About Seraphim 266613336 Wings
by Takashi Watanabe
Seraphim 266613336 Wings began serialization in the May 1994 issue of Animage magazine, with the final chapter to be published appearing in the November 1995 issue. The story was never finished. This is the first collected edition.
Some changes have been made for the collected edition. During Seraphim's initial run in Animage, the credits for the first twelve chapters read, "Satoshi Kon, artist; Mamoru Oshii, writer." For chapters 13- 16, the credits read, "Created by Satoshi Kon and Mamoru Oshii." The kanji used for the word Magi also changed with chapter 13, but this collected edition has standardized these differences.
The story of Seraphim began in March of 1994, when the final chapter of Hayao Miyazaki's long- running manga Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind appeared in Animage. Nausicaa had been a breakout success, and the editorial department of the magazine was looking for another hit. They commissioned Mamoru Oshii to come up with a series. Oshii created the basic tone and background of the world of Seraphim, and wrote the rough outline for the plot. He then brought on Satoshi Kon as the artist, whom he had worked with as a layout supervisor on the film Patlabor 2.
The prologue at the beginning of this book was the first published chapter of the serialization. At the time, Oshii said to his editor, "Of all the work I have done in my life, this is my most ambitious." The scale of the story was magnificent. Oshii was enthusiastic, and had his eye on possibly animating the series in the future. Satoshi Kon was more cautious, saying, "Regarding this new serialization with Oshii, I want to take our time, and work slowly and carefully."
Kon got his wish. The two met constantly, working out details of the story with meticulous planning and intention. Working from Oshii's script, Kon questioned Oshii over any uncertainty. He paused working until he received a sufficient answer.
As Kon became more involved in the story, he became more assertive in his opinions, ques
tioning Oshii's story and making suggestions on how to improve it, often saying, "How about if we..." Oshii incorporated more and more of Kon's ideas. This resulted in a unique world, charming and detailed, with no obvious distinction between the two men's work.
Eventually, this back- and- forth style took its toll. Discord sprang up over their respective roles, and there was a dispute over the credit for the work. The conflict grew until finally the series was put on hiatus.
Satoshi Kon has passed away. Speculating too deeply about the situation behind Seraphim is an exercise in foolishness, one that we wish to avoid. However, looking back, it is easy to imagine the difficulties arising from two men creating a single work, both of whom were proud to wear the title of "director."
Reading Seraphim can be an exercise in frustration, especially when you flip to that final page and know that you never get to see how the story ends. But by then the story has gripped you and won't let you go easily. You can't help but imagine the possibilities.
Mamoru Oshii built his world as a logical construction, one which Satoshi Kon then expanded and evolved with his art. Seraphim is like a dream—a transient moment, a fragment half- remembered—but one that was real nonetheless.
Takashi Watanabe was the editor in charge of Seraphim at the time of its original serialization in Animage during 1994- 95. He is currently head of the visual art department of the media