#abi umeda

[comickergirl]

I still have like...eight titles on my list. XD Anyways! Children of the Whales! Crazy art and world building. Took me over a year to read the whole series, and when I finally ordered the last volume, the delivery person accidentally dropped the book down a storm drain. XD I fished it out though!

[cvrsndstff]

Children of the Whales Volume 4 (Story & Art by Abi Umeda)

[diversamenteintelligente]

(via CHILDREN OF THE WHALES)

In un mondo ricoperto totalmente da deserti, una piccola popolazione vive a bordo di un'immensa isola fluttuante, la Mud Whale, che naviga il mare di sabbia.

[aokuro-san]

The fantasy we should already know (Children of Whales).

If my uncle had not been recommended this story at work, he would never have known it. And it's a HUGE shame. Because CHILDREN OF WHALES DOES NOT STAND OUT, BUT YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE FIRST BLIND STEP to enter his RICH INNER WORLD.

And that is why today I bring you this review, to try to guide you a little more towards this beautiful work.

ABI UMEDA HAS PROBABLY CREATED ONE OF THE BEST FANTASY WORLDS I HAVE EVER SEEN; which, together with a cast of endearing characters (I think it is almost impossible not to love all the inhabitants of the Mud Whale) and a plot full of beautiful unknowns, make this a legend that borders on the biblical, very well thought out, capable to reach your heart and squeeze it to tears (There are witnesses of my tears and I have to say that when reading the manga… It kept happening to me xD 😢😭) while you don't stop looking for more. Because that's what it is: ADDICTIVE. After finishing the anime yesterday, I immediately started reading the manga and couldn't stop until I finished the translated chapters, haha! (And I recommend it to you, aside. You can start reading from chapter 16-17 (volume 4-5), since there are several pieces of information that are out of order or missing directly from the anime and this way you will understand everything better). I suppose that it is not in vain that it is a story of feelings and discoveries, in which the author perfectly balances all her themes (colonialism being one of the most important, since the Mud Whale presents a pacifist people who, suddenly, see your customs and destroyed truths (another important theme: the power of truth and lies)) and characters (more in the manga than in the anime this second point, the truth, but that does not make one less than the other. In fact , the anime is traced to the manga until almost the end!).

And, well, in short: THE PITY about the beginning IS THAT IT IS SO UNKNOWN (and, therefore, undervalued by ALL OF US, even if it has a reason…). Because CHILDREN OF WHALES is quite UNIQUE and SPECIAL. And, without a doubt, IT DESERVES not only a second season (please), but that WE READ IT NOW.

[littleeyesofpallas]

KUJIRA no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau[クジラの子らは砂上に歌う]

[lyelyre]

going back to my roots and drawing cotw

[engshoujosei]

Children of the Whales

23 volumes (when completed in English).

Licensed by Viz Media.

Chakuro is the 14-year-old archivist of the Mud Whale, a nigh-utopian island that floats across the surface of an endless sea of sand. Nine in ten of the inhabitants of the Mud Whale have been blessed and cursed with the ability to use thymia, special powers that doom them to an early death. Chakuro and his friends have stumbled across other islands, but they have never met, seen, or even heard of a human who wasn't from their own. One day, Chakuro visits an island as large as the Mud Whale and meets a girl who will change his destiny. Note: Nominated for the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2017.

Related Series

Kujira no Kora wa Sajo ni Manabu (Spin-Off, not licensed)

Status in Country of Origin 

23 Volumes (Complete)

Tags:

Adapted to Anime

Award-nominated Work

Curse/s

Death of Loved One/s

Desert

Elaborate Art Style 

Genocide

Island/s

Limited Lifespan

Lost Civilizations

Mass Murder/s

Murder/s

Mysterious Location

Romantic Subplot

Special Ability/ies

Violence

[transangledlozengeggbutt]

[piece-of-cheese]

I’ve been re-reading a bunch of manga chapters because of the ReverseAU I’m writing and I just remembered something I have noticed before.

It is no secret that I really like Atsalí as a character, so I really have to point out something about his character design which I really like!

Upon closer inspection, it is visible that Atsalí‘s eyes are rather fragmented. They don’t look like how Abi Umeda usually draws eyes, at least. Now, considering that Atsalí has a strange warped and metal-like sound to his voice when he speaks, which is a side effect of excessive Sárka consumption, it can be assumed that his eyes are also a symptom of that. And I really do think that is the case, but there is another reason aside from the world building aspect that I like about them.

Before the Empire was destroyed, Atsalí is established as this rather important political figure in the Empire. As the General-Governor, he is closer to the Emperor than most. Despite that, he does not follow all of the rules dictated by their system. As we are told by Orca, he distributes Sárka to family beyond third degree relation, which is illegal. Aside from when it harms his own family, he does not seem to rebel against the system —or find loopholes— at all (at least before the Emperor decides to sink the country.)

