Okouchi's reaction may puzzle some of the members of Translucent's American girl audience, but I suspect it's more readily accepted in Japan, where introversion is a more culturally common personality trait. Shiroyama's father, though not afflicted with the syndrome, proves to be as retiring as his daughter. Leaving work early, his absence is barely noticed by his co-workers who joke that he's "just like an invisible man." Though worried that his own shy nature is the cause of his daughter's ailment, he also inadvertently attempts to compound her invisibility by forbidding her from joining a local drama troupe. In an attempt to shield her from the disappointment that would come if her syndrome becomes permanent, he winds up blocking her from her purest source of joy and accomplishment.
Despite its fantastic elements, Translucent is at heart a small character-driven story. The biggest source of suspense in the first volume lies in whether our heroine will be able to perform in a school production of "Cyrano de Bergerac" (a play about a man who is largely unseen by his would-be love), while one of the story's major conflicts concerns both Shiroyama and the completely transparent Keiko's fear that their invisibility will forever keep them from their loved ones. The latter has broken off with a boyfriend after she noticed that he wasn’t smiling any more around her, and the idea of connecting through basic facial expressions is one that's repeated throughout the first book. More than once, Tadami states that he just wants to see Shiroyama smile, a sentiment that's echoed by her over-protective father.
Karuhiro's art -- with its occasionally awkward stances and faces that run the gamut from traditionally big-eyed teen to more broadly caricatured adult -- is suited to the story's gawky early adolescent world. At times, it looks like something that would-be artist Tadami might have created, which seems apt. If occasionally, the book's slapstick moments (e.g., a scene where Tadami jumps out a window only to remember that he's three floors up) seem to work against its more serious themes, it's also in tune with the main characters' budding not-quite-adolescence. An oddball, yet ultimately sweet-hearted, manga, Translucent is a work that deserves to find an audience among American Shiroyamas – and those adult manga followers who themselves recall their own barely visible teenhoods...
Article comments