Glaucos

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The entire premise of Glaucos is the relationship between humans and nature, and more specifically the unbreakable bond between our protagonist, Cisse, and the ocean he was born in.

The story is straightforward enough to keep the pace moving, but it's not something that really shines. Basically we are introduced to the world of free diving, through the eyes of Cisse- to whom free diving means the union with the oceans depths. Although it is really unique and has some elements that enhance it greatly it's not enough to make the story amazing, just good.

From the very beginning you will understand that this is ... not just some common, by-the-pattern manga. The very first pages depict an infant being brought from the darkness of the oceans to the light of the human world, by two dolphins. As they preform their elegant dance, coiling around the new born baby, they bring him into the hands of a villager. The infant is Cisse and the villager becomes his father.
The art is exactly the same as Aiko Tanaka's other manga "Shamo" (a verry interesting read as well). And when I say exactly I mean the two main characters of both series look like identical twins, just different hairstyles. That is by no means a bad thing, but what I find interesting is that even tough Shamo is an older manga the art is a little better. Still the style is realistic and it all seems to fit very well. The underwater pages are really unexpectedly lifelike and surprisingly well done.

Speaking of realistic; Cisse, at least to me, is the most believable character I have watched. His story also hits close to home for me, no i wasn't born and raised by dolphins if that's what you were wondering, but from a really early age (i think i was 3) i started swimming. The way his personality and character is portrayed, you can tell the only thing he has is the ocean yet he possesses a competitive spirit, doubts himself, overcomes himself, and really wants and maybe needs to prove something to himself. Other characters are developed too, but I feel that their story should have gotten more page space (mind you I have only read 27 of the 40 chapters)

Overall i would say it's a quick read and you get so much more in return.Iit's such an uncommon field for a manga that it's impossible not to be entertained. Add to that the uncommon story, realistic art, and a protagonist you can relate to, and you get a unique and fun ride.

This manga was quite a bumpy ride. if you've ever read Kokou no Hito, this is quite similar to it, minus the well done character journey. this isn't a review, more of just me naming its strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths: The story is rather interesting and has a *slight* bit of profoundness within it. also does a nice job at reflecting upon nature and the sea which is what allows it to branch off from being a typical sports manga. The artwork is also drawn well, and the pacing, apart from the last volume, is rather steady and works well. while the ending may not be ... as satisfactory as I hoped it would be, i wouldn't consider it "bad".

weaknesses: as mentioned earlier, in the 4th volume the steady pacing randomly goes down the drain and included a small time skip that felt way too out of place. This led to development the protagonist went through that was completely off screen just to have it do a whole 360 reverse a chapter or two later, it was not necessary in the slightest. The manga also lacked depth or development for all the characters, protagonist included. did not help that the only scans i was able to read were more than likely mistranslations.

The last volume was pretty good yet pretty bad at the same time. Overall, i'd give this manga a 7.75/10.

Glaucos situates itself somewhere in between The Climber and Children of the Sea. Though it at first introduces itself like a mature sports manga about dangerous sports and the strange people who attempt to test their limits and find their place in the world, the story's preoccupation with evolution, biology, ecology, the nature of humanity and the potential for evolution slowly seeps in to take over the narrative.

To be fair, Glaucos is rather thin as a sports manga. Aside from his transcendental and contemplative birth as a human born in the sea, sent to the human world by dolphins, Cisse is no Mori Buntaro ... (from The Climber). He is rather flat and uninteresting as a character and much of his characterisation can be chalked up to 'being tied to the sea' due to his birth, or some innate love for water. As a result, the early moments (about 10 chapters or so) do drag quite a bit. Still, while the central character is rather flat, the panelling, art, and pacing of the competition sequences are so excellent that I could not help but feel incredibly tense trying to anticipate what might happen next.

The story itself does get much more interesting later on as the manga deviates from a character study and starts delving into more 'arthouse' territory to explore the human condition and humanity's relation to the sea. Strong transcendental and thought-provoking moments can be found here, especially with the marvellous art. Pivoting to more otherworldly themes, Cisse becomes an impossible and exceptional figure, embracing his status as a child of the sea, and becoming more incomprehensible to the ordinary person. Interestingly, it is here when the manga has stopped trying to make him relatable and appealing to the reader, that Cisse becomes a more intriguing figure to follow.

Sadly, the manga takes a dive for the worst at its most interesting point. The ending is quite one note, rushes straight to the end, and leaves much of its premise and potential at the shore. Reading the manga, you could almost find the point where the mangaka got the notice from the editor that the manga has to close. For that, I find it a bit hard to wholeheartedly recommend this work. Still, its short length might make for an interesting read.

I would, however, recommend the mangaka's other manga: River End Cafe which delves into environmentalism with a less heavy-handed touch and develops its characters much better.

Glaucos is one of those titles that made me lament the fact that only a handful of seinen titles without an anime adaptation are recognised and discussed by the general weeb community. One of these series is undoubtedly Morning Magazine's flagship title Vagabond, but I actually think Glaucos would be very appreciated by the same kind of audience that story enjoys. Fans of series like Mushishi or the Climber will probably also get something out of it.

It's a beautifully detailed manga with loads of nuanced facial expressions that takes a meditative look at nature and the sea through the lense of a prodigious free diver, ... drawing on buddhist and classical mythology to illustrate it's points. While in my opinion the gross negligience of some characters is not appropriately called out to the extent it should be and the pacing gets abrupt at parts, there still is basically nobody I would not recommend Glaucos too. A very engaging, expertly crafted, short series.

This manga is vibes, just vibes.

Pros: The amount of passion is quite good, almost too extreme. I loved how the author portrays how becoming a perfectionist can become the biggest obstacle on the way to perfection. Reaching madness because of trying to reach perfection is one of my favorite tropes and was definitely done well here. But the BEST thing in this manga is the art and the paneling. They showed us more emotions than all the dialogues (which could be a con).

Cons: A lot of problems concerning the characters, almost not a single well-written character. The characters lack real motives, depth and dialogues. The ... story was told through the panels, however, it was not supported by a single good character—terrible mc with not a single good emotion shown. The mc develops fast from 0 to a 1000 illogically. The company sponsor thing was forced in.

TBH the ending was not the worst part but wrapped up quickly, felt like the author wanted to tell a 1000 stories in this short run time. It is just sad that the premise had a lot of potential. It was an enjoyable ride, not a very good one though.