Saturn Apartments Volume 3 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

In the future, humanity has abandoned Earth, turning it into a nature preserve.  People live in the Ring System, a gigantic structure that forms a ring around the Earth, 35 kilometers above the surface in the stratosphere.  The Ring System is a huge apartment complex, and even this kind of apartment complex needs window washers.  This is the story of the newest window washer, Mitsu.

Saturn Apartments, Vol. 3 focuses not only on Mitsu, but also on other widow washers, like Kageyama and Makoto.  A ghost story and class conflict dominate the narrative.  Meanwhile, Sohta, a former systems manager turned tank cleaner, joins Nishimaru to begin designing and building a vehicle that can descend from the ring down to Earth.

THE LOWDOWN:  I mentioned in an earlier review that the graphic storytelling of Saturn Apartment creator Hisae Iwaoka reminds me of 1970s and 80s era Moebius and also of Kozue Amano’s graphic storytelling in the manga, Aqua.  Although highly-detailed, the art is gentle and soft in appearance, which strikes a perfect note for this character drama.

Imaginative and contemplative, Saturn Apartments finds wonder in everyday situations and makes the fantastic and futuristic seem everyday.  Young readers won’t be put off by the tales of work and class conflict, but they will be captivated by this series’ sense of wonder and discovery.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers looking for juvenile science fiction will find a good one in Saturn Apartments.

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