Creative Staff
Story/Art: Tsutomu Nihei
Translation/Adaptation: Kumar Sivasubramanian
What They Say
“SHE MOVED!”
While Captain Kobayashi asserts sole command over the seed ship-and dons ancient armor-ace pilot Tanikaze looks for choice real estate, a lot of old ducts a must.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Somehow, Tsumugi survived the full brunt of the Guana attack that would have completely destroyed the Sidonia. However, she barely survived and has been in critical condition and unconscious ever since. It will be interesting to see if Tsumugi’s sacrifice will change the opinions of the anti-Tsumugi faction of crew. Tsumugi didn’t need to sacrifice herself to save the Sidonia, so will that make the doubters see that she can truly be trusted?
Regardless, the mastermind behind Tsumugi’s creation isn’t taking a wait-and-see tactic; Kunato has already begun creation of the next Guana/Human hybrid, and this one is even stronger than Tsumugi. So strong in fact, that if this new hybrid chooses to fight against its human creators, the human race will have no chance of survival. It seems like a massive gamble to me, and I wonder how this will come back to haunt the people of Sidonia.
On a much lighter note, it is entertaining to see how Tanikaze and Tsumugi interact on the ship during non-emergency periods. The Sidonia has miles of pipe and air ducts, and with Tsumugi’s ability to manipulate her form, she manages to send a tentacle all the way into the residential district to Tanikaze’s house. Tanikaze loves it, and I can’t quite figure out why he has such affection for Tsumugi. Tanikaze’s hero status does have some perks, so he pulls some strings to get access to a really old abandoned section of the residential district that is near the outer hull and Tsumugi’s quarters. So Tanikaze and Tsumugi, along with Shinatose, all move in together. I’m sure it will have some hijinks, but I really wonder when Shinatose and Tsumugi will begin to resent each other as their feelings for Tanikaze grow. Can Tsumugi become jealous? If so, will she be able to keep it under control?
In Summary
I love the opening scene in this volume. It has a great homage to the movie poster for the first Jaws film, with some humans swimming in the ocean of a new world and a massive whale/shark-like Guana coming up underneath them. The story in this volume is less battle-driven and gives the reader a chance to watch relationships develop. I personally like having a volume focus on character development as the Guana/Human hybrid, Tsumugi, is such a unique character and has the ability to really drive this series. Tsumugi wants to experience many things that humans take for granted, but I can’t help but think that her short time as a sentient being will be too little for her to safely deal with human emotions like anger and jealousy. Only time will tell if she develops feelings for Tanikaze that can’t be reciprocated, and how she manages to deal with those feelings.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Vertical, Inc.
Release Date: April 8th, 2014
MSRP: $12.95
