They Were 11! by Moto Hagio. Translator: Ajani Oloye. Denpa, 2024. 9781634428156. Publisher’s Rating: Teen (13+).
I don’t read much shojo manga, but this graphic novel has so much shelf appeal I had to pick it up. The eleven characters appear on both the front and back, and the whole thing is oversized, at least in terms of how manga are usually reprinted.
The first They Were 11! adventure involves a test to enter the prestigious Cosmo Academy. Ten examinees are sent to a spaceship for their practical exam, but when they arrive, there are eleven of them. What’s the implication? Is there a taritor in their midst? Do I need to tell you more about the plot?
The second, “Horizon of the East, Eternity of the West,” mostly involves three of the examinees from the previous story, one who is the king of his planet and two others, now engaged, who are visiting him. There’s a rebellion against the king and a larger, looming conflict, and the characters spend a lot of time on the run.
What I love about this book more than anything is the way Hagio draws the action sequences; they remind me of Star Blazers, Galaxy Express 999, and Astro Boy cartoons, and make me a bit nostalgic about watching those when I was kid. The characters have big emotions, and the threat of violence and risk of death always seems cute in a way that I find entertaining. The romance is there, too, but it’s downplayed most of the time in a way that may make this a gateway to more shojo manga, at least for me
(If any of this sounds familiar, I believe Viz published these stories in English in several volumes back in the 1990s.)
