Curiosity! Wonder! Exploration! These have all been considered as part of the human condition. Last week we even dove deep into oceans and wound up onto a mysterious land. Yet no concept has been so interwoven with humanity’s own history than the stars! Welcome back to One-Shot Manga Roulette, this week we will be shining that light back onto one-shots centered around stars and the fascination people have for them!
Inoya Kotoba
Cover of volume one for “Smile Down the Runway”.
When thinking about the interconnectedness of humanity we may think about the internet, advancements in travel technology, or the general globalization and spread of cultures. However, before this it would be more accurate to say that it is the stars that manage to connect all of humanity together.
For thousands of years the stars have always shone upon humanity, allowing ancient civilizations globally to do various things taken for granted today. Through the stars people have managed to navigate the land and sea, track time and seasons, and even predict weather patterns. The stars managed to be a weather, GPS, and clock app all at once!
It doesn’t even touch upon the sheer brilliance of the night sky with its 200 billion, trillion (2×10^23) stars, strangely-shaped nebulas, colorful galaxies, distant planets, and potentially world-ending cosmic terrors. With its practical guidance, and its awe-inspiring appearance, it is no surprise at all that each civilization developed its own deep mythology around them.
Interestingly many cultures ended up developing similar ideas around stars, each fitting within their own mythologies, whether that be stars as ancestors and gods, space as a spiritual land or cosmic blackboard/playground, or space as the final resting spot for the deceased.
Natsu
Bronze award-winning oneshot in Monthly Afternoon’s Four Seasons manga contest.
The sheer importance of stars can still be seen today, even with the declining interest in astronomy and astrology. It would be shocking to find someone not familiar with the eastern or western zodiacs. And surely they have heard of more noteworthy stars and clusters such as The North Star, Big Dipper, Polaris, Orion, or Sirius.
Although the gods are dead (and we killed them), the stars still hold a sort of divinity today as they’re even more strongly associated with hope, dreams, and success in today’s cultures compared to its other associations. (I find the repurposing of the word stars to mean celebrities to be as sad as it is disturbing…)
Relax and gaze upon the stars as this week will be an easy read with the emotional stress level only lying at a 2/10.
Featured this week: “When You Wish Upon a Star”, by Kotobori Inoya. The one-shot was a special selection for the 100th Newcomer Manga Award in the Weekly Shonen Magazine, making the mangaka only one of six to have done so in the magazine’s 65 year long history.
Maybe it was only appropriate after publishing a short story about stars that he would use the new found success to be able to serialize his first manga, “Smile Down the Runway”, a story about a model/designers duo rise through the cutthroat world of high fashion! Inspired by the author’s love for sports and drawing incredibly cute girls, the story is well worth checking out with its compelling sports-like narrative and beautiful artwork.
DISCLAIMER: To preserve the experience of the column, tags and disclaimers have not been included for individual one-shots. Stories may contain suggestive or sensitive content. Discretion is advised.
“When You Wish Upon a Star” – Inoya Kotoba (48 pages) – Shouta has a quiet life reading alone as the sole member of the school’s Astronomy club – that is until excitable first year, Nozomi joins the club seeking shooting stars to have her wish granted! Shouta does his best to drive her out but soon discovers he can summon stars when he snaps. Will he choose to drive Nozomi out or help fulfill her wish?
“The Boy Who Collects Star” – Natsu (52 pages) – Ben, a biology professor, sets out to the Swedish mountains in search of a supposed six-legged deer that resides through the woods. In his pursuit he meets a young boy who claims he’s collecting the stars…
“Where is the Seven Color Star?” – Tsuruyoshi Eri (32 pages) – A story of a precious star isolated on an island and a pirate who seeks to find it.
“Passing Time with the Stars” – Kamijima Iku (11 pages) – A bored goddess flicks some stars…Humans go crazy!
“Star Seamstress” – Akira Nagano (16 pages) – Planets, clusters, nebulas and galaxies, the cosmos sewn together each night by the star seamstresses. Tonight is the night for the apprentices to illuminate the night.
Although the stars no longer have the same mythology or practical importance they used to have, the countless people and artists that remain enamored by them remain the same. From stories such as the one-shots presented here, or famous art pieces like Starry Night. If not for that maybe an appreciation for stars has been indoctrinated into every English speaking child as they learn to sing their ABCs.
Try to look past all the pollution or get yourself out to the country to gaze upon the stars and check back here for more stories with One-Shot Roulette!