| Spirit of Wonder | |
 Wideban volume cover | |
| Genre | Steampunk[1] |
|---|---|
| Manga | |
| Written by | Kenji Tsuruta |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| English publisher | |
| Magazine |
|
| Original run | 1986 –1994 |
| Volumes | 1 |
| Original video animation | |
| Miss China's Ring | |
| Directed by | Mitsuru Hongo |
| Written by | Michiru Shimada |
| Music by | Kohei Tanaka |
| Studio | Ajia-do Animation Works |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | June 3, 1992 |
| Runtime | 42 minutes |
| Original video animation | |
| Directed by | Takashi Annō |
| Music by | Hayato Matsuo |
| Studio | Ajia-do Animation Works |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | January 25, 2001 – January 23, 2004 |
| Episodes | 5 |
 Anime and manga portal | |
Spirit of Wonder is a Japaneseanthologymanga series written and illustrated byKenji Tsuruta. It was serialized inKodansha'sseinen manga magazinesMorning andMonthly Afternoon from 1986 to 1994. A single-episodeoriginal video animation (OVA) animated byAjia-do Animation Works and released byToshiba-EMI,Spirit of Wonder: Miss China's Ring, was released in 1992. Another five-episode OVA was produced and released byBandai Visual from 2001 to 2004.
Spirit of Wonder consists of self-contained short stories, whose common factor is that they revolve around scientists developing absurd inventions, with plots involvingtreasure hunting,time travel orspace travel. The stories are inspired byscience fiction authors likeH. G. Wells,Jules Verne,[2][3] andEdmond Hamilton.[4] The title was inspired by theSpirit of St. Louis aircraft, flown byCharles Lindbergh on the first solo nonstoptransatlantic flight.[5] The first nine chapters, which were published inWeekly Morning, feature different protagonists, times, and places, while the last three chapters, which were published inMonthly Afternoon, feature the only recurrent protagonist, Miss China.[5]
Written and illustrated byKenji Tsuruta,Spirit of Wonder was irregularly published for 12 chapters (including a pilot chapter) inKodansha'sseinen manga magazinesWeekly Morning (and its special editions) andMonthly Afternoon from 1986 to 1994.[c] Kodansha released a collected volume (numbered as first) on March 23, 1988, under the titleThe Spirit of Wonder;[12] years later, when the series was finished, a single 407-pagewideban volume, which collected the twelve chapters, was released on August 22, 1997.[13]
In North America,Dark Horse Comics andStudio Proteus partially published the series in five issues (only publishing the Miss China stories),[14] from April 1, 1996,[15] to August 1, 1996;[16] they were later collected in a single 152-page volume on June 24, 1998.[17]
| No. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 22, 1997[18] | 4-06-319845-6 | ||
| ||||
Anoriginal video animation (OVA) episode, animated byAjia-do Animation Works[19] and released byToshiba-EMI,[20] titledSpirit of Wonder: Miss China's Ring (The Spirit of Wonder チャイナさんの憂鬱,Supiritto Obu Wandā Chaina-san no Yūutsu;lit. 'Miss China's Melancholy'),[21] was released on June 3, 1992.[22] In North America, the first OVA was licensed byAnimEigo and released onLaserDisc in February 1996;[23] they later released it on DVD on January 10, 2001;[24] however, three months later, AnimeEigo announced that it would go out of print.[25]
Another four-episode OVA was produced and distributed byBandai Visual. It included two stories: "Scientific Boys Club" (少年科學倶楽部,Shōnen Kagaku Kurabu) (two parts) and "Miss China Short Stories" (チャイナさん 短編集,Chaina-san Tanpenshū) (two short episodes; "Miss China's Shrinking" and "Miss China's Planet"). Two DVDs were released on January 25 and July 25, 2001.[26][27] A "Wonder Box" DVDbox set, which included the 1992 OVA, the four-episode OVA, and an exclusive short, "Miss China's Sakazuki" (チャイナさんの盃,Chaina-san no Sakazuki), was released on January 23, 2004.[28] In North America, the four-episode OVA was licensed by Bandai Entertainment;[29] it was released on September 16, 2003.[30] In Europe, it was released byBeez Entertainment; unlike the other English releases, it included the "Miss China'sSakazuki" short (English-subbed only).[19] In Australia and New Zealand, the OVA was released byMadman Entertainment on June 21, 2006.[31]
