Snowball Earth, Vol. 1

スノウボールアース [Snowball Earth] #1

by Yuhiro Tsujitsugu

In the year 2025, huge beasts from beyond the galaxy attacked Earth. In the war that followed, humanity fought back with a giant robot named Yukio, piloted by Tetsuo Yabusame. As the massive alien swarm closed in on humanity’s homeworld, Tetsuo and the Earth Defense Force deployed for the final battle with the invading horde. They lost...

Yukio was destroyed in battle and Tetsuo survived in an escape pod. After eight years in cold sleep, the escape pod finally lands back on Earth. But when Tetsuo emerges he finds a world in ruins, entirely frozen beneath a blanket of ice and snow—snowball Earth! What happened to humanity, how did the planet freeze over, and will Tetsuo be able to keep his last promise to Yukio?

Genres: Manga, Science Fiction, Comics, Adventure, Young Adult, Action, Graphic Novels

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2021

Reviews

[Laura A. Grace]

Oh my goodness, I cried at the end of the first chapter and then I cried again later on!!!

WHAT AN EPIC READ!!

If I could compare this to anything, I would say it's Kaiju No. 8 meets Komi Can't Communicate but in the "ice age." Not a mashup I was expecting, but it was amazing, and never expected to get so emotional when reading!

Tetsuo is a very relatable character and found him an easy hero to cheer for due to his struggles! The way he is trying SO hard to communicate with others well but feeling like he never can honestly reminded me of myself when I was younger. It feels like a hurtle you can simply never overcome, and due to that and with events that took place, I SO desperately want to see him make friends! I want him to keep moving forward even if he feels the hole in his heart will never heal, but…

THAT PLOT TWIST!!!

I totally cried! After having my heart ripped out right alongside Tetsuo, I was completely caught off guard by what happened! Very well done to the creator because I thought this would be a heartbreaking read but also a courageous one as our hero battles these kaiju and slowly makes friends, but that twist just added a whole other level to it!

Seeing the last page has me VERY curious as to who he is going to fight next! While this wasn't a super graphic read, there were a few spots where I felt grossed out. LOL! I could do without seeing dead kaiju heads flying, but that is my personal preference. and definitely didn't feel it was gory.

Such a fantastic first volume!!

[Emma]

Dystopian manga Iron Giant.

[XOX]

Tetsuo is fighting kaiju with his robot friend. There is a large group of alien kaiju flying to Earth. The aim is to stop most, if not all, of the kaiju from reaching Earth. 

The story begins when a robot manufactory has robots so advanced that they become conscious. When the robots heard of the plan to have them load a lot of explosives and go find the space kaiju and kill them in a suicide mission, they went on strike. They refused to die, as they wanted to live. 

A 9-year-old boy, Tetsuo, heard the robot's demand and volunteered to be the robot pilot and promised that he would not let it die in battle. Adding a human boy intelligent in the fight has really good results. So he volunteered to go with the self-aware robot to fly into space and fight the alien kaiju in space. 

They spent 10 years in space, a long way from Earth, to fight the kaiju. That part of science we know as anything is a long way away. 

Something about Tetsuo is enduring. While the humans on Earth see him as a hero, he doesn't think like that at all. He has the self-awareness as a child that he is able to fight the space kaiju because of his robot friend. And he is socially awkward; he read a book on how to make friends. He replayed every conversation and blamed himself for not saying the right thing. He cries a lot when he is alone with his robot friend. The robot knows and encourages him to make human friends. It is not easy when the way the world sees him and how he sees himself is so different. 

When he came back to Earth, after sleeping through the return trip. Earth has entered the new ice age. And he is looking for human survivors.

Really strong start of a series. 

4.5-star read. 

[Robin Pelletier]

This is a manga where the whole message is about finding friendship. I won’t lie. It was a little weird in parts, but I enjoyed the art and the main theme. For a dystopia manga… it would pair well with any dystopia unit in your classroom. I would recommend it to students who like the genre.

[Moka Aumilieudeslivres]

"Nous deux contre le reste de ces monstres."

[Kimberley doruyter]

wish i could give it more then 5 stars.

[Maddie Gray]

i’m so glad i found this series. ITS SO COOL! i didn’t even know they had a show in production but it is so cool

[Max Freese]

Mixed on this. Mostly, it's the great creature and mech designs that are keeping my interest. And there's some really fun paneling and sequences.

Unfortunately the main character is incredibly lame. His whole bit is that he literally doesn't know how to make friends so he's constantly reading a guide on it. It makes something like Naruto look like a masterpiece in subtlety.

There's also a lot of homages/references to other shonen series like One Piece which some may find endearing, but I found obnoxious. I'm gonna read at least the next volume to decide whether or not I'll stick with this series.

[Bookworm Isagi]

I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!!

'Snowball Earth' was such an interesting mix of things: hilarious comedy, dark and dystopian settings and gruesome battles. The storyline is light-hearted and really got me laughing out loud. The art style is perfect for the story and the world setting is so awesome. It was easy to get into and blasts you off on a science fiction in space and later brings you onto Snowball Earth in all its snowy and isolated glory. Tetsuo is such a relatable character too! It's so cute and funny.

