When Vertical launched Kou Yaginuma’s Twin Spica in the summer of 2010 the company embarked on a quest to change the manga publishing landscape. This mission was much larger than just an internal office decision to shake off the manacles of the comics cognoscenti to reach the mainstream, but it was also a challenge to the manga industry as a whole. Yaginuma’s heartwarming tale of teens with dreams of the stars was our call to action in what we hoped would become a revolution in manga; a clear reaction to the ever changing comics scene and to the continued growth of the manga market.
Now, nearly two years later, Twin Spica has collected a lion’s share of accolades. And while the property has not lit the world on fire, its presence has touched and can be felt by readers across the globe. More importantly, Asumi and Mr. Lion have guided a young industry through a new frontier of seinen (young adult) comics rich with narratives and artistic perspectives that have rarely been seen outside of Asia. And for that, with this week’s release of the twelfth and final volume of Twin Spica, Vertical, Inc. would like to extend their collected gratitude to Mr. Yaginuma and his readers for joining us in this well-received endeavor, and we hope you will join us as our manga evolution continues.
A 2011 YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection
A 2011 About.com Manga Readers’ Choice Finalist – Best All-Ages Manga
A 2010 CYBILS Award Finalist – Young Adult Graphic Novel
A Publishers Weekly Big Graphic Novels of 2010 Selection
“I knew Twin Spica was going to be good from when Vertical first announced its license of it. I didn’t realize just how good it would be… The single-page panels, or the two-page spreads, carry with them a sense of gravity and awe that forces you to stop and inspect all the details in Yaginuma’s amazingly clean artwork… Some of the conflict [in the first volume] had me crying, almost uncontrollably. I had to put the manga down and walk away from it for a good while because of how hard it hit me.”
—Japanator
“Ultimately, the manga surprised me. Reading about Twin Spica’s lead trying to go into space, I got choked up. It is more sensitive and naturalistic than other space academy manga (even ones I’ve liked)…”
—Ain’t It Cool News
“It’s easy to see why the series was a smash hit in its native land… The relationship between father and daughter is very moving, and Asumi’s interaction with her equally ambitious schoolmates is also compelling stuff… Each page contains more genuine emotion than an entire space fleet’s worth of similarly themed stories. Opening with a strong introductory volume, this series shows great promise and bodes well for future installments.”
—Publishers Weekly
“[Yaginuma]’s work fuses Twin Spica with both a sense of childhood nostalgia as well as encouragement to venture beyond. Replace ‘space exploration’ with the goal of your choosing and you have the recipe for an inspiring parable of progress… It’s refreshingly divergent from the majority of the manga on shelves at the moment.”
—Otaku USA
“Yaginuma’s matter-of-fact storytelling and understated art fill this tale with a gentle sense of wonder. The characters’ doe eyes and lightly sketched style would be more at home in a slice-of-life series than a sensationalist sci-fi adventure, but that contrast is exactly why Twin Spica stands out. Rather than reaching for the stars with an outspoken gesture, it looks inward, to the depths of the human soul where we find the courage and will to explore.”
—Anime News Network
“It has a really timeless, very classic manga feel to it… A very good read, with plenty of challenges for a nice assortment of likeable characters… I’m looking forward to following the whole thing.”
—Comic Book Resources
“It’s hard for me to describe how much I enjoyed reading this first volume. It’s touching without being melodramatic. The drama is well done and very compelling. Like life, it doesn’t pull any punches, but it still has an uplifting feeling about the future… Whether you’re interested in space travel or science fiction or not, the characters and drama of this title are just too compelling to pass up. 10/10”
—Comics Village
“This delightful comic book epic has everything: plenty of hard science to back up the savvy extrapolation, a believable, likable cast, an enduring mystery, tender moments, isolation and teen angst, dawning true friendships, all wrapped up in a joyous coming-of-age drama with supernatural overtones and gobs of pure sentiment. This tale reinvigorates the magical allure of the Wild Black Yonder for a new generation and is a treat no imagineer with head firmly in the clouds can afford to miss.”
—Comics Review (U.K.)
Beginning May 8, Vertical joins the electronic publishing revolution when we release our very first e-book. Michael Dana Kennedy’s outstanding novel The Flowers of Edo will now be available to download for Kindle, Nook, iPad, and other devices.
