Based off of the hit anime, “Carole and Tuesday” follows the adventures of the titular duo as they strive to make a name for themselves in a music industry dominated by computer calculated hits. The first volume covers; the meeting of the two, their first viral hit, meeting with manager Roddy, and their first performance on the big stage.
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Carole and Tuesday rests as my all time favorite anime series, not just as a celebration of music but for the strong design and uplifting narrative that left such a positive impression long after each season concluded. Consequently, I was excited at word of Yen Press releasing the manga adaptation. This bias is necessary in approaching the review, as the experience of the anime was embedded in my own experience with the manga. With that established, Morito Yamataka's take on the original story by BONES and Shinchiro Watanabe offers a great avenue to revisit and celebrate the pop duo.
Firstly, Yamataka is able to capture the visual essence of Carole and Tuesday with an art style that is complimentary to the source. This extends to the mannerisms of the characters, as Carole's endearing naivety and Tuesdays' strong assured personality comes across well in Yamataka's ability to convey expression . Admittedly, the release falls short in capturing the grandiose of the music driven city with its various venues and brightly lit pop glamour. However, with the first chapters focusing on introducing the characters, there is a chance that Yamataka will be able to better explore the landscape and culture of Alba City in subsequent volumes.
While the narrative follows the series closely, there is one noticeable element missing which makes it difficult outside of existing fandom to quantify: music as a narrative device. The songs in “Carole and Tuesday” play a large role in both enjoyment and in marking their exploration as artists. The songs reflect their growth, struggles and accomplishments. Familiarity certainly helps here, as the musical numbers can play in the reader's memory giving certain sequences an extra layer of charm. Ultimately, being able to recollect the score will add great value to the manga, and not being able to do is likely to make the material fall flat in missing such a key component.
It was a great joy to revisit “Carole and Tuesday”; it still captures the positivism and celebratory narrative of the artistic spirit. It may lack any value to those who have not watched the anime and is unlikely to win over new fans, but for those in the know it is an ideal read to cozy up to, preferably over a cup of hot tea accompanied by relaxing background music. A truly great release for fans of the series that will give them reason to fall in love with Carole and Tuesday all over again.
