PART 31 of 52 ONESHOTS in 52 WEEKS
入江亜季の『春駒』 “Harukoma” by IRIE Aki
Aki Irie is a mangaka best known for her fantasy series Ran and the Grey World, which was published from 2008 until 2015. The author has an incredibly unique and recognisable art style, which lingers and delights through its impressive detail and expressivity. Brimming with gorgeous character portraits and wonderous action set pieces, the author’s works often blur the line between josei and seinen manga, with a demographically inclusive appeal.
No stranger to oneshots, author Irie has amassed an extensive catalogue of short works, several of which were collected in an anthology titled Journey by publisher Kadokawa in 2022. Featuring a mixture of 4-panel manga and broader narrative pieces, these shorts offer a bite-sized look at the author’s creative storytelling and worldbuilding. Opening the anthology is a oneshot named Harukoma, which is one of the collection’s most lauded pieces.
Harukoma tells the tale of an unnamed female character who is driven from her homeland as it becomes embroiled in civil war. Her father, the king, is betrayed, with the royal court—and ultimately his own son—vying for power. On the road, the woman is constantly on edge, looking over her shoulder for an attack by her own kin. She becomes closed off and wary of the world around her, until she takes refuge in a small town, where a peculiar monk piques her curiosity.
Before it was collected in the Journey anthology, Harukoma debuted in an issue of Harta magazine in 2013. At that time, the author’s serial, Ran and the Grey World, was approaching its conclusion. The art in Ran and the Grey World is highly decorated, with a setting that befits much wondrous imagery. Harukoma isn’t as ornate in comparison, with a more grounded and stern scenario, but the art is as equally striking, with meticulous linework and eye-catching characters (the unnamed lead is particularly distinctive, with sharp eyes and a dazzling mane of hair).
Opening with a skirmish, Aki Irie quickly entices readers, displaying a good command of continuity and action. Later, in a scene where a choir performs, the art is wonderfully emotive. Despite the difficulty in relaying song and singing in art, the author does well to envisage a low sung choral piece. Conveying a strong mood through a blend of shade and light, her illustrations precisely capture the enrapturing ambience of music. Although the oneshot contains no page spreads, the artwork nonetheless feels decidedly grand, owing much to the author’s impressive attention to detail.
Despite its brevity at only 28 pages, Harukoma manages a compelling and satisfying arc, focusing on finding beauty and hope amongst sorrow. The title refers to a traditional Japanese toy known as a ‘Spring Horse,’ which is similar to a hobby horse. Besides being popular with children, these horses are also used in traditional folk performances associated with New Year’s celebrations. Although such a horse never appears in the story, the New Year connotations do well to help evoke the tone of the piece, with its wintry setting and the main character’s consequent optimism for a fresh start.
Harukoma is a very well-rounded work. Aki Irie utilises the oneshot format well to tell a gratifying tale that is neither underdone nor overblown. Sadly, many of her short works have yet to receive an official English-language release, but her two manga series—Ran and the Grey World and Go With the Clouds, North by Northwest—are available in their entirety. These longer series display the other side of author Irie’s storytelling, with wondrous settings of grandiose scope, which are trickier to pull off in shorter form. Ran and the Grey World is set in fantastical reality with sorceresses and magic, which conceals a decadent underbelly of life-sucking bugs, whereas Go With the Clouds, North by Northwest exhibits the majestic landscapes of Iceland, following a detective who is able to communicate with machinery.
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Morning, Roo 