Wish | Manga - Reviews - MyAnimeList.net

Jun 10, 2008

kiriska

Recommended

CLAMP seems to have two sides to them: the dark, bloody, kill-everything-you-see side, and the disgustingly cute, fluffy, this'll-give-you-diabetes side. This would be the latter.

STORY - As it's only four volumes long, Wish has a rather simple story. As a reward for saving her, Kohaku, an angel, will stay with Shuichiro until he knows what wish he wants granted. What follows is a kind-of slice-of-life adventure that explores the depths of these characters and the relationship between them and others. As well, there are a number of subplots involving God, the Devil, and the conflict between Heaven and Hell, but ultimately, it's about Kohaku's dedication ... and growing love for her savior. And it's cute, damnit. Wish really manages to tug on your heartstrings because the characters really make the story seem like it's a lot more complicated than it actually is. The side stories are all relevant enough too, contributing in one way or another to characters' backgrounds and, consequently, their personalities.

It's all wrapped up in an enjoyable little package, and if you're looking for a touching little love story, then you've definitely found it.

CHARACTER - Given the simple story, the strength of this series lies in its characters. I'm usually not a fan of 100% "good" characters with seemingly no moral flaws, and at first glance, Kohaku would fall into that category. Maybe she won my favor by not falling in love at first sight, as would usually be the case with these kinds of stories. Maybe it's because, gradually, as she realizes her feelings, she does become a little selfish. You come to realize that she isn't as flat a character as she might appear. The amount of time it takes for her to realize her feelings makes them more real; her naiveté and innocence make her selfishness more realistic, and in the end, she graduates as a wonderfully developed character. This is great then, because despite the fluffiness of her love, she still has interal struggles to wrestle with, and that slightly darker side of things really enhances the entire story.

The rest of the cast... not quite so impressive, but they do have enough personality and quirk to them to make them interesting. Shuichiro is not a very exciting character, possibly because we see less of his point of view, but it's intriguing to see his feelings manifest overtime in contrast with Kohaku's. Koryu, for a long time, seems to serve no real purpose other than comic relief, but now and again, in his conversations with the Devil's son and at his final indignance on Kohaku's behalf, he reveals that there's at least a bit more to him than tormenting people. This doesn't make him deep necessarily, but at least he isn't completely generic.

ART - Artwise, Wish is very typically CLAMP. Men have very triangular heads adorned on shoulders that are far too wide and stand on legs that are probably twice as long as they should be. Canonically, though they still use male and female pronouns, they declare that angels and demons are actually genderless -- this allows them to give them all similarly feminine proportions (except the Devil's son) and to mess with your minds more with gender ambiguity. Fun stuff. Despite their usual anatomical atrocities and disregard for genders, CLAMP always seems to be able to pull off a very aesthetically pleasing style that's fun to look at. I like it, anyway.

OTHER - I read the official TOKYOPOP English version of Wish, and while I have no scanlations to compare it to, I must say I'm rather pleased with how they handled it. The translations read fluidly and nothing seemed particularly awkward or out of place. Best of all, I love how they handled the tiny little side comments by the birds, and other random creatures. They are wonderfully hilarious and I feel as if the mood and reaction they draw from the reader is exactly what the original intended. It seems like it's in those little, almost irrelevant things that words have the most power, and I'm really happy with the job TOKYOPOP has done to adapt things to an American audience.

OVERALL - I'm not a big fan of shoujo in general, least of all the romance, but this series is just too cute. The characters are fun and play their parts well, but most of all, the portrayal of Kohaku's feelings and struggles was very believable and touching, and that probably made all the difference.

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May 30, 2008

ChibiMilly

Recommended

This is one of the best manga that CLAMP has made. Sure, it may not be as popular as "xxxHOLIC" or "Card Captor Sakura", but it holds a special place in my heart.

For one, the artwork is done by Tsubaki Nekoi (formerly Mick Nekoi) and she does such an amazing job with the characters and backgrounds. Everytime I read Wish my breath is taken away by the art that leaps from the pages.

The story is delightful too. It's very charming and witty to say the least, just what you would expect from CLAMP.

The cast of characters helped me to enjoy the story, they're colorful and ...

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Dec 29, 2021

Firechick12012

Recommended

Preliminary (23/26 chp)

2005 was the year I began dipping my entire being into the anime and manga scene. I had discovered a whole world of stories and fantasies that were completely different from the Western cartoons I was watching growing up. I was amazed at how bold anime and manga could be, and devoured whatever I could watch or read. Among them, Wish was one of the manga that stuck with me the most. I remember blind-buying one of the volumes at a little convention called AnimeNEXT, and the final volume at MangaNEXT. I own all four volumes, and have had them for sixteen years, with no ... intention of getting rid of them any time soon. Even now, reading it still tugs at my heart, and the themes resonate with me unlike any other. I was only just starting to get into reading manga at the time, so I didn't own many back then. Over the years though, I wondered if Wish could still hold up. After I re-read it, my answer is yes, it still holds up wonderfully.

