Sunday
May302010
MMF: To Terra
May's edition of the Manga Moveable Feast features To Terra as the title for discussion. As a collaborative project, I wondered why I should bother with an intro to the story with a lengthy and detailed introduction written by Kate Dacey already available. I would recommend those unfamiliar with the series to read that link before continuing on. I planned to write more on this month's topic, but end-of-school-year obligations held up my progress.
To Terra is a very interesting example of late 70s Japanese science fiction. It clearly displays elements commonly associated with Japanese SF. In the Western world, the trend was toward writing the hardest SF possible. While the space opera Star Wars was hugely popular with both the mainstream audience and science fiction fandom, there was a significant group who rejected Star Wars and its brethren. Japanese SF authors, however, had embraced space opera since before Star Wars. Leiji Matsumoto helped develop this field with Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999. The focus of To Terra is undoubtedly a character drama, but the science fiction is much more than a backdrop. A common complaint about Star Wars is that the story could be lifted from its SF trappings and replaced with Tolkien-esque fantasy. To remove the SF elements from To Terra would be to remove vital foundational aspects. Despite firmly entrenching itself in the space opera genre, it can only work as a science fiction.
Like much manga of its time, modern opinions on it are very mixed. Many readers just cannot get into the older artwork or dated plot. I guess I am just a science fiction traditionalist; despite being born in 1991, most of my SF reading is from the pages of 50s-70s issues of Analog, Galaxy, and Amazing Stories or even the earlier work of Jules Verne and HG Wells. Reading To Terra doesn't feel at all like a step backwards for me since it fits in with my standard reading material. To Terra may have visual tropes reminiscent of Buck Rodgers and the like, there is no campiness to found in these pages. To Terra boldly tackles new concepts that by now have become overly-familiar concepts to SF fans.
The telepathic powers of the Mu will bring to mind images of The Force. However, I am more interested in its comparison to the Newtypes of Mobile Suit Gundam than the jedi of Star Wars. In Gundam, the people of earth were slowly beginning to obtain heightened mental ability due to adaptive evolution from space expansion. Char Aznable sees this as a necessary improvement for the human race and wages war against earth to force the earth dwellers to go out to space. To Terra is practically a reverse approach. The humans are bred on distant planets before returning to earth. The Mu are weeded out of society by the mother computer; those that escape drift through space hoping to one day be able to reach Terra. It could almost be read as Takemiya's response to Char Aznable, but Gundam began airing a couple years after the debut of To Terra. I found the comparison between their perspectives interesting though.
To Terra is heavily steeped in social commentary and ambitiously explores a myriad of social themes that are both cautionary of the future and parallel of the present. Environmentalism, social classes, natural birth- To Terra presents effective use of social science fiction beings used to propel a story without becoming just a vehicle for the author's commentary. Takemiy's shoujo background is clearly evident; this shounen manga incorporates qualities associated with shoujo to create a story with a wide appeal without pandering to either demographic... mostly. It is interesting that it has debatable BL undertones that give it a strong similarity to the shounen of today.
The artwork of To Terra seamlessly blends a shoujo character design aesthetic with impressive technical and space detail. The style parallels the story as the expressive character designs match the character-based focus, but without the technical details being overlooked. Throughout the series there would be full pages depicting stars and ships against the blackness of space. These scenes were made from white on top of page of black. These ink-heavy scenes helped balance out the usual lightness. The earth city gave off a Metropolis vibe, which doesn't hurt at all. The character designs have that "70s manga look" which some readers find very unappealing. While To Terra won't change your mind, its beautifully drawn and will find fans of those who can appreciate it. I found the characters to be more consistently rendered and reasonably proportioned than a lot of older manga series. The writing is smooth and obtains a poetic feel that is completely appropriate for the space opera genre. There a few minor hiccups in the plot where the details are a bit fuzzy, but it stays consistent for the most part.
Despite a hodgepodge of themes and elements, To Terra never wavers in its focus. It is a smooth journey up to its grand finale that serves as a satisfyingly grandiose climax. To Terra is a manga classic that has aged well and remains captivating in 2010.
