is a fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 shōjo manga by Tsukuba Sakura. It was originally published in 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...

 by Hakusensha

Hakusensha

is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....

 in LaLa

Lala

Lala VC was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth soldiers.-Details:...

magazine between 1998 to 2004 and collected in nine tankōbon

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

volumes. It is licensed in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 by CMX Manga in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 and Chuang Yi

Chuang Yi

Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. is a publishing company based in Singapore that specializes in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise, in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributes all or some of its products in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines...

 in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

. The series is about three clairvoyant high school students and their relationships.

Plot

Kanade Otsuka is a high school girl who sometimes sees the future when she touches someone or something. Though she is uncomfortable being touched, she refuses to live her life in fear and uses her powers to help those she sees in trouble. One day, she meets Arou Naitou, a school mate who can see the past but does not feel he can do anything with his knowledge. They also meets Namiki Masahiro, another student who can also see the future but has more control over his power than Kanade and uses it purely for selfish reasons.

Kanade, Arou, and Namiki must in a world where society might not accept them if their secret is ever known other than by their friends. On several occasions, people learn about their secret (the school doctor, people from Arou's middle school, family members), with varying results. For example, Arou's classmates from middle school react negatively, distressing him, while another classmate tries to use Arou's talent for the benefit of society.

Characters

Cheerful and kind, Kanade does not always consider the consequences of her actions when she tries to change the outcome of her visions, often at the expense of her own safety (for example, trying to save her ex-firefighter grandfather from dying in a burning building as a young child). She can see the future once in a while. Kanade and Arou become a couple by the beginning of Volume 2.

He lost his mother a while ago, and always blamed himself. He lives with his father who is rarely at home, but they love each other all the same. An accomplished cook, Arou makes lunch for Kanade (and Namiki, the uninvited guest), who often mourns the fact that her cooking "wouldn't hold a candle to his". Shy and introverted, Arou opens up to no one but Kanade (and Namiki, his romantic rival with whom he often argues). Although Arou is quite popular and could easily go out with any girl in the school, he would never choose any of them over Kanade because Kanade is always able to cheer him up no matter how depressed or unhappy he is. Called Arou-kun by his friends. Even though he and Namiki fight a lot because of Kanade (Arou always gets jealous), they actually really care about each other. He will always see the "Past" by touching someone. It didn't use to be this way but his powers increased one night as he was desperately searching for his missing friend and mother.

Shunned by everyone because of his powers (including his parents and brother) he runs away and finds himself a job. Only his manager knows his secret, and they seem to really like each other and get along. Namiki is also very intelligent, and transferred from a very prestigious high school to go to Kanade and Arou's less prestigious school. Needless to say, he is at the top of his class. Once Namiki met Kanade, he realized that his powers could (and, arguably, should) be used for non-selfish reasons. He, like Arou, often worries about Kanade putting herself in danger to save other. In fact, he and Kanade meet when Kanade stops a man from crossing the street and getting hit by a car and he, unaware of the injury he has just avoided, tries to hit her only to be stopped by Namiki. He even got a dog (who is often central to the plot and to Namiki's development as a person) and a pet turtle because of Kanade. Namiki is rude and somewhat selfish, but he is really kind deep down inside, and he has an unrequited love for Kanade. He can also see the future, but it's more powerful than Kanade's and he only see the future when he wills it.

Kanade's best friend since elementary school. She is madly in love with Ezawa, and tries to change her personality to please him before Kanade convinces her that she should be true to herself. Not the best cook, Eri nonetheless tries to improve such domestic skills to please Ezawa, with varying success. Eri respects Kanade and Arou's powers, but does not learn about Namiki's.

Eri's somewhat loyal boyfriend, Ezawa never lacks attention from girls. His heart was softened by Eri. Other characters find it hard to read what he is thinking. Although he is invariably (and sometimes brutally) truthful, going to so far as to tell Eri with complete honesty how bad her cooking is, he nonetheless eats her less-than-appetizing cooking simply because she made it for him.

Media

Land of the Blindfolded is published by Hakusensha in Japanese. It is licensed in English by CMX Manga in North America and by Chuang Li in Singapore.

Reception

The first volume of the English edition was described by Booklist

Booklist

Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...

as "shōjo (manga for girls) at its best," saying "Sakura’s storytelling captures the sweetness and angst of both high-school and first love, and the panel layout and backgrounds work well with the art to illustrate the narrative."

External links

• CMX official site