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An Ideal World

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An Ideal World
The cover of An Ideal World, showing the main character A You and his friends from Abi Port jumping from a rooftop above Abi Port
Yen Press edition ofAn Ideal World
Tầm trảo tự ngã đích thế giới
Seek Self's World
Genre
AuthorWeidong Chen
IllustratorChao Peng
PublisherTian Jin Creator World Comic Co.
English publisher
Other publishers
Original run2006–2007
Volumes5 (original)
1 (English release)

An Ideal World(simplified Chinese:Tầm trảo tự ngã đích thế giới;traditional Chinese:Tầm trảo tự ngã đích thế giới;pinyin:xún zhǎo zì wǒ de shì jiè"Seek Self's World" ) is a full-color Chinesemanhuaauthored 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 (simplified Chinese:Thiên tân thần giới mạn họa công tư;traditional Chinese:Thiên tân thần giới mạn họa công tư;pinyin:Tiān jīn shén jiè màn huà gōng sī) under the titleSeek Self's Worldand as part of the Cunren Fairy Tale series.An Ideal Worldwas licensed by various other companies and released simultaneously with the original publisher between 2006 and 2007. The French manhua-publishing companyXiao Panlicensed the series as "Un Monde Idéal"(" An Ideal World ") andYen Presslater announced at theNew York Comic Conthat they had licensed the series from Xiao Pan. Yen Press released it inNorth Americaas one volume calledAn Ideal World.

An Ideal Worldfollows 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 Worldgarnered mixed reception from Western critics, who objected mainly to the beginning and praised the overall story, artwork and themes.

Plot

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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,anthropomorphicbeings, 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 marries 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

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An Ideal World,authored by Weidong Chen and illustrated by Chao Peng,[1]was originally published in China by the Tian Jin Creator World Comic Company and entitledSeek Self's World.[2][3][4]It is part of the company's Cunren Fairy Tale series.[5]An Ideal Worldwas licensed by the French manhua companyXiao Pan,as well as several other companies, which released it in five volumes entitledUn Monde Idéal( "An Ideal World" ) from September 15, 2006[6]to March 14, 2007.[3][7][8]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;[2][9][10]French, Chinese, and Korean language editions were published through a partnership with Beijing Total Vision Culture Spreads.[11][12]An Ideal World's global release was meant to aid in the development of the Chinese comic industry and create a new business model,[13][14]and its release marked the first simultaneous global release for a comic.[10]Xiao Pan also made anomnibusof the original Chinese version available for purchase.[2]

At the 2008New York Comic Con,American-based graphic novel publisherYen Pressannounced that they had acquired the rights to publishAn Ideal Worldand would release it in full color.[15][16]Rights were acquired from Xiao Pan, rather than Tian Jin Creator World Comic Co.[1][16]On March 24, 2009, Yen Press releasedAn Ideal Worldin North America as a single volume;[17]at 176 pages long, the volume also includes character sketches, the additional French covers, and information on the author, illustrator, and Chinese publisher.[18]

An Ideal Worldwas licensed for release inMainland Chinaby TriWorks and Zhiyin Magazine and inSouth Koreaby the South Korean branch ofCambridge University Press.[13][14][19]Shenjie published the series inTaiwan.[10]At a conference held in February 2006, Tian Jin Creator World Comic Company announced that negotiations were being made to releaseAn Ideal Worldin other European countries,Japan,and withtraditional Chinese charactersin Taiwan.[13][14]

Reception

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An Ideal Worldhas received mixed reviews from Western critics, who generally praised the book's artwork and second half but did not like the beginning.School Library Journal's Lori Henderson reviewedAn Ideal Worldpositively; 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".[20]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 ofAn Ideal Worldwas "slow and plodding" and could "leave you wondering if it's ever going to go anywhere".[20]Another School Library Journal critic, Joanna Fabicon, felt that the lessons and themes were "unimaginative", which made the artwork "a waste of visual whimsy".[21]

Sam Kusek of PopCulture Shock also reviewedAn Ideal Worldpositively, grading it as a B+.[22]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".[22]Writing for Comics Worth Reading, Ed Sizemore gave the book a mixed review.[23]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 thoughtAn Ideal Worldwas "wasted potential", with too much emphasis placed on the message, detracting from the storytelling.[23]

Publishers WeeklypraisedAn Ideal Worldfor 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".[24]R. Bézard, a French critic for BD Gest, rated the first volume of the Xiao Pan edition ofAn Ideal Worldwith two out of five stars.[25]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 betweenDragon Ball ZandFruits Basket.[25]