It’s because he is very much aware that he is a privileged member of society, so even though he actively disregards one of the rules set by the Empire, he does not stop to think longer about how their system might be flawed. Because, for the most part, he and his family are comfortable. He obviously has the smarts to know that something isn’t quite right about the way they live, as we see some small signs of it (like recognising that the quality of life is dropping in the Empire for the people of the lower classes) but he does purposefully turn a blind eye to those things. He does not realise that by turning himself blind to the bigger issues and even playing into the system will end up harming his family in the long run, instead of securing them a place in the sun.

So, essentially, I really like how the character who purposefully turns away and „blinds himself“ in order not to have to look at the Empire‘s bigger flaws for his own benefit has these fragmented eyes that look like they would be hazy to see out of. Eyes that he has because he consumes something his status allows him to have excessively.

[eden-falls]

abi umeda invented religion in 2013 when she created him

[mightydyke]

This is a short story from the manga Children of the Whales by Abi Umeda. It appears at the end of volume 7 but you don't need to have read any of the manga or know the plot to understand it. It's such a beautiful story that makes me so emotional. Trigger warnings for injury and mentions of death and torture. You can read this manga for free here.

[cvrsndstff]

Children of the Whales Volume 3 (Story & Art by Abi Umeda)

[rladpeps]

all the books I read in 2024

 “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand

“The Do-Over” by Lynn Painter

 “Ash House” by Angharad Walker

“The Prince and the Pauper” by Mark Twain

 “Jane Against the World: Roe V. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights” by Karen Blumenthal - ⭐️

 “The Ghosts of Rose Hill” by R. M. Romeo

“Scattered Showers: Nine Beautiful Short Stories” by Rainbow Rowell - ❤️

 “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka - ❤️

 “Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Sepetys - ⭐️

 “The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power” by Deirdre Mask - ⭐️

 “The Ghost of Midnight Lake” by Lucy Strange

 “Again, But Better: A Novel” by Christine Riccio

 “Emma” by Jane Austen - ❤️

 “The Shame” by Makenna Goodman - ❤️

 “Can We Talk About Israel? A Guide for the Curious, Confused, and Conflicted” by Daniel Sokatch - ❤️

 “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett - ⭐️

 “Far from the Tree” by Robin Benway - ❤️

 “The Lost Property Office” by James R. Hannibal

“A Little Princess” by  Frances Hodgson Burnett - ⭐️

 “Instant Karma” by Marissa Meyer

 “Once Upon a Broken Heart” trilogy by Stephanie Garber - ❤️

 “Rosehead” by Ksenia Anske

 “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” by Victor Hugo - 7/10 (❤️)

 “Sorcery of Thorns series” by Margaret Rogerson - 5/10

 “The Fountains of Silence" by Ruta Sepetys - 7.8/10 (❤️)

 “Gumiho” series by Kat Cho - 5/10

 “Caraval” trilogy by Stephanie Garber - 2/10

 “Realm Breaker” trilogy by Victoria Aveyard - 7/10 (❤️)

“Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy - 8.5/10 (⭐️)

 “Mansfield Park” by Jane Austen - 6/10 (❤️)

“Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin - 6.8/10 (❤️)

 “Gilded” duology by Marissa Meyer - 7/10 (❤️)

 “The Midnight Lie” (Forgotten Gods series) by Marie Rutkoski - 7/10 (❤️) 

 “Afterlife” by Julia Alvarez - 6.5/10 

 “When We Had Summer” by Jennifer Castle - 5/10

“Yolk” by Mary H.K. Choi - 9/10 (⭐️)

“How It Feels to Float” by Helena Fox - 7/10 (❤️)

 “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding - 7/10 (❤️)

“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens - 7/10 (❤️)

 “14 Ways to Die” by Vincent Ralph - 4/10

“The Brothers Hawthorne” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - 7/10 (❤️)

“Family of Liars” by E. Lockhart - 4/10

“I Am Not Okay With This” by Charles Forsman - 6.5/10 (❤️)

 “The Tatami” series by Tomihiko Morimi - 7.5/10 (❤️)

“Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers - 6/10

“The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus” by Lee Strobel - 8/10 (❤️)

“Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis - 6.5/10

 "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan - 7/10

 "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath - 8/10 (⭐️)

 “What Do We Know About Atlantis?” by Emma Carlson Berne - 5/10

 “Blue Period 1-9” by Tsubasa Yamaguchi - 8/10

“What Do We Know About Bigfoot?” by Steve Korté - 5/10

 “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman - 6.8/10 (❤️)

 “Children of the Whales 1-15” by Abi Umeda - 8/10

“Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov - 7/10 (❤️)

“Blue Period 10-14” by Tsubasa Yamaguchi - 10/10 (⭐️) 

"More Happy Than Not” by Adam Silvera - 7/10 (❤️)

“The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place” by Julie Berry - 6/10 (❤️)

“Dragonslayer (Wings of Fire: Legends) by Tui T. Sutherland - 6.5/10 (❤️)

 “Monsters of Verity” series by V.E. Schwab - 7.5/10 (❤️)

“The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig - 7.5/10 (❤️)

“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V. E. Schwab - 8/10 (⭐️)

 “Two Roads from Here” by Teddy Steinkellner - 4.5/10

“History Is All You Left Me” by Adam Silvera - 8/10 (⭐️)

 “Good Omens” by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman - 9/10 (⭐️)

