Hollow Fields (Colour Edition)

More than a decade on, this manga from Australian author Madeleine Rosca still holds up

Hollow Fields was one of the first manga I received when The Otaku’s Study was known as Sam’s Anime Study back in 2009. From the creative mind of Madeleine Rosca, despite the original monochrome manga being somewhat challenging to find here Down Under, it won me over from its charming school-life setting, darker themes, and fast pace, which was never relenting and devoid of filler content.

With the manga’s original run starting in mid-2007, one would have expected the manga to have run its course and been a pleasant memory for those with the fortune to read it. However, moving forward into recent years, Ms Rosca and Seven Seas Entertainment paired up once again to bring the original trilogy into full-colour volumes in recent years. Having discovered copies of the volumes on the shelves of a local QBD store, I was welcomed back into the series I hadn’t read for a good decade. But does it hold up by 2022 standards? Read on to find out.

Hollow Fields released during a time when tales about schools involving magic, technology, and all other forms of abnormal topics were widespread, with most not holding up. However, despite being considered an ‘All-Ages’ story, the steampunk setting, delightfully creative characters, and macabre setting of Hollow Fields’ school environment make it a more universally enjoyable and timeless manga today. It holds up, and I think it is a good read for those of all ages, whether eight or… okay, maybe not 80, but let’s say… 30.

The book’s content has not changed, and you are reading, essentially, what was originally created in 2007-2009. There are no plot changes or substantial wording changes. Outside the addition of colour and bigger page sizes from the omnibus edition I owned initially. This includes some extra content, such as 4komas, originally included at the back of every volume. Yet, I would have welcomed the addition of more behind-the-scenes content and commentary from Rosca, as it would be nice to dive more deeply into the author’s design processes.

Hollow Fields (Colour Edition) 1

Hollow Fields was a delight to the eyes when it was first released, and even now, it is not a manga that I feel needed a monochrome to full-colour conversion. If you have never read the series before, I would highly recommend picking up these coloured versions, as the colouring work done by Honoel A. Ibardolaza is varied, vibrant and adds an extra layer of depth to the harrowing environments and creative characters readers will encounter. At the same time, the colouring does not impede the original work by Rosca, keeping the author’s original designs and merely complementing them.

As seen in this review, new cover artwork has also been created for each of the three volumes, illustrated by Niko Geyer. They are noticeably different from the original cover artwork done by Rosca, being more action-oriented but never straying away from Hollow Fields’ trademark steampunk style and motifs. While an alternate unused cover artwork is included at the back of each volume, including the original cover artwork would have been a nice touch.

Overall, Hollow Fields is a gem from an era where many artists were trying to deliver the next ‘Harry Potter‘, offering a harrowing yet charming story that holds up on its own even today. If you can find copies of either the monochrome or full-colour versions of Hollow Fields, do yourself a favour and check them out.

Hollow Fields (Colour Edition) is released over three separate volumes, each encompassing a third of the original trilogy. Check your local book stores on favourite ebook platforms to see if it is available in your area.

8.5
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