Kimi Shinitamou Ryuuseigun - Hoshino Amanogawa must be saved! Thriller.
Kimi Shinitamou Ryuuseigun (君死にたもう流星群) is a science fiction thriller light novel series written by Takeshi Matsuyama and illustrated by Coffee Kizoku. The series is currently ongoing, with five volumes released so far. This is another one of those light novels that has been on hiatus for so long that it is painful for invested readers like me. While the fifth volume was released at the end of 2019, the author wrote a few short stories in 2024 and 2025 for the main heroine birthday, giving me hope for a return in the near future.
The setting centers on a terrible terrorist attack occurring on December 11, 2022. During this event, all artificial satellites in orbit are hacked, causing them to fall into the atmosphere. While the event may seem romantic to those on Earth watching the "falling stars," it is a tragedy for Hoshino Amanogawa, a genius astronaut who died when the International Space Station fell.
Following her death, the protagonist, Daichi Hirano, who was in love with Hoshino, is devastated and becomes a cynical, broken young adult. He leads a depressing life, obsessed with "cost-performance" in everything he does as a coping mechanism to avoid the pain of getting attached to others. While his friends have moved on to become successful people, he remains stuck in his grief.
Everything changes when Daichi receives a message from the Hoshino of the past, revealing the existence of a machine called "Spacewriter" that is capable of sending human memories back in time. Desperate to return to her side, Daichi uses the machine and initiates a second loop of his life, arriving just before the two of them originally became close.
From there, the story follows Daichi's journey to befriend the extremely reluctant Hoshino, who views everyone as an enemy and has closed herself off in her house. Her isolation is due to the online harassment she receives for being the first "space baby" born in orbit, as well as the fact that her parents both died in a space-related accident. This leads to many people insulting her online, with some even resorting to stalking her home.
The narrative continues to pile up mysteries as Daichi tries to find a way to avert the tragedy before it happens. His plan is simple: find the culprit behind the terrorist attack before they can carry it out, while protecting Hoshino in the meantime from stalkers and criminals.
Of course, things are not that simple. It turns out he is not the only one capable of using the Spacewriter, and other entities with unknown powers are meddling with the timeline. Events do not unfold exactly as he remembers, and his hopes of protecting Hoshino dwindle as the story progresses.
Each volume has a central theme and generally connects to one specific character, though Hoshino remains the central figure in all of them.
The first volume focuses on Hoshino Amanogawa, and its theme can be summarized as "Passion vs. Cost-Performance". This contrasts the protagonist's old mentality with Hoshino's pure feelings. It remains the most memorable volume for me because of the beautiful journey of the two discovering each other again.
The second volume revolves around Daichi's best friends, Imari and Ryousuke, with the theme of "The Value of Failure". This explores the effects Daichi’s changes to the past have on his friends' lives as he tries to get them back on track with their life.
The third volume focuses on Umi Uno, a classmate of the protagonist. She is often nicknamed "Universe" because of the way her name is read, which is quite hilarious. She dreams of becoming an idol but is held back by her parents. The theme is, "Is it still worth pursuing a dream that has no chance of being achieved?"
The fourth volume focuses on the suspicious and mysterious Meiko Kuroi. She is a writer and, while not directly connected to the main plot, she plays an important role through her interactions with the cast and her secret (won't go into spoilers). The theme is "Stolen Dreams".
The fifth volume circles back to the protagonist, Daichi Hirano, as he finally learns more about the nature of time travel and about the various actors of these machinations. This marks the true beginning of the story, as he now knows exactly what he is up against in his mission to save Hoshino.
Each volume is quite lengthy by light novel standards, often exceeding 360 pages, and is packed with content that keeps the reader engaged. I remember frequently losing track of time while reading until I had finished an entire volume. This is quite a feat, as I usually get distracted easily.
I can easily recommend Kimi Shinitamou Ryuuseigun to anyone looking for a plot-heavy, interesting story with plenty of science fiction elements. Please be aware that the release schedule is uncertain, but I will continue to hope for a new volume in the near future.
