LAGOON ENGINE EINSATZ
October 7th 2008 01:18
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Publisher: Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co Ltd/ADV Manga.
Story & Art by: Yukiru Sugisaki.
Translator: Jack Wiedeicke et al.
Graphic Artists: Robert Cortez, Heather Gary & Scott Howard.
Cost: US$10.95.
This particular manga was originally serialised in the magazine Newtype USA, which has unfortunately ceased publication as of February this year, much to my dismay. Newtype USA as far as I can make out was an English version of a similar magazine published in Japan that covered all things anime, manga and J Pop culture for those in the west who are interested in such things. A shame that it is apparently no more, oh well such is life. Anyway back to Lagoon Engine Einsatz, this particular work I found in the library hidden away amongst the stacks whilst I was en route to my weekly session of furniture shifting, keg rolling and raffle ticket selling at my local watering hole. As I knew that I would have some time to kill after all the heavy lifting had been done (the furniture and kegs) I made my way to another establishment to settle in for what would hopefully been an enjoyable reading experience along with a cleansing refreshing schooner of amber fluid (thirst work shifting kegs & furniture).
As with a lot of manga translated into English the publishers have elected to retain the traditional Japanese style format and it thus reads from right to left. Interestingly the story is broken up into nine chapters in which the drama of the tale unfolds along with three sections dedicated to giving the reader a little bit of a run down on some of the things involved in the story, a sort of glossary of people, abilities, places etc. The world into which this story is set has elements of the works of authors such as Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melnibone, Chronicle of the Runestaff et al), Howard Phillips Lovecraft (The Call of Cthulhu, At the Mountains of Madness et al) and Clark Ashton Smith who was famous for his Zothique stories, tales set at a time when our world was in its final years and the sun had become a red bloated giant in the sky.
If there is a problem with this particular manga it is the overabundance of the word lagoon, there is the land of Lagoonaria, the god Lagoonmaris, Lagoonverse a godslaying sword, the Lagoonarian sky knights and the fact that the primary protagonists last name is the same as that of the land; Lagoonaria. Maybe I am being a tad bit picky here but it reminded me of a concept one of my high school English teachers told me, essentially whenever you are writing something in the first person try not to over abuse the I, a piece of first person writing that is littered with eyes like a field littered by hail is not a pretty sight. And a manga where a phrase from the title springs up quite often in the story seems to lose a little bit in its drama and impact. Perhaps it might have worked better going with the Japanese word for lagoon? Anyway regardless of this the story and setting that are revealed are interesting and entertaining.
Events open with a skyship from the distant land of Naruana heading towards Lagoonaria; it is intercepted by a patrol of sky knights who sense that there is something amiss with this particular vessel. The crew have been contaminated by the ‘grace’ of the gods and thus are prone to suddenly becoming monstrous abominations that are a danger to all and sundry in the immediate vicinity. It seems that this is a world where many gods are not so much revered as feared for their influence is decidedly palpable and can have a detrimental effect upon people and the surrounding environment. Many centuries ago before the events in this tale the gods entered the world of mortals in order to help humanity try and transcend their petty strife and conflicts, to guide their society towards something better than what it had previously been. This unprecedented move worked, humanity were uplifted but at a great cost, the gods who had entered into the mortal world were no longer able to return to the celestial realms, they were effectively trapped in the world they had helped to raise from the muck and the mire.
Naturally you’d think that in the enlightened world that has been created due to the god’s efforts their remaining in that world shouldn’t be too great a problem. Unfortunately it was, the gods had become tainted through contact with humanity and the world and the vast magic effects that they had used to uplift the world as a result began to affect them. This ‘grace’ as it would later be called effectively lulled the gods into an age long slumber and thus all over the world in various places are gods slumbering beneath the grace that they had employed to improve the world of mortal beings. As a result of this memories from these slumbering deities can be harvested by those who are wise in the dark arts and implanted into people, objects etc becoming god seeds that under certain conditions will sprout and turn the implanted into an abomination.
What makes this seemingly adrift Naruanan skyship more of a potential menace is the fact that is flying right over the Merntsea Forest, an ancient expanse of greenery said to be where the ancient deity Merntsea slumbers after he and his fellow gods were lulled into slumber by their own magics. The primary protagonist in this tale, Sakis Lagoonaria (more Lagoonitis again) is in charge of the patrol that intercepts the hapless Naruanan vessel, he also manages to slay those unfortunate crewmen who have turned into abominations as a result of the seeds that have been implanted within them, but before the ship can be further cleansed the Sky Knights and their young leader must abandon the vessel before it crashes with them into the depths of the forest below. This is not an option Sakis is keen on following as their still remains traces of abominations on board, but he has little choice in the matter. Thus the sky knights abandon the vessel and return back to their homeland, as they do Sakis sees the legendary Pale Bird, a manifestation of a new god, one that is said to herald doom and destruction for the one who glimpses it.
Essentially this particular volume is the opening entry into a story that from its immediate overtones involves a catastrophic change occurring in the lands of Lagoonaria. It seems that the incursion of the Naruanan sky ship is not purely an accident nor is the infestation of its hapless crew; someone is manipulating events towards some nameless and no doubt malevolent agenda. The solitary surviving crewmember aboard the damaged vessel manages to whisper to Sakis the words “The Black Ship” before the Scion and Godslayer has to abandon the vessel as it crashes towards the verdant expanse of the Merntsea Forest. Sakis is heir to a tradition that has been within her family since early days, namely that she bears within her the flame of the gods and is the only person who is capable of slaying gods and the abominations born from their seeds/dreams. At the age of adulthood she will become king of Lagoonaria, leading her land. An interesting fact about this tale is that everyone in Lagoonaria who is born in this land is born female and then at a certain age they can opt to either remain female or become a male. Thus the primary protagonist Sakis looks and acts like a young boy but in actual fact is a girl, and one marked by strange whorl like symbols on her left hand that she keeps concealed beneath the sleeves of her garb.
