An Ideal World
Encyclopedia
An Ideal World is a full-color Chinese manhua
authored by Weidong Chen and illustrated by Chao Peng. The series was released in five volumes and published in China by Tian Jin Creator World Comic Company under the title Seek Self's World and as part of the Cunren Fairy Tale series. An Ideal World was licensed by various other companies and released simultaneously with the original publisher between 2006 and 2007. The French manhua-publishing company Xiao Pan
licensed the series as "Un Monde Idéal" ("An Ideal World") and Yen Press
later announced at the New York Comic Con that they had licensed the series from Xiao Pan. Yen Press released it in North America
as one volume called An Ideal World.
An Ideal World follows the struggles of A You, a young man who, believing he has no luck, does not attempt to succeed in life even though others advise him to make his own luck. When he accidentally gets on the wrong bus, A You finds himself in the suburbs, where he takes shelter from the rain in a large tree and takes a nap. After waking up, A You happens upon the house of an old man, who sends him to an alternate world so that he may resolve his troubles. A You grows to enjoy the fantasy world and does not wish to return to his harsh reality. An Ideal World garnered mixed reception from Western critics, who objected mainly to the beginning and praised the overall story, artwork and themes.
Abi Port is home to several humans, anthropomorphic
beings, and other creatures, some of which look similar to people A You knows in his world. A You is found by members of a circus, who invite him to join them in their act. Although he lacks experience, he finds that he can perform well and begins to develop feelings for a young performer named Anan. He meets others who give him advice on enjoying work and life, particularly the "Master of Universal Love", an anthropomorphic zebra who toiled to earn his position and helps others free of charge.
After A You spends time in this world, Grandpa Beard decides that his problems are solved and returns to take him away from the imaginary world. A You protests, not wanting to return to the cold reality, but Grandpa Beard captures him and tells him that he must change that reality if he dislikes it. Returned to his own world, A You awakens in the tree he had taken shelter in and heads back to his house, where he finds his worried friends and family waiting for him. A You's experiences at Abi Port inspire him to work harder, and he eventually gets married to his co-worker and friend Su Fei. The two are shown years later at the grand opening of Grandpa Beard's Fun House, a restaurant themed after Grandpa Beard, where A You sees he will accomplish his dream and spread happiness.
, as well as several other companies, which released it in five volumes entitled Un Monde Idéal ("An Ideal World") from September 15, 2006 to March 14, 2007. Contracts were made that allowed for the French, South Korean, Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese companies to release the five volumes at the same time as the original company; French, Chinese, and Korean language editions were published through a partnership with Beijing Total Vision Culture Spreads. An Ideal Worlds global release was meant to aid in the development of the Chinese comic industry and create a new business model, and its release marked the first simultaneous global release for a comic. Xiao Pan also made an omnibus
of the original Chinese version available for purchase.
At the 2008 New York Comic Con, American-based graphic novel publisher Yen Press
announced that they had acquired the rights to publish An Ideal World and would release it in full color. Rights were acquired from Xiao Pan, rather than Tian Jin Creator World Comic Co. On March 24, 2009, Yen Press released An Ideal World in North America as a single volume; at 176 pages long, the volume also includes character sketches, the additional French covers, and information on the author, illustrator, and Chinese publisher.
An Ideal World was licensed for release in Mainland China
by TriWorks and Zhiyin Magazine and in South Korea
by the South Korean branch of Cambridge University Press
. Shenjie published the series in Taiwan
. At a conference held in February 2006, Tian Jin Creator World Comic Company announced that negotiations were being made to release An Ideal World in other European countries, Japan
, and with traditional Chinese characters in Taiwan.
's Lori Henderson reviewed An Ideal World positively; she praised the "Wizard of Oz feel" ending and the message that A You "controls his life, and he has the power to change it". Henderson called the characters "great" and the world "fantastic", also noting that the "cartoonish" and "exaggerated" artwork worked with the story. However, she remarked that the beginning of An Ideal World was "slow and plodding" and could "leave you wondering if it's ever going to go anywhere". Another School Library Journal critic, Joanna Fabicon, felt that the lessons and themes were "unimaginative", which made the artwork "a waste of visual whimsy".
