On paper, Lonely Alien seems like a standard shonen urban fantasy about a group of high schoolers saving the world. And yet, there's a lot more to it as a series than just that; Lonely Alien is about the pain that loneliness can bring to someone, and how, if given the opportunity, many people would act if what they consider to be their purpose in life is threatened or challenged. It's a story about characters that lock heads against each other in spite of understanding each other, because they're desperate to fill that void within themselves and simply want validation for existing. It's about how bonds are fragile and how people react to the loss of a purpose and/or a person. But I'm getting ahead of myself and themes or intent on their own don't suddenly make a series worth reading, so the question is; what is at the heart of Lonely Alien?

Lonely Alien initially is centered around a seemingly standard high school student by the name of Kouichi, living an unsuspecting life until it's turned upside down when he encounters a self-declarde alien by the name of Nozomi who chases after him and declares that she wants to take over the planet, while also speaking of a meeting from long ago. Kouichi understandably declines the offer, and only partners with her after realizing the gravity of the threat to his own family. From then on, the series follows a semi-episodic structure, mixing slice of life as well as urban fantasy elements with a more complex science fiction plot that only grows more complex as the series goes on. And yet this plot would not work as well as it does without the series' strong emphasis on character-writing, which are at the heart of this series. And in-spite of what one would expect, the action isn't the emphasis of the series but rather its characters, to the point where I'd argue much of the series' first half's highlights are more quiet, still moments that symbolize the distance between various characters - a recurring motif emphasized across the manga.

None of this would work if it wasn't for how the series handles its writing, which flows fluidly and intimately, while also concentrating on developing dynamics between the central characters. There is much nuance that can be missed in Lonely Alien if one isn't paying attention to the dialogue - an example being an established character who becomes a major antagonist to the main characters, and yet instead of portraying such a rivalry being portrayed through personal lens, the clash between them feels less than a clash of ideology (though ideology is certainly a variable in why they're fighting) and more on why one character is fighting Koichi for what he lacks and due to his lack of willingness to relinquish his purpose in living up until this point, even in the face of information that goes against that purpose. This is a recurring motif across the series that solidifies a certain point; loneliness in people's lives and having our purpose questioned is inevitable, but living means constantly evolving and accepting alterations to that purpose as opposed to stubbornly clinging to it because it's all you've known, refusing to evolve in the process. In that respect, the series can be seen as a criticism of fatalism, with most antagonists constantly being characters that refuse to evolve or change their purposes and simply accepting that they cannot change and that this is simply the way it has to be, while the central leads constantly evolve and progress ever more.

Of particular mention involving that theme is Nozomi, who I'd argue is easily one of the best female main characters out of a shonen action series. Her purpose in the narrative is at the heart of Lonely Alien, and as the series constantly wears down that purpose until she has to find a new one, she increasingly slides into self-isolation and attempts to be a martyr for a cause that no longer is relevant to the world she lives in in the context of the plot. Her character arc is a journey of self-discovery, where she tries to find a place to call home in replacement to what she no longer has, and needless to say parts of it are unpleasant to anyone that had a place to call home or a person to entrust but were let down by that place no longer existing. And yet in spite of that, angst in her character arc is kept to a minimum and Koichi serves as an excellent catalyst to give her a new place to call home, and a new person that she can entrust. Nozomi is childish to a fault yet also jaded and weary of having anyone come close to her, being absolutely terrified of losing ever more people. She wants a new place to belong over the course of the story and constantly attempts to bridge closer to Koichi, but bridges herself away from him over the course of the series, sliding into guilt as well as self-loathing over the constant fights Koichi and her end up embroiled in and getting hurt from, accusing herself more of being the reason why he's constantly in danger while also simply being scared of just losing him. This conflict would not work as well without the slice of life segments of the series, which increasingly show her romantic development with Koichi as well as show off differring sides of who she is, emphasizing her willingness to live a happy life while being conflicted about the task she has been left with to commit.

Nozomi and Koichi's romance is yet another element at the heart of Lonely Alien and easily one of the most memorable parts of the series, with both characters' motivations seemingly starting in quiet conflict with each other only to intertwine; Koichi wanting to return to his otherwise peaceful life, while Nozomi wants excitement for its own sake and more battles against the aliens, acting as a blood knight of sorts externally. This increasingly changes as both characters grow attached to each other and kicks into stage, with Nozomi wanting to continue fighting against the aliens on her own and being unwilling to drag Koichi to battle while Koichi wants to help her as to ease her loneliness and take a more active role, both in their relationship and in the fighting. The two character arcs are tied together, and their fight against aliens that desire to destroy the world is portrayed less as them saving the world for its own sake and more them desiring to protect the place they've grown to call home - Nozomi finding such a place in Koichi, and Koichi finding such a place in Nozomi, to the point where he grows to see the bus that Nozomi normally lives in on her own in a desolate field as a second home in and of itself, yet one where he'd refuse to allow Nozomi to live on her own. This lack of a place to call home contrasts with Koichi, who lost his parents at a young age and both him and his brother have been attempting to construct a place to call home in their grandfather's house, and serves to thematically tie both characters together. Their development is dynamic, natural and subtle and their chemistry I'd argue is simply one of the best romances out of a shonen.