“The Hollow Heart” by Marie Rutkoski - 7/10 (❤️)

“Qualia Under the Snow” by Kanna Kii - 9/10 (⭐️)

“The Setting Sun” by Osamu Dazai - 9/10 (⭐️)

“Vicious” & “Vengeful” (part of Villains series) by V. E. Schwab  - 7/10 (❤)

“Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Chalice of the Gods” by Rick Riordan - 7/10 (❤️)

“American Gods” by Neil Gaiman - 7/10 (❤️)

“Iron Widow” by Xiran Jay Zhao - 7.5/10 (⭐️)

“Our Dreams at Dusk” manga series by Shimanami Tasogare - 8/10 (⭐️)

“When the Angels Left the Old Country” by Sacha Lamb - 7/10 (❤️)

“Aristotle and Dante” series by Benjamin Alire Sáenz - 9.5/10 (⭐️)

“The Gilded Wolves” by Roshani Chokshi - 3/10

“Hearts Overboard” by Becky Dean - 6/10 (❤️)

“The Poppy War” trilogy by R. F. Kuang - 10/10 (⭐️)

“Yellowface” by R. F. Kuang - 10/10 (⭐️)

“Babel” by R. F. Kuang - 10/10 (⭐️)

“If You Could See the Sun” by Ann Liang - 7/10 (❤️)

“Permanent Record” by Mary H. K. Choi - 6.5/10 

“The Book of Tea” duology by Judy I. Lin - 7/10 (❤️)

“Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury - 6.5/10 (❤️)

“1Q84” by Haruki Murakami - 7/10

“Six Crimson Cranes” duology by Elizabeth Lim - 7/10 (❤️)

“Her Radiant Curse” by Elizabeth Lim - 7/10 (❤️)

“The Folk of the Air” series by Holly Black - 6.5/10 (❤️)

“The Stolen Heir” duology by Holly Black - 6.5/10 (❤️)

“Girl Made of Stars” by Ashley Herring Blake - 7.5/10 (❤️)

“Dry” by Jarrod and Neal Shusterman - 8.5/10 (⭐️)

“Remarkably Ruby” by Terri Libenson - 7/10 (⭐️)

“Surprisingly Sarah” by Terri Libenson - 6.5/10 (⭐️)

“Always Anthony” by Terri Libenson - 7/10 (⭐️)

“Demon in the Wood” by Leigh Bardugo - 6/10

“The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic” by Leigh Bardugo - 7/10

“Letters of Enchantment” duology by Rebecca Ross - 7.5/10 (❤️)

“Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries” by Heather Fawcett - 8/10 (⭐️)

“Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands” Heather Fawcett - 8/10 (⭐️)

“Song of the Six Realms” by Judy I. Lin - 6.8/10 (❤️)

“These Violent Delights” duet by Chloe Gong - 7/10 (❤️)

“I Must Betray You” by Ruta Sepetys - 8/10 (⭐️)

“Wrath of the Triple Goddess” by Rick Riordan - 6/10

“When Haru Was Here” by Dustin Thao - 6/10

“Rise of the School for Good and Evil” & “Fall of the School for Good and Evil” by Soman Chainani - 6.5/10

“The School for Good and Evil” #1-3 by Soman Chainani - 6/10

“An Enchantment of Ravens” by Margaret Rogerson - 6/10

[leilaz]

Nothing important just giving credits for my background and pfp :

The background is one of the rewards from the Splatoon 3 app, so credit to Nintendo :

And my pfp is a page from the manga " Children of the Whale " (or cotw) by Abi Umeda that I colored myself :

[readingrobin]

(July 9th-July 15th)

I have to say, having two jobs is not doing anything for my already messed up sleep schedule. I'm doing that thing where I stay up way too late trying to make up for lost time doing personal stuff and end up with only a handful of hours of sleep. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the new job, I feel like I'm actually doing things and contributing, but I'm still in the adjusting period.

Also, over the past week I've fulfilled a dream I've had since I was at least five: having those pointy curled elf-like shoes, courtesy of the Renaissance Faire. If I close my eyes at the cost, I can pretend it's not there. Won't have them for a while since they were a custom order, but I would love to see if I could get a jester outfit together in time for next year's Faire.

Books Read:

Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky (2.5/5)

Children of the Whales Vol. 1 by Abi Umeda (3/5)

Kino's Journey-The Beautiful World Vol. 1 by Keiichi Sigsawa with Iruka Shiomiya (4/5)

Nicola Traveling Around the Demons’ World Vol. 2 by Asaya Miyanaga (3.5/5)

Dinosaur Sanctuary Vol. 1 by Itaru Kinoshita (4/5)

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (4/5)

The Binding by Bridget Collins (4/5)

Books Currently Reading:

Darkly She Goes by Hubert and Vincent Mallie (48% done)

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (11% done)

Last Bus to Everland by Sophie Cameron (22% done)

The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones (38% done)

Caraval by Stephanie Garber (46% done)

Nimona by Nate Stevenson (80% done)

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (48% done)

Books to Read Next:

Begone the Raggedy Witches by Celine Kiernan