Abstract

A series of stories about a young girl and a U.S. military combat cyborg squad cooperating to confront an enemy. Having been possessed by a life form from outer space, the young girl has astonishing combat abilities. By using a format reminiscent of the popular Japanese tokusatsu series “Ultraman” and having the stories take place from the viewpoint of the U.S. military, the content can be enjoyed by a more international audience. The powerful action scenes and the friendships (between the life form and the girl, and the girl and the U.S. military) make for a great read. They fight while going around to China, the United States, Japan, Uganda, Russia, and elsewhere, and readers can enjoy portrayals specific to each of these countries.

Beijing has turned into a desert. The U.S. military’s most advanced war cyborg squad has descended on the ruined Forbidden City. The target is a superhuman who single-handedly destroyed the capital city―a farmer who lost his mind after being possessed by a life form that flew in from outer space. The squad’s members are helplessly falling to the ground due to his overwhelming fighting ability when suddenly a girl appears before them with a blue flame in tow. A full-fledged long-form action SF series of works beginning with a story that won the 6th Sogen SF Short Story Prize.

Author’s Information

Born in Akita Prefecture and currently living in Tokyo. In 2011, he debuted with Boku no maken ga, urusai ken nitsuite (About My Magic Sword Being Noisy). He is also a member of Adventure Planning Service, where he has helped with table talk RPGs and anime projects. In 2015, he won the 6th Sogen SF Short Story Award for the first story in this book. He then gained popularity with his “Ura sekai pikunikku (Underworld Picnic)” series, which has been made into comics and an anime. His many other works include U wa uchu yabai no U (U is for ‘universe is sick!’) and Soine dorima (Bed-sharing Dreamer).