Earth Expansion Vols 1-3

Earth Expansion is the second title from Panini Manga, following on from the excellent The Experienced You and the Unexperienced Me, and if they’re going for variety, they’ve certainly achieved it! 

Set on a future Earth that has mysteriously expanded to thousands of times its original size, cities have been seperated even within their own countries, with no way to contact  each other. Travel by sea is impossible and passageways to lands beyond are guarded by giant creatures that appeared as part of the cataclysm. With traditional weapons no longer effective, salvation has been found in the form of naturally occurring crystals that can resonate with talented individuals, granting them rare and unusual powers. These First Class Pioneers are tasked with defending the remaining territories.

Ryusei Kuroki is a second-class pioneer. He has no powers of his own and is tasked with scouting local areas to find crystals and any other useful items of interest. His dog, Pomukichi is able to “store” items like a doggie TARDIS, which is an invaluable skill in Rusei’s line of work. He dreams of becoming a First Class Pioneer, but he’s getting old (so about 30 in manga terms!) and realises that his chances are slimming with each passing year.

On a fateful expedition, Ryusei discovers an unusual crystal, and though he fails to resonate with it initially, an attack prompts an incredible transformation, witnessed by First Class Pioneer Kohane Kanzaki. Taking on the form of a giant Kaiju-like creature, Ryusei is able to overcome the threat and, together with Kohane, starts a new adventure.

I like the premise of Earth Expansion, even if the science of it is a bit unlikely. The idea of familiar countries becoming dangerous and uncharted territories to be explored by adventurous shonen heroes is a natural setup for action and intrigue - it’s not long before we’re introduced to a rediscovered prefecture and a cult that seems to know more about the world than anyone else, with their own powerful warriors.

It took me a little time to settle in to the story - I like a mature story, but once Ryusei discovers his crystal, it all starts to feel very familiar, as there are strong shades of Kaiju No.8 running through the story - everything from an older protagonist to joining a corp made up of talented individuals undertaking trials to graduate to the main expeditionary forces. Not that it’s a bad thing if done well, and Earth Expansion certainly has its moments. 

The characters in particular are perhaps more edgy than Kaiju No.8 - Kohane is a trigger-happy lunatic whose power to (gleefully) manifest guns makes her one of the more interesting characters, providing plenty of destruction and attitude whenever things kick off. The trials arc also introduces a whole host of interesting characters that range from talented protégés, those with a family lineage of greatness and masochistic cultists. At the very least, the manga is constantly throwing new things into the mix while keeping the flow feeling natural.

If Earth Expansion has a flaw, it’s that it maybe draws on too many familiar tropes to stand on its own merits. Even other manga I’ve read recently, such as Isekai Samurai, has many of the same elements - new lands, giant monsters and an overpowered protagonist. Aside from the titular premise, everything within it has been seen before, lending Earth Expansion an element of genericism that actually feels unfair - it does nothing badly, but it does little that’s new or surprising, right down to Ryusei learning to manage how much of his crystal energy he releases at any one time to develop new moves. (Kaiju No. 8 again…).

What worries me a bit is that the manga was completed in Japan at four volumes. For a series of this narrative scope, that’s worryingly short - hell, we don’t even finish the graduation arc in volume 3, so I have a nasty feeling we’ll be left with more questions that answers by the time the final volume wraps things up. It will make it one of the cheaper series to collect though, so it has that going for it.

I can promise you this - you’ll have a good time with Earth Expansion. The artwork by Hajime Yamamoto is really expressive, the characters fun and memorable, but if this is your first manga, you’ll love it - it’s the lack of freshness for the rest of us that makes it a good, if not great, read. Coupled with the seemingly premature ending, there’s no room for any romance or relationship drama, so if that’s your bag, you might want to look into something a bit longer to get your teeth into.