Another Side: Earthbound Volume 1 is the manga adaptation of the your name. prequel/side-story novel of the same name. The manga kicks off with a short 15-page prologue, which will spoil the movie if you still haven’t seen it. Otherwise, readers can read the rest of this volume with little-to-no fear of having the movie ruined.
The volume has six chapters, two for Taki and four for Tesshi. However, the actual number of pages is closer than this split might suggest, with the construction heir’s actually only about 20 pages more. Both move at a rather quick pace since they are made up of a series of scenes that are weaved together to form a narrative.
Taki’s story is both comedic and serious, showing more of his time as Mitsuha. He faces the challenge of dealing with a female body (and failing to resist the temptation of Mitsuha’s chest) and the seeming disconnect between the girl who leaves him lengthy, bossy messages and the girl who doesn’t confront the people spreading rumors about her. Tesshi’s chapters shows how he is accepting the role of a construction company heir yet also having the desire to get away from the old-fashioned town of Itomori. Taki-Mitsuha is heavily featured as Tesshi watches over his female friend who probably wants to leave town even more than he does.
Since these are both side stories, the manga ends up being a bit lackadaisical, as there’s nothing here that presents events in your name. in a new light. Spending time with these characters again is fun, but this doesn’t rise to the level of feeling necessary to read.
This manga, more importantly, captures the spirit of the movie. This feels like an OVA or extras found on the your name. video release, showing the Itomori area that Taki keeps dropping in to visit. The slight longing as the characters gaze out over the lake, Yotsuha’s confusion at her older sister’s odd behavior, and the discussion about Mitsuha’s hair all read as if they were supposed to be in your name. to start with. It also helps that the art is better than in the your name. manga adaptation. The pages are actually filled and not swimming in whitespace. Tesshi looks off-model in some scenes, but I think the art is closer to the movie than in the your name. manga.
For your name. fans, whether to pick up this or the light novel is going to depend on the reader’s preferred format. However, there’s another downside to this version: it’s only covers half the stories, and the second volume of the manga hasn’t been released in Japan yet. So it could be quite a wait for the second.
If you’re torn, I’d probably lean toward the light novel. Although this is enjoyable, it’s still only two side stories, and thus it is a little too light on content for my tastes.