Merry Month of Shojo Review #20: SHIRAHIME-SYO

 Let's wrap things up with a beautiful little oddity from CLAMP's library of works.

SHIRAHIME-SYO, by CLAMP.  First published in 1992 and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

This short story collection tells the tale of four lost souls, seeking everything from revenge to reunions with lost loves.  All of them find themselves lost in the wildness of a snowy mountain, where they encounter strange animals and mystical forces they can only ascribe to the godly Snow Princess.

STORY:

Shirahime-Syo has a weird history for a CLAMP manga.  It was conceived as a project for a dying manga magazine, one that was advertised in its last issue using a spare design from the group's own newsletter.  It ended up getting rushed out as a stand-alone book.  Knowing this now, it makes more sense why this story collection feels so half-finished.

This has much the same problem as other CLAMP story collections such as Miyuki-Chan in Wonderland or The One I Love.  The stories tend to feature pretty, nameless nobodies who are facing a very basic conflict.  The only difference here is the vaguely historical setting, the downer endings, and someone bringing up a connection between the snow, the sadness, and the concept of the mystical Snow Princess.  The only one that feels closest to complete is "On Wolf Mountain," where an orphan girl sets out to kill the wolf that killed her parents, only to have that same wolf care for her while she is injured.  It still ends as suddenly and tragically as the rest, but the reader gets just enough of a sense of this girl and the wolf (named Inuki) to get mildly invested.

So what ultimately is the point of Shirahime-Syo?  Is it the futility of revenge? The tragedy of unrequited love? It would seem that the point is the one they bluntly make in the prologue and epilogue story: that the true monster here is not the Snow Princess or even the winter itself, but humanity itself brought about all this bitter tragedy.  That sounds deep, but mostly it just made me roll my eyes.

ART:

The only saving grace Shirahime-Syo has is its art.  It's not just that it's drawn in the same style as other early CLAMP hits as RG Veda or Tokyo Bablyon, it's how it's drawn.  For this book, Mokona drew the whole thing with brushes instead of the usual pens.  Even the backgrounds are mostly ink washes.  This was done for both aesthetic reasons and practical ones (apparently those tight deadlines left Mokona with no time to draw rough drafts, much less ink them precisely), but it's a creative choice that absolutely works.  

It evokes the era of ukiyo-e, even if Mokona could have stood to experiment a little more with line density.  Still, the setting just makes the lush inking in the faces, hair, and moment stand out all the better and the limited color palette works with the setting and tone.  It gives the whole book a timeless quality.

PRESENTATION:

Tokyopop went all out with this one (at least, in its first printing).  It's twice the size of a typical tankobon and hardbound, complete with a book jacket, color artwork, and finer quality paper than one typically sees in a Tokyopop book.  It's a very classy look.

RATING:

While Shirahime-Syo has a unique and accomplished look, its narrative isn't up to the same lofty level.  It'll please CLAMP completionists and those looking for a brief beautiful experience, but it's far from essential reading.

This book is published by Viz, and formerly by Tokyopop.  The physical edition is out of print, but the digital version is currently in print.