Wish

Publisher
Tokyopop
Writer
CLAMP
Artist
CLAMP
Country of origin
Japan
Length
4 volumes
Year
1995

Wish volume 2

By Joseph (Joe) Wood
30th Oct 04

If you haven't read the first volume of Wish then be warned this review will contain spoilers for volume one.

Kohaku has managed to fin Madam Hisui. Only to learn she has cast off her angel status to be able to live with her lover Kokuyo, the son of the devil who has also been exiled to Earth. As they had no place to go Shuichiro has invited them to stay with him, and now with Koryu and the cat twins Ruri and Hari they all live under the same roof.

After hearing from Shuichiro's Grandfather who makes a visit to the now quite full household that Shuichiro's mother disappeared thirteen years ago. Kohaku with help from Koryu goes back in time to see what happened as then she may be able to grant Shuichiro a wish. However Kohaku and Koryu begin to suspect something amiss when the woman claiming to be Shuichiro's mother can see them.

I'm not quite sure what to make of Wish at the moment. At the end of the first volume I expected some sort of conflict between haven and hell due to the revelation of Madam Hisui and Kokuyo's love. Yet in this volume there is no hint of this and although surprising I found it disappointing. The surprise came from the plot points revealed by Kohaku and Koryo travelling to the past, there's just no way to see it coming.

On a whole this volume is very emotional; it barely moves the story along but adds a lot of depth to Shuichiro's character. Rather thin on comedy there was one or two sections that made me laugh so loud I received very strange looks from people on my train.

The artwork is great as you could expect coming from CLAMP. You can see hidden depth in the characters looks that is real apparent in a lot of CLAMP's work. A mixture of styles from chibi cuteness, to more serious and magical art it is a vast range. However the mixture of art styles all on the same page can be very straining on the eyes. There are six more chapters in this volume and another additional bonus chapter staring the CLAMP girls.

Wish would not be a high recommendation of mine based on what I've read so far, but worth a look if you're a fan of CLAMP's work or are unsure on a new title to buy.

-- Joseph (Joe) Wood 30th Oct 04