Arina Tanemura – Frozen II: The Manga (VIZ Media)
Frozen II: The Manga adaptation by Arina Tanemura is a whimsical retelling of the wonderful Disney film. It features poetic quotes, as well as classic manga-style artwork. This beautiful story of love is given new light through the creative lens of Ms. Tanemura. Her work as an artist, illustrator, and character designer has been displayed through her many shōjo mangas. She was truly the perfect artist for this manga adaptation.
The story itself is presented well, with a few minor moments being glossed over. These are small pieces of scenes such as Elsa being rescued by the water spirit "Nokk'' after falling into the ocean. This was after she had discovered the secret of the conflict between the Northuldra people and the people of Arendelle. Despite some minor missing moments, the rest of the main plot and story is represented beautifully.
As previously mentioned, the poetic writing used to express the character's inner thoughts brought a new glimmer to the tale. A sophisticated grace added to the story originally written for children. The entire story felt similar to a large poem – a poem with dialogue and lively characters, that is.
Aside from the writing, the artwork was absolutely stunning and beautifully done. Ms. Tanemura’s art style captured the mystical moments from the film perfectly. The pure dedication in her art shows her wonderful talent in the best of ways. For a movie series such as Frozen, a shōjo manga art style was the obvious choice, however, this choice was obvious in a great way, seeing how shōjo mangas are geared towards the young feminine demographic.
While that may be the audience of the art style, I believe that anyone could enjoy this wonderful retelling. Art is something that can never be limited to one group or person. It is something to be shared and appreciated.
Jordan “JoJo” Wagner
Copyright ©2021 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: February 20, 2021.