The story is very basic. Shuichiro Kudo, a 28-year-old doctor and bachelor, is perfectly happy with his life, though he doesn't look it. He's satisfied with his job, content with living alone, and has no need for unnecessary drama. One day, he finds a tiny angel stuck in a tree and saves her from being attacked by a crow. The angel, Kohaku, is grateful to him and wants to grant him a wish. But Shuichiro says he doesn't need any wishes to be granted, even though Kohaku begs to try and grant him a wish to express her gratitude. But the more Kohaku stays with him, the more Shuichiro winds up getting entangled in Heaven and Hell's affairs. Two angels, two devils, and two servant devils wind up living with him under mysterious circumstances, and Shuichiro and Kohaku learn that there are some wishes that cannot be fulfilled alone.

Clamp has been very famous for their beautiful artwork, especially when they first started out. After reading a lot of their manga, I can say that Wish's artwork is quite beautiful, even by 90s standards. I mean, what's there to say about Clamp that hasn't been said already? Everything is filled to the brim with elegance and dignity, from the way the angels and devils are designed, to the work that was put into the world the characters live in. The backgrounds are highly detailed, enough to make the world feel lived in, with good usage of shading and shadows when needed, and since the characters are adults, they're all deliberately designed to look like adults. Angels are drawn with lots of frills, the devils are drawn with sharp angles and darker color palettes, and so on. There is one thing that might make people raise their eyebrows though: In volume 2, there's a chapter where Kohaku sings, but the song isn't given any lyrics, and CLAMP makes use of a lot of imagery to convey its beauty, like Kohaku's wings, spheres of light, and birds commenting on how great the song is. Drawing characters singing and not having audio and music to back it up may come across as awkward for some.

It does help that all the characters are pretty likeable, with a wide variety of personalities that are different from those seen in modern anime/manga nowadays. Shuichiro is stoic and mature, behaving like any adult would, his grandfather becomes a prominent character, Koryu starts off as a little shit but gets better as the series goes on, etc. The cast has both idiots and smart people, brash people and calm people, and all of them bounce off of each other wonderfully. The manga is fairly short, only clocking in at four volumes, but that wound up being the perfect length to flesh the main cast out. It's a breeze to pick up and read through, and it has enough content to both flesh out the story and find time to let the characters breathe and develop, letting the audience get to know them better. That being said, the manga does have some side characters that are rather one-dimensional, rely heavily on their gimmick, or don't get utilized much. For example, there's a side story about a cat with a split personality that doesn't really go anywhere. But the main cast and their eclectic, fun personalities more than make up for this.

So yeah, while Wish isn't necessarily one of CLAMP's best manga, nor its most popular, it does have a lot of sentimental value to me. More so than the more obvious one people tend to think of, CardCaptor Sakura. Sometimes I often wonder how my descent into anime fandom would have turned out, had I not read Wish, or whether I would even go deeper into anime/manga at all. I remember being very disappointed that it never got a full anime adaptation, just an anime-style music video. Kohaku does appear in the anime Kobato, but it's been a long time since I've seen that (And I need to rectify that, as I like Kobato as well). If you're looking for a manga that's short, sweet, but no less poignant and meaningful, feel free to give Wish a try. It was one of several gateway manga for me. Maybe it can be one of yours.

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Jun 16, 2011

UsangieTsukino

Recommended

Normally I watch Clamp's series and this is a total change from the usual things that I have read. I believe this Manga SHOULD have an anime to follow the amazing story. There is everything and more, romance, innocence, devine creatures, some sex here and there (though never explicit) and of course the innevitable. As fans of romance you want the two main characters to be together, but the truth is everyone HAS to die someday. Shuchiro wasnt the exception. Even when you cry the young doctor's death, you see that they have the option of reencarnation, something I personally love. the end can be ...

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Jun 27, 2009

Muyoko

Recommended

I've actually read all 4 volumes with a tearjerking moment everytime. I love it, no worries, but I have to be not bias here... This series is quite good. The art is how CLAMP should've stayed with. It's good, and it actually shows how cold-looking the characters, are but in the end, try to reveal their sweet side.

Kohaku's relationship with Shuichiro (I hope I got it right) is a perfect blend. Sure she's not perfect, but that's what we love about her.

Favorite characters? None. I love them all.

What is missing? Well, nothing really. Though I do wish for an anime version of this ...

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