Ranked #262

Terra e... (Manga)

Beyond the rather 70-80's style/feel of the characters is a deeper story realm. Terra e has an epic space opera sense to it, and it is, and yet it's not. The rules of space are acknowledged, circumfrenced, yet the plot is kept tight. First off, I'll say there is an anime based on the manga and the reviews are quite applicable to the manga as well, though the anime carries out the sequence of events and some of the characters a little differently.

The storyline follows the characters of Jomy and Keith, though initially the reader gets Soldier Blue's POV in the prologue.The pov is clearly delinated for the reader, which makes for ease of transition, and other minor character's pov are given throughout the story to keep the reader up to date on events. When the pov first switches to Keith it may be a little confusing since the pov shifts previously were between pre-introduced characters. Also, there are time jumps, which require a little math. Most of the time the reader is informed of these jumps via the characters' ages which appear mostly as asides - so the reader will have to do a little calculation. Thus to stay in the loop, make sure to pay attention to such things since its easy to miss. In addition, since some of the characters age more slowly than others, without this tidbit of information the reader may feel lost in the time jump.

The art is overall well done, with a futuristic style, yet 70-80's feel to the characters sometimes. Yet even beyond this is the story itself. Taking place in the far, far, far, far distant future opens several relms of posibility as well intriguing concepts reguarding use of technology and natural gifts, and yet humanity is still kept at the core. It is changes direction so it's not easy to see where or how a character will end up. The characters themselves are interesting in that, despite some ideas they ponder, still they may act against what their thinking. Many characters are actually deeper than they might appear on the surface, particularly Keith. This makes it sometimes hard to tell which way the plot will lead. The ending/epilogue might be confusing but I think going back and looking at the events in the story earlier might clearify some of the confusion, making sure to pay attention to what the characters tell the reader about themselves, their hopes and their plans.

Granted, sometimes the antics may seem over the top or somewhat unbelievable- yet still the story incorperates it in such a way tha the reader is able to maintain the suspension of disbelief to the very end.

Overall- Terra e (Toward the Terra) has copious elements of science fiction, different ways of perception, interesting characters, and a bit of mystery with a sprinkling of a few- just a few- unanswered questions. read more