Wednesday 19 May 2004

Pic of the day: This screenshot is from the anime, though ... it's in color and generally more lifelike. The manga has its own charm, but it's a different style that you need a little time to get into.

Pita Ten - the manga

Life is good. The first 3 volumes of Pita Ten arrived in the mail today. Physical mail, as the manga is written on dead trees. It is a tradition I would just as well be without, but I would not want to be without the manga. It kinda rules.

I already wrote one entry about the anime, which I have eagerly watched this spring. (In fansubbed version, as it is not yet commercially available in European languages, and I don't understand much Japanese.)

***

As usual, the anime is slightly different from the manga, and as usual the manga is the original of the two. Actually some people claim that the two are remarkably different, but I personally don't think so. But there are certainly differences: The time lines are only roughly similar, as new characters and knowledge about characters come at different times. So, it is roughly the same scenes for the most part, but they don't occur at the same times. And also as usual, the manga is kinda more "rowdy" than the anime.

I am not sure what better word to use here. Traditionally manga has more slapstick humor and is more erotic. Now with a 12 year old main character, "erotic" is not quite the right word. (In real life, of course, there are such things when you are 12, but it is really not considered tactful to mention it, probably not even in Japan. I believe the magic age there is 14.) Anyway, in this manga there is no "fanservice" (pointless nudity or poses) but there is the occasional kiss, bite and lick. Generally it's fairly family friendly, but not quite as bowdlerized as the anime. (Although to their credit, the anime kept the utterly hilarious scene where Misha had spilled a bowl of soup on Kotaro, and he was lying on the floor while she was trying to get his shirt off when Shia came in the door.)

***

The story begins fairly similar, but diverges over time. One of the biggest differences is the role of Shia, the demon girl. In the manga, Kotarou reacts much stronger to her, getting a headache whenever she is near. That is, until the event at the hot springs hotel, which transpires quite differently in the manga. There, Shia finally caves in and kisses Kotarou, stealing a lot of his life energy. (She is a demon after all, and needs to steal life energy from others to survive. Her failure to do so has left her weak, whereas in the anime she is just weak for no obvious reason.) Kotarou falls in a coma because of this, whereas in the anime it happens because Misha messes with his soul trying to wash it(!). Then Misha (the angel girl) releases some of her own life energy, restoring Kotarou and incidentally also Shia who is still nearby. Shia confesses her crime, and Misha tells her that SHE will give her all the life energy she needs ... there is no reason for her to drain other people anymore! That's how Shia moves in with her, whereas in the anime she just had no place to live. The manga makes so much more sense.

Also in the manga, Shia and Kotarou develop a kind of relationship. Shia has a lot more depth here, she is not just a cook and polite hostess like in the anime. It is implied that she has lived in this world for quite a bit, and she seems to have picked up more wisdom than the rest of the cast. Also she is in a dilemma ... as a demon she is tempted to feed on Kotarou, but on the other hand she likes him. I am not sure how this will develop, though. In the anime something dramatic happens near the end of the series, but according to my Japanese-reading sources this is not based on the manga but written specifically for the TV show. I only have the first 3 books, and I don't even know how many there will be. The third was just out in May, and the next should be out late this summer. I really hope to see it.

(Incidentally, the "Ten" in the title is not the number 10, but short for Tenshi, angel. The name is a ploy on "clingy angel", and would best translate as "Clingel" I guess.)