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Nekko and Joruba begins on Earth, specifically in the North America in the year 2357 a.d. The story begins by focusing on a famous geneticist named Artur and his thirteen year old daughter, Joruba. Joruba’s mother has died and now she accompanies her father to Mars. Nekko and Joruba has science fiction elements which give the story a deeper context to work in, but it’s all about Joruba and what she has to deal with while growing up.

It also begins in black and white, transitioning into color over time. These subtle colors provide a thoughtful mood which helps you not only focus on the characters but also brings out the context of the story.

The art itself has a sketchy quality which I think is necessary for this kind of story. If the artist were to focus on penning every single technical detail, it might take away from the audience’s enjoyment. The reader can use their imagination to fill in the details and personalize Nekko and Joruba to their liking. Supporting details are colored just enough to give you an impression of what the subject is made of and that is just enough for you to “get” what it is. This gives you that little mental foothold you might need to fill in the details for yourself.

I enjoyed the science fiction of Nekko and Joruba, as well. Who wouldn’t be incomfortable being scanned by gamma rays, after all? Or maybe you enjoy the thought of taking a ride in an air taxi or using holographic information display screens? There are the overly talkative robots, glitching computers and more. These are fun bits that really play up some interesting aspects of the setting. How would people react if these things were commonplace? This provides for some interesting intellectual musing as you watch the story unfold.

Something else I noticed was that the storyline has good depth. There are plenty of times where a character is about to take some action, only to have another character remind or advise them about a consequence they’ve overlooked. This reveals a little more of the setting and draws the reader in. In a related way, the characters play off each other based on what they say and do. It’s interesting to see what happens when one person ignores what the other is saying and you realize the story may have gone in some other direction - if only this character had done something different.

Note: If you use the drop down box to choose chapter five of Nekko and Joruba, it loads all the images in the chapter on one screen, so be prepared for a little loading lag there. I’d actually have preferred that to pressing next on each screen, so I’ll call that a useful feature.

Will you like Nekko and Joruba? If you like character stories, planetary science fiction and depth of setting I’m sure you will devour it. Please don’t avoid it simply because you might not be a fan of science fiction. While there is quite a lot of action and change of scenery to enjoy, the story is really a deep character piece about a young girl and what she has to confront while growing up.

Nekko and Joruba
by Sahsha and Raymond Andrade
updates Tuesdays and Thursdays

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