Kabu No Isaki 1

[boke's comments in brackets like this]

Page 1 panel 1

On the other side of this sky lies... [right border]

[top block text] At long last, the highly anticipated new work has arrived!

[small text by isaki's head] It's been a year since the end of Yokohama Kaidaishi Kikou. A new 32 page short story by Ashinano Hitoshi!

[black letters] Ashinano Hitoshi

[big title on left] Kabu no Isaki [Isaki of the Cub]

[floaty letters in lower-mid page]

A boy and A girl

A small adventure

In a big world

Page 2 Panel 1

This place's been out in the boonies since before I was born

2-2 Even the nearest city

Is easily 100km away

2-3 If you don't have a way to get around, you can't do anything

2-4 When you turn 16

Everyone starts working on how they're gonna get around

3-1 This is how I get around

It's a Piper Super Cub

3-2 My neighbor, Shiro-san lets me use it

It's old and beat up, but the Cub's a famous plane

4-2 Whew

4-3 How far did you go?

Jyou Ga Shima.
About 120km round trip, I guess.

4-4 Whoa
You flew quite a ways

4-5 Um, Isaki

There's only a bit of fuel left!

4-6 Use your brain while flying!

I do!

5-2 Shiro-san, I wonder if you'll let me use the Cub whenever I want now

Just don't crash it

5-3 And be sure to pay for the gas yourself

Aaaaw
Ok

5-4 ...Isaki, the way you fly is scary
You don't leave any room for error. You're always pushing it...

5-5 Look, It's not like I'm asking you to fly with me

I wouldn't. Too scary.

6-1 Ah,
Guess I'm goin' over Mt. Ogusa next

Hmm?
What's this, all the sudden?

6-2 The air is turbulent over there, so be careful

Yeah

6-3 Stretching out in the north is the 2000m Ogusa mountain range.

Beyond it, a huge expanse of land opens up

6-4 Over there, Isaki, the land just goes on and on

Starting there, the land is the real deal

Yeah,
I heard...

7-1 And way out there, there's a big city

And the thing that's amazing... is the tower!

I've seen it. Just once.

7-2 Yeah, I heard.

7-3 We've heard it over and over!

Sis, Isaki got into flying the Cub because that's all you talk about

7-4 Oh?

7-5 Later

Thanks

8-1 One month later

8-3 Good job
We're heading home

[sign] Kame Marine Food Products

8-4 Oh? Kajika-chan.
Isaki?

Ah
Yeah

8-5 He left already. Like a shot.

Eh

8-6 He mentioned he earned enough for gas

8-7 Thanks

sfx: bow

9-2 Huh?
Sis, where's my bike?

Eh?

9-3 Ah
Isaki took it. Like a shot.

Eh

9-4 Airport.

9-5 Tch

10-2 Whoa!
You scared me!

Don't just stand there without saying anything!

10-3 You saved enough for gas?

10-4 Huh? Oh, yeah.

10-5 You're goin' to the city with the tower

10-7 Yeah.
You wanna come?

No way.
Too scary.

11-1 Hey, look
Make sure you take your cell phone

Hah?

11-2 Where you're flying...
What you're seeing...
I'm gonna ask, 'kay?

Ah,
Yeah, of course I'll take my phone

11-3 Gimme my bike back

Ah, meanie

11-4 When you going?

Huh?
Day after tomorrow, if it's clear.

11-5 What time?

Huh? Dunno. After I eat lunch.

11-6 Eh? Why so late?

What? It'll be fine!

Don't look back while riding!

12-2 I'm going now, Shiro-san

Yep

12-3 Where's Kajika?

Who knows?

12-4 But she's watching from over there.
Maybe.

12-5 Even with a full tank, there's not much room for error

Yeah...
I'll land at the airport in Choufu today.
I'll come back tomorrow

12-6 It's about... 7-800km I guess

You'll just make it

12-7 Yeah

13-1 Mmmmmmm

Bwaaaaa

Bwaaaaa

13-4 Whoa...
All that gas is heavy!

13-5 mmm

13-6 Whoa
He finally got it in the air

14-1 Bwaaa

14-2 Whew

14-3 Beep be be

14-4 Beep

14-5 Kajika?

Did you see?

I saw

14-6 I'll be back

Mm

15-1 When you approach Mt. Ogusa
You have to increase altitude

15-2 Oh man
The plane's heavy!

sfx: Bwaaa

15-3 Beep be be

15-4 Where are you now?

Mt. Ogusa...

15-5 I'm crossing over it now
It's into the unknown from here

I'm over it

16-1 sfx: Whoosh

16-2 Wah!

sfx: whump

16-3 What happened?

The plane shook for a second
Whoa
A sea of clouds...

17-1 If it's like this...
Can I land when I get there?

17-2 It's now or never to turn back

I'm not goin' back

17-3 The gentle Northeast winds push the distant sea fog deep inland

The great Kanto plains before me are almost entirely clouded over

17-4 I can't tell if I'm moving forward or standing still

18-1 The sun is already sinking in the West

18-3 Hey Kajika
I'm over Yokohama right now

I'm half way there

18-4 Aren't you running behind?

There's a headwind
That's burned up a lot of gas

19-1 Hmm.

19-2 The sun goes down
The colors deepen

19-3 Amazing

Kajika, you need to come next time

19-4 'kay

21-2 Tokyo Tower. 3333 meters tall

It shines like a mountain of flame.
It makes you think there's no possible way it belongs of the world of humans

22-2 It's as if the natural world

Has taken it as it's very own. That's the feeling I get somehow

23-1 Kajika
The tower's amazing

I see...

24-2 Hey, Kajika

Hm?

24-3 The tower... I wanna show it to you

I see...

24-4 A building that big...

It's just... you know?

Wow

24-5 Hey, Kajika

Mm?

25-1 I don't have enough fuel

Whaa?

25-2 It's 'cause of the headwind and goin' round the tower too many times.

I should have had enough fuel, but it's hitting the bottom of the tank

25-3 Are there any roads you can land on?

Yeah, and there's fields, but...
Aww, But y'know

26-1 The airport's so close!

Whaaat?

26-3 Spt

26-4 Oh man

26-5 Whishhh

27-1 Hey, Kajika...
I'm not gonna make the runway

27-2 I hope they've trimmed the trees and stuff up ahead...

...Isaki

27-4 Wha pish baam crshhh

28-1 Whump

28-2 Thump

29-1 S-so is this a good landing under the circumstances?

Well...
It just hit some bushes, so...

29-2 But if the plane was lighter, I could have come in a little more normally

29-3 You could've just asked me to begin with, huh?!

No, I couldn't

30-1 But I'm glad I could see the tower

30-3 I see. You poked a hole in the side [This is a fabric covered airplane]

Ah,
Like this. Really.

30-4 S-so are the airport buildings or stuff this way?

Yeah

31-1 We'll have them put us up, rest till dawn, then come fix the plane

Well, yeah, but...
We're not gonna get any rest

31-2 Whaaat?
It won't hurt nothin'

After we've come all this way

31-3 Listen, you...

We've on the edge of the airport, right?

Yeah

32-4 We've still got about 10km until the airport buildings

There's no roads or anything

Ah

32-2 I've heard that the surface of the earth has gotten ten times bigger. [This is literal, but doesn't make sense to me. I want to use "I've heard that the surface of the earth is ten times bigger that you think". What do you think?]

sfx: slump

Don't sit

But for some reason

32-3 The whole world seems to be out in the boonies

Ok, start walkin'

Awww

Isaki No Kabu. The End.

We're awaiting your impressions!
Ashinano-san is close to beginning his real work. Please look forward to it!