Papillon Volume 1

“I’m tired of living like this. I wish I could escape…and just fly off to a better place.”

Twins – especially identical twins – have been a favourite subject for authors from Shakespeare’s time to the present day. And there are plenty of identical twins in manga, affording the mangaka the ideal opportunity for misunderstandings, mistaken identities and complications galore. ‘Papillon’, the new shojo series from Miwa Ueda, centres on the plight of shy high school girl Ageha, whose twin sister Hana is popular, outward-going, and gorgeous to look at. Separated when they were babies, Ageha was sent to live in the country with her grandmother while Hana stayed in the city with their parents. When her grandmother became unwell, Ageha returned to life in the city where she’s constantly overshadowed by the vivacious Hana. She wonders how her life might have turned out if she had stayed with their parents and Hana had been sent to the country…

But maybe help is at hand, in the shape of a young man who – wearing a pantomime horse’s head (!) – seeks refuge from a gaggle of adoring girls in the class café during the School Festival just as Ageha is cleaning up. He spots Ageha’s photograph album, which she has left open at a picture of her and her classmate Ryusei. Before she can stop him, the stranger scribbles ‘We’re madly in love’ on the photo and tells her, “This picture will become your reality.”

But things don’t quite pan out as the young man predicts. In fact, his intervention sparks a series of events that leave the twin sisters in direct opposition: rivals over the affections of the same boy.

Miwa Ueda plays with many conventions of the ugly duckling tale here. Dowdy Ageha wears glasses. It’s the oldest cliché in the book that when the glasses come off and the heroine undergoes a makeover, she emerges looking as gorgeous as her sister Hana. There have already been hints as to how needy, insecure and manipulative Hana can be. So when she makes a direct play for Ryusei, Ageha’s childhood friend, Ageha is distraught. Hana could date any boy in the school if she chose to. Why does she have to compete with her for the only boy she cares for?

The imagery of a butterfly (the papillon of the title) emerging from its chrysalis runs throughout the book. Hayato Ichijiku (or ‘Mr Horse’ as Ageha calls him) uses it when he nicknames her ‘Chrysalis’. For, it turns out, he’s a trainee guidance counsellor, completing his final year at her school – and he tells her that he will be there for her, whenever she needs to talk. And, thanks to his unconventional, humorous approach, Ageha begins to gain confidence and assert herself. 

Miwa Ueda’s best-known work is ‘Peach Girl’ which delivers a compelling depiction of the problems of being different in high school. It also depicts the agonies and uncertainties of first loves and relationships. And unless this should sound too angsty, it’s all done with a deft, light touch.   

As well as the usual excellent Del Rey extras (translation notes explaining everything from School Festivals to warabi mochi, there’s a fascinating article from Miwa Ueda, describing how she consulted a relationship therapist and a guidance counsellor about her characters when creating the manga.

Perhaps – for this reviewer, anyway – the most disturbing element of the story is that Ageha’s ‘friend’ (who is drawn in such an unflattering fashion that at first I mistook her for an elderly overweight cleaning lady) is the one who causes our heroine the most trouble. I just hope that Ueda-sensei is going to go somewhere new with this; it’s the other oldest cliché in the book to introduce a jealous ugly friend. Shouldn’t someone be helping her to make the best of herself? Or to work through her difficulties? She has no redeeming features whatsoever in this volume.

Or am I reading too much into what is essentially a fluffy, bittersweet tale of high school romance? In spite of this concern, ‘Papillon’ is an involving read, with (mostly) appealing characters and a theme that is eternally relevant to young adults. Above all, Miwa Ueda really knows how to tell her story through attractively-drawn pictures and well-constructed dialogue. And isn’t that what manga is all about?