Are You Lost? begins with a plane crashing while carrying high school students on a school trip. The girls barely manage to wash ashore on an island, but it is deserted. They must somehow survive until rescue arrives, and begin a survival life together. The story is filled with gags that are unusual for high school girls, and also teaches them serious survival knowledge. An anime adaptation is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2019, and today we will introduce one of the main characters, Onijima Homare.
What kind of person is Onijima Homare?
Homare Onijima (hereafter referred to as Homare) is a girl with a slightly different atmosphere than the other high school girls around her. Her father, a former soldier, took her around the world, and she was shipwrecked on several occasions, so she learned her father's survival skills. She's in a similar position to Asirpa in Golden Kamuy, acting as an instructor for her classmates who arrived on the deserted island with her. Her drive and knowledge make her an indispensable presence on this deserted island, and she also has a strong sense of responsibility. However, unlike the other girls, her top priority is survival, which may seem immoral to the girls stranded with her.
Homare Onijima and Her Father
Her father, a former soldier, has made his daughter experience a variety of things. Her mother was apparently in poor health, and as mentioned earlier, she told him she had to be strong for her mother. So her father began to teach her a variety of things, from how to hold a blade to how to eat slugs, paragliding, cliff climbing, and even snowy mountains. Having been stranded everywhere, it's only natural that she would learn how to survive.
Homare Onijima: Avoiding Dehydration...
Homare has been through many ordeals, and she believes that survival on this desert island is her top priority. Dehydration is fatal in survival, so securing water is her top priority. However, there were times when she was in danger of becoming dehydrated. So what did Homare do in those moments?
Catch a flying fish
While adrift at sea, seawater contains a high amount of salt, and drinking it can lead to dehydration. So, Homare caught a flying fish that flew by and crushed it with her shirt. The fish's innards and blood oozed out of her shirt, and she drank it in her mouth to hydrate herself.
Making someone drink urine
Even in a situation where fluids are needed, while the other girls still feel shy, Homare tries to make someone drink her own urine, believing that it's sterile if it's fresh. Mutsumi stops her at the time, but it seems like this is a basic survival skill.
Drinking from the Anus
Shion is swept away, and Homare comes to her rescue. However, there is no water there, only rotten water. The two row the raft to reach their original deserted island, but they are in danger of dehydration. That's when they resort to this: drinking sewage from the anus. Apparently, the large intestine also absorbs water. To do this, the two each pour water from their mouths into the other person's anus.
Homare Onijima and the Wild Boar
The four of them caught a rabbit in a trap. They later discovered that there were wild boars on the island. So they made a similar trap for them. The next day, after drinking the fermented honey, a boar was caught in the trap. After working together to hunt the boar, the four of them ate their fill of boar meat and were able to make preserved food.
Homare Onijima Responds to a Friend's Request
The four of them are living together on a deserted island. At first, they just hold each other back, but gradually they all get used to survival. Living together as a group of four, they often get requests. Homare tries to fulfill them somehow.
Sunscreen
Homare catches a squid. To the friends who want sunscreen, she explains that Sumi can be used to make sunscreen. However, there isn't enough, and only one is enough. The other two also seem to want sunscreen. Homare gathers seaweed and boils it for them, gives them squid liver, and fulfills their requests, even while muttering to herself, even if it's not life-threatening.
When Asuka Says She's Hungry
While building a shelter, Asuka suddenly starts to feel hungry. Shelter is essential for survival, but for her friend's sake, she decides to go into the forest with her friend to look for something edible. There, she finds a moth larva. However, Asuka can't eat it. Reluctantly, she eats a cicada instead.
Kinoshima Homare's Conclusion
Kinoshima Homare is an essential character for survival on this island. Her father also appears, and it's unclear whether they will meet again in the future. The ending of this work remains a mystery. I hope he continues to fully depict survival knowledge in the future. I can only hope that, like Baki, he doesn't go astray halfway through.
