{"product_id":"tropic-of-the-sea-9781939130068","title":"Tropic of the Sea","description":"Yosuke's family has a strange tradition - once every sixty years they receive an egg from a mermaid. When the egg matures his family dutifully returns it to the sea, where the whole process is then repeated. In exchange for this favor, the mer-people bless his coastal town with bountiful catches of fish and calm seas. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut as a commercial development encroach on the sleepy seaside village and Yosuke's father is lured away from tradition towards modern prosperity, and turns the egg into a tourist trap, what will happen to the promise their family made to the mermaids generations ago? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eTropic of the Sea\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e Satoshi Kon's first feature length manga, includes a dozen black and white art plates from his original release, along with a 5-page essay written by Kon in 1999 detailing his transition from the manga industry to the animation business.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSatoshi Kon was born on October 12, 1963. While in college, at the Musashino Art University, Kon made his debut as a manga artist with the short manga \u003ci\u003eToriko\u003c\/i\u003e (1984) and earned a runner-up spot in Kodansha's 10th Annual Tetsuya Chiba Awards. Afterward, he found work as Katsuhiro Otomo's assistant. Kon is credited by some, including \u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e, magazine as one of the faces most responsible for bringing Japanese pop-culture to America. His feature length films, \u003ci\u003ePerfect Blue, Paprika, Millennium Actress, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eTokyo Godfathers\u003c\/i\u003e, were all distributed in theaters across the States and saw critical acclaim worldwide earning a number of awards in the process. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eKon died on August 24, 2010 at the age of 46.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Vertical Comics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50650124976402,"sku":"9781939130068","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_136def1b-d0a5-4943-ba92-e4281a7d7139.jpg?v=1733283251","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/tropic-of-the-sea-9781939130068","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}