Terra Formars

is a Japanese manga series written by and illustrated by . It was originally serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Miracle Jump'' from January to December 2011, and was transferred to ''Weekly Young Jump'' in April 2012. Its chapters have been collected in 23 volumes as of July 2024. The story follows humanity's struggle against mutated humanoid cockroaches on Mars, leading to deadly expeditions and battles to save Earth from a mysterious virus and the invading creatures.

In North America, the manga is licensed for English release by Viz Media. A two-episode original video animation (OVA), abridging the Bugs 2 arc, was released in 2014, and an anime television series, covering the Annex 1 arc, was broadcast as well in that same year. A live action film adaptation directed by Takashi Miike was released in 2016.

Plot

In an attempt to colonize Mars, 21st century scientists are tasked with terraforming the planet. Their goal is to seed the planet with a modified algae to absorb sunlight and purify the atmosphere, and cockroaches, whose corpses spread the algae across the planet as they feed.

Five hundred years later, the first crewed ship to Mars lands and its six crew members are attacked by giant mutated humanoid cockroaches with incredible physical strength, later labeled "Terraformars"; the crew is wiped out after sending a warning back to Earth. Two years later, BUGS II, a multinational expedition of genetically modified humans, is sent to collect 10 samples of both sexes of roaches, and exterminate the mutated bugs to take control of the red planet. Only two survivors manage to return to Earth, one swearing to return and avenge their fallen companions. As a third expedition is assembled questions are raised about the true origin of the Terraformars and their connection with an unknown disease afflicting mankind, the Alien Engine Virus, or A.E. Virus. To fight the Terraformars' strength and agility, members of the second and third expedition undergo genetic modification to inherit the characteristics of other organisms, only possible after having a special organ implanted with a 36% chance of surviving the surgery itself.

The third expedition ends with most of its crew members killed as well, be it by fighting the Terraformars, or among themselves in the multi-sided conflict between the various factions aboard the ship, each with its own opposing interests. Despite that, the few survivors manage to collect enough samples for the research on a cure to the A.E. Virus and return home. However, a new fight against the Terraformars begins when it is revealed that the creatures arrived on Earth long before. After multiplying at an alarming rate and adapting themselves far better to their new environment than they did on their homeworld, they start their plan to take over the planet.

Media

Manga

Written by and illustrated by , ''Terra Formars'' was first serialized in Shueisha's '' Miracle Jump'' magazine from January 13 to December 13, 2011. It later moved to ''Weekly Young Jump'' starting on April 26, 2012. The manga entered an indefinite hiatus in December 2018; it resumed in the magazine on April 4, 2024. Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on April 19, 2012. As of July 18, 2024, 23 volumes have been released.

In North America, the manga has been licensed by Viz Media.

Spin-offs

The series has inspired seven spin-off manga:
* , written by Manpuku Dō and illustrated by Kaito Shibano. Serialized in ''Jump X'' from May 10 to October 10, 2014. Its chapters were collected in a single volume, released on November 19, 2014.
* , a parody manga by Shōta Hattori. Serialized on the ''Tonari no Young Jump'' website from June 11, 2014, to October 12, 2016. Its chapters were collected in six volumes, released from November 19, 2014, to November 18, 2016.
* an erotic gag series by Serebixi-Ryōsangata. Previewed on ''Tonari no Young Jump'' on May 10, 2014, it was serialized in ''Miracle Jump'' from June 17 to November 18 of that same year. Its chapters were collected in a single volume, released on November 19, 2014.
* , by Satoshi Kimura, focused on Adolph Reinhard. Serialized in ''Ultra Jump'' from October 18, 2014, to February 19, 2015. Its chapters were collected in a single volume, released on February 19, 2015.
* , by Boichi, focusing on Sylvester Asimov before his trip to Mars. Serialized in ''Grand Jump'' from November 4, 2015, to June 15, 2016. Its chapters were collected in two volumes, released on March 18 and August 19, 2016.
* , by Saki Nonoyama, focusing on Keiji Onizuka before his trip to Mars. Serialized in ''Miracle Jump'' from December 15, 2015, to April 19, 2016. Its chapters were collected in a single volume, released on April 19, 2016.
* , a gag manga series by Forbidden Shibukawa. Serialized in ''Weekly Young Jump'' from January 7 to April 14, 2016. Its chapters were collected in a single volume, released on May 19, 2016.

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Anime

A 13-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Liden Films, was broadcast from September 26 to December 19, 2014. The anime is licensed in the United Kingdom by Kazé UK and in North America by Viz Media. Madman Entertainment acquired the series for release in Australia and New Zealand.

A sequel to the anime titled ''Terra Formars: Revenge'' was announced in November 2015, with changes to the series' main staff and the main cast returning to reprise their roles. Liden Films and TYO Animations produced the sequel. The anime premiered on April 2, 2016.

An OVA adaptation of the manga's Earth Arc was planned for a May 2017 release, but was delayed to an August 2018 release instead.

Film

A live-action film adaptation, directed by Takashi Miike, was announced in February 2015. It was released on April 29, 2016.

Novel

A light novel series based on Terra Formars was released on January 7, 2016, titled ''Terra Formars Lost Mission I'' by Akira Higashiyama. Another novel titled ''Terra Formars Lost Mission II'' by Yumeaki Hirayama, begun on January 19, 2016, in ''Miracle Jump''.

''Terra Formars The Outer Mission I'' was published on November 21, 2014 and written by Kenichi Fujiwara. Follow-up novels titled ''Terra Formars The Outer Mission II'' and ''Terra Formars The Outer Mission III'' were later also released. The novels followed Tohei Tachibana and Elizabeth Rooney.

Games

A Nintendo 3DS game titled ''Terra Formars: Akari Hoshi no Gekitou'' was released on April 2, 2015, developed by FuRyu. A pachislot/pachinko game machine was developed by KYORAKU and released in 2016 in Japan.

Reception

The sixth volume reached the number one place on the Oricon weekly manga chart in the week of August 19–25, 2013, with 317,248 copies. By February 2015, the 11 first volumes of ''Terra Formars'' had over 10 million copies in circulation; the manga had sold 13 million copies by August 2015; it had over 16 million copies in print by April 2018; and over 21 million copies in print by November 2018.

''Terra Formars'' was number one on the 2013 ''Kono Manga ga Sugoi!'' Top 20 Manga for Male Readers survey. It was placed second in the 2013 ''Zenkoku Shotenin ga Eranda Osusume Comic'', a ranking of the top 15 manga recommended by Japanese bookstores. It was also nominated for the sixth Manga Taishō in the same year.

References

External links

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