Please Save My Earth

Original Title: ぼくの地球を守って
Romanized: Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte
Literal: Protect My Earth

Plot Synopsis

Stranded at an observation base on Earth's moon, seven scientists succumb to a plague one by one. These seven, reincarnated in Japan as a group of innocent youths, begin their lives as any other humans would. But as memories of their past lives begin to resurface, they find that the tumultuous relationships of their past incarnations have not died either, and the repercussions of what went on in that base will affect far more than just their own lives.

Review

Rating: 3.5 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2004-10-24

Please Save My Earth is yet another finely crafted shoujo (girls') series, but its appeal goes well beyond that category. Sporting a detailed plot with some very unusual situations, both uplifting and tragic, populated by interesting, multifaceted characters, and almost as appealing visually as it is to the mind, were it not for the disastrous final episode, this would be a perfect series. Unfortunately, when you add it all up, it's almost frustrating enough to make the whole thing worth skipping, but it's certainly worthwhile for as long as it lasts.

It would be hard to go wrong with any character-driven story about a group of high school kids burdened by past lives, and Please Save My Earth does not disappoint.

The scientists on the moon have enough backstory, interesting personalities, and tumultuous relationships among them that they would have made the series worth watching alone, but they mainly provide the set-up for the group that the story follows. From resurfacing romances to conflicts that live on from past lives, there is plenty of sheer momentum behind the characters, and the way that the group of kids handles the weird situation--partly as a sort of party game, partly frightened by the burdens of the past, and partly just confused by the torrent of adult emotions facing them--is quite believable and engaging to watch.

That the characters don't take their situation too seriously is one of the series' distinguishing assets. Shoujo stories like this have a tendency to get bogged down by their own emotional weight or overly cool and aloof characters, but through a combination of some natural humor, "normalness," and peripheral characters going about their everyday lives, Please Save My Earth stays well above that.

Easily the most interesting character, and probably the best part of the whole series, is the closest thing it has to a "bad guy"--in fact, one of the most interesting villains I've ever seen. It's hard to go into much detail without spoiling the story, so you may want to skip the rest of this paragraph... But, to get into specifics, the fact that he's as much of a love interest as a villain means that the treatment of his character goes well beyond a reason not to like him, or even a motive for his evil ways. And in fact, although he does some bad things, his motivation is understandable and his long term goal is very ambiguous--I'm not even sure if it's his goal that makes him the villain, or just his methods. He's interesting on an entirely different level as well; the fact that you have great psychic power, a sadistic personality, and a collection of mature adult emotions from a past life all trapped within the mind of a mischievous young boy makes the character simultaneously one of the most sympathetic villains I can think of and one of the scariest. One minute, he's every bit as evil as you could ask for, but the next he seems to be caught up in a normal child's behavior or trying to come to grips with the conflict between his romantic desires and his physical demeanor; I found that unbalance quite unnerving. Most intriguing of all, the combination seems entirely believable--if I were to imagine a little boy saddled with the memories of a troubled scientist driven mad and all his burdens, this is exactly the sort of conflicted character that might come out of it--frightening, frightened, and a tragic victim of fate.

All that said, there are a couple of minor flaws with the characters. One problem is that a couple of them were just a little too exaggerated and contrived for their own good--mainly the sort of half gang boss/half mother fellow who devoted his life to helping a youth based on some past tragedy; I just didn't quite buy all that, although the character was written (and acted, at least in Japanese) with enough emotion and genuine compassion to make it almost believable. A few of the other main characters suffer from the same problems on a much more minor level, but in their cases the same strengths easily conceal the flaws.

The only other problem probably stems from the fact that this was originally a comic series: there are a lot of characters (and of course, due to the past life thing, about twice as many as it would seem) with a lot of confusing relationships (for the same reason). Since most of them are introduced rather abruptly, it took me a while to get a firm grasp on who is who. A couple of them (that same matronly fellow, for example) probably aren't even necessary for the plot, and although not nearly as bad as it could have been, it is a bit confusing nonetheless.

That same issue brings us to the only minor problem with the story: there is a whole lot going on, and not a whole lot of time for it to go on in. But for the first five episodes, although there are probably a few too many sub-plots, the story is detailed, tightly written, and fits together nicely. Also admirable (and escaping from another shoujo pitfall) is that the pacing is relatively lively; the story is neither ponderous nor hurried, moving along a pace just brisk enough to keep you on your toes without getting totally lost.

This is not exactly what you'd call a formula story--alien scientists, past lives, and even psychics--but in addition to getting points for originality, the tale is told well on multiple levels. The experiences of the scientists, revealed in bits and pieces as the characters remember and come to grips with their past lives, makes the first couple of episodes quite engaging in a sort of X-Files way, and keeps a hint of mystery going throughout the series. That mystery works with some unclear character motives and a general theme of not quite letting the viewer in on everything to provide more than enough twists, turns, and drama for the plot as a whole.

That said, and although it isn't fair to limit it to this category, Please Save My Earth is at its heart a classic shoujo-style romance, complete with unreciprocated love, a strong hint of tragedy, and some gender-ambiguous relationships (not everybody is reborn as the same sex they were in past lives). But before those not fond of shoujo write it off, let me say that I'm impressed with how Please Save My Earth plays on the strengths of the shoujo genre without going too far, or falling victim to its weaknesses.

The best example is the tragic end of the story, which is made up of the sort of carefully-crafted web of events that makes for almost Shakespearean drama. It stops short of becoming overwhelming, and isn't taken to nearly the extreme that it could have been--far from being a bleak picture, there are both uplifting moments and light situations that make the whole thing feel much more real than melodramatic. (That also makes the plot more exciting--some shoujo stories are so overwhelmingly tragic that you know exactly how it's going to end, but this one kept me guessing.)

