Children of the Sea Graphic Novel Review

Children of the Sea Graphic Novel Review

Children of the Sea was written by Daisuke Igarashi. The first volume was written in 2007. I suppose that it is relatively new. The story surrounds three children: Ruka, Sora and Umi. When Ruka was a lil girl she saw a ghost in the Aquarium. Ever since then, she has been mysteriously drawn to the ocean. One day she runs away to Tokyo, to visit the Ocean. When she finds the bridge bordering the beach, she meets Umi. Umi and his brother Sora live with Ruka's father at the Aquarium. They are special children that where raised by Dugongs (or manatees). They are like a modern day Remus and Romulus (the roman Twins that where raised by a she wolf).



Umi and Sora ,since they spent most of their early life in the ocean, have adapted to the environment. They can hold their breath underwater longer than regular humans. Plus, they swim like fishes. There was a side effect to this early life. Umi and Sora's skin gets really dry outside the water. They also cannot breathe through their skin. Thus, they get overheated very easily. To avoid a terrible killer fever, they need to enter the water often to cool off. For Sora, its much worse. His vision is really bad outside the water. He mostly gets around via scent.

Anyhow, together with Ruka, the brothers are investigating the mystery of the Ghost of the Sea. All three had seen the ghost. This ghost busyness is tied to the mysterious disappearance of fishes from the Ocean. Some are even disappearing from the Aquarium. Every so often, the graphic novel opens the a chapter with "testimony from the sea". It turns out that other children like Sora and Umi have been found. They too have started disappearing. Judging by the order from which they where found, Ruka's father fears that Sora is next.

Before each disappeared, they emitted a strange light. Underwater, Ruka noticed that Sora's leg glowed a lot. Umi's light was limited to a small section; by his elbow. Thus, Sora really was next in line. You know, what I like best is the details underwater. Daisuke really conveys well the mystery of the ocean. I really like this graphic novel a lot. Its a must read. Phi Stars recommends it. Truly, the Children of the Sea deserve 5 star rating.