Otakuism

Story: In the near future global warming has increased the earth’s temperature, until the point where methane gases in the ocean are released, worsening the greenhouse effect. Earth will turn into a boiling planet devoid of life, and there’s nothing man can do about it. Two projects are undertaken to ensure man survives in some form: the “ark” that will take human DNA to the closest habitable planet, and the “hotel,” a massive tower that stores DNA and bears responsibility for humanities sins. It is controlled by the smart AI Louise. This is his tale as he protects mankind over immeasurable gulfs of time. I think the epigraph at the beginning explains the story best: “A computer continues to live on in order to complete a mission in a world where all life has gone extinct. This is a record of those 27 million years of its heroic struggle.”

Impressions: HOTEL is a one-shot story by Boichi, and is one of the most ambitious stories I’ve ever seen in dealing with the passage of time. That Boichi goes through several hundred thousand years in just a few passages really says something. HOTEl is a very bleak tale. Mankind is extinct and only has itself to blame. The scenario is realistic and scary in its possibilities. However, there is also an element of hope to the work. Louise, even though just a computer, acts almost human in his single-minded drive to fulfill his duty. There’s something of a parent/child dynamic to the work, not only in Louise’s thoughts on his parents/creators, but also the wish by the robots to restore their “parents,” humanity. The ending is indeed uplifting in its promise that life will go on, even if it has to take a break for a few million years. The way it’s brought about is pretty surprising actually, and one I hadn’t thought of at all. Boichi’s artwork does a good job showing a desolate earth of continious storms, and aside from that is pretty sparse. Though, there is a spread at the end that is breathtaking to my eyes. Another reason why the ending is surprising. HOTEL is a great one-shot story to be enjoyed by sci-fi and non-sci-fi fans alike. Its message is both beautiful and scary, but an important one to remember in this age of environmental awareness. HOTEL was translated by Kotonoha and can be downloaded from rapidshare here.