Those who make contact with these creatures and manage to survive are cursed and with this comes the ability to command magical power. The series itself takes place in a fantasy world where monsters called Nemeses fall from the sky and terrorise people. It actually holds the honour of being the first French manga to be adapted to anime for broadcast on Japanese television, with the first series already complete and the second currently airing. Radiant has become one of the leading examples of manfra, so much so that its popularity over a run of thirteen volumes to date has carried it to the attention of the country whose work inspired it. In fact, just last year in France at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, their Grand Prix was awarded to renowned mangaka, Rumiko Takahashi, creator of Inuyasha. Not just Franco-Belgian comics but comics from around Europe, America and of course, Japan. But France is a country that embraces graphic storytelling more than most. Though, rather than following the expected style and format, Valente has adapted to suit the manga-centric style he is such a fan of, a style that is becoming more frequent in France with French-made manga commonly known as “manfra”. Long-established comics in Europe such as The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé, among many others have resulted in a popularity of the form in Europe, even developing their own unique illustrative styles such as ligne claire. Unsurprising, as there is already a tried and true tradition of Franco-Belgian comics, separate from that of the typical English-speaking comics many of us are used to in the west. A life-long fan of anime and manga, Valente is heavily influenced by series such as Naruto and One Piece, so it is only natural that he would produce his own take on a shonen series. The manga was Illustrated and written by French manga author, Tony Valente. Obviously, we are used to anime being adapted from Japanese source material, yet Radiant is a series that originated in France. At its core, the series is fairly typical of many shonen series and with the author being such a big fan of the genre that is no surprise, however, what’s behind the series and its source material could be what ultimately sets it apart from a generally formulaic genre. Radiant is a rather special series among the growing number of seasonal anime adaptations we are used to getting.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |