Edge of Tomorrow’s Inspiration Gets A New Manga Adaptation
By Erik Sugay
All You Need Is Kill, the Japanese light novel on which the movie Edge of Tomorrow is based, gets a new manga adaptation.
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It’s understandable if you didn’t know that the recent film starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt had its roots in a Japanese book. Written by Hiroshi Sakurazaka and illustrated by renowned artist Yoshitoshi ABe (not a typo), All You Need Is Kill debuted in 2004. It garnered critical acclaim, receiving the Seiun Award, which is Japan’s equivalent of the Nebula Award or Hugo Award.
Other than changing the protagonist from a Japanese teenager to, well, Tom Cruise, the basic premise of the original book and the film are roughly the same. Each features a main character with the odd ability to continue waking up after dying with their previous memories intact. Being caught in this stable time loop allows the character to continue gaining experience as he attempts to change his fate in a war-torn setting with alien invaders. (Honestly, Edge of Tomorrow is probably one of the best examples of translating the essence of a video game experience to the big screen.)
Viz Media is releasing the complete two-volume manga, with art by Takeshi Obata, as a digital download today, June 17th. If you’re more a fan of tangible products, though, the graphic novel will see a deluxe print release in November.