Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Wacky title aside. Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction is one of the most incredible manga stories I've ever read. It's a bit weird and it's a bit unconventional, but follow it and it will definitely be worth it. For me, this was my first Inio Asano manga so I had no specific expectations from the get go, but now I really get why this man's works are so lauded. This was a masterpiece of writing that deserves to be experienced!

Firstly, let's just talk about the art for a minute. It's not really anything to write home about in my opinion. Some of the character designs ... are pretty wacky and there are some digitized backgrounds that may take you out of it a bit. But, the art is at least nice and clear so it's very easy to follow what's happening, the emotions of the characters are very well represented and the backgrounds are used to great effect to give a clear sense of location. The greatest strength of Asano-sensei's art isn't in the drawings themselves however, it's in everything around them - composition, structure and page flow. I don't really know how else to put it, but there is something oddly...cinematic about this manga. The way the panels are framed, the way they flow between each other, the way the characters are posed and the way the different moments are depicted, it just makes for this very engaging experience that truly feels alive and almost animated as you read it. It's like the greatest strengths of film were successfully translated onto a page, while also using the greatest strengths of the manga medium itself. This really shows that any wacky art is a deliberate stylistic choice, for clearly Asano-sensei is an incredible mangaka that has exceptional mastery of his craft.

What enhances the natural flow of the pages is also just the way the dialogue is written. This is another thing difficult to quantify, but I feel that DDDD has some of the most natural sounding and well flowing dialogue out of any manga. The conversations flow like they would in a real situation and this grounds the experience in fantastic believability. This is not an action series, so the dialogue is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Thankfully, the lifting is done masterfully as both exposition, character motivation, emotion gravitas and deep subtext are woven together in such a way, that you don't even notice how much is said without being overly verbose. This well-written dialogue in conjunction with the cinematic visuals makes for a very easy and engaging read, that is paced perfectly and will hold your attention from beginning to end.

However, let's get into the meat and potatoes here. Inio Asano's greatest strength is clearly his writing and this is the true star of DDDD. Making a mostly slice-of-life manga with minor sci-fi elements and using it to tell a deep and philosophical story touching on many complex topics like war, the military-industrial complex, clandestine politics, freedom of speech and much more is no easy feat. And whenever writers try and integrate philosophy into a story, it can be hit or miss as the danger of becoming pretentious, pandering or just downright boring is quite significant. However DDDD is none of those things and its philosophical commentary on various human aspects is woven masterfully into a thoroughly engaging tale about some very real feeling people. There is also the absolutely perfect pinch of humour added in to season this phenomenal dish just right!

For me personally, this is far from the typical story I would go to. However, it's so well written, that I was able to engage with something different from my usual tastes. The sci-fi elements are a great addition and they helped make this experience that much more intriguing. But I asked myself - would I still enjoy DDDD if these elements weren't present? Well, I can confidently say, yes, yes I would. The main reason is the masterfully written characters, all of which are profound, multilayered and believable. Each one isn't just a plot device or an extra that is there to fill space. They all feel like real people that you can understand. I hate using this word but I feel that it's appropriate here - relatable. These characters are just trying to go through life and make ends meet in a world that is hostile to them. They face issues that we can all understand and empathize with and while we may not agree with their decisions, we understand why they did what they did. Each character is a full experience and a unique commentary on what it is to be human. On their own, they are amazing already, but through some absolutely stellar chemistry, we get some of the most enjoyable and genuine character interactions ever. Friendship, love, hate, fear, anger, joy, despair - all of these feelings are truly palpable.

In conclusion, DDDD is unconventional in many ways, but experience it to the end and you will be greeted with a phenomenal, multilayered story that weaves its plot threads, subtext and philosophical commentary in a masterful manner. The way that all elements remained relevant, literally every panel and every line of dialogue was a carefully chosen building block for this interwoven masterpiece. And all of it told in a fun and engaging visual language that is unlike anything else put to paper. By the end, even the bizarre title makes sense and you deeply understand the layered reasons why it was chosen. Inio Asano truly is a brilliant writer and an amazing mangaka and this helped me realize this. Perhaps now, I will be emotionally ready for Punpun too. In the meantime, do yourself a favour and read Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction. A lot of fascinating things are in here and they deserve to be experienced.

For this, I am absolute!

