COLORLESS – Review of the first volume

2024 opened with great news regarding manga publishing in Italy: in fact, Musubi Editions, new publishing house in Bariwhich debuted with its first publication on January 25th, namely volume n.1 of COLORLESSwork of Kent recently concluded in Japan with its seventh and final volume. “Musubu” literally it means “ability to create a deep bond” and this is precisely what it is, in fact purpose of the editorial project: create a bond with readers and between them; also there choice of logo is linked to that of the name, representing a intertwining of knots typical of tsutsumithe art of wrapping objects and gifts.

But let's get to work: COLORLESS is set in a dystopian future where the Earth has lost all its colors due to strong solar flares. Because of this, humanity has fallen victim to genetic mutations and Greed study the power contained in colors to fight against the Cult, who desperately tries to take possession of the last remaining fragments of color to dominate the world. In this dangerous battle he will appear a young girl, Chievery different from other people, and which for this reason must be protected even at the cost of one's life.

Earth lost color

The main characters we meet in the first volume of COLORLESS I am Greed, Covedes And Who iswhich is opposed by the antagonists belonging to the Cultoriginally born as an environmentalist movement, but which, after undergoing religious influences, became an organization aiming for a monopoly on color. For this reason, Professor Avidia studies the power of colors and develops tools and devices useful for combat, helped by his friend Covedes, who is crazy about triple portions of pasta, and together with whom he wants to protect the young Chie, former waitress of the usual café that the two usually frequent. We can say that all the protagonists of the story are perfectly characterized: If on one hand Avidia's qualities are determination and ingenuity, Covedes it comes off as clever and ironic, Who is she appears as a very beautiful and diligent girl, thoughtful, grateful and ready to give her contribution in the battle against the Cultwhose members are ruthless, evil and aim only for power, which they want to use to dominate the world, committing heinous crimes.

THE strengths of the story I am undoubtedly the setting and the pace of the narrative. As already mentioned above, we find ourselves in a future where the world appears gray and dull, now devoid of colour, within which the entire population, due to the Mercy Pulse, i.e. the largest solar eruption ever to occur, finds herself physically and psychologically annihilated. Everyone (or almost everyone) has lost their human appearance, and instead of their faces there are now deformed faces, with monstrous and in some cases robotic features. Events follow one another in a dynamic becomingWhere action and twists are the protagoniststherefore the public is encouraged to continue reading to discover the secrets and real intentions of the various characters and to understand what fate will still befall planet Earth.

Contrasts and nuances

From a technical point of view, except for some sporadic touches of color (the rarity of which is also due to reasons linked to the plot itself), the plates are created with a contrast between black and white, softened by a skilful use of screens, which introduce shades of gray which sometimes characterize the backgrounds, sometimes subjects or further elements. Thick lines alternate with thin ones, giving life to illustrations not particularly detailed and often confusing; even the architecture and backgrounds in general do not appear to be refined, but only hinted at.

On an editorial level we can appreciate the thickness of the paper used for printing and glossy dust jacket, also made with a clear white/grey/black contrastThat it depicts the two protagonists also adding a note of electric teal, which gives a particular light to the two subjects. At the end of the volume we then find a short page of in-depth analysis which explains to us in five steps how the work came to life, also thanks to an “accident” in the author's childhood; are also added two small extra chapters and a preview concerning the second volume.

The price of €7.90, also considering the size of the volume and the number of pages, is perfectly in line with that applied by the other manga/comic publishing houses on the Italian market.

Who do we recommend COLORLESS to?

If you love the science fiction genre, you like mysteries, action, and if a bit of healthy fighting never hurts for you, then COLORLESS is right for you: it is a manga that will involve you and also make you reflect on the possible scenarios of a future world. What if one day the colors that we are used to seeing on a daily basis and that we practically take for granted disappeared, leaving us with a gray and gloomy reality? How would humanity react to all this? This is just one of the incredible questions that Kent's first series is destined to trigger in all of us.