Sam Kusek of PopCulture Shock also reviewed An Ideal World positively, grading it as a B+. Kusek applauded the artwork, saying that "colors really jump out" and set "the mood of the scene well, while keeping the backgrounds alive", and that character designs enhance "the mystical and magical elements of the story". Kusek liked the plot, but felt it was predictable; however, he noted that the main element and focus was the "philosophy of life" and that, overall, An Ideal World "flows really well". Writing for Comics Worth Reading, Ed Sizemore gave the book a mixed review. Sizemore wrote that he wished the message was conveyed "more [subtly]" and criticized the beginning of the book as "the toughest to get through", but felt the "pace and readability improve" afterwards. He praised the art as "gorgeous" with "lots of eye candy" for those who enjoy fantasy artwork. Overall, Sizemore thought An Ideal World was "wasted potential", with too much emphasis placed on the message, detracting from the storytelling.
Publishers Weekly
praised An Ideal World for its message and art, but criticized how "the book gets bogged down in talky heavy-handedness, as if someone put nice fantasy illustrations into a business self-help book". R. Bézard, a French critic for BD Gest, rated the first volume of the Xiao Pan edition of An Ideal World with two out of five stars. Bézard stated that the volume did not draw in the reader or give any indication of A You's future adventure. However, Bézard praised the artwork as expressive and called it a cross between Dragon Ball Z and Fruits Basket
.
Manhua
Manhua are Chinese comics originally produced in China. Possibly due to their greater degree of artistic freedom of expression and closer international ties with Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan have been the places of publication of most manhua thus far, often including Chinese translations of...
authored by Weidong Chen and illustrated by Chao Peng. The series was released in five volumes and published in China by Tian Jin Creator World Comic Company under the title Seek Self's World and as part of the Cunren Fairy Tale series. An Ideal World was licensed by various other companies and released simultaneously with the original publisher between 2006 and 2007. The French manhua-publishing company Xiao Pan
Xiao Pan
Xiao Pan is a French publisher and distributor of full-color Chinese manhua, both in French-language and original Chinese form. They are based in France, with offices in Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada...
licensed the series as "Un Monde Idéal" ("An Ideal World") and Yen Press
Yen Press
Yen Press is the manga and graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group. In addition to their regular book releases, Yen Press produces a monthly anthology called Yen Plus. The company's varied list demonstrates an interest in publishing a wide variety of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and other...
later announced at the New York Comic Con that they had licensed the series from Xiao Pan. Yen Press released it in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
as one volume called An Ideal World.
An Ideal World follows the struggles of A You, a young man who, believing he has no luck, does not attempt to succeed in life even though others advise him to make his own luck. When he accidentally gets on the wrong bus, A You finds himself in the suburbs, where he takes shelter from the rain in a large tree and takes a nap. After waking up, A You happens upon the house of an old man, who sends him to an alternate world so that he may resolve his troubles. A You grows to enjoy the fantasy world and does not wish to return to his harsh reality. An Ideal World garnered mixed reception from Western critics, who objected mainly to the beginning and praised the overall story, artwork and themes.
Plot
A You is a troubled 19-year-old who dislikes his life; he feels that his entire life is unlucky, yet he avoids hard work and prefers to be lazy. He is encouraged by the people around him to work harder and told that he can change his life if he takes control of it, but A You refuses to accept these notions. One day, he accidentally takes the wrong bus and finds himself in the suburbs of his city. A You enjoys his time away and takes shelter inside of a large, hollow tree when it begins to rain. After taking a nap and waking up, he wanders until he comes across a small, green old man referred to as Grandpa Beard. Grandpa Beard decides to help A You with his problems and transports him to a "utopia" called Abi Port in an alternate world.Abi Port is home to several humans, anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
beings, and other creatures, some of which look similar to people A You knows in his world. A You is found by members of a circus, who invite him to join them in their act. Although he lacks experience, he finds that he can perform well and begins to develop feelings for a young performer named Anan. He meets others who give him advice on enjoying work and life, particularly the "Master of Universal Love", an anthropomorphic zebra who toiled to earn his position and helps others free of charge.
After A You spends time in this world, Grandpa Beard decides that his problems are solved and returns to take him away from the imaginary world. A You protests, not wanting to return to the cold reality, but Grandpa Beard captures him and tells him that he must change that reality if he dislikes it. Returned to his own world, A You awakens in the tree he had taken shelter in and heads back to his house, where he finds his worried friends and family waiting for him. A You's experiences at Abi Port inspire him to work harder, and he eventually gets married to his co-worker and friend Su Fei. The two are shown years later at the grand opening of Grandpa Beard's Fun House, a restaurant themed after Grandpa Beard, where A You sees he will accomplish his dream and spread happiness.
