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On the last episodein The Comics Alternative's monthly manga series -- a show that was supposed to be the May episode, but was actually a late April show -- Shea and Derek promised that they would provide an additional manga episode at the very end of May, and that thatshow would be the realMay show. As reality unfolded, the two guys had problems in coordinating their schedules and being available at the same time. And as a result, you get this episode. But it's an extra-long episode, one that includes discussions of not two but three recent manga releases.
They begin with the first volume in a the latest series from one of their favorites, Inio Asano. Dead Dead Demon's De De De De Destruction (VIZ Media) is an unusual work that, in many ways, reminds the guys of Goodnight Punpun they reviewed in March 2016, a title that they especially loved. And they appreciate this new work at least as much. This new book begins as a realistic narrative of Tokyo schoolgirls and their everyday interactions at school. Soon, though, the reader discover that this is not a normal environment, but one where the city is, literally, living under the shadow of a giant mysterious spaceship that visited them three years previously.
Next they turn to a notable new release from Retrofit/Big Planet Comics, Baron Yoshimoto's The Troublemakers. Translated and edited by Ryan Holmberg, this is a collection of six short works of gekiga that vary in narrative approach, theme, and (to a lesser degree) style. All of these pieces were originally released between 1966 and 1974, and in a variety of publications. The volume ends with a magnificent essay, providing history and context, by the book's editor. This book marks the first translation of Yoshimoto's into English.
The guys conclude with a completely different kind of book, Fujita's Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 1(Kodansha Comics). The title is a series of episodes -- think of a sitcom -- of a small group of young workers, all of whom are otaku (those with obsessive interests in very specific, especially fan-based, media and culture) and interact in everyday scenarios, at work and otherwise. The guys aren't near as enthusiastic about this work as they are with the others reviewed in this episode. However, Derek is more open to Wotakoithan Shea. In fact, Shea even wonders if the emphases in this series may not even be counterproductive, if not harmful, to consumer health.
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