- Mangaka : Douman, Seiman
- Publisher : Seven Seas Entertainment
- Genre : Comedy, Sci-Fi, Seinen
- Published : December 2020 - Completed
Babylon made wa Nankounen? (How many Light-years to Babylon?) Introduction
It can be pretty lonely when you’re the last remaining member of your species. Ask Bub, an Earthling who woke up in outer space and discovered that Earth had been destroyed. The problem is that he doesn’t remember his past. With that, Bub has to figure out how his home planet got obliterated to pieces while picking up alien chicks to repopulate the human race.
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
Well at least one of us just finished reviewing Peter Grill and only got assigned to this manga, so why not? If you’re a fan of Peter Grill manga but the story takes place in space. That would be an almost accurate description of this manga. Just so everyone knows that this manga has one volume, but it is a good story nonetheless which we can delve into them later. The art style of the manga is like a western cartoon style. Still, the format of presenting the story and art aligns with Japanese style manga, score for diversity, especially the hidden references that most of the readers may be able to recognize. A quick warning before you read this review or think about reading the manga is that it targets mature audiences.
1. Obligation
It is exciting but accurate that when an individual knows that they are the last person of their race, their body tends to get in heat more often as a way to reproduce more of their race, no matter what kind of race they are as long as they have given their consent. Bub was feeling under pressure from that fact and has been traveled from planet to planet to do sleep with anyone he could get on even though the chances are relatively low as both individuals are a whole different species.
2. Parenting
We weren’t kidding when we said this manga is similar to Peter Grill, but only to a certain extent. We thought this would be another Peter Grill series and we were so wrong about it as we read through the volume. The pacing is so well planned by the author, and even with what seems to be a little side story, it naturally goes back to the main story, and everything is connected.
Bub meets Karellen, who works as a volunteer to encourage the progress of developing planets, how nice of her. After understanding Bub’s situation and the state of the Earth, she chose, at her own volition, to get impregnated by Bub. The chances are 1 in 4.8 Billion, but for the sake of the plot, they made twins. 10 years later, Karellen got struck by lightning, leaving Bub and their kids devastated. When Bub first meets his kids, you can definitely feel, for some readers, the maternal instinct rising up inside you and keep telling you to take care of them. Bub changes his personality dramatically after that incident and takes his role as a father seriously. That shows how much love he has for them. Children grow up so fast.
3. Appreciating the Details with Comedy
We noticed two easter eggs from this manga so far, Spongebob and Precure. We love how they showcase Bub’s experience and feeling like a foreigner who travels to Japan as a holiday trip and appreciates their culture.
During their journey to find the Fourth Dimension Man, they visited a planet that literally a library/archive by itself. There, they even show an apartment building meant for mangaka to work and achieving the ridiculous workload they have to complete before the deadlines. Props to the mangaka for their hard work and dedication, but please take care of your health. Health is essential in the long run, you know.
Also, we get to experience Kaiten Sushi in space! We love how much detail Seiman put into the capsule that protects the sushi and travels 1.19 million years in space sushi belt, rendering them frozen solid and able to break our teeth. If you’re ordering sushi in space, make sure to ask the sushi chefs directly instead of the belt.
4. Experiencing Different Planets
We can’t believe that this manga only has one volume because it is definitely filled with adventures. We have humanoid aliens that are 1600 meters tall, a planet of rest, developing planets, fixing your spaceship in the middle of nowhere without assistance from the outside, getting arrested for driving a spaceship without a license, staying in the moon for 3 hours which spends 10 years of your lifespan, Akasha and developing planets. We don’t know what else to say about this, but we will leave you to judge after joining Bub’s group for an adventure.
5. Overall Art Style
The character design of this manga is like a western cartoon, but it has a mix of Japanese manga art styles at the same time. The manga format is more toward Japanese without a doubt, and the background designs are so well made to put us into zones and experience the sci-fi genre of this world.
Final Thoughts
Babylon made wa Nankounen? (How many Light-Years to Babylon?) is a fantastic manga in itself. It started off with Bub trying to repopulate his race then knowing his past to search for Fourth Dimension Man and protecting his family. The artwork is terrific along with the minor details they placed into the story. Traveling to different planets to know their culture is funny as there are so many complications they have to face. The sense of responsibility Bub possess when it comes to humankind, and the sudden willingness to change to take care of his kids is admirable and respectable. The ending? It is beautiful, in our opinion. If you want a story of how a protagonist tries to repopulate a human race in space through comedy and serious progress toward the ending, give this manga a go. You won’t regret it.
Author: Nobodies17