Angelic Layer, Vol. 1 (v. 1) [Paperback]

Clamp (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

In the future, the most popular game in the world is Angelic Layer. Contestants must raise and train their own "Angels" (or fighting dolls) to compete in tournaments. Enter Misaki Suzuhara, sixth grade Angelic Layer prodigy. With her speed-type angel, Hikaru, many people think Misaki stands a chance at winning the championship. She’ll have a lot of help along the way, but the road to victory will be not be an easy route, especially for someone as young as Misaki.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

CLAMP is an all-female team and one of the hottest groups of manga creators in Japan today. Credited with bridging the gap between male and female comic fans, CLAMP has many other series to their credit, including X, Clover, as well as Magic Knight Rayearth followed fanatically by readers wherever they're available

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: TokyoPop (June 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193151447X
• ISBN-13: 978-1931514477
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #884,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Manga > By Creator > Clamp

More About the Author

Clamp, stylized as CLAMP, is an all-female Japanese manga artist group that formed in the mid 1980s. Many of the group's manga series are often adapted into anime after release. It consists of their leader Nanase Ohkawa, who provides much of the storyline and screenplay for all their works and adaptations of those works respectively, and three artists whose roles shift for each series: Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi. Almost 100 million Clamp tankōbon copies have been sold worldwide as of October 2007.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than the anime, August 23, 2004

By 

Strategos "The Guardian of Time" (In Space above Planet Earth) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Angelic Layer, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

I wanted to see Angelic Layer ever since I saw some music videos on the Internet. After watching the fan-subs numerous times I knew I had to have the dvds when they came out. Then I read the manga...

It's hard to believe, but I actually think the manga is better than the anime in this case. In the anime, Misaki is more doubtful and distracted (even during the fights). In the manga, however, she's super-cute all the time, but when she starts a battle that's all her mind is on.

And speaking of battle, I don't think I've seen a manga yet where I liked the fight-sequences quite as much. The back-flipping, cartwheeling, super-graceful movements of the angels on the layer is simply a joy to behold on the printed page.

The dialog of the characters also seems (to me at least) to have more snap to it in the manga than on the show, and Icchan in particular is so incredibly hilarious I couldn't help but laugh out loud many times when reading Angelic Layer. The art style is interesting as well, as the characters are supremely well-defined and well-drawn at dramatic moments but turn into very silly (and very funny) "squid" versions during comedy dialog.

This is one manga that pretty much anyone can read. There's enough action to satisfy the martial-arts lovers, enough cuteness to satisfy a little girl, and none of the sex and violence garbage that could otherwise mar an excellent story.

I can't recommend this Manga highly enough.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling!, March 20, 2004

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angelic Layer, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

Twelve-year-old Misaki Suzuhara is a little afraid, starting a new school in Tokyo. But on arrival, she learns about a whole new phenomenon that's sweeping the world of toys - mentally controlled fighting robots called Angelic Layer. So captivated, she immediately spends all her money to get her own Angel, and she soon proves to be a natural at tournament play. There's a very odd man, who keeps popping up, ready to help her at every step. But, who is this strange man, and what does he want?

This *excellent* little book is one of the best mangas that I have read. The characters are all interesting and believable, with a healthy dollop of fun thrown in. I quickly found myself drawn into the story, it being quite intense, and yet quite friendly (Angel Layer is a game, after all), not as violent as you might expect. A great thing about this book is that it is printed so as to be read from back-to-front, right-to-left, in the Japanese style, helping to give the reader the feeling of entering another world. I really enjoyed this book, and found the story to be absolutely enthralling. I highly recommend this book!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Techno-toy fun for all ages., June 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Angelic Layer, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

When CLAMP sets out to create a manga, they sometimes pick a genre that's a bit overdone and give it a powerful (or bizarre) new twist. This is one such story.

The basic gist is that in the not-so-distant future, children compete against each other with via small mechanical dolls called "Angels." A country-bumpkin girl, Misaki, comes to Tokyo and immediately is swept up in the furor surrounding these dolls, and purchases her own. Though the premise is a little like Pokemon or any number of "children battle for fame/glory via critters," there's a definite twist to this one. In fact, I'd wager that CLAMP is making a very large point about how easy it is to manipulate children into buying "all the accessories" and toys with crazes like Pokemon, etc.

Satire aside, it's a very funny manga so far with lots of superdeformed comical moments. The humor isn't lewd. It also isn't as intense as Clover or X/1999. No gore or anything, and no real angst. It's really quite fit for all ages and genders (originally written for the boy's manga market, but girls like it too).

I liked it very much and recommend it if you enjoy a lighter reading romp and lots of humor and action!