Release
An Ideal World, authored by Weidong Chen and illustrated by Chao Peng, was originally published in China by the Tian Jin Creator World Comic Company and entitled Seek Self's World. It is part of the company's Cunren Fairy Tale series. An Ideal World was licensed by the French manhua company Xiao PanXiao Pan
Xiao Pan is a French publisher and distributor of full-color Chinese manhua, both in French-language and original Chinese form. They are based in France, with offices in Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada...
, as well as several other companies, which released it in five volumes entitled Un Monde Idéal ("An Ideal World") from September 15, 2006 to March 14, 2007. Contracts were made that allowed for the French, South Korean, Taiwanese, and Mainland Chinese companies to release the five volumes at the same time as the original company; French, Chinese, and Korean language editions were published through a partnership with Beijing Total Vision Culture Spreads. An Ideal Worlds global release was meant to aid in the development of the Chinese comic industry and create a new business model, and its release marked the first simultaneous global release for a comic. Xiao Pan also made an omnibus
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of the original Chinese version available for purchase.
At the 2008 New York Comic Con, American-based graphic novel publisher Yen Press
Yen Press
Yen Press is the manga and graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group. In addition to their regular book releases, Yen Press produces a monthly anthology called Yen Plus. The company's varied list demonstrates an interest in publishing a wide variety of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and other...
announced that they had acquired the rights to publish An Ideal World and would release it in full color. Rights were acquired from Xiao Pan, rather than Tian Jin Creator World Comic Co. On March 24, 2009, Yen Press released An Ideal World in North America as a single volume; at 176 pages long, the volume also includes character sketches, the additional French covers, and information on the author, illustrator, and Chinese publisher.
An Ideal World was licensed for release in Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
by TriWorks and Zhiyin Magazine and in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
by the South Korean branch of Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
. Shenjie published the series in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. At a conference held in February 2006, Tian Jin Creator World Comic Company announced that negotiations were being made to release An Ideal World in other European countries, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and with traditional Chinese characters in Taiwan.
Reception
An Ideal World has received mixed reviews from Western critics, who generally praised the book's artwork and second half but did not like the beginning. School Library JournalSchool Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
's Lori Henderson reviewed An Ideal World positively; she praised the "Wizard of Oz feel" ending and the message that A You "controls his life, and he has the power to change it". Henderson called the characters "great" and the world "fantastic", also noting that the "cartoonish" and "exaggerated" artwork worked with the story. However, she remarked that the beginning of An Ideal World was "slow and plodding" and could "leave you wondering if it's ever going to go anywhere". Another School Library Journal critic, Joanna Fabicon, felt that the lessons and themes were "unimaginative", which made the artwork "a waste of visual whimsy".
Sam Kusek of PopCulture Shock also reviewed An Ideal World positively, grading it as a B+. Kusek applauded the artwork, saying that "colors really jump out" and set "the mood of the scene well, while keeping the backgrounds alive", and that character designs enhance "the mystical and magical elements of the story". Kusek liked the plot, but felt it was predictable; however, he noted that the main element and focus was the "philosophy of life" and that, overall, An Ideal World "flows really well". Writing for Comics Worth Reading, Ed Sizemore gave the book a mixed review. Sizemore wrote that he wished the message was conveyed "more [subtly]" and criticized the beginning of the book as "the toughest to get through", but felt the "pace and readability improve" afterwards. He praised the art as "gorgeous" with "lots of eye candy" for those who enjoy fantasy artwork. Overall, Sizemore thought An Ideal World was "wasted potential", with too much emphasis placed on the message, detracting from the storytelling.
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
praised An Ideal World for its message and art, but criticized how "the book gets bogged down in talky heavy-handedness, as if someone put nice fantasy illustrations into a business self-help book". R. Bézard, a French critic for BD Gest, rated the first volume of the Xiao Pan edition of An Ideal World with two out of five stars. Bézard stated that the volume did not draw in the reader or give any indication of A You's future adventure. However, Bézard praised the artwork as expressive and called it a cross between Dragon Ball Z and Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket
, sometimes abbreviated , is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Natsuki Takaya. It was serialized in the semi-monthly Japanese magazine Hana to Yume, published by Hakusensha, from 1999 to 2006. The series was also adapted into a 26-episode anime series, directed by Akitaro...
.