Saturn Apartments

Plot

The story is 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 ring is divided into floors, of which there are three; the first being the living space of everyday workers, the second being dedicated to agriculture, and the third being the dwellings of the upper class. 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.

Characters

Window Cleaners

;Mitsu :Mitsu works as a window cleaner because he takes joy in it and because he wants to learn about his father's ill disappearance at work. He tends to be of a very calm nature, and he is very dedicated to his job, something he is aware of as being a dangerous and low-paying occupation. He is somewhat inexperienced and insecure of himself. ;Aki :Mitsu's late father, who raised the latter by himself until his untimely death during a job when the rope dangling him snapped. Since Mitsu was very young at the time, much of Aki is told from his friends and colleagues, upon many of which he had a profound influence on. ;Jin :Jin is Mitsu's superior and occasional supervisor who has had plenty more experience working as a window cleaner. He tends to speak gruffly and is externally of a brash nature, however he is caring for his co-workers. He lives with his wife, Haruko, and is a close friend of Tamachi (even though they dislike admitting it). ;Makoto :A co-worker of Mitsu who has a grudge with him for "replacing Tamachi" and for "having it so easy" in terms of work.

Other characters

;Haruko :Jin's wife. Haruko is frail and prone to blackouts due to what is described as an autoimmunity deficiency caused by a lack of sunlight in the lower levels. In a flashback it is revealed that she dislikes hospitals due to an accident that led to her sterility. This doesn't stop Haruko from being cheery and from participating in public agriculture. ;The Kageyamas :A family of three that occasionally house Mitsu. The family is integrated by the bald and boisterous Mr. Kageyama (who is also a window cleaner), his wife, and their daughter Fuyo. ;Tamachi :Tamachi once worked as a window cleaner and was the former partner of Aki (Mitsu's father) until the latter's death, whom he blames himself for. He now works in a bio-gas plant with his friend Sohta. ;Sohta :Sohta is an aspiring scientist who lives with his wife in the lower levels, and works with his friend, Tamachi, at the gas plant. It was his honeymoon request for a lower-level window to be washed where Mitsu's father, Aki, died. ;Sachi :An acquaintance of Mitsu who works as a "falling objects researcher" . She was originally mistaken as a man by Mitsu. She and her pet cat live outside of the ring on a small cabin, and the exposure to solar radiation gives her constant sunburns.

Publication

Saturn Apartments, written and illustrated by Hisae Iwaoka, was serialized in Shogakukan's ja manga magazine Monthly Ikki from November 25, 2005, to June 25, 2011. Shogakukan collected its chapters in seven ja volumes, released from October 30, 2006, to August 30, 2011.

The manga was licensed in North America by Viz Media, who released its seven volumes from May 25, 2010, to May 21, 2013. It was also licensed in Taiwan by Taiwan Tohan, and Kana in France.

Volumes

Chapters are called "floors".

• 1. "Earth"
• 2. "Work"
• 3. "Lights"
• 4. "A Place Far Away"
• 5. "An Ocean"
• 6. "The Green Room"
• 7. "Beneath The Mask"
• 8. "Artifice"
• 9. "A Small Room"
• 10. "So Close And Yet So Far"
• 11. "Holiday"
• 12. "Dinner"
• 13. "Night Festival"
• 14. "Where I Am Now"
• 15. "Out Of Reach"
• 16. "Glitter"
• 17. "A Room Full Of Flowers"
• 18. "Alone In Her Room"
• 19. "Symbols"
• 20. "An Empty Room"
• 21. "The Everyday View"
• 22. "A Room With A Roof"
• 23. "Cleaner"
• 24. "Use"
• 25. "The Long Way Around"
• 26. "A Voice That Travels"
• 27. "The Test"
• 28. "His Role Model"
• 29. "His Own Road"
• 30. "Sanctuary"
• 31. "Yukishima"
• 32. "His Last Day"
• 33. "Saku"
• 34. "Stars Aligned"
• 35. "Thoughts"
• 36. "The Egg Woman"
• 37. "A Wide Window"
• 38. "Under The Window"
• 39. "What He Realized"
• 40. "A T-Shirt And A Resolution"
• 41. "The Swallowed-Up Voice"
• 42. "Yukishima And Fried Chicken"
• 43. "The Beginning Room"
• 44. "The Druggist's Diagnosis"
• 45. "The Guiding Thread"
• 46. "The Ship You Will Ride"
• 47. "The Flat Ground"
• 48. "Hope"
• 49. "Looking At The Shadows"
• 50. "Confused One"
• 51. "Smoke"
• 52. "Confusion"
• 53. "Light And Shadow"
• 54. "Quiet Procession"
• 55. "Crossroads"
• 56. "The Place Of Memories"
• 57. "Promise"
• 58. "Change"
• 59. "The Same Place"
• 60. "Unveiling The Ship"
• 61. "Each Of Their Thoughts"
• 62. "End Of The Connected Paths"
• 63. "To The Surface"
• 64. "Homeland In The Sky"

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 Brown, 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.

References

References

1. "The Official Website for Saturn Apartments". [[Viz Media]].
2. link. [[Shogakukan]]
3. link. [[Shogakukan]]
4. link
5. "La cité saturne". [[Kana (publisher).
6. link. [[Shogakukan]]. (30 October 2006)
7. "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 1". [[Viz Media]].
8. link. [[Shogakukan]]. (29 June 2007)
9. "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 2". [[Viz Media]].
10. link. [[Shogakukan]]. (28 March 2008)
11. "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 3". [[Viz Media]].
12. link. [[Shogakukan]]. (30 January 2009)
13. "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 4". [[Viz Media]].
14. link. [[Shogakukan]]. (30 November 2009)
15. "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 5". [[Viz Media]].
16. link. [[Shogakukan]]. (30 August 2010)
17. "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 6". [[Viz Media]].
18. link. [[Shogakukan]]. (30 August 2011)
19. "Saturn Apartments, Vol. 7". [[Viz Media]].
20. "Saturn Apartments Vol. #01 - Mania.com".
21. (May 28, 2010). "Saturn Apartments Volume 1".
22. "Saturn Apartments Book 2 » Manga Worth Reading".
23. "Review: Saturn Apartments Vol. 1 - Comic Book Resources".
24. "ALA | 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens".