Daryl Surat
June 25, 2016 
This may be hard to believe, but once upon a time “shojo” wasn’t automatically synonymous with “teen girl romance.” There was variety! You could have mysteries and action/adventure stories with girls as the lead characters, and—get this—some of these stories featured minimal romance, or none whatsoever! Crazy, isn’t it? But the latest Osamu Tezuka Kickstarter from DMP proves it. Storm Fairy is actually a collection of short, straightforward tales for kids. Of course, they’re all from the mid-1950s so don’t expect any modern visual aesthetic or pop culture references. (Elizabeth Taylor was a famous movie star, kids.)
The first story, “Storm Fairy,” is a—drumroll please—fairy tale set in medieval Japan, whereby “fairies” resemble the wicked witches of Western folk tales more than the winged pixie imagery the word traditionally elicits. Mistaken identities, sword battles, kidnappers, and magic spells that solve whatever problem needs solving make for a quick, fun, page-turning read. “The Kokeshi Detective Agency” is about the 
adventures of a small child named Pako whose absolute lack of fear lets her solve mysteries rather than end up in the ER.
They’re the sort of stories where a run-in with gangsters results in the crooks quitting crime and taking up Double Dutch by the end of that same page, small children are entrusted with flare guns and glass cutters in case they need to escape from kidnappers, and for once the brother’s the fraidy-cat sidekick tagalong. “Pink Angel” is about a sunset cloud princess named Pink who takes the form of a human girl and brings joy, happiness, taxation reform, and thermonuclear deterrence through the power of shapeshifting and manipulation of water vapor! Are there robbers, would-be kidnappers, and rival clouds who warp children’s hearts by giving them manga to contend with? YOU BET. I wish modern shojo were more like Storm Fairy, but I suppose I shouldn’t have a say in the matter, huh?
publisher: DMP
story and art: Osamu Tezuka
rating: Unrated (All Ages)
