The latest blockbuster anime film from acclaimed director Makoto Shinkai gets the manga treatment with the first volume of Suzume. High school junior Suzume runs into a handsome stranger, Souta, who tells her he is looking for a door and asks where he can find ruins in her town. She helps Souta close a door on a mythical worm, which is revealed to be the cause of massive earthquakes, never knowing that her involvement would soon leave Souta trapped in the three-legged wooden chair Suzume’s late mother crafted for her and send them both on a cross-country race to seal all the worms away and save Japan from devastation.
Released in 2022, Suzume was another hit movie from Makoto Shinkai following his success with Your Name and Weathering With You. Becoming one of the highest grossing films of all time in Japan and receiving nominations for Golden Globe and Annie Awards, it is another worthy entry in his stacked library of films. As with his previous releases, a manga adaptation has been quick to follow.
Suzume has several of the hallmarks that can be found in Shinkai’s previous work. His last three films in particular have had a focus on forms of natural disaster whether it be falling meteors, flooding or – in the case of Suzume – earthquakes in response to Japan’s very real experiences these disasters along with the terrible cost they bring. However, it is also the first one of his films since Children Who Chase Lost Voices that has something resembling a villain. The mischievous Daijin who stands in the way of Suzume and Souta’s attempt to stop the worm attacks is a standout character and really ups the stakes of the situation. The manga version proves to be a good format for the story with both the character and the set pieces being represented well.
Denki Amashima handles this adaptation and proves to be a great choice at translating Shinkai’s work to manga. From a visual standpoint, the style and character designs are on point. Suzume is still a likable and relatable protagonist who goes a long way in carrying the story. Amashima does a particularly good job at depicting Souta in his chair form which – as in the film – is a tricky feat to pull off. Despite being an inanimate object, the chair manages to convey a ton of charm and brings a lot of humour to the work. Daijin meanwhile has the right level of deceptive cuteness and menace as a villain that gives the story a different dimension to what you’d expect in a Shinkai work.
With a perfect balance of familiar themes and new ideas, Suzume is another easy hit for Makoto Shinkai. Fans of the original film will definitely enjoy revisiting it as a manga whilst any potential newcomers can definitely appreciate it as a standalone adventure.
Suzume 1 is out 24 September from Vertical (9781647294045, p/b, £13.99)
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