Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction

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I would imagine creating a successful follow-up to your most critically acclaimed work is a very unnerving thing to do. Goodnight Punpun is what many manga readers believe is Inio Asano’s masterpiece. The series is not only masterful in its writing, but dreadfully awe-inspiring in its delivery. Believe me, I am not here to echo the praises of Goodnight Punpun; others have made the case for its genius in more convincing ways than I ever could. The reason I am mentioning this manga is because I believe its existence directly affects Dead Dead Demon’s Dededededestruction (for the sake of this review I’ll abbreviate it to ... Dededede). As the successor to Goodnight Punpun in Asano's catalog, Dededede is unfortunately aggressed with a subconscious mindset of constant comparison. Many believe Goodnight Punpun is on a different level of manga entirely. Going into Dededede with that behavior will do you no good. Even long-time fans of Asano’s manga will be surprised by the ideas put forth on this manga, whether it be subtle changes in artistic choices or making more debatable narrative choices. While Goodnight Punpun is Asano cohering to his strengths, Dededede is a veteran mangaka experimenting with unfamiliarity.

This is a manga about the human reaction and general anxiety to the uncertain future. It's about the coping mechanisms that humans utilize when faced with more thoughts than they can handle at one time. The story follows a group of soon-to-graduate highschool students who are living their regular lives during an alien invasion. The main two characters, Kadode and Oran, are enjoyable personalities who offer an interesting perspective on the world. An elderly or middle-aged perspective on the impending doom would be similar to that of a reflection; looking back on memories and proudly accepting the life that they have lived. Kadode and Oran, on the other hand, are just graduating high school. Their lives are arguably just beginning. These characters may seem like they are always fun-loving and cheery but they are really just coping in the only way they know how. Dededede is a manga filled with joyful moments, but these same moments can also be rather melancholic.

Dededede plays with comedy, slice-of-life, sci-fi, and drama, which are fused together beautifully in this melting pot of a manga. I love how Asano is never afraid of writing political humor in this manga either. I’m sure he had a plethora of ideas given the manga’s serialization occurred throughout the entire Trump administration (which is mocked more than a few times here). Asano isn’t totally foreign with the concepts in this manga though. Humanity, death, and depression are all themes we’ve seen before, but this time he approaches this from a socio-political lens. That isn’t to say that this manga lacks an 'Asano-personalized touch'. The Isobeyan comics at the beginning of each volume is delivered with a subdued tone I could only attribute to Asano. And, the vivid page-to-page paneling that Asano has mastered at this point is nothing short of breathtaking.

This manga is a slice of life, and not exactly a euphoric one. The 'slice' of this particular 'life' is quite believable. I would describe Dededede as a modern dystopia. It does have the sci-fi tag, and there are some far-fetched ideas that you either accept or dismiss, but Asano doesn't totally abandon realism here. I imagine this is how society would actually act if this situation occurred. The world and characters are established nicely while themes of existentialism and social panic are simultaneously constructed. The plot develops at a relatively slow pace in the beginning, but there is much to uncover regarding the world-building and dialogue. It's just extremely well planned, and every scene serves to build the world or develop the plot and characters.

Speaking of the characters, they are well written and fit into the story well. I wish more development was given to characters such as Rin, but every relevant character is given enough characterization to be serviceable in their respective roles. Oran and Kadode are brilliant, as well as Oran's brother, who proves to be more than just a gag character. Every appearance he makes has me bursting in tears of both kinds, and I'm surprised with something new about him each time. Futaba and Ooba are also nice additions to the cast as well. Kadode can feel like an Asano self insert at times, but as the manga develops, her personality develops too, and she proves to be a multifaceted character in a later arc. Every character is believable. Even Oran, who seems to be the most contrived in personality, is developed in a clever way, negating her character of any criticism I could give.

I normally dislike when writers insert ‘gamer’ slang into their works. It’s normally dated by a couple years and there’s always some mention of something like “Leroy Jenkins'', “get pwned”, or maybe some inaccurate ‘1337speak’ tossed in there that makes me want to blow my brains out every time I see it. Rather than trying to appeal to the demographic, Asano approaches this, and most of the comedy in this manga, with a caustic and exaggerated tone. Comedy is something we rarely see in an Inio Asano manga, and I would say he has full control of it here from the very first chapter. This manga knows how to be brutally honest, hilarious, and heart-wrenching all in one scene.

We already know Asano has consistent fluidity from panel to panel with each drawing. Dededede is no exception. The one change I noticed from previous Asano manga is the change in character design. While the landscapes and textures are still photo-realistic, the character designs are goofy and exaggerated. This isn't a complaint though. I think it was a completely necessary decision, or else the manga would visually play like any other Asano manga. Besides, I think it's an artistic evolution that pays off. The designs compliment the backgrounds very well and they feel natural when facial comedy is used on a character. As always with Inio Asano, the art is amazing, but it should be the last reason you pick up this manga.

This is a must read. Even if you aren't a fan of Asano's previous works, give this one a shot. And if you are a fan of Asano, don't try to compare it to Punpun. This manga is currently more relevant than ever, and I believe everyone can take something away from it. There aren't that many other modern writers creating works like this with the amount of creativity and honesty Asano displays here. And just like his other works, everyone should read this at least once in their lifetime.

Read it. It is something you should read, probably now or at least soon. And I say this as a person who always hisses with frustration, when she reads Asano, and is ready to disagree with him in this work too. But DeDeDe is currently so relevant, that it’d be stupid not to explore the living nerve. The collision of life and fiction is like nothing else around, so I’ll keep telling you and others to read it.

DeDeDe is about the anxiety that people of today feel or at least sense brewing, especially the young ones, those with the big unknown ahead and the world ... crumbling all around. DeDeDe is about the eternal question of “How can I have fun with friends, when there is war, and suffering, and death, including the death of my close ones and me, but then what is left to me, if I do not, also what the stupid and weak me can do anyway for this turbulent and complicated reality?”. It contains alienation and aliens, war approaching and love passing, growing up and dying off, faithful friendship and fleeting ideologies, hopes for future and plans for resignation, also a giant-ass flying saucer above Tokyo – the “mothership”, that drops aliens, blocks the sun and embodies this creeping unease.

It’s not easy to sum DeDeDe up. Nor should I attempt to. Asano is at his biggest and most literary here, reminding me of Tolstoy stronger than ever. DeDeDe is a “high” literature novel in scope, sprawling and dialectical, one that clearly aims to reflect the modern life in Japan in its various forms, cataloguing types and summing up experiences. The writing is wonderful, the narrative is complex – the author weaves many stories at once and makes use of the interesting technique of a story into a story (there’s a fictional comic that many characters read and almost every character knows). And the art is superb. Asano has accumulated enough experience and assistants to blend in detailed backgrounds (clearly based on photos), character designs and fictional elements seamlessly, creating shots, that are nothing if not breathtaking. Though it’s useful to remember that fictional world is like that – a focused reflection, not a straight carbon copy.

