Saturn Apartments
Saturn Apartments | |
![]() First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Mitsu | |
土星マンション (Dosei Manshon) | |
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Genre | Science fiction[1] |
Manga | |
Written by | Hisae Iwaoka |
Published by | Shogakukan |
English publisher |
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Imprint | Ikki Comix |
Magazine | Monthly Ikki |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | November 25, 2005 – June 25, 2011 |
Volumes | 7 |
Saturn Apartments (Japanese: 土星マンション, Hepburn: Dosei Manshon) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hisae Iwaoka. It was serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Ikki from November 2005 to June 2011, with its chapters collected in seven tankōbon volumes. Viz Media licensed the series for English-language publication in North America.
Plot
The story is set in a distant future, where the Earth has been evacuated and humanity now inhabits a man-made ring-shaped city orbiting 35 kilometers above the planet's surface. The ring is divided into floors, of which there are three; the first being the living space of everyday workers, the second being dedicated to agriculture, and the third being the dwellings of the upper class. The plot follows the life of a young man called Mitsu, whose job as a window cleaner allows him a glimpse into the lives of the ring's inhabitants, as he attempts to learn more about his father's disappearance while working in the same job.
Characters
Window Cleaners
- Mitsu
- Mitsu works as a window cleaner because he takes joy in it and because he wants to learn about his father's ill disappearance at work. He tends to be of a very calm nature, and he is very dedicated to his job, something he is aware of as being a dangerous and low-paying occupation. He is somewhat inexperienced and insecure of himself.
- Aki
- Mitsu's late father, who raised the latter by himself until his untimely death during a job when the rope dangling him snapped. Since Mitsu was very young at the time, much of Aki is told from his friends and colleagues, upon many of which he had a profound influence on.
- Jin
- Jin is Mitsu's superior and occasional supervisor who has had plenty more experience working as a window cleaner. He tends to speak gruffly and is externally of a brash nature, however he is caring for his co-workers. He lives with his wife, Haruko, and is a close friend of Tamachi (even though they dislike admitting it).
- Makoto
- A co-worker of Mitsu who has a grudge with him for "replacing Tamachi" and for "having it so easy" in terms of work.
Other characters
- Haruko
- Jin's wife. Haruko is frail and prone to blackouts due to what is described as an autoimmunity deficiency caused by a lack of sunlight in the lower levels. In a flashback it is revealed that she dislikes hospitals due to an accident that led to her sterility. This doesn't stop Haruko from being cheery and from participating in public agriculture.
- The Kageyamas
- A family of three that occasionally house Mitsu. The family is integrated by the bald and boisterous Mr. Kageyama (who is also a window cleaner), his wife, and their daughter Fuyo.
- Tamachi
- Tamachi once worked as a window cleaner and was the former partner of Aki (Mitsu's father) until the latter's death, whom he blames himself for. He now works in a bio-gas plant with his friend Sohta.
- Sohta
- Sohta is an aspiring scientist who lives with his wife in the lower levels, and works with his friend, Tamachi, at the gas plant. It was his honeymoon request for a lower-level window to be washed where Mitsu's father, Aki, died.
- Sachi
- An acquaintance of Mitsu who works as a "falling objects researcher" . She was originally mistaken as a man by Mitsu. She and her pet cat live outside of the ring on a small cabin, and the exposure to solar radiation gives her constant sunburns.
Publication
Saturn Apartments, written and illustrated by Hisae Iwaoka, was serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Monthly Ikki from November 25, 2005,[2] to June 25, 2011.[3] Shogakukan collected its chapters in seven tankōbon volumes, released from October 30, 2006,[4] to August 30, 2011.[5]
The manga was licensed in North America by Viz Media, who released its seven volumes from May 25, 2010,[6] to May 21, 2013.[7] It was also licensed in Taiwan by Taiwan Tohan,[8] and Kana in France.[9]
Volumes
Chapters are called "floors".
No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
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1 | October 30, 2006[4] | 978-4-09-188339-1 | May 25, 2010[6] | 978-1-4215-3364-3 | ||
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2 | June 29, 2007[10] | 978-4-09-188366-7 | November 16, 2010[11] | 978-1-4215-3373-5 | ||
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3 | March 28, 2008[12] | 978-4-09-188408-4 | May 17, 2011[13] | 978-1-4215-3374-2 | ||
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4 | January 30, 2009[14] | 978-4-09-188436-7 | November 15, 2011[15] | 978-1-4215-3375-9 | ||
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5 | November 30, 2009[16] | 978-4-09-188488-6 | May 15, 2012[17] | 978-1-4215-4129-7 | ||
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6 | August 30, 2010[18] | 978-4-09-188525-8 | November 20, 2012[19] | 978-1-4215-4130-3 | ||
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7 | August 30, 2011[5] | 978-4-09-188556-2 | May 21, 2013[7] | 978-1-4215-5268-2 | ||
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Reception
Matthew Warner enjoyed the interesting world presented in the manga, and praised the 'simple, yet gorgeous art style'.[20] Johanna Draper Carlson compares the protagonist, Mitsu, to Charlie Brown, as they both have rounded heads and small eyes, and are "dealing with a grim life".[21] Later, she describes Mitsu as being a typical 'plucky young manga hero' who improves at his work, but is also noted for his talking to his upper-class clients.[22] Greg McElhatton compares Iwaoka's artwork to Travis Charest and Sean Chen, praising the details of the work.[23] YALSA included the first volume of the series on their 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list.[24]
References
- ^ "The Official Website for Saturn Apartments". Viz Media. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- ^ 月刊IKKI 2006年1月号 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on December 12, 2005. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ 月刊IKKI 2011年8月号 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ a b 土星マンション 1 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. October 30, 2006. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ a b 土星マンション 7 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. August 30, 2011. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ a b "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ a b "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 7". Viz Media. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ 土星公寓 1. Taiwan Tohan (in Chinese). Archived from the original on November 3, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ "La cité saturne". Kana. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ 土星マンション 2 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. June 29, 2007. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ 土星マンション 3 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. March 28, 2008. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 3". Viz Media. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ 土星マンション 4 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. January 30, 2009. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 4". Viz Media. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ 土星マンション 5 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. November 30, 2009. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 5". Viz Media. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ 土星マンション 6 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. August 30, 2010. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 6". Viz Media. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Saturn Apartments Vol. #01 - Mania.com". www.mania.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ "Saturn Apartments Volume 1". May 28, 2010. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "Saturn Apartments Book 2 » Manga Worth Reading". Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ "Review: Saturn Apartments Vol. 1 - Comic Book Resources". Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ "ALA | 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens". Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
External links
- Saturn Apartments at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
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