Twin Spica volume 4


By Kou Yaginuma (Vertical)
ISBN: 978-1-934287-93-4

The hungry fascination, hopeful imagination and fevered anticipation of space travel which was an integral component of post-World War II society is the compulsive narrative engine for this inspiring manga epic from Kou Yaginuma, who began his voyage of discovery with his poignant short story ‘2015 Nen no Uchiage Hanabi’ (‘2015: Fireworks’), published in Gekkan Comics Flapper magazine in June 2000.

The author subsequently expanded and enhanced his subject, themes and characters into an all-consuming epic coming-of-age spellbinder blending hard science and humanist fiction with lyrical mysticism and traditional tales of school-days and growing up.

Small unassuming Asumi Kamogawa always dreamed of going into space. From her earliest moments the lonely child had gazed with intense longing up at the stars, her only companion and confidante the imaginary friend Mr. Lion.

When Asumi was a year old, the first Japanese space launch ended in catastrophe when rocket-ship Shishigō (“The Lion”) exploded: crashing back to earth on the city of Yuigahama where the Kamogawas lived. Hundreds were killed and many more injured.

Among the cruellest casualties was Asumi’s mother. Maimed and comatose, the matron took years to die and the long, drawn-out tragedy deeply traumatised her tiny, uncomprehending daughter.

The shock also crushed her grieving husband who had worked as a designer on the rockets for Japan’s fledgling Space Program.

In the wake of the disaster, Tomoro Kamogawa was assigned by the corporation who had built the ship to head the reparations committee. Guilt-wracked and personally bereaved, the devastated technologist visited and formally apologised to each and every survivor or victim’s grieving family. The experience crushed him.

He is certainly no fan of the space program now; having lost his wife, his beloved engineering career and his pride to the race for the heavens. He raised his daughter alone, working two – and often three – menial jobs at a time for over a decade and cannot countenance losing the very last of his loved ones to the cold black heavens…

In response to the Lion disaster, Japan set up an Astronautics and Space Sciences Academy. After years of passionate struggle and in defiance of her father’s wishes, in 2024 Asumi – an isolated, solitary, serious but determined teenager – was accepted to the Tokyo National Space School. Without her father’s blessing, she reluctantly left Yuigahama and joined the new class.

Amongst the year’s fresh intake were surly, abrasive Shinnosuke Fuchuya (an elementary school classmate who used to bully her as a child back in Yuigahama), jolly Kei Oumi, chilly Marika Ukita and spooky, ultra-cool style-icon and fashion victim Shu Suzuki who soon became the shy introvert’s closest acquaintances.

Every day Asumi nudged inexorably towards her goal: the stars. Ever since the crashing rocket had shattered her family, she had drawn comfort from the firmament, with Mr. Lion staring up at the heavens at her side – especially drawn to the twinkling glow of Virgo and the alluring binary star Spica. And now she was so tantalisingly close…

Small, poor, physically weak but resolutely capable, Asumi endures and triumphs over every obstacle and she still talks with Mr. Lion – who might just be the ghost of the Shishigō’s pilot…

All any student can think of is going to space, but they are harshly and perpetually reminded that most of them won’t even finish their schooling…

At just four feet, eight inches tall Asumi is constantly struggling to meet the arduous physical requirements dictated by the Academy but has already survived far greater problems. She is only slowly adjusting to life in Tokyo, sleeps in tawdry communal women’s dorm “The Seagull”, struggles with many of her classes and subsists on meagre funds, supplemented by part-time jobs.

She had also inexplicably incurred the obsessive hostility of astrophysics lecturer Professor Sano. Unbeknownst to Asumi, he had a long-hidden grievance with her father and was determined to kick her out of the school at all costs. Now even his threat has been surprisingly neutralised by high-ranking friends she is still blithely unaware of and the scurrilous martinet has been abruptly replaced by the far more amenable and encouraging Mr. Shiomi …

Individual stories are broken up into “Missions” and this mesmerising fourth volume covers numbers 14-18, and also offers a trio of sidebar stories including another autobiographical vignette about the author’s own teenage years.

‘Mission: 14’ begins with the class reassembling after summer vacation. Asumi and Oumi have returned to the Seagull hostel, but most of their attention is taken up with the even more strenuous new training program.

This semester they are dealing with weightlessness training and again Asumi’s small stature is a hindrance as they all toughen up in the gigantic buoyancy water tank used to teach and refine motor skills in spacesuits.

Although all the students struggle with the arduous regime and humiliating indignities of working for hours without toilet breaks, a more pressing problem for Asumi is the muscle weakness in her left hand. As a telling flashback reveals, the deficit is a result of injuries from the disaster, but back then her new friend Mr. Lion taught her exercises and tricks to strengthen it.

