Asadora!, Vol. 1 (あさドラ! [Asadora!] #1)

Alexander Peterhans

Rating: really liked it
Asa, the youngest in a large family living in 1950s Japan, is sent out in a storm to find the doctor, because her mother is about to give birth.



She surprises a bumbling burglar, who mistakes her for another girl and decides to kidnap her. Turns out the kidnapper/burglar is an ex fighter pilot from WW2, who has largely been forgotten and ignored. Asa tells him who she is, and that she is convinced that no one will come to look for her. Then the storm really starts to rip.



When their town has been devastated, Asa convinces the pilot that they have to do something to help the people.



I don't read a lot of manga, but it is fun to try and find what my niche is, as it were, and I think I have found it! Really fun, beautifully expressive art, made this a book I really enjoyed, and I was only slightly sad it ends on a cliffhanger - but I'll just have to read the following volumes.



(Kindly received an ARC from Viz Media through Edelweiss)

Geoff

Rating: really liked it
This is the third book by Urasawa that I've read and I'm really coming to love his quirky, heartfelt stories with a hint of the fantastic. He clearly cares about people and community and human potential and giant monsters, and this story has all of the above in just the right amounts (plus a huge heap of tragedy). His art style is somehow simultaneously realistic and caricatured, which keeps you a bit off kilter (or maybe it's the kids who are more realistic and the adults who are caricatured, which is an interesting thematic marker). It's hard not to root for all of the characters. The start of the story is totally different in tone from most of the book so it will be really interesting to see where this goes. Recommended!

**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rebecca

Rating: really liked it
Although it's not strictly a post-war story, Asadora's first volume is steeped in the trauma of WWII, primarily in how it affected the everyday people and the soldiers who came home. The main characters are one of each: Asa is a ten-ish year old girl who feels like the invisible person in her large family and she's mistakenly kidnapped by a former fighter pilot who has fallen on hard times since he came home lacking a civilian pilot's license or the money to procure one. When he snatches Asa off the streets (mistakenly taking her for a doctor's daughter), the two end up unlikely compatriots in the devastation Typhoon Vera wreaked on Nagoya in September of 1959. (Images of the inundated port show that Urasawa definitely did his research.) Both of them find meaning in their work to help the survivors, which may or may not include Asa's family, as multiple plot threads begin to slowly come together - the cry of a mysterious animal, the treatment of veterans after the war, and the upcoming Olympics all seem to hinge on the rescue efforts that Asa and the pilot kick off. Even though I'm not sure where this is going it's fascinating, and I'm looking forward to seeing the full picture take shape when viewed from above.

Rahul H

Rating: really liked it
4 Stars

And here begins the journey to another of Urasawa world's. I hope it to become another legendary work. Art work is as always beautiful, the mc little girl is beautiful. Looking forward to another volume !

James DeSantis

Rating: really liked it
By the creator of 20th century boys and Monster.

Need I say more?

Buy it.

But this is really good. A girl trying to do her best and be a hero meets a old disgraced pilot as they work together after their city goes under water to send some relief. The heartfelt moments work really well, the art is amazing, and that cliffhanger is so jarring I'm so eager to read the next volume.

As always, Urasawa delivers. A 5 out of 5.

Skye Kilaen

Rating: really liked it
I’m so interested in where this manga is going. In 1959 Japan, a young girl is kidnapped by a former fighter pilot right before a typhoon hits their harbor city. The blurb says “there’s more to her kidnapper and this storm than meets the eye” and by the end of the volume we know more about the former than the latter. (The story does somewhat hero-ify the kidnapper for his military service in WWII, so be aware if that's not something you can read past.) How is the storm connected to the weird animal cries that various characters have been hearing? Why does the book start with a flash of a giant creature rampaging through Tokyo in 2020? It’s been a while since I’ve read a series that takes its time like this to dig into its characters and set up its mysteries, and I’m here for it.

