Perhaps it was the introduction of manga to me in the 21st century that established my expectations, as the first reaction towards my foray into Kazuo Umezz's The Drifting Classroom was that I was underwhelmed. There was a simplicity in its appearance, an art style that left faces seeming to lack the nuance that modern drawings have recently shown - a key factor in building character, whilst minimising verbal exposition.

Although, despite this criticism, I found myself slowly accustoming to its aesthetics, placing focus instead on the ideas that Umezz is attempting to touch on with this series. It did not take long for its narrative to establish its character dynamics, primary complications, and the ambitious, although not so subtle, themes that it was trying to suggest. The story finds itself bouncing from its protagonist, Sho, and his internal angsts of inevitable maturity; to the exploration of the time-space dimension of his school's disappearance; to the social-political structures that formed within that scenario - recalling tropes and dynamics of William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

Up to the end of the first volume of this Perfect Edition, it firmly sets in place the concepts and characters that it intends to explore. However, I do want to emphasise that this is a manga that finds a striking balance of behavioural observations, world-building, and characterisation for Sho and his mother, providing the needed pauses to further enrich its overall story. The entire narrative reveals itself to be a flavour that cannot be easily pinned down but leaves one in an oh-so-near bliss as they endure and devour.