Planet Ladder
Encyclopedia
is a fantasy science-fiction shōjo manga written and illustrated by Yuri Narushima
. Appearing as a serial
in the Japanese manga magazine Crimson from March 1998 to May 2003, the chapters of Planet Ladder were published by Sobisha/Shueisha
in seven tankōbon
volumes from December 1998 to May 2004. Based on the Japanese folktale
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
in which a young girl named Kaguya-Hime is discovered to be the princess of the moon, the story focuses on a teenager named Kaguya, who is prophesied to save only one of the nine parallel worlds, and her quest to bring peace to a waring universe while finding her true identity.
Planet Ladder was licensed in North America by Tokyopop
and released from April 2002 to March 2005 after being serialized in Tokyopop's manga anthology Smile
. Planet Ladder was part of Tokyopop's line-up of manga in its original right-to-left format; previously, the majority of manga licensed in the United States was "flopped" to read left-to-right for a Western audience. Sales of Planet Ladder were positive with two volumes ranking in the best-selling graphic novel list and the series received positive reviews from English-language critics. On April 2, 2007, it went out of print
in North America.
c girl found abandoned on present-day Earth. For years she lives with a Japanese foster family until two men—Idou, a monk, and Seeu, an emotionless prince—appear in her home one night and fight over her. Gold, Seeu's robot modeled after Kaguya's deceased brother Kagami, brings her to a world parallel to Earth on Seeu's orders. After exploring the world with Gold, she encounters Shiina Mol Bamvivrie who believes Kaguya is the "Girl of Ananai", destined to save only one of the nine parallel worlds from collision. Shiina explains that nine worlds exist: Ancient, the first civilized world that was mysteriously destroyed; Asu, Seeu's disintegrated world; Eden, present-day Earth; Telene, a small world allied with Geo; Fifth World, a politically neutral world; Geus, a peaceful world under the control of Geo; Geo, the most powerful of the worlds; Asuraitsu, Geo's rival; and the Ninth World, destroyed before the start of the series.
Shiina and Waseda, a Tokyo University student trapped in the body of a giant rooster, join her and Gold in traveling across Telene. After learning that Seeu watched his people die from an incurable virus spread around Asu, Kaguya decides to change the fate of the worlds by confronting Kura, Geo's indulgent emperor who ordered her kidnapping. Instead, while en route to Geo, Gold brings her to Seeu's floating castle in Asu and Kura captures and recruits Shiina into his army.
Kaguya later makes an interplanetary broadcast, announcing her refusal to save only one world. Instead, she plans to find a person to help her save most of the worlds and people. Kura begins to destroy other worlds to increase Geo's survival chances. Deciding to use Kaguya as a political figurehead
, Kura sends Shiina to abduct her; once there, Kaguya refuses to help him. Angered, Kura divulges that the "Girl of Ananai" legend is a myth elaborated on and spread around by him and Kagami. After a brief battle with Shiina, Seeu arrives to rescue Kaguya and she realizes her love for him. Transforming into a dragon, Gold teleports everyone to Ancient; there Idou, Seeu, Kura, and Shiina are persuaded to combine their magical weapons with Gold to fix the rift in the universe, the cause of the eventual collision between the worlds. The series ends with an epilogue seven years later; Kaguya explains the fate of everyone and meets Seeu and their young son with a picnic basket.
Yuri Narushima stated that she began the manga with "a dramatic feeling in mind " and wanted to "start off with a comic book for young girls (shōjo manga)." Narushima planned to have the plot progress quickly so the reader remembers the events and can "'digest' the foreshadowed events". Planet Ladder was based on the Japanese folktale
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
, which focuses on a girl named Kaguya-Hime who is discovered to be the princess of the moon.
Additionally, the protagonist takes her name from the folktale.
After discovering that a North American version of Planet Ladder was being simultaneously released, Narushima designed the cover of volume 6 to be "export friendly", describing it as "like Japanese style, but slightly off". Additionally, she considered serializing Planet Ladder in another magazine, but decided against it since the series was close to ending.
in the Japanese manga magazine Crimson from March 1998 to May 2003. Sobisha/Shueisha
later published the chapters in seven tankōbon
volumes from December 1998 to May 2004. Shueisha re-released Planet Ladder in four bunkoban volumes from July 18, to August 8, 2008.