This analysis extends to much of the rest of the cast, who similarly grapple with different variations of loneliness as well as desiring a place to call home. Ayla desires to find a place to call home due to her lack of coherent identity as well as her mixed feelings on her destined role in the narrative, Nagi much like Koichi is similarly desperately trying to find a new place to call home - but unlike Koichi (who outgrows this) also desires revenge against those who killed their parents so many years ago. Maya desires to continue her one woman rampage against the world for losing everything, and Orbelio's King, who seeks to revive his lost love quite literally and would spare no cost in doing so. Through these characters, different kinds of loneliness are explored; the loneliness of being loved but watching as the person you love slowly becomes a worse person, the loneliness of having nowhere to belong due to having several places of origin, having nowhere to call home at all, fighting for a cause that has long been lost simply because it grants purpose, the cruel destiny of being left to the waves of time and the loneliness of losing those you love, and watching as the series dives into the psyches of all these various characters and how such loneliness can warp anyone. This isn't to say other themes don't exist - how relationships would change due to advancing technology as well as environmentalist elements are also briefly discussed - but the core of the narrative is through emphasizing the alienation these characters feel and their desperate attempts to either distract themselves from said alienation or actively find a new place to belong. This extends to how this series contrasts characters with each other, as it's considerably more subtle in how it portrays interpersonal dynamics between this cast and foils often arise naturally as a result of conflict that was foreshadowed much earlier in the series.

The plot acts as a natural extension of the series, with the series often using comedy and slice of life moments to set up who the characters often are as people outside of the context of the plot, giving further insight not only into their actions but also into why they act the way they do. Plot elements are foreshadowed well in advance before events happen, and nothing genuinely comes out of left field; this is especially noteworthy during a reread, where many details that appear sudden (like certain elements that may appear introduced in the finale) actually were cleverly lampshaded in the plot earlier. In a series noteworthy for its conflict and internal struggle, some of the most memorable moments were represented by quiet pages, where characters confront each other naturally and try to understand and empathize with the other. Nozomi and Koichi's relationship in particular through its highs and lows, while often presented which much of the drama one has come to expect from shonen romance series is also filled to the brim with absolutely quiet pages where the characters simply look at each other, with maximal emphasis on expression and their placement in a scene and less so on dialogue. In a series that spends many words on humor, monologues, exposition and action this is a creative decision that serves to wonderfully expand on these characters, tying together both the romance in the series as well as its plot to each other.

None of this would be as competently done as it is if it wasn't for the series amazing artwork as well as paneling and dialogue, which flows extremely naturally. The series uses simple squares and rectangles from various angles for the most part, with spacing evenly laid out across the page for ease of reading. This makes reading the manga a joy and the manga as a whole easy to marathon in-spite of its dialogue-heavy nature - with the series extensively taking advantage of the medium to portray facial expressions, character body language as well as massive use of backgrounds to emphasize the particular tone of a given scene. Characters would often be drawn in a crowded street yet reading the page would emphasize their loneliness due to the introspective nature of the manga and by extension much of the cast, which'd emphasize that even when surrounded by so many people and seemingly getting along with society at large, these characters don't stop feeling pain or alienation from people around them. As such, the series does an exceptional job tying its artwork to its themes, plot and cast, to say nothing of how beautifully the series handles its backgrounds and action scenes. Detailed aliens, backgrounds with minor details that most mangaka would not draw due to time constraints, houses and character designs are scattered across this manga, to say nothing of how action scenes are fluid and well-drawn, evoking well both the tension of a given scene as well as simply being absolutely beautiful to look at.

And yet the motif that often comes to mind when thinking of this manga is the constant use of height and placement between characters to symbolize the difference between them, with particular frames like these coming to mind:

In conclusion, Lonely Alien is a series that is at once humorous, laid-back and easygoing, and yet is also a series that highlights how the illusion of comradery and closeness can perhaps be more alienating than complete loneliness. It is a series that is masterful in handling tone, with a cast of memorable characters, a phenomenally written romance, gorgeous artwork, a solid plot and themes that are very well-handled, relatable to anyone that ever felt completely isolated, and more than anything, explored to the utmost extent that the series could manage. It's the epitome of an underrated masterpiece and everything someone that desires in a shonen action romance series could possibly want. More than anything this series is uplifting and romantic in both the colloquial and adventurous sense of the word, with both main characters overcoming their past scars and alienation to love each other and through each other the world in general, and finally finding such a place, being a series that is at once optimistic while never letting its idealism detract from the seriousness of the topics it discusses, having a sense of balance that is at once subtle while also managing to balance everything it seeks out to explore with ease.

I cannot recommend this series highly enough and I await Maiko Ogawa's next work with bated breath.

Thank you very much for reading.