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The Complete Series

Wish Volume 1
Wish Volume 2
Wish Volume 3
Wish Volume 4

all reviews by robin

Introduction
CLAMP, that group of 5 women masters of the manga format, are also some of the most prolific creators currently working in Japan. They tackle everything they do with intelligence and a great sense of drama, and happily, they create series for a variety of age ranges and audiences. Wish, a relatively short series at 4 volumes, is one of their sweeter tales, full of discussions of fate, desire, and faith. One phrase repeated over and over again is that everyone has a wish that cannot be realized alone. In typical CLAMP style, Wish's story is also one full of questions without easy answers and an ending that is, in truth, not an ending at all.

Wish features a cast full not only of angels, but God's messengers, demons, and spirits of all sorts. One thing to remember about Wish is that like other CLAMP and manga series, the Christian symbolism and terminology will never match up with the familiar Western definitions or stories. Within Wish and in keeping with Western tradition, angels and demons are genderless and it is only for pronoun convenience that angels are referred to as female and demons as male. Angels' powers and purposes are not the usual fare, and the rules of being an angel or demon vary depending on their status -- a fledgling angel may only take full sized form during the day, while at night they remain child-sized, winged creatures. Demons follow the same rule, but at opposite times -- at night they are at their full strength, while during the day they shrink. A more powerful angel retains their true form no matter the time of day. The world of Wish, featuring reincarnation and the balance of light and dark with Earth as a middle ground, in fact reflects more the sentiments of Buddhism and Shintoism than Western Christianity.

Also important to note that in this series while desire is the focus, there is no explicitness within the artwork. Characters are often proclaiming their love and desire, and even lounging about in each other's arms, but the focus here is on the feeling, not any act. At the same time, there is discussion of sex in the sense that an angel or demon is expelled from their realm for having relations with any forbidden creature. One question that had me hung up for a while is that, if angels are as genderless as we are told, just what do they get up to in bed? I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering, and I predict older teens will be curious, but as with many things in CLAMP, it's never explained nor seen.

Art
CLAMP is famous for careful layouts and very cute character design-- their women and teens have the traditional enormous eyes and long-limbed beauty that mark the manga style. Their men are distinctive, with impossibly broad shoulders crowned by little, tiny heads and elegant long limbs. As a reader goes through their entire canon, their style remains familiar, full of common manga visual cues including blowing flower petals; elaborate clothing; and dramatic panel layout favoring dynamic larger images peppered with key close-ups. I have personally become a big CLAMP fan, mainly for their gorgeous layouts and talent for creating poetry with images.

Wish is not perhaps their best work, but the angels' and demons' elaborate costumes are wonderful flights of fancy. It also tickles me that the Messenger of God is an adorable floating bunny that carries messages in the form of giant, floppy flowers.

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Wish Volume 1
ISBN: 1591820340
By CLAMP
Tokyopop, 2002

An angel, Kohaku, is rescued from being tangled in a tree by an unsuspecting but chivalrous doctor, Shuichiro. Once freed, Kohaku proclaims that Shuichiro can have a wish granted for lending her aid. Unfortunately, Shuichiro cannot think of a single thing he wants or needs. Thwarted in her act of goodwill and reciprocation, Kohaku is a bit thrown. Unsure of what else to do, she decides to stay with Shuichiro until he discovers whatever it is he wishes for. Shuichiro is puzzled but enchanted by his new houseguest, and grows quite fond of her naive exploration of his life and interests.

Kohaku's decision, of course, has repercussions. She was sent to earth on a mission to discover the whereabouts of one of the archangels, Hisui, missing from Heaven and like a parent to Kohaku. While distracted by Shuichiro, she leaves that mission aside. Enter Kouryuu, a demon fond of bullying Kohaku who is intrigued by Kohaku's sudden interest in a human man and desperate to know her business on Earth. Everything comes to a head when, during one particularly snotty attack, the sought after Hisui appears to save Kohaku from Kouryuu. Hisui is forced to admit her reason for abandoning Heaven and her duties -- she has fallen in love with Kokuyou, the only son of the Demon King of Hell. Kokuyou was discomfited to find himself equally smitten with Hisui, but couldn't help but follow his heart. Their transgressions will strip them of their homes and they've both settled on Earth as the only place where they can be together, but they can only escape both God and the Demon King's notice for so long.