Tokyopop licensed Planet Ladder for an English-language release in North America and serialized it in its manga magazine Smile
. The first Planet Ladder volume was released on April 23, 2002; the final volume was published on March 8, 2005. Planet Ladder belonged to Tokyopop's line-up of manga in its original right-to-left format; previously, the majority of manga licensed in the United States was "flopped" to read left-to-right for a Western audience. As a result, it was displayed in a case with the eight other "unflopped" manga—Chobits
, Dragon Knights
, Marmalade Boy
, GTO
, Real Bout High School, The Skull Man, Mars
and Cowboy Bebop
—and heavily advertised in anime magazines and on fan sites. Planet Ladder went out of print
on April 2, 2007 in North America.
Only the last two volumes were given titles in the English-language release: The Fate of the Dark Planet for volume six and Ananai of the Puzzled Star for the seventh volume.
English-language reviews of Planet Ladder were also positive. In Manga: The Complete Guide
, Jason Thompson
rated the series three out of four stars, observing that Planet Ladder is "reminiscent of prose science fiction such as Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time
and Roger Zelazny's Nine Princes in Amber
". Thompson considered Kaguya a "passive" protagonist and criticized Planet Ladder for the "inconsistent designs, crude faces, and too much greasy looking screentone". While observing that Planet Ladder is a "difficult title to warm to, since it feels like we're in the middle of the story, rather than the beginning", Mike Dungan of Mania Entertainment considered the effort "worthy", and noted that it made Kaguya more sympathetic at the cost of the other characters. Dungan enjoyed the "pleasant though not especially unique" art, the "attractively designed and well-drawn" characters, the occasional humor, and the overall adaptation, especially the "natural sounding dialogue". However, he criticized Tokyopop's art reproduction of the manga, pointing out that the sound effects were "handled in variety of ways" from being replaced with the English translation to being ignored. Sequential Tart' s Sheena McNeil praised the plot as original and noted elements from fairytales and fantasy in the series. In follow-up reviews, she praised the manga as "turning out to be one of the best fantasy manga out there; it stands apart from the rest with its uniqueness" but was surprised that Sheena's name changed to Shiina halfway through the series with no explanation.
Yuri Narushima
is a female Japanese manga artist best known for her series Planet Ladder, licensed in English by Tokyopop, and The Young Magician, licensed in English by CMX.- Manga :*Replica Master...
. Appearing as a serial
Serial (literature)
In literature, a serial is a publishing format by which a single large work, most often a work of narrative fiction, is presented in contiguous installments—also known as numbers, parts, or fascicles—either issued as separate publications or appearing in sequential issues of a single periodical...
in the Japanese manga magazine Crimson from March 1998 to May 2003, the chapters of Planet Ladder were published by Sobisha/Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
in seven 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 from December 1998 to May 2004. Based on the Japanese folktale
Japanese folklore
The folklore of Japan is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country. It often involves humorous or bizarre characters and situations and also includes an assortment of supernatural beings, such as bodhisattva, kami , yōkai , yūrei ,...
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
, also known as , is a 10th century Japanese folktale. It is considered the oldest extant Japanese narrative and an early example of proto-science fiction....
in which a young girl named Kaguya-Hime is discovered to be the princess of the moon, the story focuses on a teenager named Kaguya, who is prophesied to save only one of the nine parallel worlds, and her quest to bring peace to a waring universe while finding her true identity.
Planet Ladder was licensed in North America by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
and released from April 2002 to March 2005 after being serialized in Tokyopop's manga anthology Smile
Smile (magazine)
Smile was a magazine aimed at teenage girls. At first it was supposed to be a mainstream teen mag similar to Seventeen, but with added manga; later, it became more focused on manga and removed most of its other features. It was discontinued in 2002. It was published by TOKYOPOP.Sailor Moon, Peach...
. Planet Ladder was part of Tokyopop's line-up of manga in its original right-to-left format; previously, the majority of manga licensed in the United States was "flopped" to read left-to-right for a Western audience. Sales of Planet Ladder were positive with two volumes ranking in the best-selling graphic novel list and the series received positive reviews from English-language critics. On April 2, 2007, it went out of print
Out of print
Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
in North America.
