Translucent: Volume 1

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).

SO GOOD.....you will not regret purchasing this book. Insightful, moving, excellent plot, and very good artwork. Wonderful manga published by Dark Horse. They have also published other great work.

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.