The Awesome Weight Of Prophesy And Expectation — Reviewing ‘Castle Swimmer’ Vols. 1 And 2

Welcome to the table,

Hopefully your Pride Month has been a safe and stress-free so far. Often I find media that features under-represented voices can, more often than not, lack suability and nuance. There’s a lot of diluting characters into tropes, caricatures, or in extreme situations, fetishized versions of whatever lifestyle they are trying to represent.

This practice can often lead to making the characters feel one dimensional and flat. In the case of Wendy Martin‘s Castle Swimmer those failings are anything but the case. Let’s get into it…

Castle Swimmer Vol. 1 collects Episodes 1-19 of the WEBTOON series into one delightful graphic novel. It’s about two merfolk who are wrestling with the weight of expectation in a way that feels brilliantly grounded for such a fantastical setting.

The main characters of this tidal tale are the golden-scaled Kappa, who is shackled with the responsibility of being a prophesied entity known as the “Beacon.” As the Beacon, Kappa has a magical yellow cord that appears from his chest and draws him towards various sea creatures he swims near.

It’s a very cool mystical effect. It draws Kappa to societies of merfolk who all seem to have variations of a prophecy about Kappa that involves him somehow bringing some kind of event that will cause them to prosper in one way or another.

It’s a difficult existence. Kappa seems to be seen as a tool or an existential happening and not an individual. He is reduced in the eyes of most of the other characters to an object that is only there to provide for everyone and is not really considered as an individual.

When Kappa finds himself in the Shark Kingdom, he is tossed into prison. The shark prince, Siren, is burdened with the task of killing Kappa to lift a “curse” that has been set upon the kingdom.

Siren serves as our second leading character. He is a dutiful prince but is full of questions. While he goes through the motions of the imposed responsibility his mother and the shark society have placed upon him, Siren is less than enthusiastic about his role in the whole sordid ordeal.

There are some really fun moments of action laced in Castle Swimmer Volume One. The majority of the meat of the story is found in conversations that Siren has with Kappa, who is locked snuggly behind bars awaiting his execution. Other members of the Shark Kingdom serve as sounding boards and opposing perspectives that involve the coming of age prince as the story progresses.

Castle Swimmer Volume Two picks up with Kappa still in prison in the shark kingdom. The Queen of the Shark Merfolk realizes her son Siren does not have the heart to kill Kappa. She decides she is going to do it herself to save her son the burden of his obligation.

Where Castle Swimmer Volume One does a fantastic job of setting a tone and establishing our main players, Castle Swimmer Volume Two does a really wonderful job of evolving the characters and moving the plot along in a way that does not feel self contained or episodic. The story is not the only thing that evolves. You really get a chance to see the creator Wendy’s art style and skills strengthen and evolve as you progress through episodes 20-41 of the story.

For those looking for romance, the slow burn into a budding queer relationship is beautifully crafted across these first two volumes. It feels very natural as Silver and Kappa realize their feelings are deeper than commiseration over the weight of prophesied obligation.

Where Castle Swimmers really shines is in the quiet moments between characters. They feel authentic and honest in their depiction of the struggle of finding your own path when everyone else in your life seems to have an idea of exactly who they thing you are supposed to be.

Both volumes are currently available, with more slated to be coming soon.

Until next time, stay safe out there friends!