References

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  1. ^ab"Ideal World story by Weidong Chen, art by Chao Peng".Yen Press.Archivedfrom the original on 18 January 2010.RetrievedFebruary 13,2010.
  2. ^abc"Un monde idéal – édition chinoise"(in French).Xiao Pan.Archived fromthe originalon July 21, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 13,2010.
  3. ^abPeng, Chao; Chen, Weidong (March 2008).An Ideal World.New York:Yen Press.p. 176.ISBN978-0-7595-2942-7.
  4. ^Nâm đích vị trí: Thủ hiệt > mạn họa liên tái > tầm trảo tự ngã đích thế giới(in Chinese). Tian Jin Creator World Comic Company. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-06-23.RetrievedFebruary 13,2010.
  5. ^Tầm trảo tự ngã đích thế giới(in Chinese). Zongheng. Archived fromthe originalon May 3, 2010.RetrievedFebruary 15,2010.
  6. ^MUn monde idéal, Tome 1: L'usine (Album)(in French).ASIN2940380120.
  7. ^"Monde idéal (Un) T5/5"(in French).Xiao Pan.RetrievedFebruary 13,2010.[dead link‍]
  8. ^Un monde idéal, Tome 5: La Porte (Album)(in French).ASIN2940380384.
  9. ^Tân thư giới thiệu: 《 thôn nhân đồng thoại 》 chi 《 tầm trảo tự ngã đích thế giới 》 tác phẩm khái huống ( đồ )(in Chinese). Arting365.Archivedfrom the original on 4 January 2010.RetrievedFebruary 13,2010.
  10. ^abcThiên tân thần giới mạn họa công tư cao tân chiêu sính mạn họa nhân tài!(in Chinese). Sohu.com.Archivedfrom the original on July 16, 2011.RetrievedAugust 5,2010.
  11. ^Amazon Reader (FR)(in French). Amazon.fr. 17 August 2006.ISBN978-2-940380-12-1.RetrievedFebruary 14,2010.
  12. ^"Seek Self's World-1/5".Beijing Total Vision Culture Spreads. Archived fromthe originalon May 24, 2024.RetrievedFebruary 14,2010.
  13. ^abcTrung quốc nguyên sang mạn họa thủ thứ toàn cầu đồng bộ xuất bản(in Chinese). Amabasada Republicii Populare Chineze în Romania. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-25.RetrievedFebruary 14,2010.
  14. ^abcTrung quốc mạn họa tương thủ thứ toàn cầu đa ngữ chủng khóa môi giới đồng bộ xuất bản(in Chinese). CNCI.gov.cn. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-07.RetrievedFebruary 14,2010.
  15. ^Aoki, Deb (April 21, 2008)."NY Comic-Con: Yen Press Gets Haruhi, Square Enix Manga".About.com.Archived fromthe originalon February 9, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 13,2010.
  16. ^abKoulikov, Mikhail (April 20, 2008)."New York Comic Con Yen Press".Anime News Network.RetrievedFebruary 13,2010.
  17. ^Chen, Weidong (24 March 2009).An Ideal World (Tales of the Villagers) (Paperback).Yen Press.ISBN978-0759529427.
  18. ^Peng, Chao; Chen, Weidong (March 2008).An Ideal World.New York:Yen Press.pp. 164–173.ISBN978-0-7595-2942-7.
  19. ^Trung quốc nguyên sang mạn họa quốc tế cự hiện 《 tầm trảo tự ngã đích thế giới 》 nhiệt tiêu(in Chinese). Tian Jin Creator World Comic Company. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-07-15.RetrievedAugust 5,2010.
  20. ^abHenderson, Lori (June 29, 2009)."Review: An Ideal World".School Library Journal.Archived fromthe originalon July 26, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 13,2010.
  21. ^Fabicon, Joanna (September 1, 2009)."Graphic Novels – School Library Journal, 9/1/2009".School Library Journal.RetrievedFebruary 14,2010.
  22. ^abKusek, Sam (April 13, 2008)."An Ideal World".PopCulture Shock. Archived from the original on April 18, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 13,2010.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. ^abSizemore, Edl (January 2, 2010)."An Ideal World".Comics Worth Reading. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-01-08.RetrievedFebruary 13,2010.
  24. ^"Fiction Book Reviews - Mar 23, 2009".Publishers Weekly.March 23, 2009.Archivedfrom the original on December 5, 2010.RetrievedFebruary 14,2010.
  25. ^abBézard, R. (September 11, 2006)."Chronique: Un monde idéal"(in French). BD Gest.RetrievedJuly 27,2010.

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