Manga releases celebrate
dance and the visual arts

Ballet is something most of us associate with "Swan Lake," and that often conjures memories of boring elementary school field trips meant to acculturate young, impressionable minds.

So the premise behind the Japanese manga "Swan" by Ariyoshi Kyoko, published stateside by CMX, is unlikely to immediately catch one's attention.

Masumi Hijiri is a 16-year-old aspiring ballerina studying in a tiny school in Hokkaido, in the very north of Japan. She travels across half the country, all the way to Tokyo, to see the famed Russian Bolshoi Ballet in a production of "Swan Lake."

The performance is sold out, but Masumi barges into the theater as the famous Black Swan dance of Act 3 begins. Security guards start to drag her out just as the Bolshoi stars, Alexei Sergeiev and Maria Prisetskaya, emerge from backstage.

With her heart stuck in her throat at suddenly meeting two of ballet's greats, Masumi kicks off her shoes and performs a short portion of the Black Swan, touching the two Russians.

Not long afterward, Masumi unexpectedly receives an entry to a surprise national competition to be judged by masters from Russia, London and Paris. What's an untrained dancer at a fourth-rate school doing with such an invitation?

Partly through skill and partly through Sergeiev's patronage, Masumi wins private lessons at an exclusive school. But her flawed training shows painfully, and she must push herself harder and harder to relearn even the most basic steps as she discovers just how cutthroat the world of ballet is.

From the start, "Swan" introduces a great passion for the dance, and it's difficult to not feel the same thrill. The story gives small insights into the world of ballet that make you appreciate it even more. Such tidbits introduce some well-known ballets, techniques and even the physics of the dance.

But the constant ballet terms used throughout are difficult to follow, even though they're explained at the bottom of each page as they're used.

Masumi's lack of confidence also threatens to overwhelm the story, making her very emotional and often weepy.

Perhaps her most defining moment is not when she fails at a key point in the competition, but when she realizes that although she has the desire to become a great dancer, she also lacks a skilled enough teacher to guide her.

After all, talent alone often is not enough; even the most beautiful of flowers needs a proper gardener to bring out its full potential.

Masumi's saving grace is her devotion, so by the end of the book, you're still rooting for her to succeed, despite her annoying insecurities.

"Swan" sweeps you up into its world of ballet with its reliance on themes that resound no matter what your path in life: perseverance, dedication, hard work. Even if ballet isn't your cup of tea, you can't help but admire the intensity and enthusiasm that the dancers throw into their art or imagine the grace of the youths as their efforts bear fruit onstage.

IN THE similar vein of appreciation of the fine arts is the CMX manga "From Eroica with Love" by Aoike Yasuko. This time, however, the obsession is mainly from the connoisseur's point of view.

The story introduces three friends who, through an adventure five years ago, developed telepathy and almost supernatural abilities. Art student Sugar Plum, 16, has had her five senses significantly enhanced and developed her sixth sense, as well -- she can see into the future. (And with a name like that, you can easily deduce her personality.)

Nineteen-year-old Leopard Solid was gifted with superhuman strength and athleticism, along with a superhuman appetite to fuel the intense energy needed for such feats. And Caesar Gabriel, 18, became a genius -- he speaks 20 languages, holds 15 doctorates, is a musical virtuoso and an art professor at the London University. Oh, and he's drop-dead gorgeous, to boot.

Enter Earl Dorian Red Gloria, the aforementioned obsessed connoisseur. He has a tendency to "collect" things he fancies -- and what he fancies is usually some priceless art object in a museum or in someone else's private collection. So guess what the earl does as a little side hobby?

Dorian's thievery entangles the three friends after the earl, under the code name "Eroica," steals the Lady Devlin's entire art collection after a party that the trio attended. Witnesses tell police how Caesar was enamored by one of Devlin's paintings, and the three are now the main suspects.

The trio try to clear their names by going after the real thieves. In the process, Caesar falls into the earl's hands. Sparks fly between the flamboyant aristocrat and the naive young art professor. So now guess the next item the earl wishes to "collect"?

The story then focuses on stolid German intelligence officer Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach, who despises the pretentious nobleman and his hedonistic ways as his nemesis, vowing to capture the thief.

Where this series will go is anyone's guess. The various story elements don't mesh well at this point, and whether there is some meaning to them is yet to be seen. It's not clear if the characters other than the earl and Eberbach are recurring or are just a one-time plot device. The summary for the next volume certainly makes no mention of Sugar, Leopard and Caesar.

One warning about "Eroica": As the title suggests, it's slightly on the erotic side, specifically in the genre of "shounen ai," or "boys love," which is popular in Japan. The art style feminizes the men, giving them slim bodies, elongated legs, delicate fingers and beautifully flowing hair.

With the focus on the earl and his preference for males, those who are uncomfortable with same-sex overtures will want to steer clear of this series.