Too bad Asano is too honest and personal (by the way, that is what I hate Tolstoy for), it’s all him in his work, wherever you look or whoever follow. He eats away his characters mercilessly, and the schoolgirl protagonists (one self-insert for the reader, the other insane) feel like part mouthpieces, part anchors with rare moments of true life of their own. The characters, who are closer to Asano in age and sex, come out considerably more lively. Yeah, schoolgirls, probably, are the logical main characters in an attempt to summarize Japan, and an author does always mold his characters as he wishes, but still it’s not good enough for a big realist novel, which this manga aims to be the closest manga analog to. And Asano heavily discriminates his side characters (even bypassers), making some characters look cartoonish and ugly, giving them some oversimplified caricature features or, specifically, robbing them of “manga eyes”.

For all the deep, torturous topics Asano touches upon in Demon Destruction, for all the tension created, I am sure his answer will be small and personal, one not really solving shit (seen it in his Bakemono Recchan, that was when I found the key to my frustration with his works). This approach is honest, but it’s not enough for a work on ideology, though it happens pretty often even with classics. Also the answer given will be flawed as a result of the situation, of the fantastic analogy, that Asano has personally crafted. Why are aliens like this and not like that? What are they metaphor for? Punpun was easier, growing up and having depression are two things many can empathize with without further questions.

Yet for the potential failure on the ideology front, the personal parts strike close to home. It’s a lot to say this for me, wasn’t easy but I have come around. How could I not, if I also try to have fun with friends, even though I breath the heavy air of today’s world, half already in hell, half going there? And procrastinating death is what all of us do, everyday and no exception. Maybe the personal aspect will betray me as well, the answer of DeDeDe may still turn out to be either too edgy, or too hipster, or too Japanese for my liking, but mostly likely it will be too Asano. But there’s a lot to like and to think about during the ambitious and suspenseful ride. I know I am curious about the answer too, so I am looking forward to it, while I bask in the great atmosphere of DeDeDe, all concentrated Japan, all tension and then also some philosophy and a pinch of good social critique on top.

DeDeDe is the sort of thing you will shove into your professor, who condemns your for reading manga, the sort of thing you go to to repent for all the harem you have read. It is a beautiful and substantial work by a great author, made about things many people, and there’s a good chance you too, are living and pondering right now. Not reading it robs you of an experience, so, come on – read it, better now or at least soon.

*Mostly spoiler-free review, spoiler section marked below*

Trying to write a coherent review of an Asano piece is a monumental task, but considering Asano himself is able to consistently deliver compelling work after compelling work, all while separating himself from the formulas that brought him success in the past, I figured I’d at least give it a try.

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction (DDDD for short) can be a hysterical dystopian slice-of-life, an all-out sci-fi world war, a defamation case against our superficial society, or perhaps the most modern and pertinent sociopolitical commentary of our time, but to me, it’s just a fun, simple reminder of things ... that matter.

If you never read Asano’s books before, you might be taken aback by the incredibly genuine dialogue, unfiltered humor, or even just the impossibly detailed background art. There’re probably just as many brushstrokes on each page than there are pixels on your screen. Flip through a landscape or two and see for yourself. But instead of dropping your jaw at each exquisite illustration and passing it off as substanceless detail, I implore you to look past just the art and take a chance at understanding Asano’s deeper ideas, as wordy as they may be.

The funny thing is, you can probably get away with skipping 75% of the text, specifically all of the news talk and political pseudo-speech. Not to say that it’s not important to the story, but you really only need to read the headlines to know what’s going on. Anything beyond that becomes drastically diminishing returns in terms of useful information, much like in real life (a comparison that applies to many other ideas in this story as well). At the same time, there are certain conversations which have such heavy implications yet have such subtle delivery that it’ll take a revisit or two to really understand. If that sounds like something that interests you, then please, be my guest.

On one hand, you could be more entertained by tuning out all the outside noise and relegating everything to “cute girls doing cute things”. On the other hand, the fact that you wouldn’t be able to even if you tried is what makes DDDD such a unique experience. Whether it be the overbearing news headlines, Asano’s doomsaying scenery, the, not-so-subtle foreshadowing (X DAYS UNTIL ___________________), or the convoluted character writing which has you wondering how the hell they became the people they are, the story of the world told between the lines drives the narrative and its glaring contrast with the apparent story of the characters pulls you in for more.

However, if you have read Asano’s books before, like myself, you can probably go in expecting his signature style of “deep fiction” and still be impressed because, despite the complicated description of his style I made above, one of the first things you’ll notice is “Hey, it’s not as heavy as I thought it would be.” Compared to his other works (Solanin, Punpun, etc.), DDDD turns out to be quite the easy pill to swallow, and I’d say that’s mostly due to the fact that the minimal humorous jabs he’s included previously has been replaced with the very upfront satire against everything superficial in this world (AKA anything that comes out of Ontan’s mouth). I mean, the inclusion of “Isobeyan”, a weekly manga strip within a manga, in the beginning and throughout makes a slight against the average, terrible-yet-not-completely worthless and mildly entertaining media that saturates today’s market, and if that doesn’t explain how meta you have to be to understand Asano’s sense of irony, I don’t know what will.

The comedy will definitely throw you for a loop, especially at the beginning, and it’ll take you a while to figure out what the story’s actually about but once you get into the meat of things, you’ll find that it evolves into a pretty hard book to put down.

*BEGINNING OF SPOILER SECTION*

I’m not gonna pretend I understood everything DDDD was about. I’d even go as far as to say that trying to understand absolutely everything Asano was trying to say is a completely futile task. But at least *some* of his themes got through to me, enough of which I was able to internalize, feel, and form my own ideas with.

There’s realist/pessimistic romantic drama (historically one of Asano’s strong suits) reflected through short yet dense side character mini’s (Watarase/Sumaru, Kiho/Kohiruimaki, Ai/Monica, etc.).
There are political agendas tinged with conspiracy and corruption, where, although fictional, is explored on such a worldly scale that it feels nearly impossible Asano was able to accumulate so many points of views from his home in Japan.
There’s socially-driven xenophobia fueled by economic interests, and the fact that the cause and effect of A-rays are never clearly explained should tell you a lot.
There’s conflict on the very thin line between centrist-progressivism and radical progressivism, where I wish I could step back, ignore, and roast the masses with a vocabulary as articulate as Ontan’s, but instead find myself in Futaba’s shoes believing in independent thinking, noble and self-righteous up until the very moment it actually matters.

