Saturn Apartments
Encyclopedia
is a 7 volume manga
series written and illusrated by Hisae Iwaoka
. Saturn Apartments has been seralised in the Shogakukan
's seinen manga magazine Ikki
from 2005 to 2011.It has been collected into 7 tankōbon
volumes.Viz Media
licensed the manga
series for English-language publication in North America and as of November 2011, have released 4 volumes of the series. Saturn Apartments is licensed in Taiwan by Taiwan Tohan Co and Kana in France.
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 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.
series written and illustrated by Hisae Iwaoka
. Saturn Apartments has been seralised in the Shogakukan
's seinen manga magazine Ikki
from 2005 to 2011, as well as being published in 7 books. Viz Media
licensed the manga
series for English-language publication in North America and as of November 2011, have released 4 volumes of the series. Saturn Apartments is licensed in Taiwan by Taiwan Tohan Co and Kana in France.
, as they both have rounded heads and small eyes, and are "dealing with a grim life". 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. Greg McElhatton compares Iwaoka's artwork to Travis Charest
and Sean Chen
, praising the details of the work.
YALSA included the first volume of the series on their 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illusrated by Hisae Iwaoka
Hisae Iwaoka
Hisae Iwaoka is a Japanese manga artist.Her work includes the one-shot manga Hana Boro and Shiroi Kumo Yume no Soko, Hoshigahara Aomanjuu no Mori, Hisae Iwaoka (岩岡ヒサエ, born 17th July 1976) is a Japanese manga artist.Her work includes the one-shot manga Hana Boro (Flower Cookies) and Shiroi...
. Saturn Apartments has been seralised in the Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
's seinen manga magazine Ikki
Ikki (magazine)
is a monthly seinen manga magazine published by Shogakukan. It tends to specialize in underground or alternative manga, but has had its share of major hits as well. Notably, both Bokurano and Ride Back have received anime adaptations....
from 2005 to 2011.It has been collected into 7 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes.Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
licensed the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series for English-language publication in North America and as of November 2011, have released 4 volumes of the series. Saturn Apartments is licensed in Taiwan by Taiwan Tohan Co and Kana in France.
Story
It is a work of science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
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 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.
Volume List
Saturn Apartments is a mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Hisae Iwaoka
Hisae Iwaoka
Hisae Iwaoka is a Japanese manga artist.Her work includes the one-shot manga Hana Boro and Shiroi Kumo Yume no Soko, Hoshigahara Aomanjuu no Mori, Hisae Iwaoka (岩岡ヒサエ, born 17th July 1976) is a Japanese manga artist.Her work includes the one-shot manga Hana Boro (Flower Cookies) and Shiroi...
. Saturn Apartments has been seralised in the Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
's seinen manga magazine Ikki
Ikki (magazine)
is a monthly seinen manga magazine published by Shogakukan. It tends to specialize in underground or alternative manga, but has had its share of major hits as well. Notably, both Bokurano and Ride Back have received anime adaptations....
from 2005 to 2011, as well as being published in 7 books. Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
licensed the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series for English-language publication in North America and as of November 2011, have released 4 volumes of the series. Saturn Apartments is licensed in Taiwan by Taiwan Tohan Co and Kana in France.
Chapter list
Chapters are called "floors".Reception
Matthew Warner enjoyed the interesting world presented in the manga, and praised the 'simple, yet gorgeous art style'. Johanna Draper Carlson compares the protagonist, Mitsu, to Charlie BrownCharlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
, as they both have rounded heads and small eyes, and are "dealing with a grim life". 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. Greg McElhatton compares Iwaoka's artwork to Travis Charest
Travis Charest
Travis Charest is a Canadian comic book penciller, inker and painter, known for his work on such books as Darkstars, WildC.A.T.s, Grifter/Shi, WildC.A.T.s/X-Men: The Golden Age and The Metabarons...
and Sean Chen
Sean Chen
Sean Chen is an Asian American comic book artist.-Career:Chen is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University where he received a bachelor's degree in industrial design. He started his career after being discovered by Barry Windsor-Smith...
, praising the details of the work.
YALSA included the first volume of the series on their 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list.