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction – Spoiler Free – Mixed Feelings

TLDR
Story – 6/10 – 6 x 0.275 = 1,65
Art – 9/10 – 9 x 0.2 = 1,8
Characters – 4/10 – 4 x 0.225 = 0,9
Enjoyment – 6/10 – 6 x 0.3 = 1,8
Total: 6,15 -> 6

Sometimes important people said things like “war” and “peace” and the spring breeze swept all their words into the sky.
... -Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction

Story – 6/10
You are probably familiarised with other Inio Asano’s works, such as Solanin and the impeccable Goodnight, Punpun. Comparisons between such great works of art are inevitable when reading Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction (or DDDDD, for short). However, and though one realises DDDDD was made by the same person, disappointment is inevitable.
There is a general mood in Inio Asano’s works that one also finds in DDDDD, although in this case, the execution is poor. There isn’t a plot, so to speak, just a Slice of Life with the element of permanent tension – the alien invasion and its mothership. They appear in the background, and then life goes on without much else. Random characters do random things, enjoying their life in the midst of chaos.
The story also isn’t well crafted, contrary to the aforementioned Inio Asano’s works: it is hard to keep track of characters, their role isn’t clear at all, and the lack of plot also doesn’t help. It is just a succession of events until the end without a common thread. There is some tension with the mothership, but not much else is going on. Overall, the entirety of the story feels like a filler in a poorly executed Slice of Life. There is also some poorly seasoned romance in the middle of it.
One also does not understand how some things came to be: why isn’t Tokyo abandoned, for instance, since it’s the home of the alien invasion and debris is falling from the sky? These leaps of faith also remove some immersion in the story. The story post-Mothership is also poorly achieved, as it is plagued with plot holes.
On the positive side, it revolves around much of the discussion between ourselves and how we deal with the anthropological Other. One of the few victories of DDDDD is definitely when the estrangement between mankind and the aliens is met with violence. The scenes are wonderfully executed, and one feels as if there is a moral violence that supersedes the physical one.
There is also a political critique of how international relationships work, and this is also well done.
The story is also well-written – in the sense that it is literarily well-conceived, as the quote at the beginning of the review shows.
The ending is, however, a problem. It is confusing and doesn’t close any threads, and one feels that it is too abrupt, unnatural, and forced.

Art – 9/10
Inio Asano’s art is impeccable. Once more, he shows that he is able to create wonderful backgrounds and character designs that are interesting and unique enough not to be confused with anything else. His shading is also great: it is one of his watermarks, and rightfully so.
There is also some good cadence between panels, and the flow between pages is great: the problem is with the story’s plotlines, or the lack thereof, and not with the art itself. As stated, the art is of pristine quality in general.

Characters – 4/10
Characters are the weakest point in DDDDD. They appear out of nowhere, have no development, and one does not understand why they exist or what their function and role are in the story. Characters are, however, believable, which is a point in their favour. This also makes sense, as one of the story's objectives is realism.

Enjoyment – 6/10
DDDDD is a quick read: its volumes are short (about 160 pages long, with one exception of 190 pages). One also reads it quite quickly: there isn’t much dialogue, and it is easy to read, for the cadence between panels is great. The problem with DDDDD is with its story and its characters, which ruins the enjoyment. If this were to be better, it would definitely be a classic that touches upon very important topics such as integrations, segregation, and the anthropological Other. While there are well-conceived ideas in DDDDD, it simply does not deserve a recommendation or to stand next to some of his other works. For these reasons, it deserves a mixed feelings stamp.

With the advent of an anime coming for the series, I finally mustered my self hate, and finished this comic series.

This review dances around major plotline events, but doesn't contain major spoilers. None the less, I mark it as one with spoilers.

I'm not a huge fan of Asano Inio, but would lie saying I did not enjoy "Goodnight, Punpun" and especially "Solanin".
Coming to "DeDeDe" I was expecting either deep dive, psychological exploitation, emotions or just captivating story, and was met with product, which I believe, is impossible to experience as not only non-native, but not as an experienced citizen of Tokyo.

In this work Inio welcomes ... the reader with a promise of supernatural, coming of age story. But that's just a wrapping.
In reality story is dealing with author's urge to make something hyper-realistic, ugly, strong, while it is poorly made comedy with romantic and action elements.

Whole premise of two highschool girls being friends, going trough earliest stages of adulthood in a world, where there's a huge UFO hovering over the capital city of Japan is a big lie.
Of course, as a seasoned author, it's not just some unexplained deus ex, narration pushover. Mentioned UFO mothership combines elements from films like "District 9", "Independence Day" but also the 9/11 events, making people to deal with the trauma of losing their loved ones in an unpredictable tragedy, but for the most parts, it is just a catalyst for general dissatisfaction, government critique, conspiracy theories and such.
If it all did come and unravel some deep questions and answers for the reader, it would be great piece, but in the case of "Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction" author tried to reach the heights of Hideaki Anno's Shinseiki Evangelion, but it ended more like "and it was all a dream, and they lived happily ever after" kind of climax.