There are so many themes that I can try to list, but ultimately, there’s no better place to hear them than from Asano’s own pages.

On top of all of that is Ontan’s, Kadode’s, Hiroshi’s, Ooba’s, and Asano’s own argument that none of it actually matters, and despite the turbulence of the ever changing, politically and economically-driven society we live in, we’re better off choosing to focus on what’s in front of us, because there’s only so much of it that’s in our control. Sure, you could say it’s naive to oversimplify things to “absolutes” like the characters do, but in the end it’s up to you to decide who’s actually happier and who you’d rather be like. The validity of the argument is constantly up for debate.

I, for one, had doubts on the believability of each character’s path. For example, there was a turning point in chapter 64 where a demon takes the autism pill and a pen-shaped AK-47 falls from the sky, greatly exaggerating a point that’s already been made while also becoming the basis of the entire plot. However upon rereading, I actually appreciate the intervention of the pill because it made Kadode’s personality even less contrived than it could’ve been if she’d developed her disturbing worldview “naturally”, regardless of the bullying, domestic tension, and blind devotion to her friend.

But of course, I went full circle and thought “Wait, how much of that even matters.” I mean Asano literally resets his entire universe twice, the first time for a little girl trying to save her friend and the second for a manga artist trying to look out for his daughter yet doing nothing more than speaking to her nicely a few more times, which in my opinion, is a really self-deprecating thing to do, but hey, Asano’s the manga artist, not me.

Some would say that’s a bit of an anti-climactic conclusion, but again, let’s try to wrap our heads around what “actually matters” here. In some universes, Ontan is friends with Kadode. In others, they’re not friends. And in some, the earth is destroyed. You can decide for yourself which one you’d rather be in, but I think the smiles on their faces tells which one Asano would prefer.

*END OF SPOILER SECTION*

Asano really outdid himself this time, writing my personal favorite manga to date, and that’s not to take away from any of his other works or manga in general. It’s just that when you read something so modern and relevant to our generation, it’s hard not to make comparisons between a fictional world and our own and constantly form ideas that challenge the status quo. The story is an argument and a counter-argument in it of itself, endlessly touching upon complex themes, while at the same time, remains delightful and enjoyable.

“No matter what anyone says, your life is yours alone.”

Thanks for reading to the end. I realize that this review might come off as a bit of a roller coaster, but maybe it reflected my experience reading this book.

The quality of the drawning is outstanding. The pace of the story is somewhat slow, but it's still good to dig in some details of the characters. As the story goes on, there are new details that are revealed to us concerning some totally unexpected actions abd stories of the characters.

The art of the manga is carefully made. I am very grateful that Asano and his assistants have put that amount of effort doing it.

If you are not very patient, maybe I would suggest you to only start reading it when it's finished, because the story is still going on.

Asano, you have a huge fan ... in Brazil, ty so much for all of your work that's a pleasurable food for thought.

---D English is not my native language, so this will be poorly written but I assume it will be understood the same, in the end for those who speak Spanish there will be a version in that language
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Dead Dead Demon's Dededededetruction is probably the work that Inio Asano has enjoyed the most, among all that he has done to date, while in my opinion it is the most complete work of Asano and curiously also the most different compared to the rest of his sleeves, a refreshing change that was already necessary.
Although in parallel with "A Girl on the shore" or "Oyasumi Pun Pun" his ... script falls from time to time it is balanced with his wonderful visual narrative, a polished drawing that many times without the need for any dialogue transmits us almost perfectly all the feelings and thoughts of the characters.
As usual in Asano, he presents us with a work riddled with existentialism and almost ridiculous ironies in a slow-paced slice of life format in which a group of adolescents close to reaching adulthood face a series of conflicts that will make them evolve. as characters and in most cases it occupies them to show us the most shameful, disgusting and in general dark that people can become, but to this format already preset in their sleeves we are surprised by adding in the background science fiction, with a world attacked by aliens who look much more tender than usual, with obvious references to racism and Japanese foreign policy but adorned with an extremely bizarre and sometimes childish but quite bearable humor. It is quite interesting in how in the world presented by Asano humanity continues to seek its desired routine even when the world could be in imminent danger and without taking weight they continue with their lives.
Without a doubt I recommend it and if it is not noticeable, I have liked it a lot, being among my favorites in Asano, although I also understand those who were not, since they were predisposed to the usual works of Asano, but not because they are different, they are bad and for the On the contrary, it gives Asano more flexibility than we would expect from him in terms of stories and their type.
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Dead Dead Demon's Dededededetruction es probablemente la obra que Inio Asano más ha disfrutado realizar, entre todas las que ha hecho hasta fecha, a la vez que es a mi opinión la obra más completa de Asano y curiosamente también la más diferente en comparación con el resto de sus mangas, un refrescante cambio que ya iba siendo necesario.
Aunque en paralelismo con "A Girl on the shore" u "Oyasumi Pun Pun" su guión caiga de veces en cuando este es equilibrado con su maravillosa narrativa visual, un pulido dibujo que muchas veces sin necesidad de dialogo alguno nos transmite casi a la perfección todos los sentimientos y pensamientos de los personajes.
Como ya es costumbre en Asano nos presenta una obra plagada de existencialismos e ironías casi ridículas en formato de slice of life de ritmo pausado en el que un grupo de adolescentes cercanos a llegar a la adultez se enfrentan con una serie de conflictos que los harán evolucionar como personajes y en la mayoría de casos los ocupa para mostrarnos lo más vergonzoso, asqueroso y en general oscuros que pueden llegar a ser las personas, pero a este formato ya preestablecido en sus mangas nos sorprende agregando en el fondo ciencia ficción, con un mundo atacado por aliens de aspecto bastante más tierno que el acostumbrado, con obvias referencias al racismo y a la política exterior japonesa pero adornados con un humor sumamente bizarro y a veces infantil pero bastante llevadero. Es bastante interesante en el como en el mundo presentado por Asano la humanidad sigue buscando su deseada rutina aun cuando el mundo podría estar en inminente peligro y sin tomarle peso estos siguen con su vida.
Sin duda la recomiendo y si es no se nota ya me ha gustado bastante quedando entre mis favoritas de Asano, aunque también comprendo a los que no ya que iban predispuestos para las obras usuales de Asano, pero no por ser diferentes son malas y por el contrario este dota a Asano de más flexibilidad de lo que esperaríamos de el en cuanto a historias y su tipo.