To Terra is a very interesting example of late 70s Japanese science fiction. It clearly displays elements commonly associated with Japanese SF. In the Western world, the trend was toward writing the hardest SF possible. While the space opera Star Wars was hugely popular with both the mainstream audience and science fiction fandom, there was a significant group who rejected Star Wars and its brethren. Japanese SF authors, however, had embraced space opera since before Star Wars. Leiji Matsumoto helped develop this field with Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999. The focus of To Terra is undoubtedly a character drama, but the science fiction is much more than a backdrop. A common complaint about Star Wars is that the story could be lifted from its SF trappings and replaced with Tolkien-esque fantasy. To remove the SF elements from To Terra would be to remove vital foundational aspects. Despite firmly entrenching itself in the space opera genre, it can only work as a science fiction.
Like much manga of its time, modern opinions on it are very mixed. Many readers just cannot get into the older artwork or dated plot. I guess I am just a science fiction traditionalist; despite being born in 1991, most of my SF reading is from the pages of 50s-70s issues of Analog, Galaxy, and Amazing Stories or even the earlier work of Jules Verne and HG Wells. Reading To Terra doesn't feel at all like a step backwards for me since it fits in with my standard reading material. To Terra may have visual tropes reminiscent of Buck Rodgers and the like, there is no campiness to found in these pages. To Terra boldly tackles new concepts that by now have become overly-familiar concepts to SF fans.
The telepathic powers of the Mu will bring to mind images of The Force. However, I am more interested in its comparison to the Newtypes of Mobile Suit Gundam than the jedi of Star Wars. In Gundam, the people of earth were slowly beginning to obtain heightened mental ability due to adaptive evolution from space expansion. Char Aznable sees this as a necessary improvement for the human race and wages war against earth to force the earth dwellers to go out to space. To Terra is practically a reverse approach. The humans are bred on distant planets before returning to earth. The Mu are weeded out of society by the mother computer; those that escape drift through space hoping to one day be able to reach Terra. It could almost be read as Takemiya's response to Char Aznable, but Gundam began airing a couple years after the debut of To Terra. I found the comparison between their perspectives interesting though.
To Terra is heavily steeped in social commentary and ambitiously explores a myriad of social themes that are both cautionary of the future and parallel of the present. Environmentalism, social classes, natural birth- To Terra presents effective use of social science fiction beings used to propel a story without becoming just a vehicle for the author's commentary. Takemiy's shoujo background is clearly evident; this shounen manga incorporates qualities associated with shoujo to create a story with a wide appeal without pandering to either demographic... mostly. It is interesting that it has debatable BL undertones that give it a strong similarity to the shounen of today.
The artwork of To Terra seamlessly blends a shoujo character design aesthetic with impressive technical and space detail. The style parallels the story as the expressive character designs match the character-based focus, but without the technical details being overlooked. Throughout the series there would be full pages depicting stars and ships against the blackness of space. These scenes were made from white on top of page of black. These ink-heavy scenes helped balance out the usual lightness. The earth city gave off a Metropolis vibe, which doesn't hurt at all. The character designs have that "70s manga look" which some readers find very unappealing. While To Terra won't change your mind, its beautifully drawn and will find fans of those who can appreciate it. I found the characters to be more consistently rendered and reasonably proportioned than a lot of older manga series. The writing is smooth and obtains a poetic feel that is completely appropriate for the space opera genre. There a few minor hiccups in the plot where the details are a bit fuzzy, but it stays consistent for the most part.
Despite a hodgepodge of themes and elements, To Terra never wavers in its focus. It is a smooth journey up to its grand finale that serves as a satisfyingly grandiose climax. To Terra is a manga classic that has aged well and remains captivating in 2010.
tagged 
Featured, Headline, MMF, manga moveable feast, to terra
Featured, Headline, MMF, manga moveable feast, to terra
Reader Comments (1)
[...] Evan Krell (Insert Disc) had a more favorable response to Takemiya’s work. He admits that he’s predisposed to like To Terra, as he’s an aficionado of pre-1990s sci-fi, but argues that To Terra is just so good that its vintage isn’t important: To Terra may have visual tropes reminiscent of Buck Rodgers and the like, there is no campiness to found in these pages. To Terra boldly tackles new concepts that by now have become overly-familiar concepts to SF fans. [...]