365 Days of Manga, Day 271: The Third

THE THIRD • Ryo Hoshino (story), Ariko Itou (art), Nao Goto (character design) • Tokyopop • 16+
Adaptation of the anime series. In the postapocalyptic future, human beings live on the fringes of the world-spanning desert, controlled by the aloof, inaccessible “thirds” who possess a third eye in their foreheads. Honoka is a 15-year-old “dune runner,” an aspiring young scout who does odd jobs on the borderlands of civilization, from finding stray cats to fighting a berserk robot soldier. Through Honoka, we gradually learn about her science fiction world; like a Miyazaki movie, or the manga Aria, The Third focuses on its hard-working, plucky-yet-insecure heroine who can see the beauty in everything and always cheers up the people she encounters (by force if necessary…Honoka is a feisty one). It’s a pleasant, occaionally evocative adaptation of the anime, saddled mainly by generic art, the episodic stories (good in magazine format, not so good as a graphic novel) and the jokes about Honoka’s small breasts. (Oh, the hilarity!) (Review by Jason Thompson – originally printed in Otaku USA magazine.)
** (two stars)
Today’s winner is Donna A. of South Carolina! Congratulations, Donna!