The trials and triumphs of hopeful prima ballerina Hijiri Masumi continue in the CMX version of this beloved international hit. When the naturally talented Kyogoku Sayoko injured her ankle, the chance of a lifetime fell into Masumis lap. Shes now faced with the challenge of representing Japan in a competition in Russia, far from home. Masumi is up against two of the finest Russian dance prodigies, but the tremendous stress and fear cause her to lose her hearing. Can Masumi dance the finest performance of her life without music to inspire her?
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Gr. 6-9. Swan is the story of Masumi, a young girl from a rural Japanese town, who dreams of becoming a prima ballerina. She is picked to take part in a national ballet competition but realizes that although she has the passion and talent to be a great dancer, her training lags behind that of her peers. During the competition and the subsequent professional lessons, she fights to improve her abilities and achieve her dreams. Swan is one of the most famous shoujo (girl's manga) ever published. Although it first appeared in Japan in the mid-seventies, the art and story hold up beautifully. The ballet scenes are fluidly executed, and the storytelling really allows the reader to root for Masumi and her dreams. This book and Sakura's Land of the Blindfolded, reviewed below, are launch books for a new DC imprint, CMX, which is aimed at women readers. Tina Coleman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic shoujo,
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This review is from: Swan: Volume 1 (Paperback)
CMX have done an excellent job of printing and presenting this volume of the famous ballet manga, the first of 21. Their translation's not bad, either. However, I do wish someone had thought to follow Del Rey's lead and provide a short explanatory introduction, otherwise "Swan's" primary audience (mainly girls from 10/11 up) are likely stumble on a few puzzling elements.Many of these arise from the fact that this title began publication almost 30 years ago - it ran in a Japanese girls' manga anthology from 1976 to 1981. Thus, Russian dancers come from the Soviet Union, whose main cities are still Moscow and Leningrad, rather than Moscow and St Petersburg. Then-famous real-life characters introduced into the story (Margot Fonteyn, Georges Balanchine) are less likely to be well-known; and so on. But the main difficulty lies in the style. Not so much the graphic elements of random flowers, stars, floating feathers etc - these are still with us, after all, and even appreciated. Not even those incredible 70s fashions - girls wearing knickerbockers, knee-high boots, huge floppy caps! guys in enormous cable-knit sweaters! everyone wearing at least three layered tops! No, at least in the early volumes it's the all-pervading melodrama, typical of shoujo manga at the time but now much toned down. Two girls caught talking in class weep and tremble before their teacher's anger. The simplest announcement creates shock-waves of tension among the students. Lots of fun if you want to wallow in the sheer emotion and angst of it all; perhaps harder to understand if you're used to the modern style. Nevertheless, there's a lot for anyone to enjoy here. At the time Ariyoshi wrote, ballet was still regarded as an exotic foreign import in Japan, appealing to a minority audience and with no official support. "Swan", superb entertainment though it is, thus has a didactic function as well: the author wants her audience as well as her characters to understand the foundations of this art. Ballet steps mentioned in the text are then described in footnotes; whenever her characters watch a performance, Ariyoshi includes information on when it was created, where performed and who first danced the main roles. Thanks to her superb illustrations - which only get better as the story goes on - this is no dry instructive exercise: she builds up a real sense of the history, traditions and dynamism of both classic and (later in the series) modern ballet. The first volume, as always, acts as an introduction to the entire long story to come. Our heroine, Masumi, has studied at a small amateur ballet school in the rural northern island of Hokkaido. Through a series of coincidences and amazing good luck, she's accepted into an elite group of students being trained in Tokyo by no less elite foreign teachers, including the handsome and enigmatic Russian, Sergiev. Masumi has natural talent and a passion for dance. However, the weaknesses in her early training may prove fatal to her chances of going further - just as her friendships with the other students (male and female) have begun to nurture her ambition to become a real dancer herself. Over the next 20 volumes, as Masumi becomes a young woman, she also has to balance her friendships and eventual loves against an ever more demanding career... Despite the reservations at the beginning of this review, "Swan" truly is one of *the* classic girls' manga, with even better storytelling and graphic art to come. Nostalgic fun for adults, and perfect for the young ballet fanatic in your life!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Swan in "prima" condition,
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This review is from: Swan: Volume 1 (Paperback)
I couldn't have asked for a more pristine copy. Having only ever had access to the library's old worn copies, I was dazzled (and so was my roommate) by the graphics inside. This manga series is one of my favorite, but you can't find it in book stores. I was nervous about buying them on amazon, but you have calmed those fears. Thanks!!!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun shojo!,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Swan: Volume 1 (Paperback)
This is a ballet story. That's basically what it's about. I happen to love ballet stories, but if you don't then their really isn't much reason to pick this one up. Unless of course you pick it for the drama. It is a varied and complex storyline with many different twists and turns. The author throws you for one loop after the next. The art style is quite intricate and involves a lot of black to white contrast. The author goes more for realism then most. Beautiful story. Masumi is a humble ballet student at a very laid back, unprofessional ballet studio. She gets invited to a prestigious competition and has no idea why. She meets many friends but makes more enemies. Not out of any fault of her own, she just keeps getting favor after favor because the higher ups think she has potential. Which, she does. The other students just don't get that. She is the wildcard in all of the expert ballet things she does. She is the exception and that makes people angry. Masumi is a clumsy, naïve girl but she really loves ballet. This is a great, involving read with romance and challenges. You'll grow to love the characters and you'll really care about them. However, you just won't like it if you hate ballet.
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