Tuesday 1 February 2005

Pic of the day: Yes, the anime is incredibly happy, despite some setbacks for our young heroes. The manga is far darker and deeper.

Pita Ten revisited

Yesterday in the mail I received book six and seven of the manga "Pita Ten". I had ordered them from Amazon.co.uk some days ago. (Since I live in Norway, ordering from the UK is pretty fast -- it is right across the North Sea. Getting stuff from the USA or from Japan takes a lot more time.) There is only one more book in the series, and I still have no idea how it will end.

I have watched the anime from beginning to end, of course. It is one of my favorites, which is why I bought the manga and the music CD. (The anime is not yet officially translated into English, so I have been watching fansubs.) However, the difference between the manga and the anime keeps growing with each volume. It is not just a difference in the story -- for instance more than one of the eight volumes is dedicated to a time trip into the past, which simply does not exist in the anime -- but also a difference in atmosphere. Despite the drama, the anime is fundamentally happy and upbeat. The manga is darker, filled with confusing emotions and fear and loss that seems more real. Characters struggle to stay in control of their own lives, and especially the main character, but gradually a greater picture is revealed and we see a fate that stretches across several generations and involves heaven and hell.

While I would recommend the anime for young teenagers and older children, I would not recommend the manga for anyone under 16. Well, not unless they were exceptionally mature. Even though the main characters are just past puberty, they are really out of their league in this. Even many adults would have problems understanding their own emotions in a situation like this. Actually I'm not sure why the creator has chosen to work with so young characters. Perhaps a more lighthearted history was intended originally, something like the anime. Indeed, the first volumes of the manga point in that direction.

It is common for anime and manga to be slightly different, sometimes quite a bit different. The most common difference is that manga tends to be more erotic, while the anime is more innocent and suited for children. At least this is true for anime that is made for TV, and in that context it is quite understandable. You don't want kids to accidentally stumble into something that you could not explain to them while others were listening. In the case of Pita Ten, however, there is not much indecency. (You may think "of course not" since the characters are in sixth grade, but the Japanese have a more realistic approach to such things than Americans.) Rather it is the darkness and the feeling of helplessness that makes this manga unsuitable for children.

None of this will keep me from buying the last volume when it comes out later this spring. I am not sure I will like the end of the story, but it is quite possible. It is a very open-ended story so far. I may love it, I may hate it. And I hope to be here to tell you which, when the time comes.