^{PART 41 of 52 ONESHOTS in 52 WEEKS
暗森透の『地球記録0001』 “Chikyuu Kiroku 0001” by KURAMORI Tooru}

Tooru Kuramori debuted in 2019 with a suspensful oneshot about a reformed assassin, titled Killer Parent. Since then, he has proven himself adept at many genres, penning short works involving science fiction, mixed martial arts, and fantasy. With skilled artwork and compelling thematics, Kuramori’s stories have left an impression, with the author now embarking on Centuria, his first serial manga, which debuted just last month.

The author’s back catalogue is individually distinctive, but Kuramori’s third oneshot is arguably his most lauded. The manga, titled Chikyuu Kiroku 0001 (which translates to ‘Earth Recording 0001’), was published in Shounen Jump Plus in 2020, and tells of a lonely astronaut who encounters an alien being.

Soichi Mawatari is bullied and ostracised as a child. Resentful of society, he leads a life of solitude. He shuts himself away and works hard to become an astronaut, hoping the mysteries of space may provide a comfort away from the pains of his life on Earth. Whilst working at a base on the Moon, Soichi encounters an alien lifeform that purports to have been wandering the universe since the beginning of time. The two confide in each other, Soichi wanting to know about the universe, and the alien wishing to learn more about Earth.

Earth Recording 0001 is an endearing tale with some enticing ruminations on loneliness and solitude. The lunar setting has proven a popular location to explore such themes in literature and film, and while Kuramori’s oneshot is redolent of stories before it, his dramatic scenario manages to land with charm, and lingers well with a narrative that prevails beyond its pages.

The juxtaposition between the alien, a 13 billion year old being, who doesn’t truly understand what loneliness is until it encounters a lifeform beyond its touch, and Soichi, who feels smothered in such close proximity to others, is compelling. As Soichi relates tales of Earth to the alien, the alien comes to learn much about Soichi and his connection to the planet, highlighting a quiet enthusiasm in spite of his despondency. There’s a lot to read into Soichi’s character, with sadness, hope and longing all mixed in.

Several details surrounding the alien are fairly enigmatic; it has a remarkably ‘human’ appearance and psychology, despite never having conversed with another living being before. It’s guise bears semblance to Soichi’s mother, opening the possibility for a somewhat delusional reading of Soichi, where you aren’t entirely sure if what he’s witnessing is reality. The author ultimately neglects to go down this route, but he harkens back to the mother character in clever ways, with her parting words to Soichi, telling him never to succumb to hatred and solitude, lingering subtly throughout the 62-page story.

The oneshot is notably cinematic in areas, with several stand-out pages, particularly in a scene where the alien and Soichi observe a passing comet. Some panels have a defined and striking depiction of light and shade, but others do come across as flat and lacking, with simple toned or blank backgrounds. The same illustration of a distant Earth is used at least four times throughout the oneshot; it looks impressive as a slightly washed out and far-flung object, but in closer depictions it appears rough and unpolished. The artwork both delights and disappoints, but the final page delivers exactly the picturesque scene the manga needed to close on.

Tooru Kuramori’s narrative is reasonably ambitious, with a cultivated broody undercurrent. In parts, it feels analogous to classic sci-fi stories by authors such as Shinichi Hoshi and Jiro Okazaki. While visually it sometimes leaves a little to be desired, thematically and dramatically the story is a success, contributing well to a long history of imaginative short sci-fi manga.

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