Danica Davidson
December 31, 2022 
The manga series Captain Corinth: The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes an Adventurer is based on web novels. This science fiction story takes place many years in the future, and the main character, Alan Corinth, is in deep space. When something goes awry, he ends up alone on a planet where humans are able to breathe oxygen.
He isn’t expecting much, but he discovers creatures that look like beings from our planet… including humans. He sees a young woman being attacked and goes to her rescue. He saves her life and bandages her torn-off limbs. (A nice thing in this manga is that in certain circumstances limbs can rejuvenate themselves, so they gradually grow back.)
They might not speak the same language, but they find ways to communicate well enough. The relationship that grows between them is organic, subtle and endearing. Corinth discovers that not only does this planet have many similarities to ours, but it appears to have magic and it looks similar to a European fantasy world. One funny scene has Corinth picking up a sword that reminds him of one he used to play in his virtual reality video game, and his companion, not understanding this, thinks he’s a swordmaster and that there’s special meaning that he went straight for a magic sword. (Corinth doesn’t know the sword is magic.)
There is a backstory about aliens called Bugs and all the damage they’ve done, but they’re not in this first volume very much. It could just be a setting, or it could be that the Bugs will become more important down the line in the series.
So there are a lot of mysteries left to be solved, but in the first volume, a few things are clear. It already feels like a fun, escapist science fiction/fantasy read. While European fantasy settings are really big right now in manga, especially with isekai, it doesn’t feel like another isekai story being ground out. This is a good read for fans of science fiction and fantasy who want to curl up with an easy, agreeable read.
Original Story: Atsuhiko Itoh
Manga Adaptation: Tomomasa Takuma
Publisher: One Peace Books
Translator: Laura Egan
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
