The opening sets the mood perfectly. A woman is skippering a sailboat on the open ocean. A child listens to her tell a tale from when she was young, accompanied by the whip of the sail and the sound of the waves, with nothing but the sea in every direction. The storytelling of memory provides an aspect of uncertainty, while the sensory feel of the setting captures the appeal of the water and the mystery of its inhabitants.

With none of the usual manga conventions, beautifully rendered art, diverse characters, and a compelling mystery, this is a title that both non-manga readers and long time fans will enjoy.

Daisuke Igarashi is a masterful storyteller, liberally mixing genres – the coming-of-age story, the scientific mystery – to create a unique drama that’s eerie and compelling. As fanciful as the story’s details may be, Children of the Sea maintains a firm grip on reality, thanks to its memorable, true-to-life characters. Ruka, in particular, is a fine creation, a strong, independent girl who reacts with her fists instead of her mouth, has trouble making friends, and burns with curiosity about the things she’s seen. Umi and Sora, too, both have distinctive personalities; whatever their role in the story’s eventual denouement, neither are portrayed as innocents or naifs but as smart, worldly, and sometimes prickly individuals who are in a desperate race against time.