Vendémiaire no Tsubasa
| Vendémiaire no Tsubasa | |
|
ヴァンデミエールの翼 (Vandemiēru no Tsubasa) |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Romance |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Mohiro Kitoh |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Magazine | Afternoon |
| Original run | November 25, 1995 – November 25, 1997 |
| Volumes | 2 |
Vendémiaire no Tsubasa (ヴァンデミエールの翼 Vandemiēru no Tsubasa, lit. "The Wings of Vendémiaire") is the debut manga of Mohiro Kitoh. It was published by Kodansha and introduced the style and themes that would be Kitoh's trademarks such as graphic depictions of violence and abuse and the cruel nature of human beings while at the same time balancing the story against what would be considered fanciful elements and the possibility of hope.
The story is broken up into eight differing sub-stories all involving a series of sentient mechanical puppets known as Vendémiaire (which is also the name of each). These stories all have a similar formula involving a Vendémiaire puppet encountering a boy or man that tries to help them with varying levels of success, usually trying to attain freedom for them. Overall these stories are somber and explore different contrasting opinions of human nature and how the Vendémiaire are treated by humans, often like slaves or worse. The Vendémiaire puppets have wings, and there is a strong flight motif throughout the various stories.
The Vendémiaire in this chapter is a performer from a traveling circus who befriends a boy named Ray while in town. Ray attempts to free her from the circus master but fails and loses his right hand. When he wakes up, he discovers Vendémiaire's right hand in place of his own and resumes his daily life.
Will befriends a Vendémiaire and bets against her master in order to win her freedom. Her master sabotages Will's plane which hospitalizes him. Inspired by Will, Vendémiaire kills herself in order to be free from her master.
The Vendémiaire from chapter 1 is befriended by a group of children. To pay for the medical treatment for one of the children, Vendémiaire sells herself to a local trader. Years later, the cured child cherishes her angel doll which was a memento from Vendémiaire.
The chapter follows a girl named Brumaire and a Vendémiaire who was built in the former's likeness. Vendémiaire has a blank slate personality and is influenced by Brumaire. Influenced by Brumaire's envy and cruelty, Vendémiaire beats Brumaire to the point of brain damage and runs away.
This Vendémiaire is property to a rich master and takes place on a blimp. There, she befriends a boy named Avary who snuck onboard to warn her the blimp will crash. After a conflict between Avary and Vendémiaire's master, Avary jumps off the blimp and is saved by Vendémiaire.
This Vendémiaire is traveling through a blizzard with an orphaned baby. She is trapped with a man and persuades him to use her as firewood to keep the baby warm and to care for the baby in her place.
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