...a terribly weak execution.
I picked up Earthian for two reasons - the uniqueness and infinite amount of potential I gleaned from the basic premise, and my fondness for plot-lines which combine supernatural fantasy with sci-fi elements. Sadly, I was sorely disappointed in both respects.
This story had plenty of room for developing into something great. The mangaka could have delved into a variety of themes - environmentalism, our unfair treatment of nature, pollution, the complexities of human culture and society...the list is endless. I expected a few of these issues to be dealt with - or at least brought forward for the reader to consider. Instead, I found myself deluded into reading another stereotypical romance + BL manga chock-full of angst, incest, and the ridiculous concept so sickeningly frequent in the world of fiction; "love conquers all" 🤨
The characters are cliche, and follow their stereotypes to the letter. However, this is one of those rare instances where I found the main couple to be infinitely more likeable than the side-couples. With the exception of the convoluted love polygon between Michael, Raphael, Lucifel and Gabriel (which, if truth be told, did rather amuse me), all the other couples fall into the 'faithful-lovers-until-death-do-us-part-and-beyond' mould.
The conclusion was, frankly put, even more disappointing than the rest of the story. Kouga Yun obviously expected a longer serialization than she was actually allowed - for the lack-luster pace of the first two volumes gives way to break-neck speed in book 3. The story ended extremely abruptly, providing no information at all as to what happened in the aftermath of the 'war'.
Michael, a very prominent character at the beginning, was eventually abandoned - and there is no closure to his relationship with either Chihaya or Raphael. It is not even mentioned whether he is alive, dead, or imprisoned for life! Raphael, who I found to be a delightfully complex man, was also unceremoniously cast aside.
Furthermore, there is not the slightest detail as to how the angels of Eden eventually entered into a truce with the black angels and began to interbreed with them; nor are we given any information about what became of the black cancer. I had some hope of resolution as I turned to the fourth volume, but was dismayed to see it wasted on a string of side-stories and a weak attempt at an epilogue which told me nothing of what I wanted to know.
The eventual conclusion of "Earth belongs to the humans and they can do with it as they see fit" made me laugh. While I am aware that this is the way most human beings think, I do not approve of how Kouga Yun presented such a fact so brazenly, merely as an attempt to satisfy the readers.
The art-style is quite confusing as well. Oftentimes, I could not tell one person apart from the other - even having some difficulty in distinguishing between Kagetsuya and Chihaya, whose features are so different. Unless you pay close attention, you will have quite a bit of trouble understanding the sequence of events and what each person said or did.
In conclusion, I will not rate this series. The originality of its themes makes me reluctant to give a low score, but the failure in execution gives me little reason to rate it high. A shame, really...had a more skillful mangaka handled this plot, Earthian may have evolved into a unique and engaging tale - even under the constraint of being only 5 volumes in length.
(-34)
(+14)
