List of Please Save My Earth volumes

The science fiction manga Please Save My Earth was written and drawn by Saki Hiwatari. The series centers around high school student Alice Sakaguchi, her seven-year old neighbor Rin Kobayashi, and five other teenage students who have recurring collective dreams about a group of alien scientists stationed on the moon observing and collecting data about the Earth.

The series was first published by Hakusensha in Hana to Yume from 1987 to 1994. It was collected in 21 tankōbon volumes; it was reissued in 12 bunkoban volumes in 1998 and again in 10 A5 format volumes in 2004. It is licensed in English in North America by Viz Media, which has translated all tankōbon volumes. These original publications are listed below.

Development
Please Save My Earth, like early manga series that suddenly become popular for many different manga artists careers', is an illustration of the development and transition of Hiwatari Saki from a novice to an experienced manga artist. The difference in art style between the volume 1 and volume 21 of the manga is quite drastic, as illustrated in the image to the right.

Another notable point is that Hiwatari Saki appears to be quite the manga otaku, as illustrated by the significant number of homages to various classic anime and manga sprinkled throughout the manga. Additionally, Shion, the main male romantic interest himself, is shown to be quite the manga otaku.


 * Manga volume 1
 * The dinosaurs sing the theme song of Uchusenkan Yamato/Star Blazers on pages 7-8.


 * Manga volume 3
 * Doraemon's theme song is sung by Issei and Rin on page 43, on page 91 he appears on a billboard, and he is mentioned again on page 100.
 * Black Jack gets a name drop on page 22.
 * Saint Seiya gets several shout-outs this volume, the first, Hyoga and Shiryu are seen outside the hospital on page 22.
 * Saint Seiya surprises us with another appearance on page 34 when most if not all of the heroes are listed on the class rosters.
 * Saint Seiya appears again as Rin poses in the Andromeda armor while Alice is shown in the Phoenix armor on page 41.
 * Saint Seiya is holding strong as Issei poses with Jinpachi as Shun (female) and Hyoga (male) respectively on page 86.


 * Manga volume 5
 * Issei's sister Kyoko's character design is noted here as being influenced by Osamu Tezuka and is a homage to classic style shōjo manga artists such as Miyako Maki, Makoto Takahashi, Hikdeko Mizuno, and Shotaro Ishimori (a guy).


 * Manga volume 6
 * Osamu Tezuka is mentioned in the Editor's Commons, explaining his background and that he was a humanitarian (similar to how Hiwatari has environmental themes in her manga).
 * The 1979 anime Tarō the Dragon Boy gets a mention by Mrs. Yakushimaru on page 77.


 * Manga volume 8
 * A 1970s-era story called "Uchuusen Pepe Pepe Ran" is mentioned in a 1/4 column by Hiwatari on pg31, with a plot surprisingly similar to the scientists' background.


 * Manga volume 9
 * Shion is seen reading Jungle Emperor by Osamu Tezuka on page 151.


 * Manga volume 10
 * A monster from the video game Dragon Quest appears on page 133.


 * Manga volume 11
 * Rin is seen reading a Hana to Yume monthly on pages 80-93, the same anthology in which PSME was published in Japan.


 * Manga volume 15
 * Mokuren is seen on page 184 making the pose and jingle associated with classic Betty Boop.

From volume 16 and on, the Editor's Comments section was omitted from the English-language adaptation by Viz, as P. Duffield, the Editor and one responsible for them, was no longer working on the project, as mentioned in the final segment of Editor's Comments in volume 15.

Design
The following flowers are featured in each volume, with a possible symbolism attached to them.


