I knew of Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne (神風怪盗ジャンヌ; Kamikaze Phantom Thief Jeanne) before I’d ever really read any of it simply because I saw a few chapters in Ribon. Oddly, Viz (who holds the rights to every other Tanemura series) didn’t have the rights to it and it was published by CMX, making it a bit harder to find. But we have ways, don’t we?
Jeanne has one of the oddest premises for a manga ever: Maron Kusakabe is the reincarnation of Jeanne D’Arc, able to seal off the demons that are hidden inside beautiful paintings. She shows up at the scene of the crime amidst great fanfare, “steals” the “beauty within” the painting and disappears. Out of nowhere appears Sinbad, another Kaitou who is trying to get her to give up on her mission, but his motives are unclear. Is he working for Satan, God or none of the above?
The answer to that is extremely complicated. This is one of Arina Tanemura’s older works, and although her art style may have changed a bit, her storytelling hasn’t. There’s death, the allusion to rape and Maron even has a conversation with the original Jeanne D’Arc as she’s burning to death at the stake. The ultimate clash between good and evil was kind of a disappointment, but everything leading up to it was so beautifully and heartbreakingly done that I can overlook it. And while the explanations for “Kamikaze” and why no one seems to get that Maron is Jeanne despite numerous photos of her being in the press are a little cheesy, they don’t induce nausea.
If you’re starting out reading Tanemura-sensei, start with Jeanne and go from there. It’s interesting to see how much she’s changed and how her pacing and plotting ability has changed. Also, screentones.
Filed under: manga Tagged: | arina tanemura, kamikaze kaitou jeanne, manga, otaku week, shōjo