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededededestruction is such a bizzarre manga, so bizzarre that I’m willing to say that no manga in existence is even remotely any similar to whatever this was about. I’m going to be brutally honest here, DeDeDeDe is not for everyone. It’s a very slow paced slice of life with some hints here and there of an underlying plot. Does the author deliver it in the most meaningful and excellent way? Yes, of course. We are talking about Asano after all, he knows what he’s doing and knows how to make use of every single little thing the story presents to us. But ... is it hard to keep reading until the turning point of the manga and finally reach the real plot? Also yes. I’m not talking personally, as I have enjoyed it since the first chapter, but I acknowledge that a slow paced dialogue-heavy slice of life isn’t something easy to go through, especially with an unusual kind of comedy. Do I still recommend it? Yes, everyone should give it a try nonetheless. It’s a must read in both the slice of life and sci-fi genres. Just one thing, don’t go in expecting another Punpun type of story, this manga is not about depression and wrong choices in life, but on the contrary it is about learning to cope with the sometimes sad reality.

Otherwise known as DeDeDeDe (or even better, DDDD to make it even shorter), takes place during a particular time in life of a group of girls— the aliens have invaded the earth. But not quite the way you might perceive it or how Hollywood’s productions made it look like most of the time. In this story, the huge aliens’ mothership floats right above everyone’s head. If you think it’s gonna be an all-out fight between humans against aliens, I’m glad to tell you are wrong. Asano takes an interesting and perhaps even realistic approach to an alien invasion. The girls keep being girls, trying to live their lives to fullest while having to deal with heartbreaks, studying but also enjoying their adolescence doing whatever they want. It’s a story about the everyday’s life of these girls, while struggling to cope with the way their reality suddenly changed one day and could do nothing about it. I mean, what are you even supposed to do with aliens coming from a civilization thousands of years ahead in technology? Everyone in their own way tries to accomodate to the new lifestyle, and I promise you, it’s gonna be an interesting journey. It’s like mixing genres that has got nothing to do with each other and yet flow into each other so well.

Let’s talk about the characters first. Every single character is perfect for this manga. We have gag characters, politicians (which are made fun of in the most satirical way), idols, NEETs, rebels, activists, aliens, mangakas and three masterfully crafted and written main characters— Ouran, Kadode and Ooba. Kadode is the first character you meet in the manga. She struggles with two things, love and family. A teenager having to deal with struggles typical of a teenager. She wants control over her life and emotions but just doesn’t seem to ever happen. It’s not about the aliens, her life is just about her struggles. To comfort her, we have her childhood’s friend Ouran. Ouran is a seemingly happy-go-lucky character which copes to the aliens’ invasion by making absurd internet jokes, and she always deliver them in the most weird way. She’s personally the “life” of the story, without her, DeDeDeDe wouldn’t have been the same. Lastly we have Ooba. Ooba is an idol, or maybe an alien, or perhaps both? Who knows, “lol”. He’s the most absurd character in the story, and is also the one I appreciated the most. I recognize he was not an easy character to write considering who he is. But did the author know how to deal with his character? Absolutely. He wants to learn about everything and everyone around him. Can’t say much about him cause there’s nothing to say. Or maybe there is? Who knows, “lol”. Of course there are many other characters in the group, and each one of them had an interesting development. Do I wish we expanded more on the group? Yes. Although the only possible way would have been to stretch the story out some more, but unfortunately the manga is relatively short, so there wasn’t much time.

Do I even have to praise Asano’s art. It’s mesmerizing, aggressively detailed, stylistic, complex, deep and realistically beautiful the art in this manga. From the photo-realistic backgrounds to the weirdly designed side characters. It’s like mixing the unrealistic with the realistic. It’s not surprising how well everyone still fits in the picture despite being so absurdly designed considering Asano’s other big serialization— Oyasumi Punpun. I believed he had already mastered the complexity of mixing absurd with reality with Punpun, and he probably did, but with Dededede it’s obvious the growth as an artist since his previous work. I have really not much to say, I’ll be honest. The manga’s art speaks for itself and gives life to the world, characters, humour and everything.

Now, get out of your bed, take your car, ask a friend or two to come with you and start driving. It’s not important where, just keep driving wherever you feel like to go. Go visit places you’ve never been to, cities you’ve never seen and take roads with some beautiful sights when looking at the window. Can you feel some excitement? I do. This is pretty much what Dededede feels like to me. Impossible to predict because you never know what could happen next. This is where the enjoyment from this manga comes from— the unknown. Of course, there are some aspects of this “unexpected” that at first could come off as nonsense, which is understandable, the second half of the manga is pretty much a whole different thing from the first fifty chapters, but fear not, the author knows how to handle even what at first makes no sense. Again, it’s not an easy manga to enjoy. The whole lot of dialogue a lot of times can turn you off, but don’t worry, a lot of it is skippable. You could decide to read half of what they say and still able to understand almost everything. And that’s what I did a lot of times, specifically when the politicians spoke.

Overall Dead Dead Demon’s Dededededestruction is a manga that mixes absurd with reality while delivering one of the best slice of life ever in a very exceptional way. Everything this manga does is an achievement for most story writers. It’s a memorable journey from start to finish, which again I recommend to everyone willing to read a slow paced story out of the ordinary with charismatic characters, sudden turns of events, shocking reveals, heartwrenching moments, internet comedy, heavy tension and of course, with an amazing group of characters. It’s a story that by all means shouldn’t make sense, and yet it does.

Read this manga when you have time. For any weird phrasing order or grammar mistakes, I apologize in advance as I’m not a native speaker.

I started from Chapter 1, which 'tricks' you with a faux story off the bat, then switches to the actual story, for seemingly artistic reasons. it's actually pretty cool, and I kid you not, you might be wishing all of it was like that intro- but I'm getting ahead of myself...

This is frequently called a 'Slice of life' manga- but that's not exactly true. It's just abysmally slow. there is a huge plot just hovering over the lives of the characters, but it is pointedly ignored as far as actual development goes. it's just 'always there', unchanging- and sending out a little hint of progress ... now and then, which will be shot down by the governing structure of the story.

