When I started reading this manga, I had absolutely no idea what to expect and it remained that way until the very end.
This manga is described as one having cynical humour but with political intrigue and that's definitely an accurate way to describe it. It's very hit or miss, this manga, as the genre is very absurd, a mix of dystopian sci-fi and slice-of-life, with harsh critiques of social and news media, and political policies.
Actually, in a way, this manga takes a cynical view of the world as a whole. I say this because, we begin with a spaceship hovering over the Japanese capital city of Tokyo, while the citizens go through their ordinary life, not caring whether or not the world might be coming to an end.
The manga actually fictionalises and somewhat prophesises the pandemic because the attitude the people of Japan take after three years of living with a spaceship hovering over their capital is similar to the attitude we took after covid had become commonplace, that is, apathy. It showcases how people are given in to apathy even with something as life-threatening as invasion after a while, truly a negative side of our capability of getting used to everything.
Apart from this social critique of humans, the manga also delves into the political sphere, where we get to see the double dealing and corrupted nature of politicians and corporations alike, which is, in turns, both fun and despairing to read since it makes you realise just how much the government and the wealthy are in control. And honestly, it would have made for a very depressing manga if it weren't for our main characters.
In the midst of a country in turmoil, we get to see the ordinary lives of two best friends in high school. For me, this was the most enjoyable part of the manga.
I loved the characters and how complex and flawed they were. Their existence and experiences made the plot as interesting as it is. Though, after the sixth volume and the big plot twist, that enjoyment lessened considerably because we steadily headed towards darker things, where the characters' future looked more and more bleak. In spite of that (or maybe because of that), I got more and more invested in the manga, until I had to finish the last four volumes in one go.
But, this is where things went wrong. The last few volumes build up towards a very promising climax, only for it to fall apart in the last two chapters. I won't spoil but the ending was very rushed. In fact, it felt like the mangaka was simply writing to somehow wrap-up the manga because he'd lost interest in the book. It was sad, really, because this was on the way to become one of my favourite mangas...but, in the end, it couldn't. I was left with a feeling of emptiness and disappointment...
Finally, all I'd like to say is that this manga is not for everyone, especially not for people who are not into absurdism, but if that's something you're into, definitely go for this. Both the art and the storyline are compelling and while the ending still remains... not the best, I think there's still something to be gained out of it.
By
Amian Bent
(A literature girlie who loves to read strange fiction and writes stories just as absurd)
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