Komiyama, Yusaku
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
3.3 out of 5
(3 books)
TOP PICK:
Star Wars: Lost Stars - Volume 2
Star Wars: Lost Stars - Volume 1
(Art by Yusaka Komiyama)
The first volume (of three) adapting Claudia Gray's YA novel 'Lost Stars' into the medium of Manga. After fighting in the Battle of Hoth, Rebel pilot Thane Kyrell recalls his childhood on the planet Jelucan and how he met Ciena Ree. The two of them entered Imperial service and trained as loyal servants of the Empire, even as the corruption within the Imperial system began to become apparent.
This adaptation actually begins about halfway through the story it's adapting and then goes back to tell the back story of two idealistic kids who are fooled into seeing the Empire as a means of escaping their backwater homeworld. It's a more action-packed approach to the story, beginning by throwing us into X-Wing versus TIE Fighter and Snowspeeder versus AT-AT battles, but it detracts from the way that the book keeps you guessing as to how the loyalties of the main characters will develop.
Beyond that, this is pretty much just a functional adaptation. It hits all of the specific story beats it needs to to retell the parts of the novel it covers but sadly it lacks the heart of the novel. Gray's 'Lost Stars' is, justifiably, considered one of the best novels (YA or otherwise) that Disney have released since acquiring the licence to Star Wars and what made it so popular, at least in my opinion, is how thoroughly it immersed you in the mental and emotional states of the two main characters, Thane and Ciena. Their triumphs, tragedies and their love was all stuff that you, the reader, became deeply invested in. Unfortunately, this adaptation fails to capture any of that and is rendered soulless and a bit impotent as a result. It's not bad, it just lacks all the things that made the novel great.
3 out of 5
Star Wars: Lost Stars - Volume 2
(Art by Yusaka Komiyama)
The second part of the Manga adaptation of Claudia Gray's novel. In the aftermath of the Battle of Yavin, Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree are driven along very different paths despite their love for one another. Unable to ignore the injustices of the Empire, Thane is recruited into the Rebellion by Wedge Antilles, whilst Ciena's need for vengeance for the friends killed on the Death Star pushes her deeper into her dedication to her career as an Imperial officer. Driven apart by their ideologies, Thane and Ciena nevertheless find themselves pushed together by fate.
My biggest criticism of the first book of this trilogy was that it failed to capture the emotional stakes that had been such an integral part of what made the original novel so good. I was pleased to see here then that we get a much deeper dive into the personal journeys the two main characters undertake. Each feels justified in their decisions, even as we the readers know that one of them is clearly on the wrong side. There's both beauty and tragedy to their love story and that's what makes their relationship so compelling.
4 out of 5
Star Wars: Lost Stars - Volume 3
(Art by Yusaka Komiyama)
The conclusion of the Manga adaptation of Claudia Gray's novel, encompassing the Battles of Endor and Jakku. Upon discovering that the Empire has constructed a new Death Star, Ciena's disillusionment becomes complete but her strong sense of duty nevertheless ends up placing her in command of the Star Destroyer Inflictor. Amid the final clash between the Empire and the fledgling New Republic, Thane launches a desperate bid to save the life of the woman he loves.
This book's most interesting element is Ciena's journey, in which she finally comes to understand the evil that the Empire represents but finds that her role as an Imperial officer is so core to her life that she can't escape it. In juxtaposition to that is seeing the formerly cynical Thane fully embrace his role in the Rebellion and New Republic.
It has to be said, however, that this book feels the weakest of the three and I similarly felt that the original novel didn't have as strong an emotional payoff as these two star(wars)-crossed lovers perhaps deserved.
3 out of 5
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