Biggest gripes are twofold for me.
First, being that on the photorealistic backgrounds there are cartoonish-comedic characters with more and more deformed heads.
It worked in "Punpun", it was bad decision in "DeDeDe" because none of the characters seemed serious, even when dealing with some... serious decision making or events. And even worse, those events mostly turned out to be pointless drama anyways, making each additional one just being a reason to roll eyes and take a break from reading rather than emotional or shocking experience for a reader.
Second is that beside main narration and storyline, there's complementary "Doraemon" parody, and further the story, the border between those got more blurry, switching from realistic with cartoon characters comic book, to same but looking like children's cartoons.
For me it was off putting. Bulgakov pulled it amazingly in "Master and Margaret", and ever since so many, especially Japanese manga authors, are trying the same with at best, tolerable results.
Anyway, reader is following the events of childhood friends, weird and most likely mentally challenged Ouran and her bestie: Kadode, who really got her eyes on a teacher, and thank god it ends at it like that.

Ouran is very close to being NEET gamer trash, but that role was filled by her creepy brother. Kadode is just weird because her mother is mentally ill and her father was workaholic, and she seems to not give much to it.

At this point I really am regretting I wanted to make some "New Yorker" grade review, but will try my best without delving into spoilers.

So at first, girls are teens, than young adults. They go to an university, met other people, fall in love, get jobs, party, drink, the works.
Supporting characters are introduced, and author sure did think about some more exposition and backstories, but editor probably hinted that the series would take another 30 years to finish with how sluggish, meandering and lost the narration is in this series.

So for good 60 chapters there's some slice of life, comedy, exposition how advanced aliens with great, doraemon-grade tech are actually powerless and defenseless against brute humans.

Now, and this was the moment I flipped my table, jumped out the window and howled like elk with broken leg, time travel concept is introduced.
During these events, everything reader was forced to go trough, goes into bin. Vsauce Jake Chudnow's - "Moon Men" music chimes in, and it goes: but if I told you that all of what just happened, is not real? Or rather, could not be real... for Ouran! What if Kadode could go full ret... Madoka on her, and selfishly try to protect her, by... sacrificing self, because Ouran did the same earlier, or rather, in paralel reality, which actually, is the REAL real reality... ?!

And at this moment I knew, author went so far into his head, that made a full circle, and forgot he had an idea, making previous hundreds of pages pointless masturbation of how detailed backgrounds could be and how little actual substance a story could have.

Also: in this story Trump also was a tool for foreign nation. What a comedy. And American weebs.
Haha. What fun.

In the end it all felt like a very elaborate critique of Japanese society, bound by strict rules, expectations, social ladder, and so on... Which could be done with finesse and not with cornflakes made out of concrete and asbestos, dipped in sewage water.
This is the reason I think non-natives will not really get it, because, a social critique of a society I am not a part of, and I am aware how flawed is in the first place, doesn't get me.

Comic book narration is messy. Art is both overdone and undercooked. Parallel narration is tiring. Tone of jokes doesn't resonate, events don't intrigue, drama doesn't grip and mentioned finale is weak attempt at mentioned "Evangelion" or perhaps even "Akira".
I'm not a smart reader who'll enjoy "Ulysses". I'm also not someone who'll read "Demon Slayer" or "One Piece" for 400 chapters with glee. But this manga somewhat insults me on both levels: pretending to be intellectually stimulating while throwing cheap gags and jokes, and trying to fix poor storyline with quirky events and "action", without being quirky nor having action events beyond some pointless gore and disrespect for series built around it, like "I am a HERO" for example.

If I could go back to a parallel universe, and prevent myself from reading this series, I would do it as many times I could.
But I can't, that weak fantasy and poor narration. And so is "DeDeDe".
A tiring, mostly boring story which when almost at the end decided to go 270 degrees on the spiral-axis, trying to be smart, and being just annoying and flat.
I don't believe it I am going to write this, but seriously, whatever author tried to do here, Madoka did better, and I hate Madoka with a passion.

TL;DR
"Hey and welcome to Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction, where everything's made up, and the storyline don't matter! Yup! The storyline here is like cancer caution warnings on the pack of smokes - no one cares, not even the smokes makers!"

Basically, go read "Solanin" from Inio, or if you like space aliens and gag comedy, just read "Urusei Yatsura".