Template:Short description Template:Infobox animanga/Header Template:Infobox animanga/Print Template:Infobox animanga/Footer Ten no Hate Made – Poland Hishi (Japanese: 天の涯まで～ポーランド秘史; Polish: Aż do nieba: tajemnicza historia Polski; Template:Lit "Poland's Secret Story: To the Borders of Heaven")[1] is a manga by Riyoko Ikeda depicting the life of Polish Prince Józef Poniatowski in the turbulent last days of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was published in Japan in 1991. It was the first legally published manga in Poland (released from 1996 to 1997 by Japonica Polonica Fantastica).
The manga is related to other titles by Ikeda (Eikou no Napoleon – Eroica, The Rose of Versailles).
Plot
The main character of the manga is Prince Józef Poniatowski.[2][3][4][5][6] The manga is divided into three volumes; the first covers the childhood of the main character, the second covers his later years up to the Polish–Russian War of 1792 in defense of the Constitution of 3 May 1791, and the third continues the story of Prince Józef until his death at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.[4][7]
History
In Japan
The manga was created by Riyoko Ikeda, a popular Japanese author of historical manga. The manga was produced in the 1990s and was first published in Japan in 1991.[1][4][8] Ikeda became interested in Polish history after her sister visited Poland.[6]
In Japan, the manga has seen several editions: published by Asahi Bunko/Asahi Shimbun (1991–1993), Chuko Aizōban/Chuokoron-Shinsha (1994), Chuko Bunko/Chuokoron-Shinsha (1999), and Fairbell (2013).[9]
In Poland
The manga was published in Poland in three volumes from 1996 to 1997 by Japonica Polonica Fantastica;[2] the first volume was released in July 1996 and is considered by some as the beginning of the manga and anime fandom in Poland.[10] It was the first legally published manga in Poland.[2][11] It is sometimes incorrectly described[2] as the first manga published in Poland, though that title belongs to Black Knight Batto (known in the West as Black Knight Bat)[12] by Buichi Terasawa, which was published in 1986 in serialized form in the magazine SFera without the author's permission.[2][11][13] In 2008, the manga was reissued in a single-volume edition.[7][14]
The translator was Shin Yasuda, the founder of Japonica Polonica Fantastica, a Japanese resident in Poland. He translated the manga as part of his Polish language studies and decided to publish the translation after establishing the publishing house.[15]
Analysis
Katarzyna Bikowska, writing in 2013 in Template:Interlanguage link (EBIB Bulletin), noted that due to its Polish themes, the manga is a valuable addition to Polish libraries.[16] Similarly, Katarzyna Maciakiewicz, writing in 2018 in Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis. Studia ad Didacticam Biologiae Pertinentia, found the manga intriguing for Polish readers. In her analysis, she stated that "the author does not depict real events in her manga and even embellishes history for the sake of the title", but at the same time "presents authentic costumes, architecture, and locations from the era".[5]
The manga was analyzed by Justyna Czaja in a chapter dedicated to it in the book Wobec romantyzmu... (Facing Romantism...).[17] According to Czaja, the manga offers a simplified history of Poniatowski, based on Polish romantic myths (such as legends of the Uhlans and Napoleon) and pop culture elements. Many characters are idealized. The depiction of Poniatowski's life is sanitized compared to historical accounts (the real Poniatowski was criticized for "moral excesses, numerous love affairs, sybaritism, [and...] a lavish lifestyle", and troublesome relation with his relative, King Stanisław August Poniatowski – none of which appear in the manga). His romance with Template:Interlanguage link is described by Czaja as "a trivialized pop culture romance".[17] Czaja also criticized the portrayal of Tadeusz Kościuszko, who is devoid of "individual traits and represents a conventional hero-patriot type", noting that Kościuszko is beautified in the manga ("fitting into the stereotypical portrayal of a 'leader's' appearance") and lacks his trademark peasant characteristics (such as peasant attire he was fond of wearing). Czaja concludes that "Ikeda shows how mythologized biographies of heroes and national history look when filtered through the pop culture lens" and describes the manga as "a melodrama with a patriotic character".[17]
Examples of historical changes made in the manga to enrich familial and romantic themes include replacing the real sister of Prince Józef with a fictional brother and worsening the relationship between Poniatowski's mother and her son.[6][18] Another ahistorical element is the author's joke – a scene where the prince draws manga.[4][7] The very title of the manga (To the Borders of Heaven) is derived from an ahistorical, lofty monologue delivered by Poniatowski shortly before his death.[17]
The manga was also described as "bringing Polish history at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries closer to readers",[3] and the portrayal of Poniatowski in manga style was considered "unusual" for this subject.[19] Małgorzata Rutkowska, in Załącznik Kulturoznawczy in 2014, believed that the choice of this manga as the first title published by Japonica Polonica Fantastica was deliberate, given its Polish theme.[20]
Wojciech Obremski, in his 2005 book Krótka historia sztuki komiksu w Polsce: 1945–2003 (Short History of Comic Art in Poland: 1945–2003), positively evaluated the comic, highlighting its educational value and praising, among other things, "the faithful depiction of buildings, such as the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the Palace on the Isle, and the tenements in Warsaw's Old Town".[21]
Reception
In 1997, Michał Janowski reviewed the manga for Rzeczpospolita.[6] According to the reviewer, the dramatic events of Polish history often become amusing when translated into the comic medium. He particularly criticized the excessive use of manga onomatopoeia, which he found distracting or inappropriate at times.[6] Janowski also deemed the historical narrative overly simplified due to the comic format's constraints on text length, and he criticized the inaccurate translation of non-Polish character names, noting, "It is also unclear why Louis XV is called Luis XV, and Frederick II is Fridrich II".[6]
In 1998, Tomasz Tekliński reviewed the manga for the magazine Machina, criticizing the medium and content for the "typical simplicity of spirit in manga" and the manga style, stating, "[t]he depiction of a young Kościuszko with a mongoloid appearance reminiscent of 'Sailor Moon' will astonish even the most resistant".[22]
A 2006 review on the Polish portal Manga Tanuki noted that the manga’s author is known for shōjo manga (manga aimed at girls), and despite the manga's focus on a soldier’s life, it is "psychologically refined, with interpersonal relationships being the main plot thread" and "emotionally charged".[4] The review highlighted the significance of relationships between historical figures, such as "the lifelong romance of Józef with Template:Interlanguage link, his friendship with Tadeusz Kościuszko, and the hostility between his brother and stepmother". The reviewer, who identified as a historian, also noted that while the manga has educational value and depicts Polish history relatively accurately, it includes some deliberate historical inaccuracies for narrative purposes.[4] The quality of the publication was praised, but the translation was criticized as "sometimes stiff", and the "European-style publication" (changing from right-to-left reading order to left-to-right) was also noted.[4]
In 2012, another reviewer on the same portal reviewed the 2008 reissue, writing: "The struggle for the homeland intertwines with romance, creating an engaging mix. Although Ikeda is not always completely faithful to the facts, her treatment of Polish history is still impressive".[7] However, the review criticized the reissue for lacking improvements or corrections compared to the first edition.[7]
Reviewers on Manga Tanuki also praised the author for noting most of the ahistorical changes in the manga’s comments.[4][7]
See also
- The Rose of Versailles – a manga by the same author set before and during the French Revolution.
- Eikou no Napoleon – Eroica – a continuation of The Rose of Versailles; a manga by the same author set in the Napoleonic era, which also features Prince Poniatowski.
References
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