But like I said, 'Snowball Earth' has so many different things going on. The story focuses on the planet Earth getting invaded by massive kaiju who kill humans - the detail and flawless drawing of them is so cool! Some attacks leave me feeling exhilarated because of the explosions and detailed drawings of the action. What's so unique about 'Snowball Earth' is how the cute story of how Tetsuo struggles to make friends jumps to a high-casualty attack from deadly kaiju in space! I just love it.

Tetsuo is such a loveable character that will grow on you. You'll find yourself rooting for him not just when he's confronted with defeating a massive kaiju, but also when he's trying so hard to speak in public. The art is amazing. And the ending left me really excited to see what happens in the rest of the series!!

[Ester]

La mayoría de historias de robots y monstruos nos cuentan la lucha de los primeros contra los segundos, normalmente con un piloto genial controlando al robot. ¿Pero qué pasa después de la batalla final?

Más aún, ¿y si todos los sacrificios no han servido de nada?

Tras 10 años luchando contra monstruos, y el sacrificio de su mejor amigo, Tetsuo regresa a la Tierra. Pero no es el planeta que recuerda: toda la superficie está cubierta de hielo y los monstruos todavía deambulan por ella.

"Snowball Earth" empieza de un argumento conocido, un chico pilotando el robot fabricado por su padre para luchar contra los monstruos, pero en seguida le da la vuelta: el padre es un impresentable, el robot desarrolló consciencia y el chico tiene una grave fobia social. No es la historia de un héroe al uso, sino la de un chico bueno y valiente pero falible, haciendo lo mejor en las circunstancias que se encuentra. Un chico al que convierten en un héroe salvador pero cuyo único sueño es hacer amigos.

Reseña completa: https://mangaes.com/ultimas-lecturas-...

[Wafflepirates]

*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*

For ten years, Tetsuo served as a mecha pilot, fighting off alien kaiju threatening Earth. He survives the last battle thanks to the mech, Yukio, and his escape pod returns to Earth 8 years later. When he arrives, Tetsuo is shocked to find Earth in the middle of what seems to be an ice age, and with Kaiju similar to what he's seen, but not quite the same. This volume started off really strong, showing the last part of the final battle and playing on Tetsuo's regrets of never making a friend (due to being a mech pilot despite being barely a middle schooler and some flavor of social anxiety). Once he returns to Earth however, things really slow down, and by the end of the first volume you're not really left with much of an impression of this new world he's found himself in. I'm interested in seeing more, but I do hope the pacing picks back up in future volumes.

[The Book Dragon]

Earth is under attack form space wurm kaiju so humanity's big plan is to build robots to kamikaze said kaiju. But the robot's AI gets advanced enough that it starts begging to live and Tetsuo (the 9-year-old son of the robot's creator) hops in to pilot said robot to fight the kaiju. Insert one press frenzy and suddenly he and his robot Yukio are humanity's saviors. So they've launched into space with a crew to have one final showdown with the horde of destruction.

Then everything goes horribly wrong (somehow) and Tetsuo is sent back to Earth alone while Yukio self-destructs to save his friend. Only, when he wakes up after 8 years of cryosleep, he finds that Earth has frozen over and humanity is struggling to survive both the cold and the kaiju.

It's a good premise; I'm interested in seeing how the new environment affects people, and there's a bit of a mystery involving the origin of the kaiju (and the possibly why the mission failed).

[Anna]

2.5 stars, rounding up to 3 because it shows a hint of promise.
Perfect for fans of 'Attack on Titan' and 'Kaiju no.8', this is a not-too-serious story about a young guy who pilots a giant robot to protect the earth from kaiju (giant monsters) in space, but having started out as a socially awkward kid, he's spent so long on the job that his only friend is his robot, and he's completely hopeless with people. But when they lose the final battle, the pilot's escape pod lands 10 years later on an Earth turned into a snowy wasteland. But if there are some survivors here, maybe he can finally make some friends, if he follows the steps in his cheesy self-help book! And if the survivors aren't killed by the kaiju infesting the planet...

Content warnings: scary giant monsters, bloody deaths, monster-fighting violence, butchering of monster carcasses

[Starr ❇✌❇]

4.5

This was really cool! I always love a good Kaiju story and a Post-Mission/quest style story, and I've never seen the two combined before! I enjoy the contrast between the post apocalyptic world and the intense dangers within, and the social anxiety that seems to be one of Tetsuo's main concerns, against all odds. The strong bond between two soldier/copilots/a teenage boy and a gigantic robot that have been working and growing together for 10 years already also gives the whole thing something to really grab into in terms of emotionality and characterization. I'm not totally sure where we're going here, and I'm a little disappointed I didn't get to see these people's reactions to realizing this random suspicious not-a-ghosf is their long gone savior, but that's what the next volumes are for! All in all, I could see myself getting really into this!