Rod Brown

Rating: really liked it
A pretty typical start for a series by Naoki Urasawa, full of foreshadowing of coming developments, intriguing characters, and sudden turns in the story. A prologue has us in the middle of some disaster in 2020 Tokyo that has a large horned figure looming over the city like we're in a Godzilla movie, but then events immediately flash back to 1959 and we're in an O. Henry story with a young girl caught up in a case of mistaken identity, and then we veer into historical fiction and watch the fallout from the very real Typhoon Vera.

Without reading any publicity or internet info about the book I'm having trouble defining what Urasawa is trying to accomplish here, but I'm definitely coming back for more.

Subham

Rating: really liked it
This book is about this young girl Asa and as she is going through her day looking for a doctor as her mother is giving birth and then meets a man Shota and while running with him gets kidnapped and we meet the man Kasuga and learn he is not a bad guy but then a typhoon hits so he and Asa have to hide in a warehouse to survive it and we learn of Kasuga's backstory and he is not that bad but when they see the aftermath of the typhoon they have to team up and save people and what all awaits them further and the challenges ahead but then the consequences of it.

This was a great volume and just shows the aftermath of disasters and how in the middle of it there are some people still trying to rescue some people but at great personal cost and its such a great deep character work about a girl who doesn't lose hope and sees the best in people, about a man who is looking for redemption and of people and how they help others when such things occur. Its a metacommentary on humanity and the affiliated costs with it.

But then in 2020 some monster may have attacked or something? Its a great mystery and is told over two timelines and like Urasawa's previous works is deep and personal and has a lot of foreshadowing about big things and revelations to come and I love the artwork as always.

Laura

Rating: really liked it
Translated from the Japanese, this book if only the first in about five volumes, so although it is hinted that something will happen in 2020, other than the first few pages all happen in post world war 2 Japan.

Asa, while going to get the doctor for her mother, is kidnapped by a would be burglar, in the middle of a hurricane. She begins to talk to the said kidnapper, and he turns out to be an out of work pilot, who flew many successful missions during the war, but can't find work because he doesn't have a license.

So, we get to know this man as more than just the person who is trying to hold Asa for ransom, and the story gets more involved.

Off to a good start, it will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review.

Briar's Reviews

Rating: really liked it
Asadora! Volume 1 is an intriguing book setting up a real mystery for future volumes.

I really enjoyed this manga! It's been a while since I've been able to find a manga that isn't mostly romance (that's just kinda how the mangas available in my town go as of right now - trends and all). Asadora is a tale about a young girl named Asa trying to help her small town after a vicious storm/tsunami/potential monster attack happens. She is kidnapped by a man trying to desperately help himself but they soon become quick friends after some misunderstandings. They see the devastation in the area and go to help whoever they can.

The worst part about this book is that it ends on a cliffhanger. Now I really want the sequel! I need to know what's happening! I am invested! What a cruel way to leave it... But also so very good.

I highly recommend this manga if you want an engaging read with some mystery in it. If you want a one and done, don't grab it though. This series is definitely gonna be a binge worthy one.

Five out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

richa

Rating: really liked it
If this turns out to have a found family situation I might just die.

StrawberryShojo

Rating: really liked it
If you are familiar with the works of Urasawa, then you know this story is going to be compelling. The art is striking as always. Background and character designs offer just enough detail to be expressive without pages feeling cluttered. Each panel is masterfully drawn and perfectly complements the narrative.

While going to fetch a doctor for her pregnant mother, Asa ends up kidnapped by a former military pilot who is down on his luck. We get to know both characters pretty quickly. Though Asa is the real star to me. Asa immediately became the most endearing character to me that Urasawa has ever written. She’s smart and headstrong, and absolutely adorable.

I honestly can’t wait to read the next volume.

Snail

Rating: really liked it
Absolutely fantastic. Classic Urasawa!

Paula Lyle

Rating: really liked it
This is a charming story about a little girl and a would-be burglar/kidnapper who become heroes in the aftermath of a huge storm. The story is a long way from finished and I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for this unlikely pair.

I received an eARC through NetGalley.

Kesa

Rating: really liked it
Something just feels different when reading a work by Urasawa. The beginning of Asadora! reminded me of the beginning of the 20th Century boys. And judging from the end of this volume it's also kind of a mystery? Let's see how this one goes.