Mention the name Roy Chang and you’d likely get one of three responses:
» "Oh, he’s that guy who draws those political cartoons on Page 2 of MidWeek, isn’t he?"
» "Oh, Mr. Chang! He’s my/my child’s art teacher at Aiea Intermediate!"
» "Wait, who?"
Putting that third response aside, it’s obvious that Chang’s built much of his reputation locally on being an art guy. So it may come as a bit of a surprise that his first book, "Cacy & Kiara and the Curse of the Ki‘i" ($11.95, BeachHouse), isn’t a straight-up graphic novel, but more a traditional young-adult prose novel that features more than 60 illustrations drawn in manga (or Japanese comic) style.
All those words shouldn’t be a deterrent, though; despite a few missteps, "Cacy & Kiara" turns out to be a solid debut effort.
"Cacy & Kiara" is an "odd couple" tale at the outset, featuring two cousins from different backgrounds who are thrown together by circumstance. Cacy Dang is a sixth-grader at Malualani Elementary School, brash and impulsive and never without her trusty baseball bat to knock some sense into those who bully her. Kiara is a prim and proper sixth-grader at Central Academy who overwhelms people with the knowledge stored in her brain and on her ever-present Digital Data Pad. Cacy feels Kiara’s too stuck up for her own good, while Kiara can’t stand Cacy’s free-wheeling, devil-may-care ways.
When the two cross paths on their respective schools’ field trips to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, it becomes a study of familiar cultural contrasts: public versus private school, rural versus urban upbringing, Malualani’s Ms. Windbagg versus Central’s Ms. Fitzgerald (who is a former Miss Hawaii pageant winner).
But this book isn’t called "Cacy vs. Kiara"; it’s "Cacy AND Kiara," which implies that they’re going to have to put aside their squabbling and cooperate somehow. That happens when the girls are separated from their school groups and stumble upon the titular Hawaiian sculpture … and the body of an archaeologist who was trying to sell it for personal profit.
Before all is said and done — and in the most action-packed 24 hours this side of the Fox TV drama "24" — the girls get caught up in a race to cleanse themselves of the curse, pursued by the two thugs involved with the deal gone awry and the collector who wants the kii for its power and prestige. Along the way they encounter famed figures of Hawaiian mythology, including the goddesses Hi‘iaka and Pele; a village of menehune; and even their family ‘aumakua (guardians).
The story plays out as an action-adventure tale with blockbuster escapism and Native Hawaiian cultural lessons, which brings a mixed bag of pitfalls and perks. The missteps come in the dialogue, where characters sometimes sound more like they’re reading straight from a book of facts and lack natural speech patterns. The action sequences, while fun, can also be a bit over the top and exhausting.
But when the two elements blend well, the results are magical. Anyone who’s ever visited Hawaii island and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will appreciate the details Chang has peppered throughout his book — allusions to Ken’s House of Pancakes, Hilo’s 24-hour dining haven, are frequent, and the park landmarks mentioned, like Thurston Lava Tube, the visitor center and the Volcano House hotel, will certainly stir memories.
Chang’s manga-style illustrations nicely complement the story, providing physical images to enhance the mental pictures conjured by readers.
Here’s hoping the future holds more adventures for Cacy and Kiara, perhaps to bring to life myths on other islands.
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For more on "Cacy & Kiara" and the local anime and manga fan community, visit the "Otaku Ohana" blog at otakuohana.staradvertiserblogs.com.
