''Cowa!'' (stylized as ''COWA!'') is a Japanese
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series written and illustrated by
Akira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for his highly successful manga series ''Dr. Slump'', before going on to create ''Dragon Ball'' (his best-known work) and acting as a character design ...
. It was serialized in
Shueisha
(lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
's ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' from 1997 to 1998, with the fourteen chapters collected into a single ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volume. The story follows the child monsters Paifu, José and Arpon, and the human Maruyama, as they travel to get medicine to save their town from a deadly flu.
Viz Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
released the single volume in North America in July 2008. ''Cowa!'' was generally well-received by critics, and was nominated for the 2009
Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids
The Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids is an award for "creative achievement" in American comic books.
History and name change
The award was launched in 2008 as Best Publication for Kids. In 2012 the name was changed to Best Publication ...
.
Plot
Paifu and José decide to go to the house of a human rumored to be a murderer. Paifu notices what appears to be an orange
spirit
Spirit or spirits may refer to:
Liquor and other volatile liquids
* Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks
* Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol
* Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...
out in the sea and mistakes it for their friend. They arrive at the light source only to find that it was a torch on a raft belonging to the world-renowned
sumo wrestler
A , or, more colloquially, , is a professional sumo wrestler. follow and live by the centuries-old rules of the sumo profession, with most coming from Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Participation in official ...
Maruyama, whom they feared. In spite of becoming acquainted, Maruyama teases Paifu and picks up two sticks producing a cross gesture to scare him off believing he, like some vampires in stories, fear a cross. On the contrary, this action forces Paifu to transform into a rampaging were-koala.
His rage is halted by José, who shape-shifts into a round object to revert him back to normal.
José tells Maruyama that Paifu can not look at a cross figure for more than three seconds before transforming.
When asked by Maruyama about Paifu's father, Paifu replies that he was shot to death in a human city when he shape-shifted into a were-koala. After getting to know a little about Maruyama's past, it turns out that he is not as frightening as rumored to be.
Back in the village, Paifu and José begin to notice a strain of
influenza
Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...
that is spreading in the village affecting only the monsters. On their way to school, they are surprised by Arpon, a monster who considers Paifu to be his eternal enemy. The three exchange a few words which led to Arpon challenging Paifu to a sparring match of
kung fu
Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...
.
Paifu's mother later tells him that school has been canceled for a while due to the serious flu. He celebrates by going to José's home and runs into the village doctor. The doctor realizes that the flu strain is the , a disease that affects only monsters and kills the victim in a month's time. When the two arrive at the Rodriguez residence to see José's ill father, the doctor's suspicions are confirmed to everyone there and reveals that the cure to the Monster Flu can be created by a witch that resides at the top of Horned-Owl Mountain. The doctor also tells of a forest that one must cross and that a terrible monster dwells along the forest path which leads to the mountain. Due to the adult monsters being sick, Paifu and José volunteer to make the trip and are accompanied by the former sumo wrestler Maruyama, who in actuality, was deceived by Paifu who claimed that the villagers would pay him 1,000,000 yen for his troubles. As the trio are about to leave, Arpon joins the team, exclaiming that he wants to be a hero for the villagers.
With plenty of rest and recuperation, the team pass through a city and arrive around a forest area located by Horned-Owl Mountain. As they near it, Arpon suddenly falls ill by the Monster Flu. They come to a nearby family for aid; in the midst of their troubles, Paifu and Maruyama save them from being attacked by a gang. In exchange, the family cares for the sick Arpon while Paifu, José and Maruyama take off for the forest. Before they leave, they are told by the family of the forest monster's supposed weakness, whistling.
Upon entering the forest, Maruyama has José whistle since he is apparently the only one who can, while Paifu practices his whistling since José will eventually get exhausted. José, instead of getting fatigued from whistling, suddenly falls ill to the Monster Flu as well. Their fear of the monster finding them becomes a reality and they are attacked by the forest monster Baroaba. Maruyama holds his own against the behemoth and tells Paifu to start learning how to whistle immediately before they are killed. Although several attempts had been unsuccessful, Paifu finally prospered in whistling and Baroaba is literally downsized by the sound, proving the weakness true, and is pounded by Maruyama. Before Maruyama finishes him off, he discovers that Baroaba only attacks to protect the forest's rare wildlife; Baroaba apologizes for the misunderstanding and decides to help them get to their destination, the witch's house.
With help from Baroaba, who stays to care for the ill José, Paifu and Maruyama finally reach the summit of the mountain. They then encounter the witch's servant, an
oni
An is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess i ...
named Leonardo. After solving a riddle, they are allowed to meet the witch and fortunately retrieved the influenza medicine. On the way down the mountain, Maruyama accidentally slips and falls off. Paifu makes a daring rescue by learning flight at the last minute and saves Maruyama and himself from immediate death. On the way back, Maruyama talks of how he is going to buy a boat with the money he makes forcing Paifu to reveal that he had lied to him about the payment of 1,000,000 yen. Maruyama admits that he is disappointed, but not infuriated as Paifu saved his life. The four are praised as they returned to the village. One month later, Paifu, José and everyone else from the village meet Maruyama out at sea with a ghost boat that all fixed up together.
Characters
;
:Paifu is a half-vampire half-were
koala
The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the womb ...
.