I read 20 chapters of this brilliantly drawn, but ploddingly plotted work before dropping it- and I'll let you know that I wanted it to go somewhere badly, but I'm not patient enough. This is someone's rent payment. A story that will be drawn out from 10 chapters of actual story to 200 with 'filler'- all 'to keep the lights on'. If it delivered more entertainment- I wouldn't care- but the slow and sloppy plotting leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Instead we focus on a bunch of minor characters who... let's assume will fit into the big story somehow, eventually. They go on about everyday life, and this is what makes it 'seem' slice of life, but its really just a vehicle to lengthen the actual plot. How can I know for certain? Because anything that happens in this 'slice of life' ends up meaning nothing in the most anti-climatic way. Now, in fairness the author could be intending that every significant soap opera wrinkle die quietly in apathy (usually overlooked, but occasionally pointedly ignored)- but 'whatever'-

'let's make motions like things are going on while we figure out what to do (and collect a paycheck)'. This is like 'Lost'- but with less effort.

Anyway. If you try to pay attention to the plot, you'll probably hate this. If you actually like the caricature-level stereotype characters... 'More power to you'.

For me, 20 chapters of people talking shit, doing nothing, or accepting absurdity is enough.

Also the title is stupid and means nothing.
Maybe by the end that won't be true- but for now one of the words is a misreading of a character's name, and everything else is garbage.

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!

First of all, i really didn't know what to expect at first by reading the title of this work, so i started reading the 1st chapter and i was like "well, another slice of life Asano style i guess" so i preferred reading other things, i put it on "On-hold". I tried once again thinking "i guess i was just not in the mood to start reading this kind of work, cause you can just expect a really good work by someone who created Oyasumi Punpun" (man, i loved that story), so i read the 2nd chapter and again, i didn't know what to ... say or what to think. I put it on "On-hold" again, i think for like 2 or 3 weeks.

And then it came the 3rd attempt but this time i reread it from the start and i don't know what happened, i don't know if it was the art style or curiosity but i wanted to know more and more about the story of those 2 girls, i stopped for 5 to 10 secs on that panel that shows you the giant mothership covering the sky and i thought "ofc it's going to be a BIG story".

Just want to say that i started thinking it was another slice of life but in the end i found everything ... like yeah, really everything: friendship, fears and sadness, politics, science, technology, comedy. Just thinkin' about that the side story of Isobeyan became part of the story itself makes you realize at which level Inio Asano can bring a slice of life and then you start wondering things like "what would i do if i was in their shoes?" With this story Inio Asano makes you consider more about the little things of life and that people can assume that life will always keep going. The story reaches its peak when an invader tells to the main characters "when humans start mentioning justice ofc it won't bring to good things cause each one of us has his idea of justice", i have to admit it, i stopped thinking about anything for a bit, it was such an important way of thinking about the real nature of human being. And what about the last chapters ... how everything will end? really didn't expect the story to get to this point, each panel of this last part of the story is breathtaking and mindblowing, definitely Asano art style at its peak.

I'd stay hours talkin' about this work so i prefer telling you, 100% i'd recommend this work, never expected to read a slice of life and get to this point where it totally changed everything in it making you think about every aspect of life and humans as human being in this world.

This is a very monumental and very adult work (no sexual content here though), with somber undertones, many dark events and serious events. It has amazing visuals, carefully crafted characters, and it does not use stereotypical modern manga visuals.

Here's the problem though... I've been following this for a long time, at some point it went on hiatus and as a result around the end, I COMPLETELY lost track of the events. Who is who? Who are all those people? What the heck is happening? I mean, I still remember the gist of it, but it feels odd.

If you read Durarara before, you remember the Durarara ... storytelling where they keep introducing characters, then amass events and keep adding more and more characters, and events keep piling up and explode in conclusion? This manga kinda tried to do something similar, but BECAUSE of the hiatus, because of the structure of the story, because of certain plot device the author used, rather than feeling some sort of conclusion, the conclusion led me to complete confusion. It feels like the last chapters shattered in a million pieces and every piece has ran off giggling in a different direction. It doesn't help that due to the visual style some characters are different but look nearly identical to each other, so I had very hard time keeping track of who is who.

It feels like to piece this thing together, and I'd need to reread it 3 or 4 times while investigating every page with a magnifying glass and taking notes, but I honestly do not feel like doing something like that.

So in the end it is:
Story: 5/10 It is monumental, but confusing close to the end.

Art: 7/10. Really good, really thorough, it is not on berserk level, though, and didn't make my jaw drop, but a lot of care was put into those pages, carefully constructed backgrounds and so on.

Characters: 6/10. Life-like.

Enjoyment: 6/10 It was interesting.

Overall: 6/10.
Confusing ending didn't help me, and the story didn't feel very coherent. It feels like the author wanted to make many points, but it is not quite clear what he was trying to tell. May require deep analysis and multiple rereads.

The author, however, also wrote Oyasumi Pun-Pun, and if you liked that one, you'll probably like this one as well. The unusual art style and careful drawings stand out, and as a result I recommend to check this one out, if you have an opportunity.

Dead Dead Demons DeDeDeDestruction is the currently running series by Inio Asano, a mangaka who has become the new hotness among pretentious people for the realistic quality of his work and his skill in portraying the depression and alienation of young people, which of course academics love because not only are they all depressed, but also because alienation is a buzzword used about late-stage capitalism or whatever, which is an uplifting term because it implies capitalism will ever end. Anyway, I know all of this from hearsay (and because the other person in the review section who gave this a 9 is one such academic ... who mentions, like, Tolstoy and some other old manga authors no one reads), because I've never read any of Asano's other work. None of that means I don't like this series, though (henceforth referred to as DeDeDeDe, like from Kirby); in fact, I like it a lot, enough to have my profile picture be the main character, and so I'll now proceed to start doing my job and explaining why.

Basically, you can say this series is good because of stuff like the alienation thing that I mentioned, which is true, or you can phrase it like I am and say simply that this manga is an extremely fun slice-of-life comic full of characters that act like people I'm friends with and set in a world that resembles the one I live in like no other I've ever seen in media. I was born in 2001, and am therefore solidly of the zoomer generation, and this manga is the song of my people, capturing the zeitgeist of gen Z to the greatest level of accuracy that I've ever seen in media, and for a slice-of-life story, that is incredibly important because portraying life is what the genre is all about. K-On excels at showing us a picture of a complex and lively group of friends, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou presents nature and the passage of time like no other series, and DeDeDeDe shows us the world as it is without casting judgement or pulling punches.

Teens in first-world countries today, whether said country is Japan, America, Europe, Australia, Korea, China, or wherever else, are coming of age in an absurd world where the difference between irony and sincerity is impossible (and maybe even irrelevant) to distinguish, where the massive amounts of knowledge and media available confuse us as much as they enlighten us, and where the very idea of preparing for the future seems bizarre when all that future holds is global instability, catastrophic climate change, and extreme economic inequality that might very well doom our entire species. Our governments do little, our youth movements are ineffectual, and though people should be banding together, our power structures continue to cast people aside. That's the truth the laughing kids of my--and these characters'--generation hide behind edgy memes and lighthearted complaints, but that looms in the background nonetheless, casting all of our daily lives into its subtle but deadly shadow.

