AVALON HIGH, Volume One by Meg Cabot and Jinky Coronado.
© TOKYOPOP/ HarperCollins
Mania Grade: C-
Story by: Meg Cabot
Art by: Jinky Coronado
Publisher: TOKYOPOP / Harper Collins
Rating: Teen (13+)
Price: $9.99
Buy it now!
Story by: Meg Cabot
Art by: Jinky Coronado
Publisher: TOKYOPOP / Harper Collins
Rating: Teen (13+)
Price: $9.99
Buy it now!
AVALON HIGH, Volume One
By: Nadia OxfordDate: Thursday, July 19, 2007
The staggering narration in Avalon High is a good example of how not every story is meant for an alternate adaptation, even when in the hands of a capable writer. Meg Cabot, the best-selling author of Young Adult series like The Princess Diaries, is a very capable writer, but her talent doesn't help make Avalon High a likeable manga.
Elle (referred to as "Ellie" on the back cover) is the new fish at Avalon High, but she hasn't had any trouble making friends. In fact, her boyfriend is a super-popular football star named Will. Their relationship is fated: Will happens to be the modern re-incarnation of King Arthur, and Elle is the Lady of the Lake reborn. Both high school students are supposed to lead the world into a new age of peace and prosperity … but the re-incarnations of Arthur's ancient enemies also exist, and Will's twisted half-brother, Marco, is present to play the part of evil reborn.
It’s a simple enough concept--a little too simple. The sports star / ancient knight parallel is accurate in a way, but also overdone. And why does the Sport of Heroes always turn out to be football? Why not hockey? How about lacrosse? Why are the re-incarnations of the British King Arthur, Merlin and the Knights all Californian Americans? Why are they all living in the same town?
With everyone placed on the battlefield from the very start, there's no challenge in the storytelling, no real conflict. The manga does make an attempt at tension between the characters, but the end result is silly. During an extensive flashback scene that (ineffectively) sets up the story, Will's mom reveals she is actually responsible for popping him out--and he is not actually his stepson, as he was led to believe.
For reasons that are never really explained (other than good old fashioned insanity), Marco is not happy to learn Will is his half-brother, and he interrupts the interlude by jumping through a glass door before screaming in rage.
The art for Avalon High is quite decent for the most part. The panels are detailed nicely, and the Tokyopop / Harper Collins adaptations should be applauded for letting artists adopt what's admirable about the manga style without trying too hard to clone it. The sound effects, on the other hand, need a lot of work. "Kiss" is not a sound, nor is "Hug" or my favourite attempt, "Dash! Dash!"
