Review by Karl Verhoven

Asa’s life has changed. After years of holding on to a belief about what she saw as a child, despite it being almost impossible, in Volume 5 she flew her small plane directly at a sea monster. It’s a mission she survived by the skin of her teeth, and she’s unaware that her friends Miyako and Yone found themselves in different, but equally dangerous situations. Rather than dwell on that, though, Naoki Urasawa begins with the rush of a new school day. However “the future of Japan rests in that girl’s hands” is a rather ominous statement from the Japanese Prime Minister.

Contrasting that is Sho, Asa’s friend, who dreams of running for Japan in the Olympic Games. So far Sho’s dreams have been featured, but he’s very much played second fiddle to Asa’s experiences. Here, though, he begins to take on a more meaningful story of his own as he’s passed a package to conceal by a fellow newspaper delivery boy.

While Sho’s hopes of Olympic glory now extend to 1968, the remainder of Tokyo’s population are engrossed in the 1964 edition that’s just opened in their city, and Urasawa uses the marathon as a method of marking time as other scenes take place. He’s excellent at introducing new ideas that may or may not have future relevance, but captivate for the pages they occupy. Kasuga needs money and has a stock of beauty products, so he and Asa are seen attempting to sell them. It’s sweet, and despite being a relatively mundane occupation Urasawa ensures readers are invested in Asa’s success. Will the idea have later relevance? Who knows?, but probably not.

Naval Lieutenant Kasugi is a new character, suspicious about why defence craft have been ordered away from anomalies, and drawing the conclusion Kaiju have manifested. He’s right, of course, but the suggestions are ridiculed by his colleagues. Urasawa has Kasugi’s ship come to a halt far quicker than a ship of that size actually would, but considering what happens next, that’s just being picky.

Compared with the previous volume and Volume 7, Urasawa is marking time. Everything of consequence plays out next time, but he’s such a masterful storyteller that there’s still a joy in following the engaging cast.