[''Cowa!'' chapter 2, page 26] When he observes any
cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
-like figure for more than three seconds, Paifu shapeshifts into a crazed and powerful were-koala
and can only change back to his normal state after looking at a round object.
[''Cowa!'' chapter 2, page 28] Despite being part vampire, he can not fly because he skipped flying practice.
;
:José is a ghost that can fly, turn invisible and change shape.
;
:Maruyama is an overweight human feared by even the monsters in town. He was a sumo wrestler with the ringname until killing an opponent during a match. Paifu gives him the nickname .
;
:Arpon is a monster boy the constantly challenges Paifu to fights and loses.
;
:The old and forgetful doctor of Batwing Ridge.
;
:The monster that lives in the forest at the foot of Horned-Owl Mountain. He is large with a rubber-like body, unless he hears whistling, in which case he shrinks and loses the rubber-like property.
;
:The assistant of the Witch on top of Horned-Owl Mountain. He either fights or gives a riddle to anyone trying to enter the Witch's house.
;
:Witch living on top Horned-Owl Mountain and maker of the medicine that heals Monster Flu.
Production
''Cowa!'' has its origins in , a
one-shot
One shot may refer to:
Film and television
* One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so
* ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake
* ''One Shot'' (2 ...
Akira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for his highly successful manga series ''Dr. Slump'', before going on to create ''Dragon Ball'' (his best-known work) and acting as a character design ...
drew for the revived Jump Readers' Cup competition in 1997.
Toriyama, who had done only a few one-shots since finishing ''
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...
'' in 1995, won handily; it was his first win since ''
Pola & Roid
is a Japanese manga anthology consisting of three ''tankōbon'' volumes released between 1983 and 1997 that collect several one-shots written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. The stories were originally published in various Shueisha maga ...
'' took the top spot in 1981. After winning, Toriyama said he was thinking of creating a "more developed" form of ''Bubul of Demon Village''.
He re-tooled the character designs and setting of the one-shot to suit a new series, as detailed in the issue before ''Cowa!''s start.
Despite previously claiming to be done with weekly serials, Toriyama decided to draw ''Cowa!'' when he learned his editor would be
Kazuhiko Torishima
is a Japanese publishing executive and former manga magazine editor, who is currently serving as an advisor to Hakusensha. He formerly worked at Shueisha, where he began as an editor in 1976, before becoming a senior managing director (CEO), a ...
and that he could do things his own way.
Unlike both ''
Dr. Slump
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1980 to 1984, with the chapters collected into 18 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series fol ...
'' and ''Dragon Ball'', where he never skipped an issue, he drew ''Cowa'' in a three-weeks-on, one-week-off pattern, which afforded him time to rest and work more slowly. Toriyama stated he wanted to draw everything himself, forgoing the customary use of an assistant, even though he had pain in his arm.
The story came about from wanting to take a storybook type approach and have the main character be an "unlovable grumpy guy."
Release
Written and illustrated by
Akira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for his highly successful manga series ''Dr. Slump'', before going on to create ''Dragon Ball'' (his best-known work) and acting as a character design ...
, ''Cowa!'' was serialized in ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' magazine from issue #48 of 1997 to #15 of 1998. The fourteen chapters were collected into one ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volume that was released on May 1, 1998 by
Shueisha
(lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
.
Viz Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
licensed ''Cowa!'' for English release in North America on July 1, 2008. Their graphic novel edition retained the first chapter in color.
It has also been released in other countries, such as in France by
Glenat, Spain by
Planeta DeAgostini
Editorial Planeta-DeAgostini is a Spanish-Italian publisher and a subsidiary of Grupo Planeta and De Agostini specializing in collectable books, sold periodically in pieces through newsstands (partworks). It has its headquarters in Barcelona. , South Korea by
Daewon C.I. and Malaysia
Comics House
This article lists distributors of manga in various markets worldwide.
Chinese Traditional Chinese
*Daran Comics (defunct) (Taiwan)
* Kadokawa Comics Taiwan (Taiwan)
*Tong Li Comics (Taiwan)
*Ever Glory Publishing (Taiwan)
* Sharp Point Publish ...
.
Chapter list
Reception
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...
's Deb Aoki listed ''Cowa!'' as the "Best New All Ages Manga" of 2008, calling it "clever and charming enough to entertain adults as well as younger readers."
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
's Carl Kimlinger disagreed, claiming the plot is not complex enough to appeal to adults. He also wished Viz would have kept the other few chapters that were originally colored as such instead of just the first, as those particular ones were hard to follow in black and white. However, he wrote that "Makoleen's character elevates what might have been a simple children's adventure to a gentle fable about acceptance and understanding." and praised the humor.
A.E. Sparrow of
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
gave the series an 8.6 out of 10 and referred to it as a "self-contained mini-epic." On the humor he said "the jokes come at you unapologetically and you're either going to catch them or write them off." Viz Media's English release of ''Cowa!'' was nominated for the
Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids
The Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids is an award for "creative achievement" in American comic books.
History and name change
The award was launched in 2008 as Best Publication for Kids. In 2012 the name was changed to Best Publication ...
in 2009.
References
External links
*
{{Weekly Shōnen Jump - 1990–1999
Adventure anime and manga
Akira Toriyama
Comedy anime and manga
Shōnen manga
Shueisha manga
Supernatural anime and manga
Viz Media manga