Review by Ian Keogh
In 16th century Netherlands the smart Amélie is married to the dim Hans, and given the social strictures of the times that’s seen by everyone as a fine match. The truth is that Amélie despises her husband and a society expecting to her act as a compliant housekeeper and bedwarmer, and is in turn spoken of scathingly by the household staff.
Raging Clouds is a timely English language release considering repressive men’s views about the place of women are once again being aired. Korean creator Yudori supplies a narrative and artistic precision in establishing an intolerable life in great detail via an accumulation of indignities, the final one being Hans installing his Chinese mistress Sahara in their house. However, that proves the unlikely path to Amélie’s fulfilment, with a pivotal moment seen on the attractive sample art.
What Amélie wants is to fly. In a world of artificial restrictions why not aim for the sky? She studies birds, constructs flying toys and observes forms of machinery to confirm a belief of flight being a means of communicating more directly with god. While her contemporaries view a curious mind as a distracting weakness, Yudori establishes that for Amélie her quest supplies a fortitude others in her position would lack, and prevents her drifting into compliance.
Consistent attention to small details accumulating into big moments ensure Raging Clouds is a success. It works as an erotic mystery and social polemic, and it’s nuanced throughout, with Yudori showing the entire cast in shades of grey. For contrast, time is spent with characters other than Amélie, and people evolve, yet from already established characteristics. The solid grounding is the historical details being so convincing. It’ll be a rare reader familiar with the prevailing social conventions of 16th century Netherlands, and they’re eye-opening, not least the expectation that the wife of a household was expected to work alongside the employed staff.
The same subtlety applied to the art and characterisation is also seen in the plotting, providing an unexpected conclusion hinging on the confluence of a number of elements, but connected by pride. There’s a constant intrigue to what’s going on, and absolutely no certainty to Yudori ensuring Amélie will overcome her restrictions, so in addition to the reasons already mentioned, Raging Clouds succeeds because it’s a page-turning period drama. You should take a look.
