The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, Volume 1 by Nari Kusakawa

Throughout its six-year existence, CMX licensed a variety of titles for readers in the eight-to-twelve range. from CMX.This month’s column marks a sad milestone: the last time I’ll be writing about a new or recent kid-friendly title from CMX. Two Flowers for the Dragon is available in the U.S. While both series feature fantastical worlds, there's more at play in this manga, especially with allusions to rising political divisions. I really enjoyed this series, much more so than Kusakawa's The Palette of 12 Secret Colors. It's a great balance that is easy to appreciate. I also loved the illustrations of Shakuya's transformation - her dragon form is both fearsome and, when appropriate, comedic.

But, what I really loved were the Chinese-inspired costumes, including the long tunics with their Mandarin collars. In Tibet, the practice, now outlawed, would occur to many brothers married to one woman and ensured the passing along of property in families.Īrtwork: This manga suffers from some of the same artistic issues as The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, namely occasional awkward face composition. It occurs, or occurred, in cultures of the Indian subcontinent, including India and Sri Lanka, in some parts of Africa and in some regions of Mongolia. Polyandry is a form of polygamy, where one woman is married to two or more men. While there are some small similarities to Nari Kusakawa's Palette, especially when it comes to some characters' personalities, this story provides a fresh, if not an equally entertaining and fantastical, world with its own unique cultures and customs.ĭeep thoughts: At one point, Kusakawa mentions polyandry during one of the chapter breaks. Shakuya is a bit of a love-sick teenage girl, but she's also got a lot of responsibility in her role as heir and protector to the Dragon Clan. After reading much of The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, I found myself enjoying this more than that series. Reaction: This is a fun manga that exploits a love triangle and provides some political intrigue. Just who will win Shakuya's heart and become her husband? Even worse, Lucien has no memories prior to his disappearance years ago. Too bad she has hardly any control over the change! But, Shakuya's got bigger problems than her emotional transformations - her old fiance, Lucien, has returned after a five-year absence, interrupting Shakuya's engagement to her new fiance, Kuwan. As the heir, she will not only come to rule over the clan one day, but she also has the amazing ability to transform into a dragon. The story: Shakuya is the heir to the Dragon Clan, which oversees an important desert oasis.

The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, Volume 1 by Nari Kusakawa