Machinations of a strange god.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Yoshitoki Oima
Translation/Adaptation: Steven LeCroy
What They Say
March, the girl who was chosen as a gift for the Oniguma, gave It the name “Fushi.” Parona, who once escaped a similar fate, plans to save March yet again. Fushi witnesses their struggles and begins to learn, taking Its first step toward agency…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
At first, it appeared that March and Parona were escaping their fate as a sacrifice and an outcast to potentially start a new life in Yanome. Alas, they should have realized something was wrong when they were shackled and lead through the city in chains. Hayase puts on a happy face and treats them to new clothes, good food, and eventually a prison cell for them to rot in forever.
Parona and March both spend much of their time in this volume formulating an escape plan and executing on it, to mixed results. Fushi, as the AI orb has been named, spends most of its time muttering the few phrases it knows and being torture-tested by the Yanome guards. They are fascinated by the immortal being and present it before the elders. To what end we don’t know. The godlike bear succumbs to its injuries, seemingly nothing more than an old tortured animal.
We never really learn why Hayase does the things she does, or why she’s so cold and manipulative. They are the bad guys for the sake of being the bad guys, and that’s it. She’s a cipher of a villain and it bothers me that we’re never given a reason for her behavior. Or why she’s so dedicated to her job even after she gets what she deserves for her role in continuing the sacrifices. Maybe she’s just a psychopath, but it bothers me that the Yanome aren’t developed.
In fact, there is still so much in the story and its world building that is left unsaid. There are allusions to ceremonies and cultural reasons for everything that happens, but maybe none of that matters. By the end of this volume the plot as moved away from Yanome, and humanity tends to have similar habits in upholding cultural and religious reflects and traditions even when it’s harmful.
Events flow in this story, from one to the next and we’re never given the full picture. The narrator only explains things in fits and starts, focusing instead on the smaller moments between Fushi and its traveling companions as they try to find meaning in their short and often painful lives.
By the time this volume comes to a close I was left with yet more questions, even as Fushi slowly is becoming a being which can communicate with reason. The supernatural moments seem to be expanding, and there are signs of other unexplainable phenomena. The being which shows itself to Fushi says it’s his creator but that doesn’t appear to be the narrative voice we’re familiar with. Violence and death, and struggle. To what end?
In Summary
Tragedy seems to follow Fushi, an otherworldly tool of a strange and distant god. Or perhaps not so distant as the closing pages of this volume would have us believe. It appears that death is the only constant in Fushi’s journey to learn more about the world. Grow, adapt, learn… and watch how terrible humans can be toward each other. There’s also selflessness and kindness, as Parona and March show in their struggle to find their way home. This strange journey is both compelling and unnerving, and I’m left wondering what Fushi’s creator really plans for it and earth.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: A –
Age Rating: 13 +
Released By: Kodansha
Release Date: December 19, 2017
MSRP: $12.99 US / $16.99 CN
