Hannya Haramita

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"Hannya Haramita" is a collection of short fantasy and science-fiction stories from an unusually well-mannered Shintarou Kago. Among this author's manga I have dared to look into, this is the most accessible besides "Dementia 21". The first story is in the similar avant-garde dark comedy genre as the aforementioned "Dementia 21", the next 4 are (relatively) more down-to-earth and serious, while the final story falls in line with the (usual?) nonsense Kago likes to indulge in.

"Aogeba Sonshi" is a fun and very easy on the eyes take on Kago's habit to turn everyday urban life into an over-the-top farce. The story is set in a ... very unusual school and quickly gets to the point. The actual plot and characters are simple but are engaging enough to explore the main concept behind the short story effectively.

"Demon Seed: Akuma no Shushi", "Hannya Haramita" and "Doubutsu no Oukoku" are essentially set at various points in the future and offer some light social commentary. It is not clear how seriously some of the points made are to be taken: more likely, the "dystopian" settings are an excuse to have some fun at humanity's expense in strange scenarios. These stories are more graphic than the previous and the following ones, although nothing like this mangaka more extreme work. The writing is reminiscent of Kago's own "Super-Conductive Brains", but far less gross and more engaging.

"Ataraxia" is a story about bullying with a fantasy bend rather than an horror one. It is well told and has a satisfying humorous conclusion, something that the characters themselves comment on. Indeed, those first 5 stories have rather strong plotting overall, since they find Kago sticking to the basics and playing around with the premise and setting rather than the presentation.

"Tonde Me ni Hairu Natsu no Mushi" breaks that winning streak by being far more immature and less visually polished than the rest of the collection. If you cannot handle any form of nudity or grotesque imagery you can skip it, though it is not "extreme" in any sense. The premise is amusing but there is no story per se: it feels like a particularly crude segment in Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life". If the other stories were on this level, I would not be recommending the collection.

There is also a similarly frivolous bonus story that is a spoof on the premise of "Demon Seed: Akuma no Shushi", which is what one might have expected the actual story to be like in the hands of Kago. Overall, I recommend this collection to those who enjoy short, lightweight and darkly humorous vignettes. If you want more of "Dementia 21" this is a decent place to start. Nothing mind-blowing but this was an enjoyable read, especially coming from this author.