Tsubasa

RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE

(Volume 11)
Story by
Clamp

Del Rey, October 2006, 186 pp.
ISBN: 0-345-48528-9

Genre: Comics
Subgenre: Manga
Reviewed: 3/12/2008

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Manga Page

Synopsis

In Piffle World, Syaoran, Kurogane,  Fai, and Sukura are in the middle of the Preliminary round of the Dragonfly race. The winner of the final race will receive the coveted Super Energy Battery. The Super Energy Battery is one of Sukura's memory feathers, so all four have entered the race in their ultra light Dragonflies with hopes that one of them can win.

Kurogane is first to cross the finish line, then Fai, and finally Syaoran. Only the first 20 racers will move onto the final race. Sukura is able to squeak out the twentieth position. They have one week to rest up and prepare for the finals.

However, during the preliminary race, many of the vehicles were knocked out of commission by some flashing lights and explosions. It is determined that one of the racers that qualified must have laid some kind of trap for the other racers. Since this is considered cheating, each racer that finished is to be interviewed to determine the culprit. Syaoran, Kurogane,  Fai, and Sukura all pass the lie-detector test and by the time the final race begins, the cheater has not been found.

As the race begins, everyone wonders what kind of dastardly deeds this cheater will try in this race to win the Super Energy Battery. Syaoran, knowing what is at stake, will risk everything to get back another of Sukura's memory feathers.

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE: Volume 11 is a manga book written and drawn by Clamp. This book was translated and adapted by William Flanagan and Lettered by Dana Hayward. This book contains the following chapters:

Chapter 74: Your Strength

Chapter 75: The Dream of Contentment

Chapter 76: The Time to Overcome

Chapter 77: The Blissful Breeze

Chapter 78: The Princess and the Witch

Chapter 79: The Goddess of Victory

Chapter 80: The Start of the Deciding Race

Chapter 81: The Unseen Cheater

Chapter 82: The First to Fall

There is also some special extras in the following sections: 1) Honorifics Explained, 2)  About the Creators, and 3) Translation Notes. The book reads from right to left and back to front, just like a book from Japan. This manga book is intended for readers ages 13 and up.

Review

Can Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE get any better? I don't think so. Well, maybe one aspect of it (see below).

Every time I pick up one of the books in this series, I know I am in store for a great time. I know that I will be entertained and that when I finish reading that book, I will be anxious to start reading the next book in the series. Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE: Volume 11 did not disappoint me at all. In fact, it was just as good as the rest of the books in this long series that I hope does not end anytime soon. It is the most consistent manga book that Del Rey publishes for pure entertainment. The four women that are Clamp really have something special here.

The books have a rating of 13+, and I love that. So many of the Japanese manga series out there deal with kids being sexually frustrated and showing a lot of T & A. This book has none of that. It relies of well-developed characters, interesting plot development, and wonderful artwork to keep the readers entranced. In this book, all four main characters are in the Dragonfly Race.

It is nice to finally see Sukura be able to join in and help try to get her memory feathers back. I also love that each book kind of ends as a cliff hanger. The only drawback to this series is the translator and adaptor, William Flanagan. For example, at one point during the race, the announcer asks, "Did the Dragonfly get thrown out of tune?" What? That is not how it would be said in the U.S. there was another issue later that jumped off the page at me too. Just bad English.

So, other than the occasional adaptation problem, Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE: Volume 11 is a wonderful book in an excellent series that deserves your attention. I wonder if Syaoran, Kurogane,  Fai, or Sukura will come in first place the Dragonfly race in Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE: Volume 12? I cannot wait to find out.

I rated this book a 9½ out of 10.