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I first heard of "Voices of a Distant Star" from a friend who loves watching mecha anime. He told me that the story wasn't just about big robot battles and blowing stuff up but it was also a poignant commentary about long distance relationships. Being romantically involved with someone from far away, the plot got me quite interested but alas, I never had a chance to watch the anime.

When news arrived that the manga which was based on the aforementioned anime was finally translated by Tokyo Pop, I immediately headed to my favorite bookstore to see if they got copies. I actually had to wait for 6 months after its initial release and then finally, I took hold of my very own copy of this wonderful manga. This story has been told a lot of times already and the only thing lacking now is a good live-action adaptation. Hopefully, that is already in the works.

The story begins with a girl named Mikako Nagamine who was sent to another planet as some sort of space cadet. Sadly, she had to leave her boyfriend, Noboru Terau, behind. The whole plot revolves around the ongoing battles deep in space and the faltering communication between the two lovers. Sadly, Mikako's message to Noboru will only reach planet Earth after almost 9 years (8 years, 224 days, and 18 hours to be exact). It's a heart-wrenching realization that long distance relationships have lots of pitfalls. Although "distance" here is taken too literally, I'm guessing it was just a way of emphasizing the difficulties long distance couples have to undergo.

I really loved the way this story came into a bittersweet fruition. You will feel their pain and yet you'll also feel the warmth of their longing for each other. I can imagine how some relationships are torn apart when one of the persons involved have to go to a far away place. Factor in the fact that in this manga, the girl is thrown in the middle of an inter-galactic war! It's easy to assume that you have a faint idea of how her boyfriend Noboru felt about that matter.

Simply put, I have nothing but praises for the manga, "Voices of a Distant Star". It's perfect in every way. I am impressed that the author took a risk and decided to shake things up a bit. There are some moments in this manga where you can fully immerse yourself with what the pictures are showing you. It affected me so much that I had to reflect about my own relationship. Personally, that's how I can tell if a manga is good or not. If it manages to move me to the point of reflection, then it deserves nothing less than a stellar review.

Learn more about this author, Julius Albert Custodio.
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