An analysis of Savage Planet

Savage (or Uncivilized) Planet (Mikai no Hoshi) is a manga by Jiro Matsumoto, the creator of many esoterically charged manga such as Freesia and Tropical Citron. While I believe it to be a great story, I must also disclaim that it is very graphic (I would even say gratuitous in some parts). It's not just any seinen manga.

The protagonist of Mikai no Hoshi is like Adam, the primordial man, before the fall; he is pure, untainted by the First Sin, by the knowledge of Good & Evil.

"You're too pure for this word, Colo".

Colo is an artist; and an artist is someone who's passionate about manifesting the human soul - an act which can be said to be, in its purest form, an expression of the divine. Art is related to gnosis in this sense.

Colo never defends himself from his agressors, for he is like Christ, who said to turn the other cheek. Which frequently leads to him being harassed and beaten to a pulp.

Cookie - a name refering to, quite simply and literally, a sweet - is Lilith, Adam's envious wife who first betrayed him. She considers herself above Adam (Colo), her pride never allowing herself to admit he is or could ever become her equal (Colo is said to be a more talented artist than her; and both share the dream of leaving town and studying at an art school).

Thus, the presence of a false third eye on her forehead, as well as her portrayal as a dancer who entertains the lowest of the low, the animalistic hedonists (as depicted by that symbolic cover where she dances for a crowd of animals). Everyone knows, however, that the men only pretend to be amused by her dances so they can sleep with her.

When she is about to face death, she asks for a bathtub to die on; she wants to be purified, to become like Colo, who she deeply envies.

Naomi - a name meaning "gentle, kind-hearted" - is Eve, Adam's second wife. Though she falls for the Serpent's lies - that is, she's sucked into a life of depravity, as she became a slave of the general through a Faustian bargain -, she still cared for Colo; she sold her soul for his sake, earning the money Colo needed to fulfill his dream of becoming an artist.

The conclusion to Colo's journey is a metaphor for attaining gnosis, as he fulfills his dream of becoming an artist. A similar arc can be found in Tropical Citron, where (spoilers ahead) the protagonist fulfills his dream of becoming a photographer.

The rocket that has crashed into Earth is a metaphor for the Genesis of men, with the pilot and his partner being Adam & Eve. They have lost themselves in a cruel, hedonistic world - a Savage/Uncivilized Planet -, and desire to return to Heaven - to the boundless realm of outer space - through gnosis, that is, by refueling the rocket.

Colo continually longs for paradise; for this memory of the past he has ingrained within him. As he is the only pure man in this corrupt world, he never forgot his divine origin. His longing manifests as a way of coping with the horrors of the material world; he dissociates from reality and drifts into fantasy.

Of course, the themes relating to MKULTRA that are typical of Jiro's works is also present in Mikai no Hoshi. As Naomi sold her body to men dressed as demons as part of a tantric-like drug-fueled ritual - a reference to how Lilith slept with Satan and Archdemons and became the Mother of Demons; the roles of Eve (Naomi) and Lilith (Cookie) having been seemingly reversed in the story -, she too dissociated; and she did so by attaching herself to the image of the butterfly.

As previously mentioned, like Eve, Naomi was lured by the Serpent. Though she did so consciously, with the intent of sacrificing herself for Colo's sake. And as expected, Colo is completely oblivious to what is unfolding around him, thinking Naomi simply worked hard to earn her new status and money.

The general who commands this Eyes Wide Shut-like hellscape is the antichrist - the false Rebis.

The Rebis is the alchemical Gold, the perfect being. The positive manifestation of the Rebis is the enlightened man and his wife, who become one through love and marriage (and are guided by God). The negative manifestation of the Rebis is the antichrist, the subversion of the union of opposites - as is depicted in the general, a fascistic men who rules with cruelty, enslaves his subjects and whose fetish is to dress as a woman.

And this is the end of this article. Thank you for your continued support! I truly appreciate it. Sorry for the delay!