Tanpopo: Classic Literature meets Robo-Kawaii in the Stunning Graphic Novel by Camilla d’Errico

Written and illustrated by Canadian artist Camilla d’Errico, I can honestly say that Tanpopo is one of the most unique books I’ve ever come across. Drawn in d’Errico’s signature style, I can only describe the artwork itself as whimsically modern, with the influence of Japanese-style illustration delightfully apparent. Aside from the artwork however, what makes Tanpopo all the more intriguing is that the story, while highly futuristic, finds its roots in classic literature.

While the book turned out to be different from what I was expecting, I didn’t come away disappointed. Since the blurb described Tanpopo as “superhumanly intelligent and inhumanly emotionless” and “ruled by her mind and vast knowledge” I think I was expecting some kind of kawaii-borg hybrid that was an impartial observer of humanity. But the ‘emotionless’ Tanpopo is anything but: she holds a startling fragility coupled with a determination to know the truth that sets her apart from being a mere automaton.

First, from the back cover:

Tanpopo is superhumanly intelligent and inhumanly emotionless; she is ruled by her mind and vast knowledge. Something inside of her suddenly breaks and her heart rises up to struggle against the ruling mind. Torn and confused, she now seeks her humanity, longing to feel what humans feel. Kuro, or “Poodle”, senses her distress. He promises Tanpopo that she will experience the full range of human emotions, of which love and happiness are the coveted prizes. Alas, such a rich reward cannot come without its price: Kuro is The Devil in disguise and he is after Tanpopo’s Soul. Will her quest for love set her free, or will it shackle her for eternity? Each chapter of TANPOPO is inspired by a classic piece of literature. This premiere volume explores Goethe’s FAUST, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER, and the Chinese author P’u Sung-Ling’s STRANGE STORIES FROM A CHINESE STUDIO.

Confused and perhaps a little distant in the way that a neglected child would be when confronted with the sight of a loving family, Tanpopo claims to have all the knowledge of the world, but no understanding of true emotion. She has been locked away in what we as readers can assume to be a solitary existence, one where she had no one other than herself for company. If you look at it this way, I suppose claiming that Tanpopo is ‘emotionless’ might make sense: after all, if you’ve had no interaction with others, or haven’t seen how others interact with each other, it is unlikely that you would be aware of your emotions, even if you had them.

Also, she reminded me of Chi. And I’m a sucker for Chi.

This is part of the reason why Tanpopo puts herself in the hands of Kuro (alternately known as “the devil” and “poodle”) to show her the way through the realm of the human. Taking inspiration from the devil in Faust, Kuro quickly diverges from his classical inspiration. While Kuro and Tanpopo strike a bargain similar to the characters in Faust, he is no Western imagining of the devil with a pitchfork and red tights. He is something more psychologically sinister, yet at the same time, sympathetic. It is this duality that allows him to accompany Tanpopo on her travels, serving as both a master of disguise and wicked, though often poignant, teacher.

Maybe it’s due in part to the absolute trust she places in a being who she discovers to be ‘the devil,’ but there’s no denying that there is something about Tanpopo that touches the soul. She walks the realm between the real, the unreal, and those delicate walls between life and death. Her journey represents both innocence and the loss of innocence, where ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are shades of gray instead of stark black and white. It is confusing and intriguing, and makes you feel (and rightly so) as if it’s one of those books: one of the books that is like an onion that requires you to peel back the many layers of meaning.

Again, did I mention the pretty pictures?

This layered meaning is further enhanced by the three already highly symbolic works that that D’Errico uses as the canvas for Tanpopo. Set against the backdrop of Faust, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Tanpopo becomes the story within those stories, a traveler who becomes both character and unsuspecting commentator. While you can still enjoy Tanpopo without having read these stories first, I think that having a basic knowledge of these stories greatly adds to the reading of Tanpopo, particularly since the book is written in a classic literary style that can become cumbersome if you’re not familiar with it.

You can get the book at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and can see more of d’Errico’s work on her DeviantArt and on her website.

What about you? Have you read Tanpopo or any other works by d’Errico that you’d like to recommend?

The Clock, 1923 Cos… mysunshinevint… $12.00	Kawaii Robot Charm SistersItalia $4.00	Faust – Johann Wolf… genemachine $8.00	Gas mask Robot sleepyrobot13 $13.00
Robot Necklace iceblues $24.00	Albatross – the Rim… CatsBrass $24.95	Sterling Silver Rob… lilblackcloud $48.00	The Rime of the Anc… austroantiques $149.00
Salvaged Goethe Vin… katartsis $50.00	Robot Cufflinks rapscalliondes… $18.00	Faust- Forged Coppe… VagabondMetal $85.00	Pocket Watch Neckla… SydneyAngel $9.95

You can also view this as a treasury on Etsy.

Tags: artists, book review, book reviews, books, Camilla d’Errico, classic lit, classic literature, comic books, Faust, graphic novels, illustration, japanese inspired, kawaii, lit, literary, Literature, manga inspired, melvin, moms basement, must read, reading list, review, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, robot, robotic, sci fi, science fiction, Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Tanpopo, to read