Please Save My Earth

Please Save My Earth

Cover of Please Save My Earth first volume as published by Hakusensha
ぼくの地球を守って
(Boku no Chikyū o Mamotte)
Genre Science fiction
Manga
Written by Saki Hiwatari
Published by Hakusensha
English publisher
Demographic Shōjo
Magazine Hana to Yume
Original run December 20, 1986 – May 20, 1994
Volumes 21
Original video animation
Directed by Kazuo Yamazaki
Studio Production I.G
Licensed by
Viz Media
Released December 17, 1993 – September 23, 1994
Runtime 30 minutes each
Episodes 6
Original video animation
Please Save My Earth Sōshūhen Kanzenban: Alice kara, Rin Kun e
Directed by Kazuo Yamazaki
Studio Production I.G
Released November 25, 1994
Runtime 99 minutes
Original video animation
Please Save My Earth Music Image Video: Kin'iro no Toki Nagarete
Directed by Kazuo Yamazaki
Studio Production I.G
Released February 24, 1995
Runtime 27 minutes

Please Save My Earth (Japanese: ぼくの地球を守って Hepburn: Boku no Chikyū o Mamotte), sometimes abbreviated Bokutama, is a shōjo science fiction manga by Saki Hiwatari. It was published by Hakusensha from 1986 to 1994 in the magazine Hana to Yume and collected in 21 volumes (tankōbon). The series was adapted as a six-part original video animation (OVA) in 1993. It is about six teenagers and a seven-year-old boy who share common dreams about their past lives as alien scientists who observed the Earth from the Moon. Both the anime OVA and manga are licensed for distribution in North America by Viz Media.

A sequel manga, Embraced by the Moonlight, was serialized in the bimonthly Hana to Yume as well as the special edition magazine, Hana to Yume Plus. It has since been followed by I Sing with the Earth.

Plot

The story centers around high-school student Alice Sakaguchi, her seven-year-old neighbor Rin Kobayashi, and five other teenage students who have recurring collective dreams about a group of alien scientists stationed on the moon observing and collecting data about the Earth.

Initially, when Alice learns that classmates Jinpachi and Issei have been having common recurring dreams since middle school, she thinks nothing of it until she has one of these "moon dreams" herself. Because of the nature of these dreams, the way Issei always dreams as the same person, and Jinpachi as well, now that Alice has provided a third perspective, they start to believe that people who dream as the other four scientists in their "moon dreams" can each be found.

Almost like it's a game, the three make plans to seek these other people out in the hopes of making sense of these dreams. After a suggestion from Issei, and a little bit of time and luck, they are finally able to make contact with the other four people. But as the six teenagers and one child start to piece together the timeline and content of their dreams, they began to realize that their "dreams" are not simply dreams, but rather suppressed memories of their past incarnations (as those same moon scientists) that ended tragically. And now, as their "game" begins to unravel, the kids must strive to come to terms with what happened in their past lives, as they struggle to prevent their past incarnations' rivalries, jealousies, and dubious actions from taking over their new ones.

Development

On the left: Alice Sakaguchi, manga volume 1. On the right: Alice Sakaguchi, manga volume 21.

Please Save My Earth, like early manga series that suddenly become popular for many different manga artists careers', is an illustration of the development and transition of Hiwatari Saki from a novice to an experienced manga artist. The difference in art style between the volume 1 and volume 21 of the manga is quite drastic, as illustrated in the adjacent image.

The series features a number of homages to anime and manga throughout the manga.[1]

Manga volume 5[2]
Issei's sister Kyoko's character design is noted here as being influenced by Osamu Tezuka and is a homage to classic style shōjo manga artists such as Miyako Maki, Makoto Takahashi, Hideko Mizuno, and Shotaro Ishinomori.

From volume 16 and on, the "Editor's Comments" section was omitted from the English-language adaptation by Viz Media, as P. Duffield, the editor and one responsible for them, was no longer working on the project, as mentioned in the final segment of the "Editor's Comments" in volume 15.[3]

Media

Manga

Please Save My Earth was written and drawn by Saki Hiwatari. The series was serialized by Hakusensha in the monthly shōjo (aimed at teenage girls) manga magazine Hana to Yume from 1987 to 1994. The serial installments were collected, without chapter divisions, in 21 tankōbon volumes. The series was later reissued in 12 bunkoban volumes in 1998. It is licensed in English in North America by Viz Media, with all volumes translated.

OVA

Please Save My Earth was adapted as an original video animation (OVA) directed by Kazuo Yamazaki and produced by Production I.G. The six-episode OVA anime covers roughly the first half of the manga storyline. It is licensed in English by Viz Media. As of September 2007, it is out of print.[4]

Please Save My Earth Sōshūhen Kanzenban: Alice kara, Rin Kun e (ぼくの地球を守って 総集編完全版 〜亜梨子から、輪くんへ〜 Boku no Chikyū o Mamotte Sōshūhen Kanzenban Arisu kara, Rin Kun e) is a 99-minute compilation OVA narrated by Alice, reminiscing on the events of the main OVA as she is on her way to meet with Rin in a park.

Please Save My Earth Music Image Video: Kin'iro no Toki Nagarete (ぼくの地球を守って MUSIC IMAGE VIDEO 〜金色の時 流れて〜 Boku no Chikyū o Mamotte　Myūjikku Imēji Bideo Kin'iro no Toki Nagarete) contains six music videos with footage not seen in the main OVA and scenes taken from the manga, as well as a slightly different version of the OVA ending sequence, and the ending credits for the image videos.

Reception

As of 2006, over 15 million copies of Please Save My Earth volumes had sold in Japan, making it one of the best-selling shōjo manga ever.[5]

Starting in volume 8 of the manga, a disclaimer appeared at the bottom of the first page of every compilation volume, stating that the story was entirely fictional. This was due to disturbing letters to Hiwatari received from people who were convinced that they had been part of the moon scientist's society (or even one of the moon scientists themselves) and had been reborn on Earth.[6] These disclaimers have since appeared in her others works, most notably on the first pages of each volume of Global Garden.

Several manga artists have cited Please Save My Earth as an influence on them, including Naoko Takeuchi and Bisco Hatori.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hiwatari, Saki (2004). Please Save My Earth. Volume 3. Viz Media. pp. 44–45. ISBN 1-59116-142-8.
  2. ↑ "Editor's Comments" in Hiwatari, Saki (2004). Please Save My Earth. Volume 6. Viz Media. pp. 203–204. ISBN 1-59116-269-6.
  3. ↑ "Editor's Comments" in Hiwatari, Saki (2006). Please Save My Earth. Volume 15. Viz Media. p. 185. ISBN 1-4215-0326-3.
  4. ↑ "Please Save My Earth Video (Out of Print September 2007)". Viz Media. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  5. ↑ "Historic Shoujo Manga Circulation Numbers". ComiPress. 2006-05-24. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
  6. ↑ "1/4 Column Nonsense" (author notes) in Hiwatari, Saki (2004). Please Save My Earth. Volume 8. Viz. ISBN 1-59116-271-8.
  7. ↑ "Bisco Hatori: author, artist". Viz Media. Retrieved 2008-06-29. She enjoys reading all kinds of manga, but she's especially fond of the sci-fi drama Please Save My Earth and Slam Dunk, a basketball classic.
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