Sunday, June 24, 2007
MANGA CORNER: TENSHI NI NARUMON! REVISITED
The first manga review I ever wrote (though not the first to appear on this blog) was a review of Tenshi ni narumon! a two volume manga based upon the anime of the same name (the first half of the anime was released in the U.S. under the title I'm Gonna Be an Angel!). At the time I wrote the review, I had only seen the first nine of the anime's twenty-six episodes. I saw the rest of the first half when it was released in the U.S.; and a few weeks ago I watched the rest of the series on YouTube. Now that I've seen the whole anime, I thought I'd take another look at the manga, in particular at how the manga differs from the anime. As far as possible, I'll try to avoid spoilers for both the anime and the manga.
Obviously, when transforming a 26-episode anime into a two-volume manga, a lot has to be left out or condensed. But given this constraint, the first half of the anime is adapted pretty faithfully, except for the first-half climax, some aspects of which are changed. On the other hand, the anime's second half (which makes up the second volume of the manga, except for its first few pages) undergoes drastic changes in the manga.
To start with, Raphael is eliminated completely from the manga. Of course, this substantially alters Mikael's character. Miruru is virtually eliminated from the second volume, in contrast to her prominent role in the second half of the anime (she only appears at the edge of a single panel, as far as I know). Noelle's family, who were less important in the first volume of the manga than they were in the anime, are even less important in the second volume. In fact, they're virtually absent from the second half of this volume. And Natsumi's role in the second volume is diminished, and different, from her role in the second half of the anime.
While Eros and Muse remain important characters in the manga, their characterizations, and their relationships with each other and their employer, are completely different (up until their final scene with their employer). Eros does not remain in his employer's realm directing Muse, but works hand-in-hand with Muse, who does not transform herself. Eros is not constantly and fruitlessly trying to please his employer, nor is Muse constantly trying to please Eros. Nor do Eros and Muse function primarily as comic relief, as they do in the anime. Furthermore, the strategy they employ is different.
In fact, the only scenes from the anime's second half which appear in the manga are the aforementioned final scene between Eros, Muse and their employer; the finale, which is itself heavily altered; and parts of the aftermath. Apart from these, the events in the manga's second volume (except for its opening scene, which is a spillover from the anime's first half) are almost wholly new.
I'm sure a lot of people will be outraged upon hearing of these changes, particularly the elimination of Raphael. I myself regret the diminuition of Natsumi's role (she gets somewhat of a raw deal in the manga, IMO). But the manga tells a satisfying and enjoyable story in its own right. In fact, I actually prefer some aspects of the manga, such as its more serious Eros and Muse. I also like the manga's finale better: not only does it do a better job of avoiding cliches, but it gives Noelle herself a more active role in the finale. As for the loss of Raphael, I'd be more unhappy about it if his role, and his relationship with Mikael, hadn't been so sketchy in the anime in any case. All of this, of course, is not to say that I didn't thoroughly enjoy the anime.
If you've watched the anime, and want to know more about how the manga differs (or if you've read tha manga and want to know more about how the anime differs, for that matter) write me, and I'll answer your questions as best I can.
UPDATE: In the original version of this post, I let slip a fairly large spoiler for both the manga and the anime. I've fixed that.
The first manga review I ever wrote (though not the first to appear on this blog) was a review of Tenshi ni narumon! a two volume manga based upon the anime of the same name (the first half of the anime was released in the U.S. under the title I'm Gonna Be an Angel!). At the time I wrote the review, I had only seen the first nine of the anime's twenty-six episodes. I saw the rest of the first half when it was released in the U.S.; and a few weeks ago I watched the rest of the series on YouTube. Now that I've seen the whole anime, I thought I'd take another look at the manga, in particular at how the manga differs from the anime. As far as possible, I'll try to avoid spoilers for both the anime and the manga.
Obviously, when transforming a 26-episode anime into a two-volume manga, a lot has to be left out or condensed. But given this constraint, the first half of the anime is adapted pretty faithfully, except for the first-half climax, some aspects of which are changed. On the other hand, the anime's second half (which makes up the second volume of the manga, except for its first few pages) undergoes drastic changes in the manga.
To start with, Raphael is eliminated completely from the manga. Of course, this substantially alters Mikael's character. Miruru is virtually eliminated from the second volume, in contrast to her prominent role in the second half of the anime (she only appears at the edge of a single panel, as far as I know). Noelle's family, who were less important in the first volume of the manga than they were in the anime, are even less important in the second volume. In fact, they're virtually absent from the second half of this volume. And Natsumi's role in the second volume is diminished, and different, from her role in the second half of the anime.
While Eros and Muse remain important characters in the manga, their characterizations, and their relationships with each other and their employer, are completely different (up until their final scene with their employer). Eros does not remain in his employer's realm directing Muse, but works hand-in-hand with Muse, who does not transform herself. Eros is not constantly and fruitlessly trying to please his employer, nor is Muse constantly trying to please Eros. Nor do Eros and Muse function primarily as comic relief, as they do in the anime. Furthermore, the strategy they employ is different.
In fact, the only scenes from the anime's second half which appear in the manga are the aforementioned final scene between Eros, Muse and their employer; the finale, which is itself heavily altered; and parts of the aftermath. Apart from these, the events in the manga's second volume (except for its opening scene, which is a spillover from the anime's first half) are almost wholly new.
I'm sure a lot of people will be outraged upon hearing of these changes, particularly the elimination of Raphael. I myself regret the diminuition of Natsumi's role (she gets somewhat of a raw deal in the manga, IMO). But the manga tells a satisfying and enjoyable story in its own right. In fact, I actually prefer some aspects of the manga, such as its more serious Eros and Muse. I also like the manga's finale better: not only does it do a better job of avoiding cliches, but it gives Noelle herself a more active role in the finale. As for the loss of Raphael, I'd be more unhappy about it if his role, and his relationship with Mikael, hadn't been so sketchy in the anime in any case. All of this, of course, is not to say that I didn't thoroughly enjoy the anime.
If you've watched the anime, and want to know more about how the manga differs (or if you've read tha manga and want to know more about how the anime differs, for that matter) write me, and I'll answer your questions as best I can.
UPDATE: In the original version of this post, I let slip a fairly large spoiler for both the manga and the anime. I've fixed that.
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