Live-Action Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte Announced, Hirose Alice Cast as Mokuren

The announcement of a live-action drama adaptation for the manga Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte has stirred up social media. Hirose Alice will star as Mokuren, and her back view was revealed in the ‘OFFICIAL 超特報,’ drawing further attention.

Serialization of Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte began in Hana to Yume in 1986, and it stands as one of the representative SF works of the shoujo manga world. It wove grand science-fiction ideas—past-life memories, psychic powers, aliens, a moon base, and interplanetary war—together with romance, conflict, and the delicate emotions of its characters, telling the story in a way unique to shoujo manga.

The main story concluded with 21 volumes and was followed by Boku wo Tsutsumu Tsuki no Hikari (15 volumes) and the currently ongoing Boku wa Chikyuu to Utau. Together, the three stories have already surpassed 40 volumes, and the SF fantasy born in the 1980s continues to spin its tale across generations.

Hana to Yume, the magazine that ran Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. A commemorative touring exhibition that began in May displayed numerous vivid original drawings, stirring memories for readers who once lost themselves in the works. Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte appeared in Hana to Yume 40 years ago, in 1986. Now, after a long time, the story is about to move again in a new form: a live-action drama.

Note: The following text includes spoilers.

Seven people connected by past-life memories

So what kind of story is Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte, which has been read for 40 years?

Central to the tale are seven people who carry memories of past lives. They are men and women reincarnated in modern Japan with memories of their former selves as aliens. In 1991, Sakaguchi Arisu transfers to a Tokyo high school and meets classmates Ogura Jinpachi and Nishikiori Issei.

The two share the same dream, a ‘Moon Dream’ about events on the moon. In that dream, Jinpachi is called Gyokuran, and Issei is a woman named Kai. Gyokuran longs for Mokuren, a woman and special being known as a Kiche=Sajarian who can communicate feelings with plants and animals, while Kai holds feelings for Gyokuran.

On the night she hears this, Arisu dreams that she herself is Mokuren. Mokuren has someone she single-mindedly loves: Shion. Arisu’s dream becomes the trigger for the members who were once at the moon base to gather. Kobayashi Rin, who lives next door to Arisu, becomes attached to her and becomes her ‘fiancé,’ and says that he is Shukaido—though his true identity is Shion. Then Kasama Haruhiko, who looks exactly like Shion, appears—and is actually Shukaido. At last, the seven are assembled.

However, Rin, who is truly the reincarnation of Shion, had awakened to psychic powers after his awakening. To send a signal to the moon base, he uses his wits to plot the remodeling of Tokyo Tower. He also gathers the ‘Kii Waado’ held by the members and works in the shadows, throwing those around him into confusion.

At the time of serialization, their reincarnation and the circumstances of the aliens—or otherworlders—at the moon base were closely tied to real-world affairs. What is Shion aiming for? Why did the seven at the moon base, who lost their home planet in an interplanetary war and had no place to return to, reincarnate on the Earth they longed for? And why was only Shion, as Rin, born nine years later than the other members? The mysteries scattered throughout the story kept readers glued to the page.

Many readers may also have been startled to realize that Kioku Senmei, a short story collection the author released before Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte began, was a story connected behind the scenes. In the final part of Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte, Yakushiji Mirairo, the strongest modern psychic who fought a death match with Rin, heads to the American psychic research organization EPIA from Kioku Senmei. The work left a major impact not only on the manga world but also on readers drawn to spiritual and occult subjects, and the story continues further from there.

The story continues to the next generation: The moon’s memories inherited by the Kobayashi family

The protagonist of the sequel Boku wo Tsutsumu Tsuki no Hikari is Kobayashi Ren, a seven-year-old boy raised surrounded by mysterious abilities. His father is Kobayashi Rin, and his mother is Kobayashi Arisu. Ren’s childhood friend Kachiko is Mirairo’s daughter. Ren meets Mokuren and Shion and comes to call them his ‘guardian angels.’ Including Chimako, the second child born to Rin and Arisu, the Kobayashi family faces past lives and the moon once more, overcoming old trauma.

Currently ongoing is Boku wa Chikyuu to Utau, the story that follows Boku wo Tsutsumu Tsuki no Hikari. Four years after the incidents in Boku wo Tsutsumu Tsuki no Hikari, Ren has awakened to psychic powers and can now hear the Earth’s song, leaving him confused by the change. Around that time, he is drawn in a dream to a girl named Henruuka, and she ends up living with the Kobayashi family. With Mirairo’s daughter Kachiko also living there, the Kobayashi household remains caught in incidents involving the moon and their home planet.

A story of Earth and humanity spun over 40 years

The grand SF fantasy continues even now, 42 years after Kioku Senmei was published in 1984 (as of 2026). Their home star system has a history of changing from environmental destruction to nature conservation through the Kiche=Sajarian, shrine-maiden-like beings who commune with plants and animals. Mokuren, Arisu’s past life, is one such Kiche=Sajarian, a being who connects humans with plants and animals. While warning against human folly such as war and environmental destruction, the story also depicts thrilling psychic battles and continues to spin its thoughts without change.

Now that the story is being made into a drama again, what will it ask viewers? How far, and in what way, will the live-action drama depict the grand world of past lives, the moon base, interplanetary war, and the next generation? On Manga Park, 82 chapters of Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte are currently available for free. While revisiting the original work, fans can look forward to the drama broadcast.

Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte