Emanon, Vol 4, Emanon Wanderer, Part Three, by Kenji Tsuruta and Shinji Kajio, was published in Japan in 2018. It was translated into English by Dana Lewis and published in 2023.
Emanon, Vol 1: Memories of Emanon
Emanon, Vol 2: Emanon Wanderer, Part One
Emanon, Vol 3: Emanon Wanderer, Part Two
I read it on Hoopla.
It’s 209 pages long.
“I was born with all my mother’s memories.”
“She was born with Grandma’s, and Grandma with Great-Grandma’s.”
“And so on and so forth… back to the birth of life on Earth.”
“I don’t know why, but that’s just how I am.”
The story begins in 1980, with a girl known as Eiko. This is not the first time she’s been a child. She’s been born and reborn for billions of years.
The old lady who runs the neighborhood shop tells her that her husband has died. Then the old lady dies. Eiko has seen many deaths.
It’s 1988.
A boy Eiko’s never met calls her Emanon. He knows everything about her. He knows that she’s been living for all eternity. He knows everything about everything. He tells her that his name is Choichiro Kodzuki, and that he’s the man she’s going to marry. (They’re both high school students.)
Choichiro takes Eiko to a coffee shop so they can talk. Apparently, it’s some kind of “sex café.” A waitress calls the school’s guidance counselor. Eiko is scared, but Choichiro keeps them out of trouble by revealing that he knows the counselor’s dark secret.
Choichiro calls his power his “Maktub” – an Arabic word for destiny.
Choichiro vanishes shortly after that.
Eiko’s father knows what going to happen to his wife, Eiko’s mother. It’s how this thing works. This endless cycle of birth and rebirth is not a gift.
Eiko, who used to be Ema, runs away and takes the name Emanon.
It’s 1990.
Emanon befriends a little boy named Shungo Haruta. She tells him about her best friend, Hikari.
What Emanon doesn’t tell Shungo is that Hikari has been travelling through time in a non-linear way for billions of years. Emanon never knows when Hikari will appear, or how old she’ll be.
Hikari has known Emanon since before Emanon was human. Emanon knows there will be an end for them both, but she has no idea how or when that will be.
I’ve fallen in love with this series. It’s touching, sad, and beautiful.
When I finished Volume Three, last October, I knew there was would be a Volume 4, but I wasn’t able to find it. Then, yesterday, I was browsing through Hoopla, looking for something to read, and found Volume 4. It had been published in the US last September. I hadn’t seen it when I found Cat + Gamer.
This volume ends with the words “To be continued,” and a cliffhanger epilogue. I’m very glad.
This remains, in my limited experience, my favorite manga.
Feeding Squirrels On My Way To Work 