Plot
The series focuses on Kaguya Haruyama, a four-year-old amnesiaAmnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
c girl found abandoned on present-day Earth. For years she lives with a Japanese foster family until two men—Idou, a monk, and Seeu, an emotionless prince—appear in her home one night and fight over her. Gold, Seeu's robot modeled after Kaguya's deceased brother Kagami, brings her to a world parallel to Earth on Seeu's orders. After exploring the world with Gold, she encounters Shiina Mol Bamvivrie who believes Kaguya is the "Girl of Ananai", destined to save only one of the nine parallel worlds from collision. Shiina explains that nine worlds exist: Ancient, the first civilized world that was mysteriously destroyed; Asu, Seeu's disintegrated world; Eden, present-day Earth; Telene, a small world allied with Geo; Fifth World, a politically neutral world; Geus, a peaceful world under the control of Geo; Geo, the most powerful of the worlds; Asuraitsu, Geo's rival; and the Ninth World, destroyed before the start of the series.
Shiina and Waseda, a Tokyo University student trapped in the body of a giant rooster, join her and Gold in traveling across Telene. After learning that Seeu watched his people die from an incurable virus spread around Asu, Kaguya decides to change the fate of the worlds by confronting Kura, Geo's indulgent emperor who ordered her kidnapping. Instead, while en route to Geo, Gold brings her to Seeu's floating castle in Asu and Kura captures and recruits Shiina into his army.
Kaguya later makes an interplanetary broadcast, announcing her refusal to save only one world. Instead, she plans to find a person to help her save most of the worlds and people. Kura begins to destroy other worlds to increase Geo's survival chances. Deciding to use Kaguya as a political figurehead
Figurehead
A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the prow of ships largely made between the 16th and 19th century.-History:Although earlier ships had often had some form of bow ornamentation A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the prow of ships largely made between the 16th and...
, Kura sends Shiina to abduct her; once there, Kaguya refuses to help him. Angered, Kura divulges that the "Girl of Ananai" legend is a myth elaborated on and spread around by him and Kagami. After a brief battle with Shiina, Seeu arrives to rescue Kaguya and she realizes her love for him. Transforming into a dragon, Gold teleports everyone to Ancient; there Idou, Seeu, Kura, and Shiina are persuaded to combine their magical weapons with Gold to fix the rift in the universe, the cause of the eventual collision between the worlds. The series ends with an epilogue seven years later; Kaguya explains the fate of everyone and meets Seeu and their young son with a picnic basket.
Production
Japanese folklore
The folklore of Japan is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country. It often involves humorous or bizarre characters and situations and also includes an assortment of supernatural beings, such as bodhisattva, kami , yōkai , yūrei ,...
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
, also known as , is a 10th century Japanese folktale. It is considered the oldest extant Japanese narrative and an early example of proto-science fiction....
, which focuses on a girl named Kaguya-Hime who is discovered to be the princess of the moon.
Additionally, the protagonist takes her name from the folktale.
After discovering that a North American version of Planet Ladder was being simultaneously released, Narushima designed the cover of volume 6 to be "export friendly", describing it as "like Japanese style, but slightly off". Additionally, she considered serializing Planet Ladder in another magazine, but decided against it since the series was close to ending.
Release
Written and illustrated by Yuri Narushima, Planet Ladder appeared as a serialSerial (literature)
In literature, a serial is a publishing format by which a single large work, most often a work of narrative fiction, is presented in contiguous installments—also known as numbers, parts, or fascicles—either issued as separate publications or appearing in sequential issues of a single periodical...
in the Japanese manga magazine Crimson from March 1998 to May 2003. Sobisha/Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
later published the chapters in seven 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 from December 1998 to May 2004. Shueisha re-released Planet Ladder in four bunkoban volumes from July 18, to August 8, 2008.
Tokyopop licensed Planet Ladder for an English-language release in North America and serialized it in its manga magazine Smile
Smile (magazine)
Smile was a magazine aimed at teenage girls. At first it was supposed to be a mainstream teen mag similar to Seventeen, but with added manga; later, it became more focused on manga and removed most of its other features. It was discontinued in 2002. It was published by TOKYOPOP.Sailor Moon, Peach...
. The first Planet Ladder volume was released on April 23, 2002; the final volume was published on March 8, 2005. Planet Ladder belonged to Tokyopop's line-up of manga in its original right-to-left format; previously, the majority of manga licensed in the United States was "flopped" to read left-to-right for a Western audience. As a result, it was displayed in a case with the eight other "unflopped" manga—Chobits
Chobits
is a Japanese manga created by the Japanese manga collective Clamp. It was published by Kodansha in Young Magazine from February 2001 to November 2002 and collected in eight bound volumes....