Eugene Cheng ofEX reviewed the Dark Horse edition, which contained only the Miss China chapters, and praised the series for its beautiful art, unique style, and delightful characters within a charming story. Cheng commended Kenji Tsuruta's artwork and his skillful use of scenery, perspective, and contrast, ultimately declaring the series one of the best manga available in America at the time.[14] Manga criticJason Thompson noted that the detailed artwork lived up to the series' name, creating a sweet, unresolved love story reminiscent ofKozue Amano's work, such asAqua andAria, where characters often pause to admire the scenery. Thompson described the Miss China stories as enjoyable but slight, lacking a definitive ending.[32] Kevin Pezzano ofSciFi.com found Tsuruta's artwork breathtaking, with incredibly detailed yet clear linework, but considered the story inferior, somewhat unclear, and ultimately forgettable. Pezzano criticized the frequent fanservice, noting that panty shots sometimes seemed more numerous than story panels, and concluded that readers should appreciate the art and concepts while overlooking Miss China's exaggerated accent.[33] Mariela Ortiz, also writing forSciFi.com, similarly praised the painstakingly detailed artwork, which required more than just reading to understand the story. While Ortiz also noted the fanservice, she considered it an expected element of the genre.[33]
In a review of the complete manga, Mario Vuk ofSplash Comics appreciated the series' anthological format and highlighted Tsuruta's use ofhatching, which gave the art a classic appearance.[34] He found the artwork very appealing and rich in detail,[35] and deemed the overall work a beautiful piece with classic charm and a moderate amount of comedy.[36] Conversely, Andrés Accorsi ofComiqueando [es] acknowledged Tsuruta's artwork as the main feature but identified significant flaws in the scripts. Accorsi felt the conflicts lacked dramatic force and that Tsuruta wasted many pages on inconsequential scenes, concluding that the series became entangled in ridiculous, whimsical, and poorly resolved situations.[37]
Christopher Macdonald ofAnime News Network (ANN) described the OVA as unique, very weird, and very fun. He noted that Tsuruta's original character designs and artwork were nicely complemented by good animation, and recommended it to those seeking a short, heartwarming story devoid of heavy material, though he cautioned that viewers seeking a strong, complicated plot would likely be disappointed.[38] Mariela Ortiz ofSciFi.com observed that the characters, particularly Miss China with her accent and fighting skills, came off as stereotypical, though she noted this did not detract from the story. Ortiz called the OVA a funny and heartwarming tale.[39] Shu-Chun Lin, also forSciFi.com, deemed it a lovely and cute love story that was very enjoyable and entertaining despite its simplicity.[39]
Mike Toole ofAnime Jump described the OVA as a nice break from typical action and comedy fare but found it surprisingly insubstantial, wishing for more narrative depth.[40] Chris Beveridge ofAnimeOnDVD praised the animation, noting several nice sequences, and stated he enjoyed the show immensely, recommending it to those looking for something off the beaten path.[41] Jim Lazar, also ofAnimeOnDVD, found the story charming, centered on Miss China's attraction to Jim and one of the doctor's inventions. He noted that while not an epic, the tale was charming and engaging throughout its short runtime.[42] Writing forOtaku USA, Paul Chapman found the title character somewhat stereotypical and the animation adequate but not spectacular, with a soft, gentle color palette suited to the wistful tone. Chapman concluded that the OVA was not bad but also not outstanding.[43]
[…] 当選者の発表は, アフタヌーン1月号(11月25日発売) 誌上にて行います。
[…] アフタヌーン1月号(11月25日発売)誌上にて。
