Hello all! It's Sakaki here with a brand new seasonally appropriate manga review!
That's right, here in April we're gonna talk about Snowballs.
Jokes aside, I've been itching to see this one get licensed and Viz did not disappoint, and while we're at it, a big shoutout to them for getting me a review copy to read. Allrighty, on to the good stuff.
The Author
Yuhiro Tsujitsugu
Born December 19, 1994, in Hyougo prefecture, Tsujitsugu-sensei's premiere work is Snowball Earth. I did note that they uploaded a novel on a 'cinema novel' site that mixes music with reading and is focused on original works. I've heard of mangaka starting off on the likes of Pixiv or Twitter and even Novel authors working on user submitted sites as well, which is a sign of the changing times when one would go to a publisher directly. That aside, considering how polished the art and storytelling is for Snowball Earth is, it's surprising that Tsujitsugu hasn't had any other series or one-shots as far as I can see. That being said, Tsujitsugu's own background is fascinating. They worked at a movie company promoting things such as anime, and wrote the 88th Tezuka Award Honorable mention with their work Gori Macho Heart. There was a prototype version of Snowball Earth that won the Spirits award and lead to the serialization.
Cover of issue #3 of Gekkan! Spirits featuring the first chapter of Snowball Earth.
The Series
Snowball Earth
Serialized in Shogakukan's seinen manga anthology Gekkan! Spirits or Monthly! Spirits since 2021, Shougakan describes it as a work of friendship and adventure between a boy and a robot set in a world where monsters attack from space.
The Premise
In the far-flung future of 2025, intergalactic kaiju attack earth and humanity establishes the E-RDE, a anti kaiju defense force, of which is centered around the savior of the earth, a young boy named Tetsuo piloting a robot named Snowman. Jump forward 10 years and the final battle is beginning against the intergalactic kaiju hoard. The young boy is now a young man and has a pressing issue....
Making friends.
Tetsuo's formative years have been spent fighting kaiju so he never got a normal childhood of hanging out with friends. So his efforts to even start a conversation are as awkward as stumbling on the word "Thank you." and reading self-help books (published by Shogakukan, no less) that claim only by following 777 steps can one find true friendship.
777 steps is too high level for anyone.
Though, he's not completely friendless. The robot Snowman has been his constant companion --meet Yukio. (Whose name literally means "Snow man" in Japanese.)
What stands out immediately is how human Yukio the robot is. It chides Tetsuo for avoiding human interaction and relying on books that lack emotion, and even tells Tetsuo not to be so pragmatic when it says it has a dream and Tesuo figures it's about high grade oil. As Tetsuo's scientist dad is more into finding funding for his research, it's not a stretch to say that Yukio doubles as his one friend and father figure.
So right off the gate, what I appreciate most is Tsujisugu's sense of humor. Yukio and Tetsuo being more like parent and child than robot and pilot is the source of some heartwarming and hilarious exchanges, and the picture above too revels in a level of ridiculousness that's endearing even as it leads into Tetsuo and Yukio's character defining moment.
At its core, however, the opening of the series is about making a change for the better --to move from a formerly oppressive beginning to a second chance. After the attack on kaiju goes awry, Tetsuo is catapulted to earth and finds it's a winter wonderland, but there's no merriment here. Humanity lost the war against monsters and he's seemingly all alone. This plot point reminds me of --and stay with me here, another Shogakukan seinen manga Haro Aso and Kotaro Takata's Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. While Akira and Tetsuo couldn't be any more different personality-wise, their character arcs of taking the literal end of the world as a chance to reset is compellingly similar. There's also a bit of Komi Can't Communicate in Tetsuo's goal to make lots of friends in his new environment. (All of these Shogakukan manga with similar themes in differing magazines and available from Viz no less!)
Tsujitsugu's artwork is also a marvel --how is this his first serialization? If this is the starting point for him, then future chapters of Snowball Earth are going to be amazing to behold. I should know, as I've been collecting the series in Japanese since its debut! The characters are expressive, the art dynamic, the kaiju terrifying, all the hallmarks of a work that has everything necessary to be a household name once it gets an anime someday. (Which it totally should.)
(From top, the manga has received recommendations from Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid/Death Stranding/ONE, OnePunchMan/Mob Psycho/and Kazuki Nakashima --Gurren Lagann/Kill La Kill)
The manga has been a darling in Japan, with huge creators all giving it their recommendations, and I can see why. There's something for everyone in Snowball Earth be it those who want a relatable story of an awkward young man trying to make friends, to giant robot action, to an intriguing post apocalyptic setting rife with new discoveries and mystery to solve. Snowball Earth is the quintessential Shogakukan manga that takes its time unfurling itself but rewards the patient with a story that you just can't get from any other publisher. As someone who's caught up with Japanese releases, I can confidently say this is a manga fans of the medium should not miss.
Translation by: Joe Yamazaki
English Adaption by: Stan!
Touch up and lettering by: Chi Wang.
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