Please Save My Earth, sometimes abbreviated Bokutama, is a shōjomanga by Saki Hiwatari. It was published by Hakusensha from 1986 to 1994 in the magazine Hana to Yume and collected in 21 volumes. The series was adapted as a six-part original video animation 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 chronology and content of their dreams, they began to realize that their "dreams" are not simply dreams, but rather suppressed memories of their past incarnations 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
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. 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.
Media
Manga
Please Save My Earth was written and drawn by Saki Hiwatari. The series was serialized by Hakusensha in the monthly shōjo 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 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. Please Save My Earth Sōshūhen Kanzenban: Alice 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 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. 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 and had been reborn on Earth. 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.
