13th Manga Division Excellence Award
IMURI
Story manga [Japan]
MIYAKE Ranjyo
Outline
The governing race, the Kahma froze the planet Roon as a result of war and emigrated to a neighboring planet. Four-thousand years later, the ice covering Roon started melting and the Kahma began migrating back to Roon. This is a heroic fantasy that portrays the young boy, Dulk, who gains the power of wonder sealed in the darkness of history, and comes face-to-face with his destiny.
Reason for Award
This is a serious fantasy set in a parallel universe, which tells a majestic and epic tale constructed in great detail. The governing race, the Kahma, and a slave tribe, the Icol, escaped from their mother planet, which was frozen by a war 4000 years ago, and emigrated to a neighboring planet, Marge. A young shaman-candidate, Dulk, travels to the mother planet, Roon, to find out the secret of Imuri’s instruments, which had been passed down to the Imuri people who had stayed on Roon. He faces the destiny of this tribe, which was buried in the darkness of history. The key words are “illusion-like dreams,” which the twin brothers see at the same time; “invasion magic,” the proof of being a true Imuri, which the Kahma shaman uses to manipulate the souls of others at their will; and “Imuri magic,” which the Imuri people use to communicate with the material and draw out its power. The artist’s narrative skill in representing an unknown world as if he has seen its every detail is outstanding. This work is the result of the artist’s skill of real-world observation and imagination to reach the essence of things. This is a sophisticated entertainment that is both thrilling and dynamic, and is full of insight into the weakness and the dangers of human soul.