[Sesana]

A kaiju and mech book, set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. What makes this book stand out is actually the protagonist. Tetsuo is socially awkward in a way that's both kind of funny and very realistic and relatable. He has a background that would almost guarantee that social awkwardness: the mech equivalent of a stage parent, extreme pressure from a young age, isolation from age peers throughout his childhood. His awkwardness is so realistically drawn that I think a lot of readers will at least partially identify with him. The setting is interesting, and I think there's promise for some really good world building here, but we don't see much of that in this volume.

[Erica]

2.5 stars rounded down because there wasn't enough to engage me.

I hope Tetsuo's idea of the passage of time will be challenged at some point. He seems to think he's been gone from earth for 10 years but he was in cold sleep for 8 so shouldn't that be 18 years?
But could the earth freeze over and become frozen-apocalyptic in 18 years?

It's kinda cute with non-socialized adult Tetsuo only being able to communicate with his robot and the robot trying to help his little human gain confidence and make friends but there's nothing new in this story. I might seek out the next installment if I think to do so but if I don't, it's no great loss.

[Drake Howard]

Haven’t read any mech manga or seen any mech anime outside of Evangelion but I’d heard about this recently and wanted to give it a try. Kinda a fun way to show a different side of the chosen one trope where because they were saving the world they didn’t develop social skills instead of them just being an outcast and THEN saving the world. Besides that nothing jumped out too much, art was good, I like the iron giant dynamic, and I love monsters. Will probably continue to read a little more for this series

[Alexia]

This digital ARC was obtainable via NetGalley for an honest review!

Tetsuo has always wanted friends but unfortunately while being Earth's hero, since a young age, he hasn't had the chance to do so. After a brutal battle, Tetsuo finds himself drifting and falling asleep for 8 years. When he awakes Earth is not the same at all. This volume focused a bit on Tetsuo's backstory. I am interested in seeing how his life will be during this apocalyptic state of the world in the next volume.

[Jill]

This was a really interesting sci-fi manga about a young boy that is piloting a robot who ends up being in a cryo sleep for a long time. When he finally gets back to earth, he realizes that everything has changed. I cannot wait to see where the story goes from here! I really enjoyed this first volume, especially the friendship between the boy and his robot.

[Othy]

A fun story and interesting premise, though somewhat boiler plate. There is comedy where I didn't expect it, especially in the apocalyptic setting. As a main character, Tetsuo is an interesting spin on the reluctant hero motif, and he has a lot of room for growth. I'm not sure if I will keep reading it, though I got it from the library, so it would be free if I did.

[Vanessa]

Solid intro! Character designs are great, the premises is interesting. The Kaiju are derpy but with how the volume ends, I suspect they aren't all derpy. Much excite! I'll be picking up volume 2 for sure!

[Donna]

After fighting intergalactic kaiju, Tetsuo is horrified to find Earth is now a frozen planet.

This was a fun read and I'll read more in the series. I do think that Tetsuo's lack of self-confidence could get annoying if it continues too long but hopefully he develops in this area quickly.

[Travis Johnson]

The art was gorgeous and the world was intriguing, but the main character was very off-putting. I get that was the intent, but I thought it went too far; to the point where I had difficulty rooting for him.

[Ya Boi Be Reading]

3.5 rounded up. It reminds me a lot of Kaiju No 8 in its writing though hopefully it doesn't fall into the same writing pitfalls that caused me to drop KN8 50 chapters in. This is an absolutely stunning first volume that thrusts you into the story after giving you some fun setup with a cinch of a reveal in the first chapter. Yukio navigating the ice age wasteland with naivety due to his anti-social nature is fun and explained very well in-universe. Aside from introducing the setting, the general state of people in the setting, and Tetsuo and Yukio it doesn't do much. But that is all done in a fun way that retains the “blazing spirit” vibe many mecha series have. It's just told well even if in retrospect it is a bit slow or short. Although the monster designs did feel very uninspired and boring to me. The post-apocalyptic setting is neat as well as the various mech designs for Yukio.
You also know it's got me invested if one volume in I’m trying to build theories about the lore (namely guessing an insider helped the Kaiju win and that the world was flash-frozen).

[Orlando Guzman]

Are you a fan of Pacific Rim, Kaiju, and snow?
This is the manga for you.
Great art and an entertaining story that leaves a lot of avenues to discover in future volumes.
Looking forward to reading the rest.

[D.T. Brandt]

An intriguing sci-fi concept with a socially anxious gifted kid protagonist and a good dose of humor with a pinch of absurdity. This is Snowpiercer meets Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, but feels like a third thing telling its own story its own way.

[David Turko]

I enjoyed this; it felt like a dystopian version of the Iron Giant. I wasn't a big fan of the art style, but the characters and the story made up for that. This has the potential to be a great manga series.

[TheComixGuy]

dt. Snowball Earth

[Florent]

Premier tome solide, j'attends de voir plus.

[Mompop]

graphic novel mix of Pacific Rim w/ "The Day after Tomorrow" inspiration?