Imagine the entirety of the Earth designated as a nature preserve, and human society has moved up to an artificial ring circling the Earth. Pretty cool, right? Well, along with that is the usual class stratification, which brings us to our protagonist Mitsu, who lives in the lowest tier, and just started his work as a window washer.This is the world of Saturn Apartments by Hisae Iwaoka.

It's a high-risk job, seeing as you can get hit by debris or winds can send you flying all over the place. Mitsu knows this especially well, because his dad died on the job five years past, leaving him all alone. He was the guy everyone liked, and so the community came to look after Mitsu. Now that he's a working man, just graduated from middle school, he's tackling his job with all the seriousness he can muster.

What really struck me about Saturn Apartments was the art style. It's something different and has a strong feeling to it, although I had a hard time telling apart characters' ages -- I thought some of the people in their 40s and 50s were the same age as Mitsu. It was all fine and dandy, until I saw the drawings of Earth.

They were absolutely captivating. I stopped and stared at it for a good minute, taking in all the detail and the absolute beauty of it.

The story takes itself at a slow yet serious pace, and I get the feeling that it's ultimately going to be a tale about growing up. Which is just where I want it to go. While you may not be impressed by the cover art, or only have a passing interest in futuristic Earth, go and read the first chapter. You'll find yourself wanting to read the rest almost immediately.

Can't wait to see it in print, Viz!