Cooro is a Plus Anima, a boy with the ability to use animal powers (in his case, those of a crow). On his quest to find another Plus Anima, he comes across a circus that has a mermaid on display at the sideshow. He gets caught sneaking in without paying, and is captured by none other than the mermaid, who happens to be a fish Plus Anima boy, being made to dress as a princess. Husky, the fish boy, originally planned to have Cooro take his place at the circus, but the ringmaster thwarts his plans of escape, so Cooro rescues him and they escape together. In the village of Abon, Cooro and Husky meet the bear Plus Anima, Senri. Senri is guarding the field of Abon grass from the Garrison Group, who wants to dig it up for gold. Unable to wait for the village to give permission, the Garrison Group blows up the field, and finds out there's no gold there anyway. Senri also discovers that this is not the plant he's looking for, and decides to travel with Cooro and Husky. The three of them come to the town of Octopus, where they are pick-pocketed by some little girls. While chasing the girls to get their possessions back, Husky gets his pearls stolen while Senri ends up saving one of the little girls who stole from them. They meet the leader of the thieving girls, who lets them stay because of Senri's kindness, and agrees to help Husky get his pearls back. As it turns out, Husky's pearls were stolen by a bat Plus Anima, a girl named Nana. They pearls are lost in the end, but Nana, after settling a dispute with Husky, is allowed to join the other Plus Anima in their travels.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Cooro fell from the sky when he was a baby, like a dark angel. He is a "+anima", or a human with some of the powers of an animal; in Cooro's case, he can grow the wings of a crow. Husky is also a +anima, with the abilities of a fish, and is being used as a circus freak in a traveling sideshow. The 11-year-old Cooro frees Husky, and the two flee together, trying to find a new home. In this world, normal humans hate and fear the +anima, even their children. Cooro and Husky soon meet others like themselves: the taciturn Senri, who grows claws like a bear, and the cute but hapless Nana, who has been using her bat abilities to pickpocket. The ragtag bunch agree to travel together and find a new family with each other. +Anima is unabashed shonen manga, with adorable, magical children with golden hearts and mysterious secrets yet to be revealed. The characters are likable, and the drawing clear and stylized. It's an enjoyable romp for comic readers with a sweet tooth. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT NEW FANTASY MANGA,
This review is from: +Anima, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
+Anima is a new fantasy Manga from Tokyopop about a strange group of humans...and perhaps their not humans at all...who possess animal-like powers and features. Cooro is one such +Anima and he is on a quest to find more just like him. Coora you see has large, black wings, crow wings, causing some to think he was some kind of Angel when he was born. While visiting a circus, Coora finds the mermaid princess and recognizes her as another +Anima. Cooro rescues the mermaid from the clutches of the Ringmaster then makes a startling discovery...the mermaid is a merman. Obviously circus customers would be more interested in a mermaid so the Ringmaster dressed the boy named Husky up to look like a girl. Cooro is more than a bit surprised!
The pair then travel to the village of Abon where the only thing Cooro has on his mind is the legendary cuisine of the Abon. But they are greeted rudely by a group of thugs called the Garrison Gang. Fleeing from the village they come into contact with the Abon's protector, another +Anima named Senri who has a large, powerful bear's arm for his right arm that ends in very sharp claws. Soon the trio face-off against the gang and their leader. But where will the trio travel to next? And what is the mysterious book that Senri possesses? +Anima was a fun Manga filled with action, fantasy and comedy and a dash of mystery thrown in for good measure. Natsumi Mukai's art is wonderful and expressive. The story also tosses in some social relevance as the +Anima tend to be feared and discriminated against by most people. A great new series from Tokyopop! Reviewed by Tim Janson
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A cute little thing for all ages....,
By Quail (CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: +Anima, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
I own the Japanese version of this volume and I would have to say that this is one of the best originals out there. It's cute, it's funny, and it has people in it who can turn partway into animals; what more could one want?
*Spoilers Ahead!* The story follows a young boy named Cooro who is a crow +Anima. (Get it? Cooro? Crow? Haha. XD) He can grow wings from his back and fly, and he's on a journey to find others like himself. He meets up with a boy named Husky who is a fish +Anima. Husky was working at a circus against his own free will, and Cooro stumbles upon him while watching the show for free. Cooro is captured while trying to escape the circus workers and is then forced to work at the circus alongside Husky. (Husky had to dress as a mermaid princess even though he's a boy, hahaha.) Cooro comes up with a plan and manages to get away, carrying off Husky with him. It is then that the two decide to work together, although Husky is reluctant at first. As the story progresses, they meet up with a bear +Anima, Senri, and later a bat +Anima, Nana. They, too, join Cooro and Husky on their journey to find others. The underlying theme of this manga series is discrimination. Those who are +Anima are feared, hated, or exploited in some way. However, Cooro and the others try to show these people that +Anima are no different from regular humans. I highly recommend this manga if you like cute art and humorous stories. There are times of seriousness, but they never last long when Cooro is around. His optimism keeps the mood light and cheerful, even though it annoys Husky to no end. XD
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging from the start with great characters,
By Whitt Patrick Pond "Whitt" (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: +Anima, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
I picked this up on a whim because I liked the way the main character was drawn on the cover and I am happy I did. This is a fun manga and shows promise as a series. The premise is that in this world there are creatures called +Anima who look human but who each possess a certain gift: the ability to shift at least partially into the form of a specific animal. This volume introduces four characters: Cooro, the main character, a boy who can sprout the black-feathered wings of a crow at will; Husky, a boy who can breathe underwater and whose lower body can transform into a fish; Senri, a somewhat older youth who can transform his right arm into that of a bear; and Nana, a girl who can sprout the wings of a bat and who has some sonic voice power as well.
The author/artist, Natsumi Mukai, does an excellent job of making his (her?) characters sympathetic and individual. Cooro, whose outfit suggests some Native American influence, is relentlessly cheerful and adventurous. Husky on the other hand is rather androgynous, hates girls but loves to wear pearls, and tends to be sulky and easily annoyed. Senri, who wears a patch over his left eye, is calm, confident but unsettlingly silent, rarely speaking more than one word if he speaks at all, whereas Nana seems like she'll never shut up. And all of these characters have mysteries about them. Cooro has some connection to this world's version of the Catholic church. Husky wears a pair of pearl earrings that appear to have some meaning for him. Senri's prize possession is a small book within which is a pressed flower of a type he appears to be searching for. And Nana apparently had to run away from an abusive drunkard father after a violent episode triggered her +Anima powers to manifest for the first time. The stories in this volume deal mainly with their first encounters with each other, setting the stage for the longer series. The characters are likeable and funny, with just enough seriousness about them to give them the depth for you to care about what happens to them. If you like manga in general, you'll like this. Definitely a step up from the generic one tends to find all too often in the manga genre. Definitely recommended.
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