Earthlight, Volume 1: Volume 1

This book takes Japanese manga where it needs to go with direct involvement of various cultures. I have been a fan of Japanese animation for almost two decades, and this book represents the cutting edge of the industry with a universal and coherent storyline, 5 Stars. Keep up the good work! I am also looking forward to volume 2!

I adore Japanese manga and Japanese culture. But their culture isn't ours. Earthlight manages to catch the best of both. The lunar Earthlight colony is a multinational melting pot - 54 squabbling, troubled nations funded it, and sent some lucky few to live up there. The parents are busy 24/7, the kids ... are kids. Smart independent teens, but realistically written - they have problems beyond their ability to solve. The lunar environment is harsh, the cost of mistakes catastrophic. And worst of all punishments - the threat of being sent back to live on Earth, where life has gotten more and more difficult as the years have gone by. This first volume started a little slow, in that the main human character hadn't arrived yet - we start out by meeting the environment, almost a character in itself. But then we get to the human characters, too, and it ended with a bang! I'm really looking forward to volume 2!