The Drifting Classroom

Horrifically Brilliant.

The Drifting Classroom is a horror manga series by Kazuo Umezu originally published from 1972 to 1974 in Weekly Shōnen Sunday. Umezu is regularly cited as a master in the horror genre. Some of his most well-known works include The Drifting Classroom, Cat Eyed Boy, and Makoto-chan.

I only recently started exploring horror manga, and I find it fascinating. As a newcomer, I usually end up at the most popular authors, because they are the easiest to find. Since they are also considered staples of the genre, it's a great jumping-off point to see if I want to explore further.

After reading Junji Ito's Gyo and Uzumaki, I decided to seek out those that had inspired him. This led me to Umezu and The Drifting Classroom.

It was horrifying.
It was incredibly depressing.
I loved it.

The premise is pretty cut-and-dried: A Japanese elementary school is inexplicably thrown forward in time to the end of the 20th century, where the entire planet has become a desolate wasteland. The real essence of the story is how the characters live and react after said teleportation.

Their motivations and relationships are based almost entirely on survival instinct, with rational thought and reason thrown out in the face of pure desperation and fear. The fact that they are children made it even more disturbing. At first, I expected grotesque, inhuman monsters to become the huge threat. But I was pleasantly disappointed.

Everyone has a breaking point, no matter how noble or sensible they appear to be. The Drifting Classroom stresses this so well. Almost immediately, people turn on each other. The term "friend" becomes meaningless. Logic and common sense are mercilessly crucified. Psychological trauma is always the underlying menace, from start to finish. I was constantly cringing, but I just couldn't stop reading.

There is never a safe point for these kids. Every time it seemed there was a moment of calm, I found myself dreading to have to turn the page, because I knew some new horrible danger was just around the corner. Umezu's pacing is superb. There are so many unexpected hazards from both the outside world and the children themselves. There is violence, but it's only violence necessary to the story. It never turns into a gore-fest for the sake of just being gross. The focus is the writing, which is what good storytelling is all about. You really feel for these characters and their struggle to survive.

The artwork has a very intentional style. Some argue that the human characters look too cartoonish. I disagree. The fact that the future world and all its unspeakable horrors do not share the same art style works in Umezu's favor, and I would argue that it was a very conscious decision. It accentuates how displaced the children really are from everything they know and love. There is no safe zone, no time to relax even for a moment. They are totally alone and without help. Even with a simpler character style, the complete and utter torture these kids are going through is all too real, and is a testament to Umezu's artistic ability.

Volume 1 didn't really capture my attention all that much. The whole thing basically served as an extended prologue for the rest of the series. My interest didn't pique until the end of Volume 3, at which I frantically devoured the remaining volumes like a lunatic.

It was so good, and something I will be sure to lend out and recommend. It was turned into a live-action movie back in the 80s, but I just watched it on YouTube and it was pretty blah compared to the source material. It has also been turned into a TV series in Japan, but I haven't checked that out yet.

In the States, the series was split into eleven volumes published by Viz as part of their Signature Series. As with most popular series from years past, it shares the distinction of having one or two random volumes at an exorbitant price. In this case, Volume 7. The rest of them are below MSRP. If you don't need physical copies, then all of them are even cheaper digitally. I can't recommend this series enough. It's a great portal into the brilliance that horror manga can be. Pick it up!

Pluto, Volume 4

Act 24 - The Professor's Day Off

Professor Ochanomizu has the day off, so he's spending it in the park. His escort is a police robot. Idle conversation doesn't really work, since the robot is only focused on protecting the professor. Later, Ochanomizu finds a damaged robot dog. It's a very old model, but he decides to try and fix it anyway. After searching for and failing to find replacement components, he decides to use newer parts instead. Unfortunately, it doesn't succeed, and the dog fails to properly reactivate.

Ochanomizu is heavily distraught as he's watching the dog struggle to survive. The symbolism of this event really tells a lot about his character. In the middle of his repairs, he's even contacted by the defense ministry to give approval to build robots as soldiers, which he vehemently rejects. It's quite a good scene.

The police robot informs Ochanomizu that the dog's owner has shown up, and is invited inside. However, the owner (a robot himself) reveals himself to be Goji, a key figure in constructing the Persian Kingdom's robot army used in the war. Goji demands that the professor summon Atom to a set of coordinates, at which the professor refuses. As incentive, Goji states that a stationary tornado has just touched down in Japan, where Ochanomizu's grandson is located...

