In a land without a sun, people live in one of three cities: the rich Akatsuki, brightly lit by an artificial star; the middle-class Yuusari, in perpetual twilight; and the poor and dark Yodaka. Traveling between those cities are the Letter Bees, adventurers who deliver letters and packages. Letter Bee Gauche Suede is surprised to find out that one of his packages is a young boy, Lag Seeing, who is being sent to his aunt’s house in the outskirts of Yodaka. Scarred by his mother’s kidnapping, Lag has trouble opening up to anyone, but Gauche’s bravery soon makes him determined to become a Letter Bee himself!
Asada’s science fiction title is layered and complex, even in just the first volume. He has obviously thought out his story and his characters and is now inviting readers along for the enjoyable ride. Volume one is just two chapters. The first is the story of Gauche Suede meeting Lag for the first time and taking him on the journey to his aunt’s house. This chapter allows Asada to give readers the background on how things work in Yodaka and the other lands, as well as who the Letter Bees are. We also get some background on Gauche and on Lag and his mother. What is masterful about Asada’s writing is that this chapter is not a throwaway introduction. He carefully crafts it to be interesting and obviously important. Readers are immediately engaged in the tale….
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Tegami Bachi, vol. 1
Hiroyuki Asada
ISBN: 978-1-4215-2913-4
VIZ Media LLC, September 2009
