Babel no Tegami

Letter of Babel is a short and sweet little morsel of romance, not decidedly shoujo in nature, which tells us the story of a Russian steward and the path not taken. It's written from the point of view of a masterful scribe who is known far and wide to be able to put feelings on paper you didn't know you possessed and our long suffering hero succumbs to this indulgence if only to relive his early life once more and lament for love lost and maybe, just maybe... have another go at it... It starts off ordinarily enough, set in a Russian noble's house, introducing thefew primary characters one by one, etching their character traits through cleverly crafted panels replete with outraged expression and petulant poses letting the readers make up their own minds about their personalities rather than force feeding us trite adjectives. Art really stands out as clean, elegantly so with a neverending vernacular of heartstrings-tugging expressions and chic backgrounds which takes you away to the Russia of yore. Story delivery is slow paced, but not dragging. It draws you in when the hero wants to share his longing and wistful memories and moves along quickly when you're transported back into real time. Characters feel tragic yet relatable and you want to reach in and change their actions and fate when you see the possible consequences they may be lining up for themselves, but alas... you are only an audience in this extravagant tale, with as little control over their destinies, as they themselves seem to exercise. While beautifully drawn and elocuted, the thick me couldn't quite figure out some parts of the "conclusion". It may require a further couple of readings, which obviously means each time you read this, you'll discover something new. A definite rarity in short oneshots. Seinen/shounen fans will enjoy this non maudlin story equally (perhaps more, I was left a little wanting on the romance front!) and I highly recommend this to all who have experienced "The one that got away" at some point in their life or those who just wonder about the feelings accompanying that bittersweet experience.