Earthian

Originally published serially between 1987 and 1995, Earthian was re-released in 2002 in Japanese, re-bound and re-collected in a four-volume series instead of the five-volume initial release. BLU, the new boys' love imprint from manga giant Tokyopop, has done a great service for English-speaking fans by re-creating the Japanese anniversary release and making Earthian one of its premiere titles. From the beautifully textured and pearlescent covers, to the full-color inside pages, to Yun Kouga's timeless and engaging story, there is nothing bad to say about Earthian. This is, by far, the treatment that this classic of boys' love manga deserves.

Since the English release of the Earthian OAV, English-speaking fans have wondered what they were missing in the Earthian story. Now, with the English release of the manga, we begin to find out. The stars of Earthian are Chihaya and Kagetsuya, a pair of the race of Angels who hail from the planet Eden. Angels in the Earthian universe are alien, but not so different from humans -- Earthians, as the Angels call them. While the Angels may not be Heavenly messengers we are used to, they are on Earth for a specific reason: to watch and evaluate the Earthians, and discover if they should be saved... or destroyed. Chihaya and Kagetsuya are one of many pairs of Angels who are sent to Earth in order to perform this evaluation. Kagetsuya makes note of the "minuses," or the evil points of the Earthians. Chihaya checks for the "pluses," or the good things about humans. If 10,000 minuses are checked, then the Angels will destroy the Earth and everyone on it.

Yet there is something strange about Chihaya, beyond his unusual affinity and love for the Earthians. He is the only Angel on the planet Eden with black hair and wings. No one, not even Chihaya, knows why. Is it a sickness? A genetic mutation? Whatever the cause, Chihaya does not let his different appearance soil his pure, friendly personality. Even the prickly, Earthian-hating Kagetsuya softens and grows closer to his sunshiney partner as they progress together through their adventures on Earth.

Although the reader can see Chihaya and Kagetsuya developing slowly into a beautiful romantic couple, the narrative states clearly, and more than once, that on Eden, homosexuality is a sin punishable by death. The relationship that readers can see developing is already in trouble, before it has even begun. This sets up an interesting tension for the story as the two angels grow closer, knowing all the while that if they were to fall in love, they would be criminals to their entire planet.

The two main characters seem honest and authentic in their feelings, but those around them -- such as the Archangels Michael and Raphael who closely watch the pair's actions -- have other, hidden motives. Eden politics, the question of what will happen to the Earth, and the slow revelation of what happens to Angels who break Eden's laws surround Chihaya and Kagetsuya's slowly developing relationship, and this is what makes Earthian such a compelling manga.

Yun Kouga's style develops over the course of the manga, an inevitability since the manga ran serially for eight years. Her style is not much like modern manga, at least to begin with, with rounder lines and more feminine-looking characters. In fact, it can be hard in the beginning to tell the angels apart from some of the female characters, but as the manga progresses and the reader becomes more familiar with Chihaya and Kagetsuya, the characters take on a life of their own. The manga is not heavy on action scenes, and is mostly panels of the characters speaking, without detailed backgrounds. When detail is called for, however, it is lush and beautiful, such as when the Angels unfurl their enormous wings.

Like the Japanese re-release volumes, BLU's Earthian is given a new cover, with a pearly parchment texture. Original glossy color pages are included to introduce each book, and sometimes in the middle as well. Also included are the original Free Talk sections from the 2002 re-release of the series, which provide interesting and something humorous insights into Kouga Yun's thoughts on her work.

Earthian is a classic, and while it may not be as explicit as some of the manga being released in English right now, the story and characters make Earthian a must-have release. Everything about BLU's Earthian is just as it should be, and should be part of every yaoi manga fan's collection.