The Rainbow Stone Train runs through a vast country, powered by Rainbow Stones and Light Water, resources unique to the beautiful country. When the train passes by, people stop and wave to the train. Such is the love the people have for the train that spews rainbow clouds.
The train is split into three sections: Morning carriage for people who are travelling short distances or want low rates; Afternoon carriage for the middle class; and the Evening carriage for the rich and posh.
This page explains it all. (Source: MangaReader.net)
Being fascinated with the Rainbow Stone Train as a child, Toky Towy (still a child) joins the crew of dedicated people as the newest member. His carefree and innocent personality clashes terribly with his superior, Wiseman, who exerts steely discipline towards all his subordinates.
Wiseman is strict to everyone. (Source: MangaReader.net)
The main story follows Towy as he learns what it means to be a crewmember of The Rainbow Stone Train. However, the train is marked by the military, and everyone on the crew list is required to obey the military's commands. It seems like a conspiracy is working behind the curtains, and the Rainbow Stone Train is the target...
At first glance, the manga is unassuming. I regret to say I did not know Shinobu Takayama, the mangaka. A Google search return results of Amatsuki, his best known series, but I know nothing of that either. That is not to say that Mr Morning is the inferior brother of Amatsuki or the rest of Takayama's work.
When I read the first few pages of the first chapter, I was already in stitches. Towy is adorable. He is like a soft toy, a puffy pomeranian, and marshmallow all rolled into one. For goodness's sake, his first appearance was made by climbing up the Rainbow Stone Train, earning himself a whack on the head by his superior, who he immediately remarks out loud that Wiseman "reeks of evil boss vibes". Cute, innocent, and blunt with his japes.
Towy's japes extend to everyone. (Source: MangaReader.net)
Wiseman, his super-strict direct superior, is the poor man assigned to make a "crewman" out of the enthuastic creature. He is quick to temper, wants only the best from everyone, and is super-committed to his job as assistant train conductor in the morning carriage. He loves the Rainbow Stone Train, and will make mincemeat out of his subordinates if they show any substandard service.
Wiseman being sentimental. (Source: MangaReader.net)
Mr Morning is a short series, ending in nine chapters. It hardly seems enough to tell the story of the crewmembers on the train, much less the BIG storyline that comes in the middle. But happily, the pacing feels all right to me. The suspense builds up in a nice pace, and enough limelight is cast on each characters to make readers care about them. I suppose the only quip I have with the pace would be the ending. It's just too short!
Art-wise, the manga series is delicately drawn. That is, everyone looks delicate, even the bad guys. What I really enjoy is looking at the minor characters, even the ones that are supposed to be fodders. A few simple lines make a character, but they look solid enough. Most of the time mangakas keep fodders as just fodders and rarely invest much into them, but Takayama's fodders are so endearing that it isn't really hard to imagine their background story. Also, I am tickled pink by everyone's chibi form, especially Towy's. There are a lot of chibis running around in the manga, with lots of shouting and large movements, which makes it utterly amusing to look at.
Cuteness over 9000! (Source: MangaReader.net)
Paneling and text placement are nicely done, so reading is a breeze.
Mr Morning might not be an epic manga with mind-blowing art, but it is still a good series to enjoy if you're looking for laughs.
Have a taste of the manga here.
I've even found the second series of Mr. Morning, called Mr Applicant! Here!
(If you like this manga, please buy the original to show your support to the author. I am not really sure if I can even find this series in local book stores, but I would definitely add it to my collections.)
