Review by Frank Plowright

Yuuki has visions of the future, and Flower of the Deep Sleep begins with her in a hurry to reach school as she’s dreamt of the flowers she’s growing there being destroyed. She doesn’t conceal her premonitions, and when something bad is likely to happen she tells people, which causes resentment as if she’s somehow responsible, and it leads to her being considered the class weirdo. However, she’s reaching a crisis point. There’s a new boy at school who seems to understand what she’s going through, and she’s seeing visions of a little girl, who manages to pass her an object.

There’s something compelling about Flower of the Deep Sleep despite Yuana Kazumi’s storytelling lacking explanations and taking vast logical leaps. It’s eventually explained why Yuuki meets two brothers one day, and by the next they seem to be living in the family home, but not for some while. It feeds into Kazumi blurring the lines between dreams and reality, the clue possibly being the term ‘Deep Sleep’ in the title. It means a wild and unpredictable ride featuring a young girl who’s well intentioned, but considerably out of her depth.

Very attractive art makes Flower of the Deep Sleep stand out. Like other manga, Kazumi tells as much of the story as possible via faces and expressions, but she’s excellent at capturing a mood in few lines. She draws Yuuki over and over again, yet can still bring out something new or surprising about her, be it dishevelled hair or an especially strong emotion.

Flower of the Deep Sleep only runs to two volumes, which adds tension. If Kazumi isn’t intending to prolong the series, then there’s greater uncertainty as to the fate of the cast as they move into increasingly dangerous territory. Greater involvement in the dream world leads to a startling discovery heading into Vol. 2.

Paperback editions from Tokyopop are long out of print, so the best way to experience Flower of the Deep Sleep now is via the Viz Select digital editions.