New Let’s Get Visual: Of Sakura and the Sea

It’s the last Saturday of the month, which means time for a new installment of Let’s Get Visual at Michelle Smith’s Soliloquy in Blue!

My subject this time around comes from Daisuke Igarashi’s Children of the Sea, published in English by Viz Media. My point of discussion revolves around panel size, and how Igarashi uses it to influence the reader’s experience, up to and including how we feel about the characters and what they’re telling us.

In a series that is known for its beautiful (and unusual) artwork, I found it fascinating to analyze the way the artist uses structure as a tool as well.

Following that, Michelle leads us into a wonderful discussion about the way a mangaka can use art as a kind of emotional shorthand, demonstrated in several scenes from Mari Okazaki’s Suppli.

As always, we’re seeking input from those more knowledgeable about these things than we. So please come along and let us know where we’ve gone wrong!