This original English-language manga starts off at a fast clip, introducing Sama, his teddy bear Eddie, and the fantasy world of Undertown. Worried that he has caused his father to have a heart attack, the 10-year-old takes the advice of a mysterious man he meets in the hospital and begins a quest to find the Sugar Stone. But Undertown is nothing like the mysterious man promised: instead of finding a peaceful city, Sama finds himself in the middle of a war between the insects and furmen, humanoid animals. Here, Eddie comes to life, filled with strange half-memories of this place and a quest of his own: finding the teddy bear bell. With the help of the rabbit B.W. and porcupine Joey P.P., Eddie and Sama begin their search, threatened at every turn by the evil leader of the insects, the Cloud. At times, the story has trouble keeping up with its action, and when parts of it are told from the Cloud's perspective, the switch between locations can be jarring. But the art is excellent, and the storytelling style feels true to the manga format. It may be hard to find the right niche for this book, as the character is 10 and has a talking teddy bear, but the world of Undertown is violent and dangerous. Manga fans, however, will feel right at home inside the narrative, and Naruto fans may happily make the switch from ninjas to civil war.

 

-Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT