Land of the Blindfolded
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| Land of the Blindfolded | |
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 Cover of Japanese volume 9. |
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| 目隠しの国 (Mekakushi No Kuni) |
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| Genre | Romance, Supernatural |
| Manga | |
| Author | Tsukuba Sakura |
| Publisher |  Hakusensha |
| English publisher |    CMX Manga  Chuang Yi |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Magazine | LaLa |
| Original run | 1998 – 2004 |
| Volumes | 9 |
Land of the Blindfolded (目隠しの国 Mekakushi No Kuni?) is a fantasy shōjo manga by Tsukuba Sakura. It was originally published in Japan by Hakusensha in LaLa DX magazine between 1998 to 2004 and collected in nine tankobon volumes. It is licensed in English by CMX Manga in North America and Chuang Yi in Singapore. The series is about three clairvoyant high school students and their relationships.
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[edit] Story
Land of the Blindfolded is about a girl named Kanade Otsuka who can sometimes see the future when she touches someone or something. Her description for this is that it is as if everyone is blindfolded, but her blindfold is defective and sometimes slips, letting her see more. She meets a schoolmate, Arou Naitou, who can see the past and Namiki Masahiro who can also see the future.
Kanade, Arou, and Namiki must live 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.
[edit] Characters
- Kanade Otsuka (大塚かなで Ōtuska Kanade?)
- 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 are a couple by the beginning of Volume 2, with Arou confessing that he really likes her at the very end of Volume 1. Kanade loves Arou's cooking (as well as Arou himself) and they have many romantic moments together. Kanade has a platonic relationship with Namiki. She is called Kanade-chan by her friends and Otsuka by her teachers.
- Arou Naitou (内藤あろう Naitō Arō?)
- 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.
- Masahiro Namiki (並木昌廣 Namiki Masahiro?)
- 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. Namiki is rude and somewhat selfish, but he is really kind deep down inside, and he has an unrequited love for Kanade. Later on in the manga it is implied that he actually likes Kaichou (chapter 38). Called Namiki-san by his friends. He can also see the future, but its slightly different from Kanade's.
- Eri Nakamura (中村エリ Nakamura Eli?)
- 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. Called Eri-chan by Kanade.
- Ezawa (江沢?)
- 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. Known as Ezawa-kun.
- Sou
- Arou's uncle, he can see the past as well, and he is determined to show Arou the truth about his mother. He is very mysterious.
- Sanae
- Arou's kind, yet sick mother. Now dead, not much is known about her. It is apparent from flashbacks that she and Arou were very close, and that she knew about his power. She encouraged Arou that it is ok to touch people even though he sees their pasts.
- Kaicho
- Student council leader. She's pretty, smart, and loves Arou. Often seen helping out around the school, it is obvious that she has an enormous workload, and that she has a well-hidden sentimental side. But after being kindly rejected (after much agonizing by Kanade, who sees her confessing to Arou in a vision), becomes good friends with Namiki, and develops a crush on him. It is unknown whether he feels the same way, but it is implied by chapter 38, when he continually helps her prepare for the school dance (stringing lights on the roof), and even dances with her in an empty classroom. At the end of that chapter it's said, "they are not the type to easily become a couple." Kaicho is not a name, but her title. It is mentioned in one chapter that her last name is Shiya and she has a younger brother named Yuushou. Namiki warned Yuushou about an upcoming accident so he knows about Namiki's abilities.
[edit] Reception
The first volume of the English edition was described by Booklist 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."[1]
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[edit] Manga
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.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- CMX official site
- Land of the Blindfolded (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
