The new Shonen Jump manga series Aliens Area has been slowly building up steam since its debut a little over a month ago. Written and illustrated by Fusai Naba, the series has reached its first major story arc, and with it comes its own version of the oldest known Japanese myth. What's interesting about this myth is that it's the same myth that Naruto based its final villain on.
The myth is called The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, and it's the story of Princess Kaguya, who was raised by an old couple after they found her in a Bamboo stalk. Later on she is revealed to be a being from the moon. This myth helps Naruto's alien twist make sense, as the series' villain Kaguya Otsutsuki belongs to a race of extraterrestrial villains. In Aliens Area's fifth chapter, the protagonists stumble upon an alien princess, and although her name isn't Kaguya, her story so far is very similar to the myth.
Some versions of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter say that Kaguya was sent to Earth to avoid being harmed in a celestial war, and that's exactly the case with the princess in Aliens Area. The story seems to be expanding on the "celestial war" part of the myth, as an assassin is sent after the princess to take her out and eliminate the threat of revenge against the hostile alien conquerors. The assassin is the subject of the series' first major battle, a turning point that will kick off the first story arc, which very well could be about the heroes helping their version of Kaguya return to her home planet and take it back.
Part of what made Naruto so interesting was how the series weaved ancient stories of Japanese yore into the ninja mythos, and Aliens Area doing the same is a step in the right direction. Several myths in Japan are about celestial deities and heavenly occurrences, and to see them adapted with a sci-fi twist would really help Aliens Area stand out from other series. So far, the series has relied heavily on references to other manga to keep its readers interested, like how it has the main character use Luffy's Devil Fruit power in the first chapter. Now, Aliens Area is at a point where it can start using its own ideas, and if Naba continues to retell Japanese myths with sci-fi twists, he'll have found a niche that will keep the story fresh and interesting.
Shonen Jump's new series might be using the same story that Naruto based its final villain on, but it's focusing on different aspects of that character's origin that make it into something wholly new and original. In other words, Aliens Area is about to become a lot more exciting than it already is.