Although it's not strictly a post-war story, Asadora's first volume is steeped in the trauma of WWII, primarily in how it affected the everyday people and the soldiers who came home. The main characters are one of each: Asa is a ten-ish year old girl who feels like the invisible person in her large family and she's mistakenly kidnapped by a former fighter pilot who has fallen on hard times since he came home lacking a civilian pilot's license or the money to procure one. When he snatches Asa off the streets (mistakenly taking her for a doctor's daughter), the two end up unlikely compatriots in the devastation Typhoon Vera wreaked on Nagoya in September of 1959. (Images of the inundated port show that Urasawa definitely did his research.) Both of them find meaning in their work to help the survivors, which may or may not include Asa's family, as multiple plot threads begin to slowly come together - the cry of a mysterious animal, the treatment of veterans after the war, and the upcoming Olympics all seem to hinge on the rescue efforts that Asa and the pilot kick off. Even though I'm not sure where this is going it's fascinating, and I'm looking forward to seeing the full picture take shape when viewed from above.

Asadora! Volume 1 is written by mangaka Naoki Urasawa and is published by Viz Media. What drew me to the title, initially, was the cover art that reminded me of the artwork of one of my favorite mangaka Inio Asano with its hyper-realistic artwork on polaroids. All I knew about Asadora! Volume 1 was that our main character gets kidnapped while a typhoon occurs. However, what I encountered was an insightful manga that explores the ideas of poverty, natural disaster, and war.

This book starts off with our main protagonist Asada running around town with her friend. She’s only a small girl, but she already understands her place in the world. She is one of 5 children, with a sixth child on the way. Urasawa does not write Asada to be a sad or tragic character, instead, she speaks matter of factly. She recognizes that her parents don’t have time for her and instead of dwelling, she takes control of her life and what she does. However, this puts her in a dangerous spot as she is trying to get home in time while her mother goes into labor. A typhoon hits her small town of Nagoya, Japan. Right before the typhoon hits, Asada gets kidnapped.

Given that the blurb for Asadora! Volume 1 mentions she was kidnapped, I would have expected the story to follow a traditional kidnapping thriller. Instead, Urasawa invites readers into a human drama filled with intricate detail and intense poignancy. This kidnapper mistakes Asada for a rich person’s daughter and was expecting to use her as a ransom for money as he is extremely impoverished. He doesn’t want to be a criminal, and cannot afford to be one either, but describes how he’s run out of options. As Asada and he are trapped in a building together after the typhoon, Urasawa provides backstory on an army pilot in World War II. This hints that our story takes place in post-war Japan with the rise of the baby boom.

The focus on the kidnapper’s backstory is never about glory, fame, or how many Americans were killed but rather about camaraderie. He laments on how he never wanted to be involved in the war but just wanted to be a pilot. When he was in the war, he just wanted to make it out alive. There’s something so fragile and insightful about this fact that makes Asadora! Volume 1 a look into survival.

The artwork as the story progresses is beautiful, even while depicting tragedy. The typhoon has virtually drowned their hometown. House is completely underwater. Asada doesn’t know whether or not her parents are alive. While readers know that this story takes place in 1959, Urasawa’s art style feels chic and modern with clean lines and photo-realism that places readers right at the center of the story. While there is nothing inherently exciting about his character designs, his set design is breath-taking. He does not need to write about the people’s pain and suffering but is able to use his artistic ability to deliver impactful story beats. Facial expressions, detailed pieces of people’s houses, baby clothes floating in the water is enough to key readers into how natural disasters can wreak havoc on a town.

What continues to be the strength of Asadora! Volume 1 is his characterization. Asada does not know whether or not her family is alive and is able to convince her kidnapper to use his wartime experience to deliver aid to the people of her town. She does not want to cry or break down because it doesn’t do anyone any good. It’s this tenacity and strength that is both heart-warming and also extremely disheartening. In the face of adversity, at such a young age, her selflessness puts her emotional needs at the back burner as she traverses through an event she has yet to understand or process.

Throughout the volume, the small inklings describing the post-war effort and how it has affected families, the economy of small towns, and people’s attitudes towards one another. Whether it is the reluctance to share resources, the distrust to helping others you think are lost causes, or penny-saving for the end of times, it showcases Urawsa’s strength as a storyteller. He is able to depict so much simply through his artwork and small dialogue. Panels are never cluttered and his lettering is easy to follow and read making Asadora! Volume 1 a manga you can quickly consume in one sitting.

While I was expecting an intense thriller, I have come out with nothing but awe at this quietly brilliant work from mangaka Naoki Urasawa. Asadora! Volume One demands that you follow Asada through her adversity and root for her along the way in post-war Japan.

The art style on the cover and the genre of 'Historical Fiction' made me a bit skeptical to read this, but I'm really glad I did since this was a really heartwarming read.

Following Asa Asada and her unassuming role as our main protagonist, we journey with her as she is kidnapped and ransomed, trapped with her ex-kidnapper-slash-everyday-man during a typhoon, and eventually proves that even though you may be unassuming, and may not be in an important role, you can still make a huge difference to your community.

This is a series brimming with humanity through the unlikely duo of a child and her kidnapper. Both characters are engaging and sympathetic despite their backgrounds and insecurities – Asa, a young girl coming from a family of twelve, feels insignificant, from citing her mediocre name to even going so far as to say “I bet no one has noticed I’m gone” after getting kidnapped; Kasuga, an older man who kidnaps Asa for ransom, was once a World War Two captain of a Type 1 Attack Bomber now relegated to a bum out of luck, needing money to make a living again. What I think stands out most is how both protagonists go out to make an impact in their otherwise disparate situations. I love seeing Asa persistently push for help and aid those affected in the typhoon while Kasuga goes out of his way to show that he was – and still is – a hero of the sky. Asa and Kasuga’s chemistry yearn for significance amidst obscurity – both bicker about the situation at hand and continue to instill hope in each other. This is especially true when both awake to see a devastated town. A tearful Asa confronts Kasuga’s hopelessness not with inspiration, instead, teetering despair - “Didn’t you get your crew back from the war alive? And now you’re giving up? Is that what heroes do? Am I gonna give up?” Kasuga gently lays his hand on Asa’s shoulder and reassures her “yeah…I’m a hero…” This writing evokes a cry for help and this volume gently asserts optimism in a wasteland. And just when the reader thinks this story can have its conclusion, there is more to the disaster than meets the eye. In other words, there is the prospect of a continuing series. "Asadora" cuts deep in the emotional jugular with scalpel-like precision, and I trust Naoki Urasawa's hand in weaving the narrative.

The cliffhanger had me hooked. I need to know what happens next. Overall, great story about human survival.

Asa is kidnapped on the way home after retrieving a doctor for her pregnant mother. The thing is, no one notices she is missing. It might have something to do with Asa being one of twelve children and her being kidnapped in the middle of a typhoon. Her kidnapper isn't as he appears either. He kidnapped her because he believed she was the doctor's daughter and he could get a large ransom for her return. He needed the money to get a pilot's license. He is a war hero who flew bomber planes. He releases Asa in the middle of the typhoon and they ride it out in a shipping container. When they emerge, nothing is as it was. They steal a plane to drop food and water to survivors and while flying see a giant footprint. Maybe the typhoon wasn't a typhoon after all.