Now she realises she has to start doing them again…

A big shock occurs later when, following revelations about her immense wealth and a clash with her father, the still abrasive Marika Ukita is moves into the Seagull with them…

‘Mission: 15’ finds the class observing a satellite-rocket takeoff at Ogasawara Launch Centre only to encounter a strident demonstration by anti-spaceflight protestors. Although the government is keen to push through a full space program, many people still live in dread of another Lion disaster and feelings run high and scared…

Amongst the demonstrators is a young man who achingly reminds Asumi of a boy she used to know, but when she approaches he is less than friendly…

As she determinedly cracks the books and writes reports, Mr. Lion turns up in a playful mood and offers her some sage advice, even as elsewhere Marika has another unpleasant confrontation with her father who tries to drag her out of the Seagull and Space school…

Later when Asumi goes to the local planetarium for star gazing solace, the mystery boy is there…

More hints into the unique situation of Marika are disclosed in ‘Mission: 16’ as the girl ponders and discards her father’s assertion that she is “not normal”, swearing never to quit. He, unable to convince her and after cruelly cutting her off from all support, secretly pays all her bills and leaves Asumi and Oumi with a huge bag of cash to ensure all his stubborn child’s needs are met…

Later, cool Suzuki takes Asumi on a “date”, but only to show her the secret telescope he has stashed on a rooftop, and when she gets home she finds Marika sleeping and accidentally uncovers another aspect of her enigmatic origins…

Later as the girls struggle with Robot Arm training, Suzuki quizzes Fuchaya about Asumi and learns that she had a boyfriend in Middle School who died of cancer. They both agree that nobody can compete with a dead guy…

Later, wandering through the city, Mr. Lion sees Ukita pensively dump a handful of pills off a bridge…

It’s Christmas during ‘Mission: 17’ so Asumi takes Marika to a shrine. The willowy recluse has never been before, and their journey strangely coincides with the usually befuddled Mr. Lion reliving the time shortly after he died in the crash before again trying to sort the odd scraps into some kind of sensible order.

Clear-headed for the first time he makes his own pilgrimage and movingly bids farewell to someone he had tragically forgotten…

After a day of bonding Asumi then tries to get Marika talking to her dad, but the gesture misfires…

The unfolding epic pauses here with ‘Mission: 18’ as Asumi finds a rocket-shaped trinket which inexplicably links her to her somehow ubiquitous unfriendly mystery boy, after which the girls get their first real taste of the wild blue yonder by enduring an hour of recurring, momentary weightlessness in the training exercise known as the “vomit comet”…

In the disgusting aftermath, the new puke buddies are forced to clean up the jet and Oumi tells Marika of a friend who claims to be able to sense ghosts. She also pointedly asks if Ukita thinks the hostel is haunted. The pensive Marika says nothing but heads straight for Asumi’s private bolt hole…

To Be Continued…

Although the main event is temporarily suspended there are still some more affecting revelations in store, beginning with the ancillary tale ‘This Star Spica’ which again draws on Elementary school days in Yuigahama, where obnoxious little Fuchuya is tasked by his teacher with befriending and looking after that weird, lonely little girl who has an imaginary lion for a friend…

Then ‘Sentimental’ follows young artist Kamoi back down memory lane to his first love Kasumi after the school sweethearts have a brief encounter on a train years later, before ‘Another Spica’ finds author Yaginuma in autobiographical mode and back in his ambition-free teens, enjoying fireworks and relating his own experience with an inspirational, phantom king of beasts…

These powerfully unforgettable tales originally appeared in 2003 as Futatsu no Supika and in the Seinen manga magazine Gekkan Comics Flapper,targeting male readers aged 18-30, but this ongoing, unfolding beguiling saga is perfect for any older kid with stars in their eyes…

Twin Spica filled sixteen collected volumes from September 2001 to August 2009, tracing the trajectories of Asumi and friends from callow students to competent astronauts and the series has spawned both anime and live action TV series.

This sublime serial has everything: plenty of hard science to back up the informed extrapolation, an engaging cast, mystery, frustrated passion, alienation, angst, enduring friendships and just the right touch of spiritual engagement and wild-eyed wonder; all welded seamlessly into a joyous, evocative, addictive drama.

Rekindling the magical spark of the Wild Black Yonder for a new generation, this is a treat no imagineer with head firmly in the clouds can afford to miss…
© 2010 by Kou Yaginuma. Translation © 2010 Vertical, Inc. All rights reserved.

This book is printed in the Japanese right to left, back to front format.