Now for the Big "But." The series is six episodes long, and although there are some minor length-induced problems throughout, it all falls apart in the last episode. Actually, utterly disintegrates is a better word for it. I really wanted to like the end of the story, but that would require there to actually be an end; by my count at least 3 major sub-plots are entirely abandoned (and they are hardly the sort that you want to see left open), and a whole collection of minor details are left totally unexplained (including why it's titled Please Save My Earth, which is hinted at but never followed up on). Even the plotline that stands out as being the main one (and that's debatable) is only wrapped up in a somewhat abstract and inconclusive manner in about the last minute and a half of the show.

As if cutting the story off abruptly weren't bad enough (blame that on trying to fit too much manga in too little anime), the bulk of the final episode (everything but a couple of minutes on each end) feels more like peripheral backstory than directly related to the plot, particularly considering how much is abandons (like, say, the entire finale) to make room for it--it almost feels like it isn't part of the same story. If you're going to cut an anime adaptation short, at least make an effort to wrap things up.

As the final nail in the coffin, this out of nowhere part is also distractingly more abstract and "fairy tale-esque" than the rest of the series, featuring (among other things) a giant anthropomorphic cat; the role it fills makes sense within the story, but it's so blatantly cute that it badly hurts the serious mood, and since it's the only thing of the sort in the entire series (nobody even has a puppy) it is also completely at odds with the "real" feel of everything else.

In all, the story has so much going on (and going for it) that it was frustrating to see it utterly collapse at the end. I tried to like the last episode, and to dig up answers in it to a lot of the questions I had, but I came up empty. The rest is so good that I personally thought it was worth watching on the whole, but for the same reason I walked away feeling entirely unsatisfied and rather cheated, and it's going to be a matter of personal taste which feeling dominates for you. In either case, you've been warned.

As for the more technical end of the production, Please Save My Earth is a visually appealing series. The character designs are relatively distinct, angular 80s shoujo style, which I liked, although a couple of characters look a bit too similar for their own good. The character art is quite good--delicately drawn with attention to expressions and fine detail. The backgrounds are also detailed and well drawn, although occasionally a little sparse or abstract. About the only thing I didn't like (and it's not surprising for a series like this) was that the colors on the whole are a little too heavy on the pastels. On its end, the character animation holds up the realism of the characters--the quality ranges from good to really great in a few scenes. Also worth a mention is the action; there isn't a whole lot of it, but what is there is exciting, creative, and very well animated.

In the acting department I can only speak for the Japanese, which is good--very good. My only (very minor) complaint is that a couple performances are perhaps a little on the wistful side; not inappropriate, but weaker than the rest of the very strong cast. The youngest of the protagonists is the most unusual role, and certainly the most challenging--being mature, childish, and rather evil by turns, all while maintaining believability as an 8-year-old is no easy task, and is pulled off admirably. The rest of the cast is also dramatically effective, with even minor characters turning in powerful moments of raw emotion, tempered by generally natural performances elsewhere. In the first few scenes, for example, a mix between schoolkids talking and a raw, powerful accident scene illustrates the balance and the great contrasts that the series is full of. As I mentioned above, that rather matronly man is also impressively acted--the gentle but serious tone behind his voice almost made his character believable.

Musically the series is relatively quiet, but there are some soft, appealing pieces of background music, and a few eerie ones to enhance moods. Most noteworthy, though, is the end theme--written by Yoko Kanno (who I don't believe was responsible for any of the other music), it is an unusual song not unlike Voices from Macross Plus--slow, melancholy, slightly eerie, but most of all a beautiful song that captures much of the feel of the series as a whole.

All in all, Please Save My Earth is a very good piece of anime, both shoujo-style and in general, for the first five episodes--an unusual story that is visually appealing, powerfully acted, extremely well written, and populated with deep, interesting characters. Unfortunately, the last episode is rather abstract, a bit silly, dumps most of the plotlines, and leaves almost every question unanswered. I at least was drawn in by it up until that point and enjoyed it enough on the whole to ignore the disappointment waiting at the end. Some other viewers may not be as forgiving, and a few may actually like the vague end, but in any case, it's good while it lasts, and really made me want to read the conclusion of the comic series.

Related Recommendations

A number of other shoujo series have a generally similar theme--Earthian (very similar, but more tragic), Tokyo Babylon (darker), and They Were 11 (more straightforward science fiction).

US DVD Review

The DVD from VIZ features crisp, bright video and decent stereo audio in Japanese and English plus a subtitle track. Extras include credit-free ending (there is no opening), as well as some useful information: character profiles for the scientists, and a FAQ taken from Animerica, the latter of which is quite useful for filling in some of the major gaps in the story that didn't survive the manga to anime transition.

Content Guide

Mature themes and generally tragic situations, but little actual objectionable material, placing it at a 10-up level, 13-up if you're strict.

Violence: 2 - People die, and although not graphic, it's very serious, if tempered by the reincarnation theme.

Nudity: 1 - No actual nudity.

Sex/Mature Themes: 2 - Again, nothing graphic, but very serious.

Language: 1 - Relatively mild in the sub.

Notes and Trivia

Based on a comic series by Saki Hiwatari, in the process of being released in English by VIZ as of this writing. A random note on the original Japanese title, "Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte": though the meaning is about the same, the "my" in it is specifically male, for whatever that's worth.

Availability

Available in the US from VIZ on a single hybrid DVD. Was previously available on three dubbed VHS volumes.

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