Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE

CLAMP

Tanoshimi

009950412X

Aug 2006

August sees Random House launch its new Manga imprint, Tanoshimi www.tanoshimi.tv. It launches with five new series. Literally translated from the Japanese, Manga means ‘random pictures’. Manga holds huge cultural significance in Japan with weekly sales of comic books there outselling the entire annual output of the U.S. comic industry. The surge of interest in anime films such as ‘Spirited Away’ in the UK make it a n opportune time for development of what is already proving a burgeoning and highly diverse field.
Tsubasa means wings in Japanese and these play a crucial role in this graphic novel both as a plot device for Sakura, princess of Clow Country, and as a metaphor for the spiritual ‘flight’ they enable.
Raised by her brother, King Toya who presides over Clow County, Sakura has a vision of a symbol. When visiting the archaeologist Syaoran, a childhood friend to whom she intends to profess undying love, Sakura discovers markings in the shape of the same symbol. Powers are unlocked creating the formation of wings upon her back and quickly threaten to pull her into the ruins Syaoran has been uncovering. With tremendous effort, he is able to save Sakura, but amidst this process her wings shatter and disperse across the dimensions
Syaoran and the comatose Sakura make their appearance before Yuko ‘ as concurs with the first volume of ‘xxxHOLiC’, another series by the CLAMP creators that runs in parallel with this. Syaoran learns that to save Sakura, he must collect each of the feathers from her wings.