Act 25 - A Fine Day for a Tornado

Goji and the professor continue to discuss robots' ability to kill. The professor is adamant that robots cannot kill people, it is against their programming. Goji argues that robots are now nearly indistinguishable from humans, is it possible they could also want revenge for wrongdoing done against them?

Goji also asks the professor what the Bora Survey group found in Persia when they went to investigate. The professor admits they found no weapons of mass destruction, so Thracia's declaration of war was unfounded. He asks if that's what the recent killings are all about: revenge. Goji just laughs and repeats that Atom needs to be summoned.

At that moment, Atom crashes through the ceiling, being summoned by the police, who are aware of the professor's current situation. Goji runs, but is caught by the police. However, his AI is missing, and all there are a bunch of cockroaches all over his body. Atom makes sure the professor is okay, then rushes to his grandson's aid in Japan, where he reveals Uran went already to check out the tornado situation.

Act 26 - The Confrontation

Ochanomizu informs the police that Goji is behind everything, and demands to talk to whomever is leading the investigation. Coincidentally, it's Inspector Gesicht...

Uran reaches Japan, where much of the house has been destroyed by the tornado. Everyone is okay, and Atom informs her that's he's almost there. Upon arriving, the entire oceans rears up as a wall with a demonic face. Atom charges in, and there is a huge surge of power. When the water recedes, Atom is lying lifeless on the ground.

Act 27 - A Different Dream

Gesicht awakens from a nightmare which he cannot remember. Across the street, Adolf Haas has a rocket launcher aimed, but is unable to fire. He is still out for revenge for Gesicht killing his brother. However, the KR wants Adolf out of the way, and state that Gesicht is crucial to their plan's success.

The next morning, Gesicht meets with professor Hoffman to discuss his new nightmare. Hoffman dismisses it, but secretly wants to tell Gesicht that he is merely a pawn in a larger game. He tells Gesicht to have fun on his vacation.

Meanwhile, Adolf, while visiting his brother's grave, is practically killed when his car inexplicably explodes. At the same time, Gesicht receives the news of Atom's death. He has a vision where Atom accuses him of being the same as Pluto, and asking if Gesicht is the one who killed him. Gesicht collapses.

Act 28 - Emergency Call

Gesicht awakens in Hoffman's lab. He insists he is fine and heads out due to an emergency call from police headquarters.

Meanwhile, Adolf is being interrogated by police about his car explosion. They ask if anyone is out to get him, maybe because of his brother. Adolf denies all accusations, never mentioning the KR or any of its members. He returns to his office and checks his messages. One of them is a hidden figure who informs Adolf that he is a KR assassination target. He realizes there could be another bomb in his office and sprints out, only to be stopped by none other than Gesicht, who states he has been assigned to protect him from here on out.

Act 29 - Whispering Shadows

Gesicht monitors all of Adolf's activity, checking doors, sampling food, and the like to make sure he won't be killed. It wreaks havoc on Adolf, since he still holds Gesicht responsible for his brother's death. At Adolf's office, he shows Gesicht video obtained by his company at one of Persia's maximum security prisons. After cleaning up the footage (somebody initially tried to erase it), it's revealed to be Darius XIV, the Surpreme Leader of the former Kingdom of Persia. The footage is Darius repeating a list of names. Gesicht realizes the names being listed are those who are being systematically murdered, and one of them is Hoffman...

Act 30 - Three Scientists at Kimberley

Hoffman is abducted by a shadowy individual, who actually turns out to be Epsilon, aiming to protect him.

Back at Adolf's office, a tiny bomb shoots through the window and nearly destroys everything. But thanks to Gesicht's quick reflexes, he manages to contain the blast. That's the last straw for Adolf. He states he'll tell the police everything he knows, as long as they can keep him and his family safe.

Meanwhile, Epison takes Hoffman to a secluded location to meet with Hercules. Hoffman tells them both about a meeting that occurred years ago at Kimberley. Three scientists, all at the top of their field, met to discuss ways to save the Earth from various environmental hazards, as well as improving the quality of life for all humanity. The three were Professor Hoffman, Professor Newton-Howard (who had just recently been murdered), and Professor Tenma.

