Kabu no Isaki
Encyclopedia
, literally Isaki of the Cub, is a Japanese
manga
by 2007 Seiun Award
winner . It first appeared in 2007 as a one-shot, but due to its popularity, has subsequently become a semi-regular feature in Kodansha's
Afternoon
manga anthology
magazine
. A second volume was released in October 2009.
Isaki of the Cub shares many characteristic hallmarks of Ashinano's style: fascination with aeronautical
themes; a setting in the future; a setting on and around the Miura peninsula
; a vision of Japan
that is isolated and nostalgic; and a natural world full of mystery that the protagonists explore with a sense of wonder. As such there are many parallels with Ashinano's previous work Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō
.
pilot
who flies a Piper Super Cub. The Cub is owned by the beautiful , and Isaki often flies errands for her as a way to pay for his use of the plane. Shiro's younger sister is also capable of flying the plane and occasionally accompanies Isaki on his journeys.
The story is notable for distortions in the scale of the world, which is ten times bigger than normal. This number is both explicitly mentioned, and is also depicted by geographical features that exist in reality being ten times larger in the story. Certain other features of the world are also gigantic, such as the Tokyo Tower
which is described as 3333 meters tall (ten times larger than in real life). The plants are also gigantic, up to roughly 100 times larger than normal, although most are normal-sized. As is typical with Ashinano's stories, no explanations are given for the distortions, so the reader is left to wonder along with the characters.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
by 2007 Seiun Award
Seiun Award
The is a Japanese science fiction award for the best science fiction published in Japan during the preceding year, as voted by attendees of the Japan Science Fiction Convention. "Seiun" is the Japanese word for "nebula", but the award is not related to the American Nebula Award. It was named after...
winner . It first appeared in 2007 as a one-shot, but due to its popularity, has subsequently become a semi-regular feature in Kodansha's
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
Afternoon
Afternoon (magazine)
is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha. It is a monthly anthology, and each issue typically has around thirty ongoing stories by various authors and runs about 800 pages...
manga anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
. A second volume was released in October 2009.
Isaki of the Cub shares many characteristic hallmarks of Ashinano's style: fascination with aeronautical
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
themes; a setting in the future; a setting on and around the Miura peninsula
Miura Peninsula
is a peninsula located in Kanagawa, Japan. It lies south of Yokohama and Tokyo and divides Tokyo Bay, to the east, from Sagami Bay, to the west. Cities and towns on the Miura Peninsula include Yokosuka, Miura, Hayama, Zushi, and Kamakura....
; a vision of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
that is isolated and nostalgic; and a natural world full of mystery that the protagonists explore with a sense of wonder. As such there are many parallels with Ashinano's previous work Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō
Yokohama Kaidashi Kiko
is a science fiction manga written and illustrated by Hitoshi Ashinano. The title can be translated Yokohama Shopping Log or Record of a Yokohama Shopping Trip. One tankōbon volume, the publisher's former English language website, and the second original video animation series have the subtitle...
.
Plot
is a young airplaneFixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
who flies a Piper Super Cub. The Cub is owned by the beautiful , and Isaki often flies errands for her as a way to pay for his use of the plane. Shiro's younger sister is also capable of flying the plane and occasionally accompanies Isaki on his journeys.
The story is notable for distortions in the scale of the world, which is ten times bigger than normal. This number is both explicitly mentioned, and is also depicted by geographical features that exist in reality being ten times larger in the story. Certain other features of the world are also gigantic, such as the Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower
is a communications and observation tower located in Shiba Park, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. At , it is the second tallest artificial structure in Japan. The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations.Built in...
which is described as 3333 meters tall (ten times larger than in real life). The plants are also gigantic, up to roughly 100 times larger than normal, although most are normal-sized. As is typical with Ashinano's stories, no explanations are given for the distortions, so the reader is left to wonder along with the characters.