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Why in the world would a seventies science-fiction manga be turned into anime in 2007?

This is the question I’ve been pondering since I first heard that the anime Terra e was in production. The manga ran from 1977, ending in 1980, in which year an anime movie of the same title was released. Thirty years later, in April of this year, we have a remake in the form of a TV anime, again with the same title: Terra e, or To Terra.

Though I haven’t read the original manga or seen the movie, I was immediately taken in by the retro shoujo character designs (most of which look pretty good for their age — big eyes and wispy hair never go out of style) and the premise of the story. Jomy lives in a post-apocalyptic world, where the Earth, “Terra,” has been rendered inhabitable by human abuse, and people have fled into space. The population is highly regulated, and on their 14th birthday, children must undergo an “adulthood exam,” which determines their future. Those who fail the exam are terminated. Of course, Jomy, who’s about to turn 14, knows none of this. He’s fairly carefree other than some strange dreams he’s been having of a woman with long hair and a man with red eyes. Then he takes the adulthood exam, and the man he saw in his dreams, whose name is Soldier Blue, interferes and sends another man, Leo, to drag Jomy off to a ship hovering in the clouds. On this ship are the Mu, people possessing psychic powers who the government (more specifically an organization called “Universal”) wants to eliminate. The Mu claim Jomy as one of their number, but Jomy just wants to go back home….

Despite how many times the “Teen joins group of alienated people with psychic powers” storyline has been done before, Terra e manages to feel fresh and mysterious in the right places, if only because the characters are fresh and mysterious themselves. Jomy starts out as a brash, whiny and unlikeable character, but by episode five he’s really changed a lot. Jomy begins to care, if only a little, about the downtrodden Mu that humans will automatically kill for no apparent reason other than “psychic people are creepy.” He realizes the perfect world he has lived in was something of an illusion, and he faces up to reality in a fairly true to life fashion (even if he still can’t control his emotions — hey, he is a teenager, and it leads to some funny sequences. Everyone on the ship can feel it when he’s upset because of his strong psychic powers). Soldier Blue, on the other hand, is very much aware and in control from the start. He is evidently the leader of the Mu on the ship, and all respect him. Episode four reveals his appropriately tragic past, which coincides with the end of life on earth. Physis and Leo, respectively the girl in Jomy’s dream and the man who rescues him after his failed adulthood exam, haven’t had as much screen time, but each seem like interesting characters in their own right. Physis especially seems to have a strong connection to Jomy.

One of the interesting things about the Mu is that many of them have physical disabilities as well as psychic powers — Leo, who can communicate by thought, is physically mute. Soldier Blue, though very powerful psychically, spends most of his time in a comatose state. It isn’t clear whether this extends to all Mu — Jomy seems physically sound — but it does suggest that the original author was trying to say something about perception of people who are different, such as those with disabilities. Terra e has already proven it can get psychological with the mind games played on Jomy when he’s briefly captured by Universal (who want to find and destroy the Mu’s ship) — this show has great possibility for going beyond the superficial.

But how about the aesthetics? As I said before, the character designs are retro, and you’ll likely either love them or hate them. The animation isn’t stunning, but it does have moments of brilliance, and it’s fairly good quality otherwise, with smooth coloring that tends toward the pastel. The opening is a song by UVERworld (Bleach, Blood+) and the ending is by Miliyah Kato (Beet the Vandel Buster). Both are pleasant pieces that are fairly catchy after a few listens. The insert music is generally low key, but it has a few sweeping-orchestra-type pieces that work very well with the more intense moments, along with some haunting, wordless vocal pieces.

With 19 more episodes to go, Terra e certainly has many options open to it. In my eyes, it’s gotten off to a promising start, and the good reviews I’ve heard of the movie and manga have led me to expect even better things out of it. With a story that has endured the test of time, this is certainly a show for sci-fi fans and those who just love good plots and characters to keep an eye on.

By the way, when my author line says “Milly Schaefer,” it also means “Senna.” Got it? ^^

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Category: Episode Synopsis

Senna is a college student majoring in English and minoring in Japanese. Her favorite anime and manga include Escaflowne, Please Save My Earth, Scrapped Princess, Nana, and Boogiepop Phantom.