Land of the Blindfolded - Volume 1 (Land of the Blindfolded)

Rating:
Summary: Past and future in the present
Review: One is no doubt familiar with the saying "in the land of the blind, the one-eyed are kings." Now, use that example where the majority of people, like you and me, are blindfolded so that we are present-oriented, i.e. but what if there were others whose blindfolds slip off?

That's the premise behind Land of The Blindfolded. High school girl Outsaka Kanade can see a person's future by touching that person. She's an altruist by nature, trying to head off danger at the pass and avert a person's fate. For example, when she learns that Eri's boyfriend Ezawa, is going to dump Eri for a girl with dark long hair, she tries to set things up so that Eri won't get hurt or dumped.

In contrast, there's her opposite, Naitou Arou. He can tell a person's past but also at will. When he learns of Kanade's attempt to change Eri's future, he uses the example of trying to warn someone who's about to step into a manhole. Fair enough, you might save the guy, but they wouldn't understand it and probably curse you out. His advice, "leave other people alone, otherwise the only person who'll be hurt is you." Also, what if the black-haired girl is a better match for Ezawa than Eri? Wouldn't interfering prevent either from reaching happiness?

Then there's the flipside. What if you were a past-oriented person and learned of a tragedy after the fact? In the same way, Arou is unable to go back to the past and prevent the accident. The best he can do is call the police and give them the license number of a hit-and-run vehicle. However, what if someone past-oriented totally enjoyed a hands-off policy and was smug about it? Namiki Masahiro is that person and it's Arou's more compassionate nature that separates him from Namiki.

All the same, Kanade finds solace in Arou, who despite his hands-off policy, is nice to her. Arou sums things up the best when he says that even if one can see into the past or future, one can't see what will make a person happy. And also, no one can see into another's heart with those powers. But no matter what, it also doesn't pay to be afraid to touch someone, metaphorically speaking. per temperament theory, idealists are more romantic and future oriented, guardians more cautious and past-oriented, which fit Kanade and Arou to a tee.

Also included are two stories. After The Festival involves a guy, Takahashi, and a girl, Katsura, who are on the same team during a relay. Takahashi is tired from working on the preparations for the sports festival, he, along with Katsura, miss their intended train stop and end up spending more time together. In The Mistaken Man, Fujisaki Nobuhiro mistakenly arrives early at school, only to find out he's entered the wrong classroom. He meets a cute girl named Mishina Yuki before going back to the right room. He tells his best friend Takeshi, who's puzzled because there's nobody by that name at school. Sure enough, he meets her, but she calls him Takahashi. A slip of the tongue, or something else? The moral here seems to be that if one makes a mistake, turn it into a happy one.

An interesting concept that succeeds with a pair of likeable protagonists. Here's hoping the second installment comes soon.

Rating:
Summary: Not Your Typical Romance
Review: This is a beautiful read about three main characters (two in this volume and one more will be introduced in later volumes) who have special gifts - either the ability to see the future or the past.

Contrary to what you would expect, the focus in the story is on relationships and the consequences of dealing with special powers in every day life situations - not on the powers themselves. The psychology, ethics, emotions, reactions, and responsibilities of these three people are slowly explored in an intricately crafted story. At its heart, Land of the blindfolded is about kindred spirits who find one another and teach each other a thing or two about life, love, and acceptance.

One would expect the writer to use the powers to push the romantic theme in this type of genre. And although there is definitely enough romance to keep every fan happy, the supernatural powers do play a very background role to exploring the mindsets and psychology of the main characters. That may make it sound boring, but the skill of the author ensures that it is a very engrossing read with characters you can really like and care about as the story progresses.

Land of the Blindfolded differs greatly from North American type of genre romances in that the story isn't about the angst and anticipation of getting together. Rather, it's about those precious early days of a relationship when everything is new and unsure. This theme of uncertainty is carried throughout the volumes and greatly enhances each of the arcs, providing contrasting unity and consistency.

This series can be best described as a very subdued, playful, and warm experience. There are wonderful scenes of respect and intimacy between the main characters but no sexual situations, making it very suitable for young and older readers. It's nice to read a romance novel where the object of the story isn't about putting the characters in compromising and unrealistic sexual situations.

I can enthusiastically recommend this series. It gets even better as it progresses into later volumes.