And fittingly enough, even this manga hides the truth behind a metaphor. In DeDeDeDe's Japan, it isn't climate change, but a literal massive shadow that hangs over modern, daily life. A gargantuan, industrial mass of an alien spaceship has been floating in the air for three years by the start of the story, and though little violence happens and its extraterrestrial inhabitants are quite weak, the government fearmongers about them, corporations step in to cash in on weapons to use against them, and psychopathic young men wander around the backstreets to hunt them down. Through all of this, the real problem, that the ship may melt down and doom humans and "invaders" alike, is ignored and suppressed as politicians and billionaires build bunkers to weather the storm. It may seem a bit on the nose when I explain it here, but when it is revealed little by little in the story you realize that the characters are living in a world of endless high alert and military-industrial insanity just like ours.

As I said, though, the series is quite fun for the most part, and even that emulates life. The worst hasn't happened yet, and though realizing these impending disasters makes it harder to relax, it also makes you want to do so more, because its an escape. Though our industrial society may face its ruin, it still provides people with a lot to enjoy, and if there's little you can do, why waste the time you have left? The day-to-day lives of the characters, as well as their personalities and dynamics with each other, are really fun, and also very realistic. The girls banter about stupid things, bring up taboo topics to joke around, make autistic ideological declarations, and ignore the grim truths of the world the same way my friends do. One of my favorite characters, Rin, is a shy cosplayer with a secret Yaoi obsession that she is prodded by another character to admit loudly to her class because "in a surveillance state, our kinks are the only thing they can't take from us!!!" The main character, Kadode, is meant to be a self-insert but her friend, Oran, is utterly unhinged in a believable way, spouting political jargon and obsessing about shooting games and the similar bloodbaths to come because its her only way of coping, and somehow the reality of this only makes it more endearing, an insane feat that this manga somehow manages to pull off.

The artwork is perfect for the tone and themes as well. The characters have cute, distinct, and unrealistically abstracted designs for the most part, and many background characters even look ever so slightly deformed, but there is a down-to-earth quality to their bodies, framing, and implied movement that is difficult to deny, especially when they are shown in Asano's lavishly detailed backgrounds based on an eccentric amalgam of photographic references. The lighting and shading is also weirdly juxtaposed with the characters, again making their goofy designs blend in much better than they should, to the point where even they seem like perfectly natural parts of the setting. Just like the story, the art is an incongruous but resonant clash of tonalities that Asano manages incredibly, to the point where this slice-of-life manga manages to have better dramatic two-page spreads than something like Takehiko Inoe's flatly hyper-technical samurai manga Vagabond.

Slice-of-life fans and people who process the world like I and many other young people do can't miss this one, and the only major complaint that I have to counteract my praise is that DeDeDeDe introduces some characters, specifically in its main cast of girls, that it ends up not spending enough time on, making the characters, though interesting and complex, ultimately not really the driving force of this manga as much as they could have been. The uncomfortable realism of its world, though, and the comfortable resonance that can be found in the interactions of those who somehow still live in it, are really the driving force of this manga. And even the lack of character development is relatable to me, although hopefully you aren't as pathetic as I am.

very spoiler heavy, very, very, very. if you are looking for a "read it" or "dont read it" the answer is very clear: read it. dedede is absolute.

anyway, heres my mumbled and deranged oran/dedede ending analysis.

coming from reading punpun just last month, i was kinda scared to read dedede because of how high my expectations for asano had been set. i felt like i might've been climbing a hill right after climbing everest, so to say i would be underwhelmed. i really enjoyed dedede, but in such a stunningly different way from punpun. as punpun was a tragically dark and downright horrifying work of ... depression and angst, i felt dedede to be a much nicer "look at these goofballs in a cruel world" rather than a "look at this cruel person in a cruel world." dedede's ending is left very vague, but i still love it for what it left.

leaving the main world of the series in the last chapter is a BOLD move, and its not easy to pull off by any means. leaving all the characters we had fallen in love with to a completely new world with little immediately obvious closure on the main characters can do the complete opposite of an "open for interpretation" ending and simply leave readers empty. in my opinion however, the story of kadode and oran had ended long ago. chapter 85 was the conclusion to kadode and oran's arcs, and i base my opinion of the ending that they died right here. living for each other, they could find happiness. in chapter 88, we see dedede's closure.

oran is absolute, but in a world where they are out of control, they can only live for each other. this tackles the very concept of nihilism, a reoccurring theme that is most predominantly found during the beginning of the story where the UFO's presence is so heavily influencing kadode. why do your homework when the world's coming to an end? if the government is always in control and will always choose the selfish option, why even live at all? dedede shows kadode and oran than they do not need to find a reason to live "in the grand-scheme of things" if when the moments that are spent trying to live are the most valuable of them all. kadode and oran are each other's literal light, and i find the idea of them, now grown up and in an alternate timeline where the invaders never existed invaded, being able to live happy lives between the little moments is a perfect conclusion to each of their characters.

oran is absolute, but the world is cruel. this is the core theme of the manga in my opinion, seen heavily in the 3 alternate worlds. in one, she loses kadode, and in the process her will to live in that world. she is absolute, yet the world is still cruel. in another, she loses everything and the world is eliminated by the invaders. she is absolute, yet the world still gives her nothing. however, in this world, literally the apocalypse worse-scenario-possible for humanity, she is able to find happiness, and a reason to stay in that world. that is what dedede is about, and in the third and final world oran is finally able to get what she would've if the world just bent the slightest helping hand. she is happy with a reason to live, no prominent invasion (unless you believe the idea that the robots in the final chapter are a precursor to another invasion, which i completely understand) and she can finally be what she always has been. this world, with only nobou f rom the past world to observe, is what oran would've been if the world had been even a little less cruel. absolute.

sorry for the deranged ramblings of a mentally ill binge reader. thanks for reading if you did. please argue with me, im hella open to new interpretations of literally everything that dedede had to offer. inio asano really is special.

Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction is not about aliens, it's about love!