Tenma, who would not share his research, warns the others that creating a perfect robot AI would mean that a robot would be able to encompass suffering, hatred, and the capacity to make mistakes. He tells them to stop trying to make robots like humans, because something terrible would happen.

Act 31 - The Greatest Robot on Earth

Professor Hoffman reveals that after that meeting, Tenma all but disappeared. Hercules asks if perhaps later, Tenma did indeed create his ideal robot. Hoffman reluctantly says yes.

Meanwhile, Gesicht is taking Adolf to a safe house. On the way, Adolf runs into a standard cleaning robot, who suddenly tells him if he wants to save his family, he has to kill Gesicht. He loses it and starts destroying the robot. Gesicht busts in and shows absolute rage at what Adolf is doing. Adolf asks if that rage is what Gesicht felt when he killed his brother.

Impressions

This volume was intense. Many things are slowly being revealed, and it's interesting to try and piece together who is really behind certain events, and what the true motivations really are. It's only the halfway point, though, so there's much more time for twists and unexpectedness.

Again, it's great storytelling. Saying a lot without a bunch of text can be hard. Urasawa does a great job with it. The old-model dog repair scene was excellent. It was very emotionally powerful. I am looking forward to seeing how all these characters and their stories are connected. On to Volume 5!

Sunny, Vol. 1

Sweet and sad.

Sunny is an ongoing manga by Taiyo Matsumoto (first serialized in 2011), about the everyday lives of several children and teens living in a group home. It's broken up into vignettes, each revolving around a different character. "Sunny" is actually a Sunny 1200, a broken-down car sitting on the grounds.

There isn't really a set "plot" of beginning, middle and end. It's just day by day life for these regular people. But the writing digs deep inside each character, and really draws out who they are.

The home (Star Kids) isn't exactly an orphanage, because several of the kids still have parents (whom they even see now and then). It's just that due to whatever circumstances, their parent(s) are unable to care for them. This seeming rejection creates a lot of coping mechanisms, and the creativity that some of the kids have creates a "safe zone" of sorts between their imagination and reality. They'll sit inside the Sunny, using their imaginations to escape reality, if only for a short time.

The stories focus on the kids' everyday lives. Most of them aren't perceived as "normal" by other kids outside the home, so most of their regular social interaction is with each other. The kids can be weird, sure, but they're still people. They each have distinct personalities, struggles, hopes, and dreams. And over time, these are at least glimpsed by the reader.

Star Kids isn't a bad place for the kids to live. The adults in charge do their best to provide a good living environment, even if the kids drive them up the wall sometimes. A few of the kids have very strong personalities, and watching them bounce off of each other is pretty entertaining.

It's a bittersweet nostalgic look back, because every kid went through a period of feeling like they didn't belong at one point or another. It's just regular everyday things happening to these kids. But they're in a living situation that they don't want and have no control over. So seeing what these everyday events mean to them, as well as how they react, really hits home emotionally. When they do finally open up to someone, you can tell that not only is it hard for them to do, but how much trust they truly place in each other.

Star Kids is a place where they know they can feel safe and be themselves, but it's not the same kind of upbringing as everyone around them. Most of them are just unsure about their place in life. They each cope with their internal anxiety in their own way. Some act out, some shut down, some deflect it entirely, and everything in between. At the end of the day, though, they rely on each other more than they know.

Some characters haven't really been explored yet, which is why I'm glad the manga continues. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about Sunny, but after finishing it, I definitely want to seek out the other two volumes available. Matsumoto's character development and ability to capture their emotions is excellent, and since that's pretty much the meat of the manga, it works out rather well. He can also have the characters say so much with the tiniest word or gesture.

The art and visual style is pretty unique. I was initially put off by it, because it wasn't very graceful. Upon reading through a second time, however, I think it works really well with the writing. Panel layout, choices of perspective/distance, and character design really adds another layer of artistry to the whole thing. The harshness and unfavorable conditions of their lives is perfectly represented by the drawing. Rough around the edges, but genuine and sincere at its core.

The book itself has a very nice hardcover, textured binding. The paper is high quality, and the inking is very solid and clean. The few pages presented in color are really beautiful. The book is slightly larger than most of the standard-size manga. Thankfully, it also reads right to left.

