Customer Reviews

Wish #1

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Well, first off I should say that I did read translations of all four Wish books online, before Tokyopop bought the rights. That being said, I really enjoyed this rendition of Wish.
Let's start with the story. As you can read just about anywhere, Wish is about a doctor who rescues an angel from a mean crow (who later turns out to be a fallen angel). The little angel is, to be frank, a bit of a sissy, but is very adamant about granting the doctor a wish to thank him for his kindness. The doctor, however, is content with his life and doesn't need a wish.
(Please note, even though Amazon.com refers to the angel as "Amber," this is not his/her name in the manga. Tokyopop left it as the original Japanese name.)
A fallen angel and his two female helpers enjoy picking on the little angel and drooling over the doctor. As it turns out, the little angel is seeking an Archangel who has disappeared.

Pros: This manga is very cute but makes fun of itself whenever it starts to cross the border to "sickeningly cute." That's quite refreshing. The characters are quite interesting and also well drawn. The story, while rather simple in theory, packs a lot of sub-plot and subtle innuendo in. There's a good amount of humor in it, too, which is nice. It's not bloody and doesn't contain much violence (well, that may be a "con" depending on what you like ;) ).

Cons: Well, originally the angels were gender-neutral, from what I understand, but in the Tokyopop English version, they're assigned gender. That doesn't really bother me, though. Some people may be offended by the idea of angels engaging in sexual activities and/or falling from Heaven. Hey, I gotta warn you, right?

That being said, I REALLY enjoy it. It's one of my favorite manga. It's rather gentle, humorous and touching without being "icky!"

The angels in Wish have no gender, and the original dialogue deliberately avoids using gender-specific terms for them. In English this isn't possible (unless you want to make up words, or call them "it"), so Tokyopop chose a gender to use when referring to each one, and stuck with it. The editor, Jake Forbes, has specifically said that this is the only reason this was done, and that even in the English version the angels are actually genderless (there's even dialogue in later volumes that makes this clear).

It's a heavy oversimplification, if not a complete lie, to say that the two main characters were originally both male and they changed one of them to female to cover up a homosexual relationship. The gender ambiguity leaves plenty of room for homosexual subtext, but there were no overtly homosexual relationships in the original Japanese version of Wish. Also, Tokyopop are releasing several series with gay characters (including two that revolve around gay main characters) - isn't it a bit implausible that they would intentionally cover up a relationship between two men?

Shuichiro Kudo is walking along, minding his own business, when he ends up saving a tiny angel, a tiny angel stuck in a tree being attacked by a crow. Is she real? How can something that small have SUCH a huge head? Anyway, after saving her she offers to give him a wish. The problem is that he does not WANT one. His life is OK, his work is going well, he has no money problems and he believes in fulfilling his own dreams!

What can an angel do? Well, Kohaku (that's the angel's name) decides that the best thing to do is hang around and help him till he DOES think of a wish she can grant.

Can some wishes be fulfilled alone or do you sometimes need help?
If you didn't need help...why bother to fall in love?

First, let's get the reason this series lost a star out of the way: it has nothing to do with CLAMP, their writing, or their art. It has to do with TokyoPop.

In the original manga, the characters who are angels or demons (who, despite other confused reviewers are NOT male, but NEUTER) are all referred to in the masculine. TokyoPop, however, chose to assign gender to these characters. The most obvious is their choice to refer to Kohaku as "she" in order to appeal to a wider audience than would want to read a story between two "males" (an interesting decision, from a company that is now releasing FAKE). It was an odd choice, since it's still made clear in the manga that Kohaku is without gender ("I'm not a lady!" "No, I'm not a man, either! I'm an angel"), and an irritating one.

That aside! This is a wonderful, bittersweet story. It's not at all like some of CLAMP's better known series, but the clean art and concise storyline give it a leg up over, for example, the often messy and convoluted X. The story is complex without being overdramatic, romantic without making you gag, and heartwrenching without breaking your heart. The main romance is very much rated G, the only way it could be with a character as innocent as Kohaku-but it just proves that a love story doesn't need smut to be fun and entertaining. Besides, you'll find some smut in the secondary romantic couple, Satan's Son and an Arch Angel. The art is not as beautiful as X, but is easier on the brain for sequence and reading-much like Chobits.

The use of angels and demons may at first concern you, but don't let it. The characters are not religious but mystical in nature. This is an involved, well crafted addition to the CLAMP legacy, off beat and interesting. All in all, I suggest WISH for any fan of manga, romance, or fantasy.

I can't believe how much I loved this series. The only thing I don't like is the cover of the first book; the yellow color is ugly. I ended up getting it just because it consists of just four books, is a complete set and is still in print (can't say the same about most CLAMP works, now can you?), but I fell in love with the whole thing. The artwork is beautiful, though sometimes I don't like Mick Nekoi-sensei's jawlines (she's the lead artist for a change) and her chibi guys are weird looking at times. That aside, tones were used sparingly and the line work was all incredibly fine, giving the whole series a very angelic and airy look. Magic Knight Rayearth is so `toned' that most pages are all grey, black and action-filled. Both have their own unique style, perfectly fitted to their own stories.