And if you thought the gender aspect wasn’t enough there is the fact the Lagoonaria itself does not reside on the surface but floats like the clouds above the green expanse of Merntsea Forest. Apparently this is part of the grace of the lands patron god, Lagoonmaris. One wonders if Mr Sugisaki was influenced by the concept of Laputa, Castle in the Sky, when he created Lagoonaria, something to consider. If you like tales of high adventure liberally sprinkled with magic, technology and swashbuckling action that all takes place in an unusual setting then Lagoon Engine Einsatz is definitely one for you.
Story & Art by: Yukiru Sugisaki.
Translator: Jack Wiedeicke et al.
Graphic Artists: Robert Cortez, Heather Gary & Scott Howard.
Cost: US$10.95.
This particular manga was originally serialised in the magazine Newtype USA, which has unfortunately ceased publication as of February this year, much to my dismay. Newtype USA as far as I can make out was an English version of a similar magazine published in Japan that covered all things anime, manga and J Pop culture for those in the west who are interested in such things. A shame that it is apparently no more, oh well such is life. Anyway back to Lagoon Engine Einsatz, this particular work I found in the library hidden away amongst the stacks whilst I was en route to my weekly session of furniture shifting, keg rolling and raffle ticket selling at my local watering hole. As I knew that I would have some time to kill after all the heavy lifting had been done (the furniture and kegs) I made my way to another establishment to settle in for what would hopefully been an enjoyable reading experience along with a cleansing refreshing schooner of amber fluid (thirst work shifting kegs & furniture).
Events open with a skyship from the distant land of Naruana heading towards Lagoonaria; it is intercepted by a patrol of sky knights who sense that there is something amiss with this particular vessel. The crew have been contaminated by the ‘grace’ of the gods and thus are prone to suddenly becoming monstrous abominations that are a danger to all and sundry in the immediate vicinity. It seems that this is a world where many gods are not so much revered as feared for their influence is decidedly palpable and can have a detrimental effect upon people and the surrounding environment. Many centuries ago before the events in this tale the gods entered the world of mortals in order to help humanity try and transcend their petty strife and conflicts, to guide their society towards something better than what it had previously been. This unprecedented move worked, humanity were uplifted but at a great cost, the gods who had entered into the mortal world were no longer able to return to the celestial realms, they were effectively trapped in the world they had helped to raise from the muck and the mire.
Naturally you’d think that in the enlightened world that has been created due to the god’s efforts their remaining in that world shouldn’t be too great a problem. Unfortunately it was, the gods had become tainted through contact with humanity and the world and the vast magic effects that they had used to uplift the world as a result began to affect them. This ‘grace’ as it would later be called effectively lulled the gods into an age long slumber and thus all over the world in various places are gods slumbering beneath the grace that they had employed to improve the world of mortal beings. As a result of this memories from these slumbering deities can be harvested by those who are wise in the dark arts and implanted into people, objects etc becoming god seeds that under certain conditions will sprout and turn the implanted into an abomination.
What makes this seemingly adrift Naruanan skyship more of a potential menace is the fact that is flying right over the Merntsea Forest, an ancient expanse of greenery said to be where the ancient deity Merntsea slumbers after he and his fellow gods were lulled into slumber by their own magics. The primary protagonist in this tale, Sakis Lagoonaria (more Lagoonitis again) is in charge of the patrol that intercepts the hapless Naruanan vessel, he also manages to slay those unfortunate crewmen who have turned into abominations as a result of the seeds that have been implanted within them, but before the ship can be further cleansed the Sky Knights and their young leader must abandon the vessel before it crashes with them into the depths of the forest below. This is not an option Sakis is keen on following as their still remains traces of abominations on board, but he has little choice in the matter. Thus the sky knights abandon the vessel and return back to their homeland, as they do Sakis sees the legendary Pale Bird, a manifestation of a new god, one that is said to herald doom and destruction for the one who glimpses it.
Essentially this particular volume is the opening entry into a story that from its immediate overtones involves a catastrophic change occurring in the lands of Lagoonaria. It seems that the incursion of the Naruanan sky ship is not purely an accident nor is the infestation of its hapless crew; someone is manipulating events towards some nameless and no doubt malevolent agenda. The solitary surviving crewmember aboard the damaged vessel manages to whisper to Sakis the words “The Black Ship” before the Scion and Godslayer has to abandon the vessel as it crashes towards the verdant expanse of the Merntsea Forest. Sakis is heir to a tradition that has been within her family since early days, namely that she bears within her the flame of the gods and is the only person who is capable of slaying gods and the abominations born from their seeds/dreams. At the age of adulthood she will become king of Lagoonaria, leading her land. An interesting fact about this tale is that everyone in Lagoonaria who is born in this land is born female and then at a certain age they can opt to either remain female or become a male. Thus the primary protagonist Sakis looks and acts like a young boy but in actual fact is a girl, and one marked by strange whorl like symbols on her left hand that she keeps concealed beneath the sleeves of her garb.
And if you thought the gender aspect wasn’t enough there is the fact the Lagoonaria itself does not reside on the surface but floats like the clouds above the green expanse of Merntsea Forest. Apparently this is part of the grace of the lands patron god, Lagoonmaris. One wonders if Mr Sugisaki was influenced by the concept of Laputa, Castle in the Sky, when he created Lagoonaria, something to consider. If you like tales of high adventure liberally sprinkled with magic, technology and swashbuckling action that all takes place in an unusual setting then Lagoon Engine Einsatz is definitely one for you.
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