Someday’s Dreamers

Yume Kikuchi is an apprentice mage who has come to Tokyo to finish her training. For a country girl like Yume, the city can be a daunting place, but nonetheless she resolves to hold firm to her ideal of using magic to help those in need. Under the tutelage of practising mage Masami Oyamada, however, Yume will discover that sometimes you have to think carefully before helping others, and that knowing your own heart is equally important when it comes to practising magic…

A simple and sweet coming-of-age story, Someday’s Dreamers is an all too brief peek into a world where mages and their power exist side by side with all the usual trappings of modern day life. A mere two volumes in length, the series begins as a collection of one-off stories in which Yume helps people with her magic, before moving onto a more character-focused drama as both Yume and her mentor Oyamada must confront the fears that are holding them back. It’s the same sort of slice-of-life drama that worked so well for Aria and YKK, and whilst it isn’t quite up to the level of those two series, neither is it a long way behind.

Unfortunately, enjoyable as it is, Someday’s Dreamers is a series that ends all too soon (Tokyopop are releasing something called Someday’s Dreamers: Spellbound, but it’s currently unclear how this relates to the original). Although the concept is something which could easily become too saccharine, the series could have almost certainly used a couple more volumes with which to explore the characters and add a few more standalone stories.

Starting with the beautiful watercolour covers, the artwork is one of the biggest draws of Someday’s Dreamers. The art style is detailed without being cluttered whilst the main characters are particularly aesthetically pleasing; the only weakness is that Tokyopop have not included any colour pages.

Final Thoughts
A brief yet heart-warming tale of magic and those who are affected by it, Someday’s Dreamers is a must-read for anyone who enjoys sedate and peaceful slice-of-life series.

Extra: Comparison with the Anime
The anime and manga begin and end in much the same way, but the rest is a little different. The anime includes some extra stories and characters (most notably friend and rival apprentice mage Angela) whilst giving several of the manga characters a larger role. In this way, it’s a nice counterpart to the manga version, but where it improves on the original in places, in others the stories feel a little unfocused or overly sentimental. Nonetheless, if you like one version of the story, you’ll doubtless enjoy the other.