 * Manga volume 1
 * Aster - This flower is known for its ability to grow in poor soil, and is Shion's namesake.
 * Camellia - These blossoms tend to drop their blooms all at once instead of petal by petal, reminiscent of a head being chopped off. For this reason, the Camellia can represent untimely death. This the flower Alice talks to frequently outside of her school.
 * Crocus - A common flower for kids to grow in windowsills. Represents longing and youthful rejoicing. This is the plant Alice and Rin brought home from the zoo, that Rin later dropped from the balcony.
 * Lily Magnolia - This flower represents a love of nature, and is Mokuren's namesake.
 * Lily of the Valley - These flowers represent integrity, innocence, and the return of happiness. They are sweet-smelling and hardy.
 * Peony - These large, bold flowers represent bashfulness in Japan.
 * Plum Blossom - These flowers represent purity, loyalty, and honesty. They also carry a sense of youth and masculinity.


 * Manga volume 3
 * Currant - There is no traditional Japanese meaning to this non-native plant, despite how often they appear in PSME.
 * Tulip - This flower symbolizes sympathy, charity and benevolence, and the obvious flower for Haruhiko's mom to bring to Tamura upon his release from the hospital. Tulips can also represent fame.
 * Water Lily - This flower is a religious symbol in Buddhism, representing man's ability to achieve enlightenment. Despite this sacred significance, in Japan the water lily, most commonly the lotus variety, expresses conceit and false love. It is used to illustrate the virus as being divine punishment due to the scientists' own cold selfishness, as Daisuke mentions.


 * Manga volume 5
 * Baby's Breath - While there is no Japanese meaning for this imported flower, in English it connotes innocence.
 * Begonia - This flower symbolizes unrequited love, and is Shukaido's namesake. It also represents kindness, politeness and care, which is also fitting for Shukaido's mild-mannered personality. In English, it can also imply "dark thoughts" which may also be appropriate to represent Shukaido.
 * Carnation - This flower represents unabashed affection and a woman's love, and comes in a variety of colors, some of which have individual meanings. This is the flower Rin gives Alice, whie pretending it's from Haruhiko.
 * Iris - This flower represents mysterious people and expectant news, perfect for representing Mrs. Yakushimaru's unexpected guest, Tamura.
 * Chrysanthemum - This noble flower represents purity and nobility, making it the perfect background for Mrs. Yakushimaru's refined and imperious Kyoto-ite icyness as she dismisses Tamura.


 * Manga volume 6
 * Azalea - Azaleas are often considered conservative plants, expressing temperance and reserve. But they can also represent passion and enthusiasm.
 * Boton - This flower is a variety of peony imported from China centuries ago, and represents wealth, honor, and bashfulness. It is a suitable backdrop to Mrs. Yakushimaru as she explains hers and Mikuro's difficult past to Tamura.
 * Japanese Pagoda Tree - Called the Chinese Scholar tree in English, this tree often appears as the backdrop for its namesake, Enju.
 * Gladiolus - This flower is used only in connection with the moon characters, indicating a sense of destiny, as well as strength, security, caution, and discretion.
 * Lily - The backdrop of Mrs. Yakushimaru, white trumpet lilies, imply majesty, dignity and integrity, reinforcing her aura of polite intimidation as she speaks with Tamura at the temple. In general, all lilies imply a sense of refinement.


 * Manga volume 9
 * Daisy - Daisies convey a sense of innocence and inexperience. Hiwatari seems to enjoy using these to convey a sense of irony, since Shusuran and Enju are hardly naive little girls.
 * Delphinium - A beautiful but poisonous plant that is native to Europe, these plants seem to be used with regard to the English meaning since there is no Japanese meaning. In general, they represent ardent attachment, levity and airiness. The pink variety also conveys a sense of fickleness, while the purple variety implies haughtiness.
 * Orchid - The plants of this family represent the largest family in the flowering plant world, due to their adaptability – they can survive extreme conditions and so can be found on six of the seven continents of the world (Antarctica being the exception). Despite its refined grace, the orchid represents selfish beauty and cheap or shallow love in Japan. Two of our scientists take a cultivar of this flower as their namesake: Gyokuran and Shusuran.
 * Rose - Roses represent love in Japan just as they do in the west, but of course, the colors each have their own individual meanings as well. Hiwatari seems to prefer using roses to symbolize melodrama rather than drama.