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Wish Volume 2
ISBN: 159182060X
By CLAMP
Tokyopop, 2002

All of the introductions of Volume 1 out of the way, the story starts to really take off in Volume 2. Shuichiro, his usual calm slowly unsettled by his numerous heavenly and hellish houseguests, is attempting to figure out a way to both help Kohaku and make her happy. Kohaku is torn by emotions unfamiliar to her innocent heart: her growing fondness for Shuichiro, her sympathy for star-crossed lovers Hisui and Kokuyou, and her desire to continue to do God's bidding.

With the arrival of Shuichiro's grandfather from Canada, Kohaku is reminded she still has made no progress in finding out Shuichiro's wish. She strikes a deal with the devious Kouryuu to travel to Shuichiro's past without quite thinking through just why Kouryuu would offer such a trip. Shuichiro, it turns out, may not be quite as human as everyone thinks, nor is his history one without sorrow. Meanwhile, Hisui maintains house for everyone and she and Kokuyou ponder their fate. Kokuyou is pestered by the nagging feeling that he knows something important about Shuichiro, but cannot put his finger on it, and each time he seems about to remember someone interrupts his train of thought. As the loyalties get more muddled, one thing becomes clear to everyone but Kohaku and Shuichiro -- they are falling in love. Can they escape a fate like Hisui and Kokuyou, or are they destined for banishment and pain?

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Wish Volume 3
ISBN: 1591820618
By CLAMP
Tokyopop, 2002

With Volume 3, consequences start to pile up. Kohaku and Shuichiro sense that their time is limited, and almost unconsciously, each tries to extend it. Hisui advises Kohaku to consider her feelings carefully -- does she want to stay with Shuichiro only to grant his wish, or does she long for more? Time runs out when Touki, another archangel, appears to chide Kohaku and bring her back to heaven. Shuichiro tells Kohaku that she is needed more in heaven, and that he still has no wish for her to grant. Kohaku, melancholy but feeling that Shuichiro does not need her, reluctantly returns to Heaven. Separated, Shuichiro becomes listless and loses his joy for his work, but it takes a return visit from his grandfather to poke him into figuring out why. Kohaku examines her feelings for Shuichiro from afar, misusing heavenly powers to spy on Shuichiro from above. Within this volume, we also get two short background stories on Kouryuu, demon at large, and the tale of Hisui and Kokuyou's romance before arriving on Earth.

The number of beings running around may seem confusing, but each character allows for the infectious mix of teasing humor and pathos that CLAMP excels at. I remember thinking with this volume that I had somehow expected Wish to be a simple series -- it seems simple enough as a premise -- but by this volume I realized I was in for a lot more complications, and heartstring tugging, than I was expecting.

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Wish Volume 4
ISBN: 1591820804
By CLAMP
Tokyopop, 2002

Given all the rules and forbidden passions launched in Wish, it's difficult to imagine a happy or satisfactory ending being possible! And yet, CLAMP manages to resolve this melodrama of Heaven and Hell with a satisfying, if open, finish. Kohaku, desperately lonely, flees from Heaven to return to her beloved Shuichiro. Everyone in the house realizes Kohaku has broken more of God's rules to return without permission. Kokuyou once again attempts to reveal his prediction about Shuichiro's fate, and though his declaration is once again cut short. Kokuyou also begins to realize that someone must be behind these constant interruptions, and he suspects it's God himself. When the remaining archangels arrive to judge Kohaku and Hisui and dispense God's judgement, everyone is reminded that while they may have been thinking they were outsmarting God, God is not as busy as anticipated, nor as heartless as they feared. This series is a sweet one to pick up for any teen readers, and at four volumes, it really is more of a bargain than some of CLAMP's better known works.

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