This is probably the most significant piece of popular fiction of the century that not enough people are talking about, one which recquires an attentive reader but pays off exponentially.
To understand Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction, one must put it in context with the rest of Asano's works and see the theme that has persisted throughout his career. Asano's obsession is the fundamental division between the individual and the collective. This division manifests itself via anxiety about conforming to societal expectations; his most emblematic character, Punpun, is so idealistic about his dreams that ... he percieves his life as a responsible adult as "the life of a ghost... who's pushed around by the wind": such a gloomy worldview!
This constant enemy of individuality, dreams and freedom is dubbed "The World" by Asano's characters: in Ozanari-kun (one of his most underrated works) we see one of the protagonists fantasize about taking revenge on everyone in the world; Punpun wishes that "a meteorite or a comet hit the earth", he wants to "disappear from everyone's memories" and the love of his life says "everyone can drop dead for all I care"; in Nijigahara Holograph a boy carries around a box that will destroy the world after being opened and he doesn't doubt opening it.
But the destruction (hey! one of the nouns in this manga's title!) of The World can be a more symbolic deed achieved through transgression, that is, the active pursuit of the "forbidden"; we can destroy The World by breaking the rules. In Solanin a bunch of twenty somethings destroy their comfortable lives by giving up on their normal jobs after deciding to revive their teenage passion for music; A Girl by the Sea show us a couple of teenagers destroy their own sense of identity and figuratively escape The World by engaging in sex. But all of these examples show us the sentiment that The World (filled with pragmatism, history, context, necessity) and the individual (filled with ideals, detatched and free) cannot be reconciled: entering The World means to lose oneself and those who cannot accept The World as it is and as it recquires them to be more often than not commit suicide. Is Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction another chapter in this pessimistic Asano worldview? My thesis is that it is not; I possit that Asano finally offers a way to overcome this fundamental opposition between the individual and the world and which does not destroy either of them.

Kadode and Ouran, two best friends, are our protagonists, they're at the threshold of adulthood, graduating highschool. The World of adulthood they're about to enter is mentally overwhelming. A seemingly unsolvable problem hangs over everyone's heads and the sentiment that the state of affairs will only worsen is ubiquitous. Kadode and Ouran are so devoted to each other that at times their friendship seems just enough to put the nausea of the real world aside for a moment (even if at times this can look like indolence); nonetheless The World enters their lives forcefully in one way or another: at best they have to listen to politics obssessed nutjobs and at worst, they lose loved ones. Surpringsingly, for an Asano manga, we are shown how The World operates: that unmovable source of anguish (and of crumbs joy) is the chaotic amalgamation of the selfish interests of politicians, of the shortsightedness of capitalisitic industrialists and and of the neurotic passions of the masses. Kadode and Ouran appear static in their personalities and don't seem to approach the complexity of the World seriously so the author shows us how and why other, secondary characters take a stance and choose their own path in life (a lot of them undesirable and product of fear). But on the second part of the manga we are actually revealed the reason of Kadode and Ouran's indifference about anything that's not their friendship: one of them has chosen (yes, chosen) to love the other despite everything, despite The World. That is, for me, the most beautiful thought Inio Asano has ever given us. The love Kadode and Ouran have for each other is not erotic but platonic; their desire to be together is not a result of the fleeting desires of the body that may or may not be there. Their love stems from a genuine desire of seeing the other as happy as possible, to put a smile on their faces. Like this, Kadode and Ouran can actually enter the World of adulthood and cope with its complexities without giving up their sense of self: they now have a stake in the World , a real reason to participate in the game: each other.

So far I have spoken almost exclusively about Kadode and Ouran's character arcs, but the list of significant characters in here is enormous and covering all of them would be silly. It's clear, though, that Kadode and Ouran are the key to descipher Asano's ideas on the more abstract themes in this particular manga: technology, social isolation, fundamentalism and the geopolitics which permeate the work are examined through the notion of "I don't need power, I need a friend".

There are many words with which you can describe Inio Asano's works: stellar, graphic, beautiful, melancholic, exciting and most importantly, realistic. When I first started a wild ride through his works, I haven't expected much, but going further and further into "Goodnight Punpun" it continued hurting me by how grounded to reality it was, and the creative use of Asano's art makes the characters relatable to anyone. Well, I'm getting a big far away from the original topic.
Speaking about this piece of art, it starts as a slow-burn and somewhat mundane-nish manga about two girls living their life in a dystopia. This might be ... an instant turn-off to many, but that's the charm. With a current span of 87 chapters, it is an emotional rollercoaster which explores many themes in brand-new ways. What has always been impressive to me, is how Asano Inio writes his characters. They all seem grounded to earth, and although flamboyant and quirky, all are dealing with deep personal problems, which is explored in one of the best arcs of this manga. The art never fails to disappoint, combining goofy designs and the mundane pictures of a city. The themes and the morality of a cruel world are terrifying.
All in all, I want to say, that Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction is a must-read to anyone who wants to go through some melancholy, and experience a ride like no other. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.-Nero
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This was great. What do you do when life goes on and on without anything seemingly happening? Do you find joy in the little things, or do you get hung up on them?
Either way, time moves on and on. This work from Asano has such a tranquil start, and a much different flavor compared to his previous work, yet it is undoubtedly his own.

The beginning did not show much promise, other than setting up the world and some characters, and even further into the story (about a third of the way through), it didn't seem like the story was moving anywhere. Frankly, it was ... quite a slog.

However, and this is something that would ordinarily not work the way it did, it got good. REALLY good. All of a sudden so many things made sense, character motivations became clear, the world itself gained the breath of life. From that point onwards the story moves at a breakneck pace, keeping you at the edge of your seat, and delivering moments that really make you feel.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a slow start, interesting characters and very human motivations/struggles/philosophies. Personally, with how long it took to become interesting for me, I would've given it a much lower score, but man did the rest of the story pick up the slack in a way no manga has ever done before.

Bravo Asano.

I'm a huge Inio Asano fan since I read 'Good night PunPun'. If it wasn't for that, I propably wouldn't have managed to read DDDD to the recent chapter 56. This manga barely shows any progress in the first 30 chapters and mostly evolves around the all day life of some schoolgirls with the small addition that there is a giant mothership floating aimlessly over tokyo since 3 years.

The rather interesting premise and funny character constellations are completely eaten away by the pure boredom of a almost nonexistent progress in a story seemingly heading nowhere. The art is superb as expected with some goofy ... elements here and there and Asano-san tries to raise some questions about violence torwards other inteligent lifeforms but 56 chapters into the story, it hasn't paid off. Also the many popculture references to gaming and image boards seem more like nerd-fanservice rather than being part of the story.

I will propably read on but I can only recommend this to hardcore Asano-fans.

Reading yet another one of Asana Inio's works, i can say that this manga is a masterpiece in its own league. I can't articulate enough how this manga seems to blow my mind with it's unique storyline; a rabbit hole of mysteries and answers that goes deeper and deeper as you read through the chapters.

