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Review

by Rebecca Silverman,

Asadora!

GN 2

Synopsis:
Asadora! GN 2
Asa and Kasuga continue their mission to feed survivors of the typhoon and look for Asa's family, but the old pilot's injury from when he obtained the plane is getting worse, and no one seems to have noticed. Asa has to learn to fly in order to save them both, even as she grapples with the thought that her entire family may not have made it. Five years later, seventeen-year-old Asa has found her calling, but can't forget the strange things she saw after the typhoon. When a man from Kasuga's wartime past approaches with a photo of something alarmingly familiar, Asa starts to wonder if maybe she wasn't imagining that giant footprint where her house once was after all…
Review:

This volume wraps up the aftermath of the typhoon, but not before we see it leave its lasting mark on Asa Asada. While she and Kasuga, the old pilot, are looking for the rest of the Asada family, they witness a strange sight: a giant tail or tentacle rising from the log-strewn sea, right near where a giant reptilian footprint marks the spot where Asa's house used to stand. Neither Asa nor the old man can quite believe what they're seeing, and quickly the sight of three familiar survivors and the old man's worsening injury claim their interest, and the strange object becomes nothing but a weird memory of a bizarre time...

Welcome back to Asadora!, the strange blend of historical fiction, adventure tale, and science fiction. Things are still frantic in the typhoon's wake, but thanks to Asa they are starting to even out, and that's because she's helped to give everyone a purpose: saving the survivors. With the SDF in its infancy, there's no real system in place yet to get rescue workers mobilized save a police force and population still reeling from World War Two; 1959 isn't nearly far enough out for most adults to have shaken off their experiences. But those same experiences help them to rally around Asa as she and Kasuga drop food from the plane that he, ah, acquired in the previous volume, and this time things pay off: Asa recognizes the area around her home, even though the Asada house itself is missing. Instead, there's a giant three-toed footprint, something that Kasuga tries to say isn't real – and which may relate to the opening scenes of the book, when two academics are exploring a jungle with local guides. They find huge claw marks on a tree trunk, while the guide trembles and simply says, “Asa.”

Just how these two things are related becomes a persistent theme throughout the volume. The claw marks bookend the story, with the final scene featuring the younger of the two researchers meeting a seventeen-year-old Asa in 1964, but that's not the only mention of the mysterious creature. Besides the marks on the tree and the footprint, Asa and Kasuga witness a giant limb rising out of the floodwaters during their rescue mission, an image that they mostly shake off as Kasuga's condition worsens and Asa has to learn to fly the plane in a hurry. But again, in 1964, an old war acquaintance of Kasuga's appears with a photo of that same strange thing they saw back in 1959, bringing it all back to the fore. All of it is definitely building to something, but at this point we really don't know what.

What is clear, however, is that Asa is an amazing character. Not only does she mobilize the adults into action, but she also proves that she can cope no matter what the world throws at her. When she sees her three youngest siblings and the OB/GYN on a rooftop, she takes that as a sign of hope that the rest of her family may have somehow survived. When Kasuga can no longer fly the plane, she not only immediately learns to do it, but she doesn't panic either. She's no Mary Sue, though; it's clear that she is having to work to keep herself going, as a scene at school where she's trying to focus quietly shows us. Asa may be an inspiration to others, but she's also having to be that same inspiration to herself, and that does take a toll on her, which may be why she takes to flying so quickly: in the sky, she's free. It's the need for that freedom that drives her to confront the man who shot Kasuga in order to secure the plane for herself, but it also may be behind her talent for feeling what the plane wants. She can understand the engine and other components of the plane in a way that's instinctive, possibly because both of them want nothing more than to fly through the skies above all of their worries. It also makes for an interesting comparison with her friend the runner – running can also be viewed as a form of freedom similar to that of flying; both allow a degree of escape from the everyday problems people face. But he's unable to run on the level his father wants him to, even with Asa as his inspiration. It's almost a footnote in this volume (which is too bad), but it also seems like a plot thread worth keeping an eye on as we go forward.

Asadora!'s second outing is just as fascinating as the first volume. Asa's growth as a character, as she learns to function in a crisis in ways that impress everyone around her, make her more than just a Strong Female Character; she's a kid having to grow up way too fast, but somehow finding joy in it. The bookending of the volume, with the same researcher and image of giant claw marks in a jungle, remind us that there's more to this story than just a coming-of-age narrative, but Asa really is the heart of things - possibly in more than one way. The pacing is expertly done, the fidelity to the time period is impressive, and there's still that undercurrent of the unknown that carries everything along. We're in for a long ride here, but I don't doubt that it will be worth it.

Grade:
Overall : A-
Story : A-
Art : A

+ Asa is an impressive but still enjoyable character, good use of bookending with the mysterious creature. Nice fidelity to the time period.
Not quite enough time on Asa's friend, time skip is a bit out of nowhere.

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Production Info:
Story & Art: Naoki Urasawa
Licensed by: Viz Media

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Asadora! (manga)

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