Beyond the Clouds: The Girl Who Fell From the Sky is set in a fantasy world of Yellow Town which is the hub of craftsmen and workshops and that is the reason why the stars in the sky of this town are always concealed with the yellow smoke, gulping out of the vents and pipes of these workshops. Young Theo is 16 years old visionary boy who loves to read fantasy stories since he was very young. But while he lives in Yeloow Ton, he is a discoverer and works as a mechanic at Chikuwa Barrack. One fine day, while he was scavenging in a huge pile of trash, which is called Island of Dreams, he stumbles across an injured girl who is not gully conscious and Theo being a kind hearted boy takes her to his place. She seems different with her one wing of many feathers and an injury on her back where her other wing was supposed to be. She introduces herself as Mia but that’s all she remembers about herself. Did she come from the sky? Theo, being an inventor decides to invent an automated wing for her. Despite of taking all safety measures to prevent her from being exposed to the world, she is caught by some delinquents when she was roaming outside the home. The gang abducts her and takes her with them. She is not a normal being, she is a little child with wings and can be sold at great price. Theo goes beyond his limits to save her but put himself in danger.
This is Nicke’s first manga that has been published and it indulges into the fantasy world where humans and cat like people live. And we also discover some people with wings and some beastly creatures outside Yellow Town when Theo goes in the forest. In the back cover of the manga is a very interesting interview of the mangaka, which is translated by Melody Ribeiro. In interview, Nicke has mentioned that she is the fan of Gibli Studio (makers of Nausica and Laputa) Chica Umino’s manga (Honey and Clover) and loves game Kingdom Hearts. Her loves for those anime and manga can be judged by the content of her manga seems to take inspiration from Laputa in which a finds and protects an enigmatic girl who possess some special abilities. The manga initially published in France in 2018 by Ki-oon where it was promoted with a trailer created by Gonzo. Although I haven’t seen the Japanese Edition yet. It would be fascinating about this manga.
The visuals of this manga is very unique and compelling, although the character design is may disappoint some readers as the main characters look younger than their real age and as mentioned in the interview the manga is inspired by Chica Umino, it can also be noticed in the eyes and face expressions and outlines. The mangaka has creatively used color which looks attractive and captivating especially the color spread in the first double-page is remarkable and it also complements the steampunk genera of the fantastical setting of Yellow Town. Although it is not a thrilling manga that makes you turn pages quickly, it moves forward at an average pace but one you are done with first chapter you will be hooked to it since each chapter ends with a cliffhanger.
The manga is enchanting and attractive but for the adult, manga and anime fans, it might wont feels new as the plot and story seems familiar. There are moments which will be scary but the threats are somehow predictable and you will know how things will unfold. Although it is thrilling but due to that reason it might fail to create any excitement about what comes next.
Although it is targeted to the teenager and above but it can be read by children and it would be more attractive to the children since the story seems a little childish and it does not mean that is not good. Even he protagonist of the manga is into children fantasy stories as mentioned in the beginning of the manga.
The translation is done by Stephen Paul which is done nicely and neatly. The manga contain extras which include character sketches and biographies as well as the interview of the mangaka Nicke along with the pictures.
Considering her passion for the drawing and amazing talent, we hope that Nicke will continue making more manga and stories like this with such a detailed world-building and interesting story. This manga is highly recommended to younger audience as they will definitely enjoy it to the fullest.
The digital edition of the manga is confirmed to be release soon but currently not available. The subtitle mentioned in the online cover image is ‘The Girl Fallen from the Sky’ but the subtitle used by Kodansha is ‘The Girl Who Fell from the Sky’.
