Since this was published in the 1980s and is long out of print, I don't think it will do any harm to include spoilers. If you don't want spoilers (on the off-chance that you'd like to locate scanlations or an actual copy somewhere), don't read the second paragraph on. To note, I own an actual copy ;)
A young woman named Ellen has just moved into her great grandpa's countryside home with her mom and dad, Rasty (a well-known writer) and Ferrisa Ferguson. During her first night, she goes into the kitchen for a snack and a weird creature with green hair appears in front of her! The creature introduces herself as Faau, a spirit of the oak tree in the backyard, and tells Ellen that they are "of the same kind." Basically, Ellen is supposed to believe that she is half-fairy.
It turns out that her mom is a dunna fairy, and met her father on Halloween many years ago. Fairies can only enter the human realm on Halloween or mid-summer eve, but she got lost and couldn't find her way home - so she ended up settling down with Rasty and Ellen was born. That former home is referred to as "The Hill," and, coincidentally, is located where they have just moved! But if Faau's hunch is right, great trouble is headed for the family. Mr. Bayley, a young businessman, is frequently visiting and trying to talk Mr. Ferguson into selling, the reason being the government wants to use the house as part of a community project. But that spells trouble not just for Ellen and her parents, but all the fairies as well. Her fluttering heart when the older man comes near is also enough to make her feel even more confused and upset about the whole situation.
Also included in the manga are two extra stories. The first focuses on one of Ellen's next door neighbors, a pair of twins named Tim and Charlotte. They believe they've seen a fairy in her backyard and are determined to come into contact. Fred, their older brother (who is in love with Ellen), tells them it's a bunch of nonsense, but maybe some magic will make him see what he's always denied. In the second story, a poem entitled "The Children of Planet A" touches the lives of three individuals - the French daughter of the man who wrote it, a high school student emotionally weary from what Japanese society expects of her, and a farmer boy in Iowa who dreams of flying beyond the corn fields.
If you can get your hands on it, this is a very cute read. Sadly, North American companies appear allergic to series from this era, so I very much doubt we'll ever see it in English. OKANO Fumika (last name first) is the author.
No comments:
Post a Comment