Mekakushi no Kuni
| Also Known As: Land of the Blindfolded | ||
| Genre: Romance/Drama | ||
| Length: 9 Volumes | ||
| Allegiance: Hakusensha | ||
| Mangaka: Tsukuba Sakura | ||
| Vintage: 1998-2004 | ||
| Intelligence Agency Report by: Orax | ||
| Otsuka Kanade has a strange power that occasionally lets her see into the future when she touches people. Driven by an honest desire to help people, she tries to change or prevent all bad predictions from happening. However, Naitou Arou, a new transfer student who has a similar power to see the past, finds about her power and tells her to leave things be. However, charmed by her cheerful personality and her honest conviction, he finds himself not only helping her but falling in love with her at the same time. The only problem is that they unexpectedly bump into a third wheel who also has the power to see into the future, and who also has fallen for Kanade. | ||
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| Research Agent Report by: Orax | ||
| Plot Characters Impact Visual |
8.50 9.25 9.50 8.50 |
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| Overall | 9.00 | |
| (not an average) | ||
| Beautiful. If there was one word to describe this title, that would be it. Only a few manga are able to so successfully portray their message to the readers in such an artistic manner like Mekakushi no Kuni does. With great storytelling and developed characters, this manga is definitely one of the better shoujo titles I’ve read.
One of the concepts that Tsukuba uses is touch. Tsukuba shows how precious it is to be able to touch loved ones with ease. As the three main characters deal with their unusual power, with each other’s help they slowly heal their scars from years of neglect. Mekakushi no Kuni doesn’t have a huge cast, but it does a tremendous job of developing its main characters. As for the plot, there’s not much of it since it mainly follows the school lives of the three. Also, the background behind how they got their respective powers is never addressed completely. However, since it’s only used as a plot device, it’s not an important issue. As a result, it might seem that the manga seems unfinished. Yet the ending does strongly reinforce the main theme strongly and if one considers it in that sense, it’ll be easier to accept. As for the art, it really helps emphasize the beauty of the manga. Hands are drawn larger and scenes of physical contact are greatly enhanced. Although I wish Mekakushi no Kuni’s backgrounds weren’t so bare, the art remains appealing and attractive. Mekakushi no Kuni rapidly became one of my favorite manga through its unique premise and how well it presented its main theme. It does an excellent job of drawing its readers into the story, particularly at dark times. Yet Mekakushi no Kuni gives a message of hope – one that I strongly felt, and you will as well.
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