Twin Spica Vol. 1 TP (Manga)

Publisher: Vertical

Release date: May 2010

Price:  $10.95

Creator: Kou Yaginuma

Format:  192 pgs.; B&W

ISBN:  978-1-934287-84-2

Age rating: YA (Young Adult)

ICv2 rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Asumi’s dream is to become the pilot of a spaceship and she can do that by attending Japan’s newly created space school.  She must overcome not only a rigorous application process, but also her father’s worn-down attitude toward life.

Yaginuma’s quiet science fiction story brings a realistic element to the plucky-girl stories so popular in manga.  Running through the entire tale is a touch of melancholy as the characters have all been affected by a space disaster which occurred 14 years before--in 2010--but for many their love of outer space is greater than the difficulties they face.  This first volume shows readers a little of Asumi’s back story and also takes the characters through the harsh trials they must face to be accepted at the school.  By the end, readers are so invested as to be eager to see what will happen next in Asumi’s training.

One downside is the child-like cover art. It hints at Yaginuma’s soft, thin-lined, yet detailed art, but doesn’t offer much to draw in potential teenage readers.  For those who look past that, though, they will find a tale whose strength comes from solid storytelling, thoughtful plotting, and realistic characterizations.

--Snow Wildsmith: Writer and former teen librarian and ALA/YALSA committee member.