You know the Far Side cartoon in which the boy asks to be dismissed from class because his "brain is full"? Over the past few weeks, as I've been feverishly preparing for my comprehensive doctoral exams, I've occasionally found myself in a similar situation, and have had to climb out from under my mountain of academic books and burrow into my neglected mountain of manga. After finishing one particular stressful exam last week, I dove into that mountain and came up with Saki Hiwatari's Please Protect My Earth. I've devoured eight volumes in the past four days, and I can't stop. It's going to be painful when I get to the end of the available printed volumes and have to several months for the final volume to come out. (You may have noticed that each new volume rockets into our "Japan's Manga Top Ten" list.)
Please Protect My Earth, or "Boku-Tama," as it is affectionately nick named by Japanese fans, is the story of a group of high school kids who come to realize that they are the reincarnations of a team of alien researchers who died while observing the Earth from a base on the Moon. Some of the kids "remember" more of their past lives than others, and the one who seems to know the most is deceiving and manipulating the others for what seem to be sinister purposes.
Sounds implausible, right? Oh, but veteran shojo manga artist Saki Hiwatari is far more clever than that. She's a witch, in fact. There's no other explanation for her uncanny ability to lull the unsuspecting reader into thinking she is about to engage in some very light reading, only to discover—all too late—that she has been sucked into a complex, profound, and thoroughly engrossing world from which the only escape is that granted by Hiwatari herself when she deigns to bring the series to a close. I can't figure it out, but I know that part of the trick is Hiwatari's constant clowning. But how it is that she can have you rolling on the floor (or rolling your eyes, depending on your taste in humor) in volume 1, and then choking back tears in volume 8 (on behalf of the supposed villain, of all people!) is still a mystery to me.
Many of you will be having your first encounters with "Boku-Tama" over the next few months as you get a look at the new OAV series based on the manga. I've seen the first two episodes, and I must say they are beautifully done. (Dr. Ishigami has been raving about it, so I'm sure you'll see a review here soon.) I only hope that those who are inspired by the anime (and who are able) will also check out the richly complex, exquisitely drawn, and maddeningly addictive manga series.
©Matt Thorn 2004