So a guy (Shuichiro) finds an angel (Kohaku) and she grants him a wish. She's on earth looking for another angel (Hisui; I would imagine, Hisui-sama because they call her `madam Hisui' in English...ew) and stays in Shuichiro's place until he can think of a wish. You know the rest.

The more important thing you'll be wanting to know is the angel-devil thing. Now, the whole angel concept is very innocent, similar to the movie `The City of Angels' (or was that just `City of Angels'? Starring Nicolas Kage? I don't know....). God is mentioned sparingly, never appears in person and except for the devils bad-mouthing God slightly (for, as Kokuyo says, "Duh, we ARE devils,") there is really no objectionable material. The focus is on the angels and devils as individuals. As in the movie mentioned above, the angels are creatures like humans in mentality; they have thoughts, feelings, desires etc. In fact, it's hard to take the whole angel thing seriously, because there isn't anything very `angelic' about them.They're just people with wings and magic powers. In fact, had Tokyopop dubbed the series with `faerie' instead of `angel' and `the faerie king' instead of `God' you wouldn't have known the difference; it would have fit perfectly.
Heaven was drawn beautifully, what with the trees and beautiful skies. Hell, however, is only shown through Koryu's eyes, in other words, his bedroom, consisting of a massive four-poster bed...with his two cut servants in it. =^-^=

Now for the other problem: the shonen-ai (boy's love) thing. In the original Japanese version, the angels are genderless and are referred to with a genderless pronoun. However, though they might have been able to get away with calling pokemon `it' in the anime, it would be highly unsuitable, not to mention weird, calling the angels and devils `it'. And so the more masculine ones are `he' and the feminine one's `she'. Even CLAMP in an interview mentions their relief at finishing Wish because of the difficulty in drawing genderless characters. They all pretty much have a bishonen's figure: skinny, no hips and a beautiful face (this Kazahaya-kun of Legal Drug). And so as far as that's concerned, Tokyopo diminished the shonen-ai factor. However, they created now problems in doing so, mainly through the gorgeous, loveable and everyone's favorite: Koryu. Now he acts like a boy and looks more or less like one, so they called him he. He also hangs out with, kisses and sleeps with his two servants (the only gender specific devils in the series; they are quite obviously female 0-0 ) so they couldn't exactly call him `she'. However, it is not-so-obliquely hinted at that his cousin, Kokuyo, `did' (or rather, `does') him and he even briefly hits on Shuichiro in one of his bother-Kohaku plans. That goes into shonen-ai. But don't worry. By the end of the series, no one has actually kissed-except Koryu, lucky dog-I wanna be his slaaaavee!!!-and it's all very innocent.

I loved this series because I loved the characters. Koryu is almost like Kazahaya-kun's twin bro, so if you like one you'll like the other. Kohaku is adorable and sweet. Mostly, I loved Shuichiro, who is such a nice guy. I love the way he takes everything in his stride. An angel? No problem; you can stay over. An angel and devil lovers? Make yourself at home. Another devil and his kitty slaves? Come on in. (He seems to like the kitties, to tell you the truth.)

This book is a romance, and character-driven, so those of you looking for an amazing plot and non-stop action had better take to their heels. For those of you who love romantic comedy, great characters and a beautiful story, this is the one for you.

Beware: Many reviews have major spoilers in them, especially the reviews of the last two books as I learned to my dismay. However, even spoilers can't ruin this book, so don't worry, but I though you'd like to know. =^-^=

P>I honestly don't see how it can get less than five stars.

Why?

Plenty of reasons. Firstly, in true Clamp tradition, the artwork is beatiful. There was a different key artist for this series, and I loved the slightly different style: more linear, with a lovely focus on crisp detail, and on contrast, which suited the series perfectly; I found myself greatly admiring the pages that had a gorgeous contrast of black devils against white angels.

Also, for a four-book graphic novel series, this story has a fair bit of depth and character exploration. I think there must be at least one character for everyone. I myself fell in love with Koryu, a meanie devil who is incredibly cute as well as gorgeous and evil at various times. And how can anyone take one look at the different angels and not love them? Kohaku, the main angel, is just so cute, while 'her' naivete is realistic in how its portrayed, and in how it is challenged during the story.

There are innovative aspects, too, like the idea of the angels going into 'energy saving mode' at night, in other words turning chibi, while the devils are that way in the daytime. Also, the idea of devils and angels being genderless makes it interesting to interpret what kind of relationships there really are in the story. There are many little things like that that make this an original and thought-provoking series, not content to stick with hackneyed or traditional ideas.

Overall, I found this an enchanting and beautiful series, with unexpected plot twists, involving characters and gorgeous artwork.

And with only four volumes to buy, who can't afford to get this great set of manga? Go for it. You'll love it.