, Dragon Knights
Dragon Knights
is a manga series drawn by Mineko Ohkami and shown in the monthly Japanese magazine Wings. The manga is translated in the United States by Tokyopop...
, Marmalade Boy
Marmalade Boy
is a shōjo manga by Wataru Yoshizumi. It was published by Shueisha in the magazine Ribon from May 1992 to October 1995 and collected in eight tankōbon volumes. The series was adapted by Toei Animation as a 76-episode anime television series which aired on TV Asahi and Fuji TV in 1994 to 1995. This...
, GTO
Great Teacher Onizuka
, officially abbreviated as GTO, is a Japanese shōnen manga written and illustrated by Tohru Fujisawa. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from May 1997 to April 2002. The story focuses on 22-year-old ex-bōsōzoku member Eikichi Onizuka, who becomes a teacher at a private high...
, Real Bout High School, The Skull Man, Mars
Mars (manga)
Mars is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fuyumi Soryo. Initially serialized in Bessatsu Friend from 1996 to 2000, the series spans 15 tankōbon volumes. It follows the disliked teenage romance between Kira Aso, an introverted artist, and Rei Kashino, a troubled playboy who is a...
and Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop
is a critically acclaimed and award-winning 1998 Japanese anime series directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, written by Keiko Nobumoto, and produced by Sunrise. Its 26 episodes comprise a complete storyline: set in 2071, the series follows the adventures, misadventures and tragedies of five bounty...
—and heavily advertised in anime magazines and on fan sites. Planet Ladder went out of print
Out-of-print book
An out-of-print book is a book that is no longer being published. Out-of-print books are often rare, and may be difficult to acquire.A publisher will usually create a print run of a fixed number of copies of a new book. These books can be ordered in bulk by booksellers, and when all the...
on April 2, 2007 in North America.
Only the last two volumes were given titles in the English-language release: The Fate of the Dark Planet for volume six and Ananai of the Puzzled Star for the seventh volume.
Volume list
Reception
Planet Ladder was positively received by English-language readers. The fifth volume placed in the 44th spot on the list of the 50 best-selling graphic novels of February 2003, with an estimated 1,176 copies sold. The sixth volume reached the 71st place on the list of the 100 best-selling graphic novels of February 2004, with an estimated 984 copies sold.English-language reviews of Planet Ladder were also positive. In Manga: The Complete Guide
Manga: The Complete Guide
Manga: The Complete Guide is a 2007 encyclopedia written by Jason Thompson and published by Del Rey which provides basic details and short reviews of over 1000 Japanese manga titles that have been translated and released in English in North America...
, Jason Thompson
Jason Thompson (writer)
Jason Thompson is a manga critic, journalist, writer and comics artist.-Life and career:...
rated the series three out of four stars, observing that Planet Ladder is "reminiscent of prose science fiction such as Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time is a science fantasy novel by Madeleine L'Engle, first published in 1962. The story revolves around a young girl whose father, a government scientist, has gone missing after working on a mysterious project called a tesseract. The book won a Newbery Medal, Sequoyah Book Award, and...
and Roger Zelazny's Nine Princes in Amber
Nine Princes in Amber
Nine Princes in Amber is a new wave fantasy novel and the first in the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. It was first published in 1970. The book has also spawned a computer game of the same name...
". Thompson considered Kaguya a "passive" protagonist and criticized Planet Ladder for the "inconsistent designs, crude faces, and too much greasy looking screentone". While observing that Planet Ladder is a "difficult title to warm to, since it feels like we're in the middle of the story, rather than the beginning", Mike Dungan of Mania Entertainment considered the effort "worthy", and noted that it made Kaguya more sympathetic at the cost of the other characters. Dungan enjoyed the "pleasant though not especially unique" art, the "attractively designed and well-drawn" characters, the occasional humor, and the overall adaptation, especially the "natural sounding dialogue". However, he criticized Tokyopop's art reproduction of the manga, pointing out that the sound effects were "handled in variety of ways" from being replaced with the English translation to being ignored. Sequential Tart
External links
- Yuri Narushima's official website
- Planet Ladder at Tokyopop's website