Land of the Blindfolded: Volume 1

by Sakura Tsukuba

Book Overview

"First published in Japan in 2000 by Hakusensha Inc., Tokyo"--Colophon.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401205240
• ISBN13: 9781401205249
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: DC Comics
• Length: 206 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Inspirational

I love the theme of this story. It is true to be both fortunate and unfortunate to be able to see the future or the past. I like the decisions the main character Kanade makes in the story. She is selfless and very compassionate. She is like an angel. Although the story is little far fetched, it is a great story. I almost feel that the inspirational words the author wrote in the story are more intriguing than the story itself. I have learned a great deal from reading this manga. Besides, the short stories at the end of the graphic novel are very high in quality. I have to say the whole book is more like a prose than a story.

very nice drama

Kanade, Namiki & Arou share a secret, when Kanade & Namiki touch something they see its future, and for Arou he sees its past. the story has too much drama and some romance how will the main characters deal with things that they know it will happen ( accidents, break up, etc..), or how to deal with things that already happened ( murder, things that shouldn't be known, etc..) but those powers doesnt always show what the owner wants, it sometimes comes randomly, in Kanades case, she thinks that the future can be changed if she reacted but in Namikis case he thinks it is meaningless and just getting yourself into trouble while Arou has different type of matters since he is dealing with the past of course while keeping everything a secret, so its expected to see some other characters comes later and notice those powers which will give the story some action the romance is poor here and thats normal because there cant be misunderstandings between people whom know what happened and what will happen, but their is countless ideas that can be made to let the story be great, and I hope the artist didnt waste his cool story on side stories only, its the artist first work that gets more than one shot anyways so its kinda hard for her to make a bright ideas for one story I hate giving a manga less than 5 stars unless its realy sux and this one aint bad so try it!

My new favorite

I was randomly looking for a new books to buy, and this is one of those book i would never buy if i wasn't in the mood to try new things. Once i got home and read the first Chapter, i feel in love with the book, everything about. It was the cover that got me to buy it, but the art work within was somewhat different. But this book didn't disappoint me. The characters are great, Arou gotta be my favorite, he is so unpredictable. This book reminds me of Hana Kimi, That Arou is Sano, maybe since it is his dark hair. Kanade reminds me of Mizuki. Give this book a shot. Im glad i sure did.

This Manga Would Make a Great Anime

The first lines of this manga are what intrigued me about it and would be the perfect opening lines if this was ever made into an anime: "If there were a land of blind-folded people, would they understand the concept of sight? Sometimes, my 'blindfold' slips a little bit." Those in the "land of blind-folded people" can't see anything but the present. Kanade Outsaka, the main female character, says her "blindfold" is defective; sometimes, when she touches a person, she "sees" their future. Kanade has a good heart and tries to prevent the sad futures of those she bumps into, even if that person is a stranger. When she bumps into Arou Naitou, a schoolmate, he discovers Kanade's "gift of sight", which is a common link between the two teens. Arou-kun tells Kanade that in this "land", they are facing opposite directions. He can only see the past, and, where her "blindfold" is loose, his "blindfold" is gone, lost a long time ago. But unlike Kanade, his approach to "seeing" is don't get involved, because all you can do is "see", and anyone you try to help won't be able to understand why you are trying to help them and usually won't appreciate it. Kanade's best friend, Eri, proves this by getting mad at her when Kanade tries to prevent Eri's boyfriend, Ezawa, from dumping her for a girl with long dark hair, and instead causes confusion and frustration for both Eri and Ezawa. Kanade meets someone else just like her, Masahiro Namiki, who can see the future. He has the same policy as Arou: Don't do anything about it. Only he enjoys being able to see someone's fate with a smug, omniscient-like attitude. This disgusts Arou, and Namiki-kun doesn't show that side of himself to Kanade so she doesn't realize why Arou doesn't trust him. Both young men are changed by their relationship to Kanade. Arou starts doing something about what he "sees" (he reports the hit-and-run driver who killed a small boy months earlier), and Namiki starts caring about what he "sees", especially since Kanade could get hurt trying to help if he doesn't get involved. The extra stories are sweet and really wonderful tales about love and high school: "After the Festival" is about new love that happens after a school sports festival. Takeshi is so worn out from the festival preparations that he falls asleep in class and Katsura, a cute cheerleader, happens upon his nap. After the festival, they both are so worn out that they miss their stop and end up spending a lot more time together. There is a really "nice" romantic scene in this story that the author claims she had struggled over putting in. "The Mistaken Man" is about how making a mistake can actually changing someone's life for the better. Nobuhiro Fujisaki ends up in the wrong classroom one morning, meets a pretty girl, Yuki Mishina, and falls in love with her at first sight. He relates the whole event to his best friend, Takeshi, who tells Nobuhiro there is no one by that name in school. When Nobuhiro introduces Yuki

Not Your Typical Romance

This is a beautiful read about three main characters (two in this volume and one more will be introduced in later volumes) who have special gifts - either the ability to see the future or the past. Contrary to what you would expect, the focus in the story is on relationships and the consequences of dealing with special powers in every day life situations - not on the powers themselves. The psychology, ethics, emotions, reactions, and responsibilities of these three people are slowly explored in an intricately crafted story. At its heart, Land of the blindfolded is about kindred spirits who find one another and teach each other a thing or two about life, love, and acceptance. One would expect the writer to use the powers to push the romantic theme in this type of genre. And although there is definitely enough romance to keep every fan happy, the supernatural powers do play a very background role to exploring the mindsets and psychology of the main characters. That may make it sound boring, but the skill of the author ensures that it is a very engrossing read with characters you can really like and care about as the story progresses. Land of the Blindfolded differs greatly from North American type of genre romances in that the story isn't about the angst and anticipation of getting together. Rather, it's about those precious early days of a relationship when everything is new and unsure. This theme of uncertainty is carried throughout the volumes and greatly enhances each of the arcs, providing contrasting unity and consistency. This series can be best described as a very subdued, playful, and warm experience. There are wonderful scenes of respect and intimacy between the main characters but no sexual situations, making it very suitable for young and older readers. It's nice to read a romance novel where the object of the story isn't about putting the characters in compromising and unrealistic sexual situations. I can enthusiastically recommend this series. It gets even better as it progresses into later volumes.