The Graphic Library
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Review List by Author
  • Terminology
  • Info Postings
  • About Me
  • Other Resources
    • Research

Asadora Vol 1 by Naoki Urasawa

7/31/2021

0 Comments

 
Cover of Asadora volume 1
On a morning in 1959 of a terrible typhoon, Asa runs to fetch the doctor for the delivery of her mother's twelfth child. On the way back home, Asa finds a burglar escaping a house with his loot and confronts him, so he kidnaps her, thinking she's the daughter of the wealthy doctor. Her kidnapper has just recently turned to a life of crime in a moment of desperation. He was a hero in WWII, a successful pilot who always brought his team home, but now can't afford a pilot's license. The two seek shelter from the terrible typhoon in a metal shipping container, and when they emerge, everything along the harbor has been destroyed. The pilot and Asa try to find their way back to her family's home, but Asa, ever compassionate, suggests they find a way to deliver food to those stranded on rooftops while they look for her family. The pilot steals a plane, Asa convinces a restaurant owner to make lots of rice balls, and the two drop the care packages from the plane using balloons tied to plastic bags. As they near where Asa's house should be, they make a startling discovery that means more than the typhoon was at work wrecking havoc on the town.

This story was an absolute joy to read, and I was actually disappointed when I reached the last page and there were no more. Asa is a fairly strange and outgoing little girl. The only drawback for me was when they take on the side mission to get everyone some rice balls. Asa emerges from the shipping container hell-bent on finding her family, but she almost forgets about finding them when she sees people waiting to be rescued. The urgency for finding her family is almost non-existent after that, and it’s more like they’ll get there when they get there.

The illustrations are absolutely amazing. The level of detail on the characters and their surroundings is astounding. The amount of expression Urasawa gets from Asa's think eyebrows is a testament to his skills. 

VIZ rates this for Teen+, which could be on account of the violence (one of the characters does suffer a gunshot wound). There's also some needed historical context needed as this is Japan recuperating after World War II.

Sara’s Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

​
Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication date: January 19, 2021
ISBN: 9781974717460 (Paperback)
​
Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Historical Fiction, Family, VIZ Media
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About Me

    I've been reading manga and comicbooks for years. Now, I write reviews and other helpful things for School Librarians, teachers, parents, and students.

    Read More

    Search this site


    Picture
    Ko-fi icon

    Never miss a review! Subscribe and get the best delivered to your inbox.

    * indicates required

    Ratings, Audience, and Subject Tags

    All
    Abrams ComicsArts
    Action Adventure
    Adaptations
    Animals
    Autobiography
    Biography
    BOOM! Studios
    Comicbooks
    CSLA 2021
    Culinary
    Dark Horse
    DC Comics
    Dead Reckoning
    Del Rey
    Demons
    Disabilities
    Dungeon
    Dystopian
    Ecchi
    Family
    Fantasy
    Farming
    First Second
    Folklore
    Friendship
    Graphic Fiction
    Graphic Nonfiction
    Graphic Universe
    Greenwillow Books
    Grief
    HarperAlley
    Hill And Wang
    Historical Fiction
    History
    Horror
    Humanoids
    Humor
    IDW
    Image Comics
    Isekai
    Iyashikei
    J Novel Club
    J-Novel Club
    Kodansha
    LGBTQ+
    Mad Cave
    Magic
    Magical Girl
    Manga
    Manhwa
    Marvel
    Mecha
    Megascope
    Memoir
    Mental Health
    Music
    Mystery
    Mythology
    Native American
    OEL Manga
    One Peace Books
    Oni Press
    Paranormal
    Penguin
    Race Relations
    Rating: 10/10
    Rating: 3/10
    Rating: 4/10
    Rating: 5/10
    Rating: 6/10
    Rating: 7/10
    Rating: 8/10
    Rating: 9/10
    Realistic Fiction
    RH Graphic
    Romance
    Saturday AM
    School Life
    Science
    Science Fiction
    SelfMadeHero
    Seven Seas
    Skybound Comet
    Slice Of Life
    Sports
    Square Enix
    Steampunk
    Suitability: Adult
    Suitability: Elementary School
    Suitability: High School
    Suitability: Middle School
    Superheroes
    Supernatural
    Surrealism
    Survival
    Suspense
    Ten Speed Press
    Theater
    TokyoPop
    Top Shelf
    Udon Entertainment
    Video Games
    VIZ Media
    War
    Western
    Yen Press

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018

Picture

​© 2022 Sara Smith

Picture
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Review List by Author
  • Terminology
  • Info Postings
  • About Me
  • Other Resources
    • Research