It took me a while to start reading Wish. Originally, the "teen" rating discouraged me (but now I read "teen" manga all the time, and occasionally even "older teen" such as Chobits, Love Hina, etc.) Second, I wasn't exactly into reading romance stories. And third, I just didn't feel like sitting down to read things page by page from the beginning. With Wish, you have to settle down and actually want to read the manga to get interested in it (but once you do, it's a very nice manga!).
Wish is the manga that features Mick Nekoi as the main artist. Since it's usually Mokona Apapa who does the drawing, it's only natural to expect the art to be a little less detailed. However, the artwork can still be very beautiful on some pages, such as the full pages when Kohaku (and later Koryu as well) turns into the larger, human-like form.
However, I did have a couple of confusions with genders. I was quite convinced that Koryu (the demon that chases Kohaku and yells "Inazuma shouraii!") was female, and I ended up visiting the TOKYOPOP website to confirm. Even now, I'm still a bit confused.
Shuichiro's face looks a bit odd, but the overall art is still pretty good, unless you compare it to some of CLAMP's other series, like Magic Knight Rayearth or Clover. The characters are pretty appealing though, and you probably won't end up hating any one specific character a lot.
There's even a couple of color/high qauality paper pages in the beginning of each book (6, if I remember right), which is more than usual (probably to make up for the less detailed art).
The series itself is very humorous, but it goes by pretty fast in terms of volumes. The whole series is over in just 4 graphic novels of about 180 pages each. (Not to fear, this is one of those manga stories where you tend to read a little slower than usual.)
Overall, good with a nice and slightly tangled story, but not CLAMP's best. However, it's still worth reading/buying if you're a fan of CLAMP, or if you don't feel like devoting yourself to purchasing a looong series. :}
(Also, I believe that "Inazuma Shourraii" means "Lightning summon" or something of the sort, based on the fact that it appears in both MKR and CCS.)

When I first read the reviews here, I expected the manga to be somewhat of a letdown, but boy, was I wrong! I enjoyed reading this even more that reading Rayearth, which is QUITE a statement!
First off, I loved the artwork MUCH more than in X/1999. While that artwork tends to be somewhat dark and muddled and headache inducing, the clear line art in WISH was a relief. The plot line is as clear as the art, and entrancing (in fact, after I bought the first one, I had to go back the next night to immediately buy the second volume!)
Also, it's a little on the shoujo side, but not to an extreme, which is well recieved after extensive readings of Fushigi Yugi and Ceres (I love those series, I really do...).
In response to a comment from another reviewer, I DO think the translaters could have done a better job, but the main "romance" is NOT between two males. Yes, Shunichiro IS a male, but Kohaku does not have a gender, Kohaku is simply an angel. The translator simply assinged the Devils the male gender and the Angels the female gender to clear things up a bit to the reader.

All in all, I find this a must read. I don't generally buy mangas (I borrow them from friends), but I've found that I'm compelled to buy this entire series because of it's sheer mastery. More proof that CLAMP are the masters!

How many of you are sick of American companies fouling up great manga or anime? This would be an example of one of those cases. Having read the story in its original Japanese text, I was greatly annoyed to open the "100% manga" English translation, only to find that the gender of one of the main characters was completely switched in order to appease the constrictions of American society. The two main characters are MALE, and YES the story revolves around their love.

I would greatly advise would-be buyers to refrain from purchasing this comic from American publishers who obviously have no regard for the artist's original intent. Instead, there are plenty of places online to find accurate translations or even scanlations. Even if this is illegal, fans wouldn't have to resort to these methods if only translating companies would have respect authors instead of butchering wonderful stories in hopes of appeasing a narrow-minded group of people. And they have the audacity to plaster "100% pure manga" on their covers!

This story is so sweet. I don't think I read such a sweet story before. It's simple and light hearted. Easy to enjoy. The kind of story that you can just read for pleasure, and not have to ponder and analyze over.

A ton of people said that they were confused over the gender thing. What is there to be confused about? Kohaku is neither male or female, just an angel who falls in love with a man. There is no such thing as a male or female angel (though some of them might look a bit more feminine than others). It's so simple. AS other reviewers pointed out, Tokyopop called Kohaku a "she" because they couldn't call it "it", causing it to sound like they were adressing a thing, rather than an angel.

Gosh, people just get wound up so easily, it's scary. An the religion thing. You would think that these stories are being examined by obsessed Bible fanatics. So everything is not perfect in heaven. Who would have guessed?

Overall, Clamp brought to life a wonderful, cute story that should be apreciated for for what it is and the message it conveys. I mean, the message is basically foribidden love. In this case it's between an angel - not a woman, not a man - and a man from Earth. It's just love and attachment.

Some need to understand that it doesn't always have to be so clear cut and boring, like the typical love stories (girl falls for boy (or vice-versa), oh, no, their families oppose it, there are dark pasts that need to be unraveled, what will they do? Everyone wants them apart, cause one is rich, or popular, or just too cool and the other is poor, or not famous, or geeky. Stuff like that.
Love should not be defined like that. Man and woman. In this story, we have man and angel. Not +woman+, but angel. So what? It's still love. Maybe if we considered angel a gender of its own it would be more clear?......

If some of you really want something to critizise in terms of religion, read Angel Sanctuary- an awsome manga that breaks all the limits.