: Puyo
Translation/Adaptation: Paul Starr
What They Say
Yuki Nagato, the shy president of the literature club, has never been very sure of herself around other people. But around Kyon, the only boy in the tiny, three-person club, Yuki finds herself faltering even more than usual. For Kyon, and for her precious club, Yuki must find her confidence and let her true personality shine!
This spin-off of the Haruhi Suzumiya series takes place in the world of the “Disappearance” arc of the original novels, focusing on the high school life (and romance!) of a tentative and bashful Yuki Nagato quite unlike the one you’ve come to know and love through the usual exploits of the SOS Brigade… but no less charming!
Technical
The cover of the volume uses a fairly simple approach as it uses a white background with an almost full body image of Yuki on the left with the series title and credits displayed vertically against the spine in a semi-bright blue for the title while the credits are presented in black. What makes this cover really stand out though to fans of the Haruhi franchise though is that the image of Yuki is one rarely seen as she is showing a bit of surprise which when combined with the series title should let them know where in the franchise this side story fits into the scope of things. The spine uses a similar image though smaller with Kadokawa’s logo present at the top and the book title in black above Yuki which are both set against a white backdrop while the bottom third of the space uses a black background with white letters to display the author, illustrator, original character designer and Yen Press’ logo. The back mimics the fronts look with its clean if Spartan white backdrop with the copy being present in the top right side and a quarter cover sized, somewhat super deformed image of Kyon, Yuki and Ryouko sharing a meal at a kotatsu (low Japanese table) from the volume being the major draw.
The book contains four glossy pages (1 of which is used for the Index) which are just impressive in their design and use of color. The page quality for the rest of the book is of acceptable quality that is rather smooth though it does have a minor amount of pulp artifacts present at times. About the only downside here is that just over 160 pages the book looks a bit small compared to some other titles on the market but the material does make up with some quality what it may lack a bit in quantity. For the most part the printing is clear and sharp and there are no issues with text being hard to read or obscured and the art comes across without any sign of smudging.
The text itself is well translated as it flows smoothly and honorifics are also present for certain characters or used by certain characters though they aren’t used by everyone. If a note is needed it is often used on the side margin or just above a panel though some of the stuff such as a translation in one place where writing the note in the panel under the Japanese isn’t terrible feasible but which may appear a bit on the small for some readers depending on their eyesight. The art itself is a bit of a tossup though in its mix of styles as some of the pages are done in a very straightforward and detailed way while others side into varying degrees of SD style to add a further touch of humor to the panels of punch lines. While this style plays wonderfully in the Haruhi-Chan series its presence in a book that is more straight forward and far less gag oriented doesn’t serve the material nearly as well and while it is mostly serves the scene adequately there are a couple of spots where the shift is dramatic enough to impact the whole of the narrative in a less than flattering way and even though varying degrees or exaggeration can help sell a title some consistence can do more if a story is benefited by it.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Haruhi Suzumiya franchise has been monstrously successful as it brought forth the adventures of the titular character who has gathered a colorful, if more than a little strange in places, collection of individuals around her that include an esper, alien, time traveler and a very cynical and put upon seemingly normal high school student who become subject to her capricious nature and ideas of fun. The fourth book of the series (later adapted to feature film) The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya introduced a twist to the story as a wish was granted and the world changed to one where Haruhi never transferred to the same school as Kyon and where she and all the other special characters she had gathered around here were merely ordinary students.
The Disappearance of Yuki-Chan takes place in a universe similar to the one seen in the fourth book and feature film in that Haruhi is not at the school (though that doesn’t mean she might not be around somewhere) and where Yuki Nagato is a totally average young high school girl. Well, maybe totally average is a bit of a stretch as she is painfully shy but thanks to a push from her best friend Ryouko Asakura she has managed to both save the Literature Club she loves as well as convince the boy (Kyon) she has developed a crush on to join the club so she can spend time with him even if she can’t quite work up the nerve to talk to him as freely as she might wish.
The tales told in this volume largely focus around the period leading up to the Christmas holiday as Yuki has decided she wants to have a Christmas party for the club and attempts to go about making that happen in a rather timid fashion, often relying on Ryouko to provide the prodding Yuki needs to get her to speak her mind though not all the words seem to come out right, and certainly not all of them get said. Also in her way (after a fashion) is the second year student Tsuruya who is a card carrying member (literally- and she has a single digit number to prove it) of the (apparently not endorsed by) Mikuru Asahina fan club who keeps crossing paths with the three lit club members and who is convinced Kyon belongs in their club. With such exuberant and less-than-restrained people around her is it possible for Yuki to shine and express herself or will the moments keep passing her by despite the determination she got from a strange girls she bumped into not that long ago who imparted a different philosophy upon her?
When looking at a new entry into a franchise the question of “Do I have to know the rest of the franchise to get this?” often arises and the answer here falls along the lines of “No, but it will help, probably more than a little.” That isn’t to say that the volume is undecipherable if one hasn’t read any of the novels, manga adaption or watched the animated adaptions as much of the material is straight forward in its set up of this shy girl, her somewhat clueless but sweet crush and the boisterous and energetic best friend and her matching rival as the ideas themselves are universal if more than a bit over the top at times. It is just that the story often skips over the idea of developing these characters and plays more with the differences that they display from their main Haruhi incarnations that one might come away with a hollow feeling (not that having a strong idea of who the originals will necessarily completely negate this take away however).
In some ways it feels like an underdeveloped idea as just playing off the differences to create these new(ish) personas feels like a cheap gimmick along the lines of the Star Trek alternate universe that shows what the characters could have been but which still rely on one recognizing their original basis for the character differences to be impactful. While that concept can be done (and well) most of the time it takes having established characters to pull off but just giving stories of these not the same characters doesn’t have the same connection as a tale where they solidly set up the characters on their own might. In addition, one of the key components of the novels that the anime captures well is Kyon’s cynical and sardonic nature as he is put upon mightily by the almost force of nature assault that is Haruhi and her impositions yet here he almost an enigma where he doesn’t give off just how much he resembles his original counterpart and how much he may be a different spin on the character in this form.
None of this is to suggest that the material is without merit as even with these generalizations at times there are still situations that can bring out genuine laughs and a warm feeling, it’s just that the series seems to be coasting mightily on its connection to the popular franchise and as such some places that could use with far more introspection and development of the characters are just rolled past in the assumption that the premise carries the material well enough to serve the author’s intent. To that end veterans of the franchise likely will enjoy this peek at a different world far more than those just experiencing the franchise for the first time as a good deal of the charm is in the subtle differences of the works more than this work trying to introduce itself as hard as an unconnected and new independent series probably would.
In Summary
The Haruhi universe gets a new take in a spinoff of the Disappearance storyline as Yuki now gets the chance to lead a much different set of adventures in a timid fashion that stands in stark contrast to Haruhi’s bombastic and overpowering nature. Fans of the series will probably find much more to love as some of the charm is found in the differences that are inherent to the comparison of the characters here and in their original form and as such this book doesn’t try as hard to establish its characters as another series might in an attempt to win fans and support. There are still some wonderfully entertaining bits to be found in watching this incredibly shy girl try to handle her hopes, dreams and crushes as more energetic characters swarm about but it is the sweet touches that really stand as memorable more so than the more spirited flourishes that some of the scenes contain.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B-
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade:
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: July 24th, 2012
MSRP: $11.99
