+Anima was my first ever manga, so you can pretty much blame it for me being here, bugging you guys all the time. Oddly, this does not seem to be a well-known series. So, since I have read it all the way to the end, I’m going to inform you about it!
+Anima is about these young people who are blessed/cursed with the ability to change some parts of their body into animal form. Some have wings, others fins, or claws. But they all have a mark, somewhere, that tells what animal they are bonded with. These bonds are only formed by young people, who are in dire need, and it is always just the right power for their personality and situation.
They are outcasts, look upon with anger and fear by many. In order to survive in a hostile world, four children draw together, moving from place to place, trying to find food, shelter, and ultimately, acceptance and a home.
Their adventures take them through many lands, each with a different view of the +anima. Some see them as being gifts from the gods, while others see them as slaves. The children must learn to accept themselves for who they are, rather they simply define themselves by what others see or think. They also must learn to use their powers to survive, and put the desperate circumstances that led to their transformations behind.
It may not be a real deep-thinking sort of thing, but I am fascinated by how each community these people pass through sees them in a different way. Some accept them as normal people, some give them hero or god-like status, while most fear them and try to control them in various ways. None of these children have homes or strong foundation, and even their relationships with each other seem shaky at times, so they are forced to define themselves from what they gather on their own, making a fascinating study of culture and how we react to those “different” from us.
While this is a common theme, that can be seen in a lot of different popular shows, books, and movies, such as X-men, Twilight, Naruto, and many other such media. However, I don’t think this can really be stressed enough; people, are people. Even if we disapprove of one aspect, it is no reason to de-humanize them. There is nothing wrong with separating yourself from a certain group, if you disapprove of them, but that’s no reason to try to claim they are not people, or less important than you. Also, power is not always to be feared. Rejecting those with natural talents is more likely to make them resentful than anything. Is it not better to teach them the proper use of their abilities? Whether it be the ability to write well, draw beautifully, move things with your mind, or grow wings, all power is defined by how it is used. Power used for good, is good. Power used for evil, is evil. It is not a person’s power, but his attitude, that matters.
So, while this may be a slight twist on and old theme, its humor is cheerful, its plot straight-forward, its story-line clean and easy to follow. Now, there are moment of identity crises, and gender confusion, especially surrounding one character, but this just goes to further the idea of building personal identity, and accepting people as they are. Also, it is easy to read backwards, for beginners, hehe. The drawing are clear and easy to understand, the chibis are cute, and the characters are easy to relate to and follow.
Basically, it’s an awesome back-up. A good-old fav, kind of story. One that you can go back to when you’re tired of trying to follow the twists in Bleach, or the psychology of Death Note. When you’re sick of all the adorable little Ouran Host Club drama, and Yotsuba cuteness, you can come back to the basics, and clean out your mind with this clean and clear piece of writing. Or, like me, you can encourage new-comers to the scene to try this and see just what a good manga can be!