I have read some of the reviews given by other readers who've expected from Asano Inio's works to be the same dark depressing stuff as they might've read Oyasumi Punpun and maybe some of his works. Although, i can say that this manga gives off a lot of character from ... the author itself, it is never the same as any of his other works and perhaps any other manga ever written.

Asana Inio has his way of writing characters and symbolizing things. To some readers, this may seem like an exaggeration or a poor representation of realism through a manga. But i think that his way of symbolism would be the most accurate depiction of a modern society, and Dead Dead Demon's Dededestruction did a great job of representing japanese modern society in different spectrums of different lenses and perspectives.

As you'd expect, this manga is far from just a normal slice of life. Although, I would say that I personally like slice of life genres that tackles existentialism, the kind that have poetic meaningful dialogues of ideologies, morals, love and friendships at best. Reading the first few chapters (50+ or so) may bore some readers or so, but stick with it and you'll find yourself more intrigued and fascinated. I was amazed by how the characters and the storyline were so well written, which all adds up to the plot greatly. For a manga like this, it really struck my humour. It was one of the few things that made me smile realize that this manga still revolved around teenage girls, love, friends and family. From all the little details that made my heart warm and ache, it gave me a greater sense of appreciation to the author and the manga itself.

Might the world end, this manga will always be ABSOLUTE.

This is my first review but I wanted to write something about what might possibly end up as the greatest story I've had the pleasure of experiencing, at least to me.

Dead Dead Demon's is one of Inio Asano's best works; and while objectively, Punpun is a much better story, I found myself connecting to the story of DDD much more than I could Punpun. DDD is a story of the effects of war, the bonds between friends, and the fragility of a human's emotions during a time of growth and change.

The best part I can point out is what Inio Asano does best, which ... is the characters. More specifically, the main duo of Kadode and Ouran. Inio Asano isn't afraid to delve deep into characters and show their innermost selves, and in later chapters he does just that with the pair. I won't lie when I say that these two characters are the most I've EVER related to a fictional character, which is why I hold this manga so close to me.

Overall, Dead Dead Demon's is a story about people at war, especially in the latest chapters at the time of reading this, and I hope to see this manga rightfully cement itself into the title of masterpiece.

I'm gonna be boring but here goes: if Berserk didn't exist, this would be my favourite manga by a longshot. Probably still is, but I have a hard time admitting to myself that I like this more than Berserk.

EDITED ON May 11th, 2022.

Ok, so I finished it, I mulled it over, reread parts and had a bit of a think. I came to the conclusion that I should redo my prelim "review", mostly from the ground up. Here goes nothing.

<text> indicates text i directly took from my preliminary review.

The Earth is fucked.

... - NO SPOILERS -

Premise: A flying saucer is floating above the Tokyo metro area. It's turned from a potential source of imminent danger to a part of the cityscape over the course of 3 years and is an ever present source of that itch in the back of the head. You know the one, we all know the one. A couple of soon-to-be college kids are the lenses through we get to see into this world, sometimes eerily similar to our own, especially considering current year and all that. Perspectives - thankfully - don't matter.

It's a bit hard to try to write about this work without spoiling everything to be honest. If you decide to read it, it should be as pure of an experience as possible, just like Punpun, in my opinion. I'm going to do my best, but it will be vague.

This manga is a "we live in a society" meme. It's somewhat structured as a slice-of-life thing at first, but you're always under suspense, like in a thriller. It's not comforting, and the climaxes are few and far between. But man, do they fucking hit like a truck. What it does to your instincts as someone who learned how to digest slice-of-life and/or thriller is nothing short of perverse.

We follow mainly two girls, best friends: Kadode and Ouran. Kadode is your typical snarky smartass and Ouran is one of those "odd" ones, the loud kind. We start the story shortly before their last high school winter break, three years after the appearence of the saucer. From the end of high school, through the first year of college and beyond, we follow them, their friends, family and some other oddballs live their lives <day-by-day, terrified of the absolute uncertainty of the future>, trying to find their <happiness in a world that will wring you out and toss your dried carcass aside like an empty can of red bull>. You know: Tuesday.

The characters are very well done. Every one of them has some kind of a personal agenda and I'm going to stop right there. Characterisation is off the charts good and it is absolutely essential for the work.

And that's pretty much all I can say about the story without spilling into spoiler territory. Let's just say that, if you like thriller, slice-of-life, Asano, themes of conflict, friendship, humanity, hope or any combination of the above, you'll love this. Oh and if you're a fan of Doraemon. If you in any shape or form grew up with or loved Doraemon, do not skip this.

The art is banger. It's Asano. If you don't know him, he's known for making panels that feel like they flow together like a movie or that his characters look like they really are alive in that world. He can make a stationary panel feel mobile and like, almost audible; it is beyond fucked. It sounds like I'm gloating and fanboying over him but it's true. If you've read Punpun, you already know what I mean. He is Pacing God.

All in all, I have enjoyed and am enjoing and will probably still enjoy this work far into the future. I can open a chapter and be sucked right back in, read and reread arcs or plot points and it doesn't get boring. You know, like Berserk, or Punpun to have a more grounded example. If you like the themes and genres I listed above, you'll likely feel similar. If you don't, I'd still recommend reading it, because it stands on it's own and is more than a sum of its parts. However, this work is definitely one of those that you should read only if you're emotionally mature enough. In general, I'd recommend 18+ or thereabouts (as this is around the age of the main bunch of characters). It gets better the "older" you get.

Score: Full.

Story: 10 Art: 10 Character: 10 Enjoyment: 10 Overall: 10

I can't wait for the anime, I hope h+ does it justice.



<You're unlucky and you're bound to do bad decisions. It's your fault, yet you're but a child. If you're not sharp, there will be people taking your place. You want to live, but they just want to eat. Your wisdom is unneeded, your numbers are unneeded, your life is nothing but meat in the grinder. There is no god, and your soul dies with you, unable to haunt the benefactors of your suffering. And yet you're the one told: you reap what you sow.>

If you had one wish, what would it be?

I started reading this a little after i started rereading Punpun and the tone shift between this and Asano's other works definitely shocked me, but it wasn't unwelcome.
Dead Dead is one of the best modern manga I've read in a long time with wonderful themes and a very well written political undertone. it focuses on those who are "left behind" after a disaster, however, due to the nature of the tragedy it seems like people can simply continue with their normal life with simply some adjustments made so reading it feels quite uncanny as its quite true to life... minus the invasion and mothership ... towering over Tokyo.
if you're looking for something different with characters to become attached to then Dead Dead is for you but don't go in expecting Punpun 2.0