Teen-centric, quirky and romantic, Translucent will appeal to shojo fans who like a little twist with their gakuen mono! Shizuka is an introverted girl, dealing with schoolwork, boys, and a medical condition that begins to turn her invisible! She finds support with Mamoru, a boy who is falling for Shizuka despite her condition, and with Keiko, another girl who suffers from this illness and has finally turned completely invisible. The mysterious disease that these teens struggle with becomes a metaphor in the ordinary lives of the students in their classes, as they try to work their way through their friendships and romances. Writer and artist Kazuhiro Okamoto knows how important surfaces are to people, especially at such a pivotal time in one's life - when dreams are meant to be chased, despite all hurdles. Translucent's shifting variables between what people can see, what people think they see, and what people wish to see in themselves and others makes for an emotionally sensitive manga, peppered with moments of surprising humor, heartbreak and drama.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
If you can't see her, is she really there?,
By
This review is from: Translucent Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)
Shiroyama is your typical teen girl, with one small catch... she has a rare disease that makes her turn invisible. You read that right... in-vis-ible... and that's the entire hook for the series; as in, how does your typical teen girl manage to cope with people not even noticing her, both literally and figuratively? Of course, some people still manage to make a connection, such as the eccentric Tadami, who sees her for who she is as a person whilst taking her spurts of translucence as only an odd quirk.It seems to me that Translucent is less about the hook of invisibility and more about your prototypical coming of age story as our main characters begin to develop into more than just overlarge children, and beginning to show signs of emotional maturity... well, for the most part. It seems, despite his natural tendency to say and do the right thing when Shiroyama needs him, Tadami is still very much young at heart. Despite it's simple dialogue, very stock plot points and sight gags, Translucent's narrative still manages to be a tad compelling, and any manga that includes a Cyranno de Bergerac chapter (as opposed to the countless Romeo and Juliet or Sleeping Beauty inserts in manga), has my vote. I should note that the art is the main rub for me in this book. The roughness and lack of distinctiveness to pretty much all background characters makes Translucent feel very much like a student's piece. There were quite a few spots where I was left questioning, "who are these people talking to Shiroyama" and "wait, is that Tadami? No, can't be... the hair's slightly different." And, to compensate, several bit characters are far too overly distinct... such as the drama advisor whose chin could wrestly Jay Leno's. Still, I'd recommend a read at the very least as, despite all it's faults, Translucent still has a few oddly endearing moments.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good story for anyone dealing with disability,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Translucent Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)
I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone who has a physical disability or who has friends or family who have to deal with unpredictable medical issues.Shizuka disappears, sometimes a little bit at a time, and sometimes all at once. Many of her worries center around whether she can bear to be close to other people, and what they'll think of her if her disease goes permanent and they can never see her face again.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Coming of Age story,
By Kamui K (New York, NY; USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Translucent Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)
A sweet coming of age story thoroughly enjoyable for all ages and either sexes.I was surprised to find such a wonderful series in the bargain bin at Comic-Con. And it's a real shame there's series like this one that's often over looked. Reading this kinda reminds me of of the mood in Kiki's Delivery Service, in which it brings you back to your adolescence. There's silly little games you might of played and have long forgotten, for example. This isn't the standard shoujo, school angst, love triangle, sexual tension, drama, bull cr@p that's SO common among shoujo manga now a days. If this series touches these subjects, they don't linger on it for too long and insist on draaaagggging it out for chapters (or books) like other series. Book 1 and 2 so far, have good pacing for my tastes. Inject some drama from an illness that's full of mysteries, without going too sci-fi. But gives enough conflict by touching on society's insensitivities to people with disabilities. While giving the cast of characters something to constantly address and over come in each chapter. Yet, always leaves you feeling good at the end. And you've got yourself a wonderful read. What makes this a refreshing read for me, is the fact that this isn't a 1 person saves the world/universe story. No super hero with unique powers and their crazy adventures (which could EASILY go that direction after reading the basic plot). No sense of main character(chosen one) vs. the world/arch villian/secret society/school mates/love rival/school bully, or whatever typical hijinks you'd find in a typical shounen or shoujo manga. In a nut shell, I'd categorize this as a "coming of age" story. In par with Ghibli's Whispers of the Heart and Kiki's Delivery Service (but with less discovery/adventures).
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