I would definitely recommend Sunny. But the 13+ age rating doesn't seem quite right to me. I don't know how many young teens would "get it." It seems like more of an adult-oriented read, looking back to that time of childhood, and being able to fully understand it. I feel like most young teens would still be going through that phase themselves, and therefore not fully understand the point of the manga. But maybe that's just me.

C2E2

I went to C2E2 (Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo) this past week, and enjoyed it very much. Chicago in general is one of my favorites cities. It has that "big city" feel, but without all the filth and harsh/unfriendly bustle that usually comes with. The whole place is very clean, and people are generally really nice.

This is only the fifth year for C2E2, but they could have fooled me. It was very effectively run, and almost everything made sense from a logistical standpoint. I was impressed. It's pretty damn big too. One of the things that I always lament about smaller conventions is that you see pretty much everything on the floor in one day. This definitely wasn't the case for C2E2. The building where its held is freaking huge. There was never a moment when I felt cramped or forced to move in a certain direction, despite over 50,000 people attending. The whole space wasn't even taken up in that section of the complex. A café raised above everything on a pseudo-second floor also helped separate those that just wanted to sit down for a minute, as well as scope out the entire floor from above.

The floor was split (very effectively) into sections. People selling original/licensed artwork were in one place, people selling more conventional things (e.g. comics, figures, etc.) were in another, Photo Ops/autographs were in another, and Panels were in a totally separate section of the complex. That was probably one of my favorite parts. You didn't have to shove past people simply walking around in order to reach a panel. Anyone in that section of the complex was there to hear or see somebody. It was great.

Though I was a few minutes late, I did manage to catch Stan Lee's panel on Sunday. Having never heard him speak live before, I wasn't sure how he would be in real life. Would his celebrity persona turn out to just be an act? How would the man who created and crafted so many brilliant comic book ideas and narratives be in real life? Thankfully, I was utterly convinced that he's the real deal. He spoke very candidly about his experiences, and seemed genuinely happy to field all questions. Even though I'm sure he's been answering the same ones for over fifty years, his energy and personality really made it seem like it the first time they had been asked. Just a really nice guy. It was great to finally get to see him in person. Everything I've read that he's written only makes me want to seek out more. I can easily see why the 1960s were one of the best decades ever for comics. And I was impressed at how lively and aware he was, despite being over 90 years old. It was such a cool experience!

Anyway, I spent a ton of money on stuff, and wished that I had unlimited funds for even more stuff. I saw a lot of really great artwork and new ideas all vying to make it to the forefront. There were lots of panels and people that were worth checking out, with all kinds of topics. And there was a ton of cool cosplaying going on. My favorite was probably the G1 Transformers group (I love that someone loved Shrapnel enough to cosplay as him), but there were a ton of really impressive ones besides those. All in all, I will definitely go back next year if I'm able.

Driving around Chicago was a lot of fun too. Lots of stuff to see and do. If it had been a little warmer, the beach would have just been icing on the cake.

Thanks, C2E2!

Dragon Ball

Z? Z who?

So I just finished re-reading Dragon Ball, and I have to say, it still holds up extremely well. There's a reason it's one of the most popular manga of all time. Dragon Ball was written and drawn by Akira Toriyama from 1984 to 1995, after Dr. Slump. Out of all 42 volumes, 1-16 are designated as Dragon Ball and 17-42 are designated as Dragon Ball Z (re-labeled as 1-26). I should point out that this is only the case outside of Japan. Over there, the whole series is just "Dragon Ball," and runs volumes 1-42. It's not really that big of a deal, because it's not like the story changes or anything. I'm not sure why the series was split in the U.S., but I'd guess it had something to do with the TV broadcasts of the anime.

I would say that having read the whole series, volumes 1-16 are definitely more entertaining than the later ones. Toriyama really hits his stride in terms of storytelling and humor. It's more of a never-ending adventure split into small mini-quests. Things like traveling through the desert, encountering Pilaf and gang, helping Ox King with his castle, training with Muten Roshi, freeing a village from Oolong, climbing Karin tower, taking on the Red Ribbon army, helping Upa and his father, seeking out the all-seeing crone, or even the early tournaments. They all felt like little standalone stories, and I enjoyed them a lot. It's all pretty lighthearted with a good sense of humor. At its foundation, it's just a lot of fun.

Goku's personality helps a lot with allowing the stories to be all over the place. Nothing is locking him down, and has a general carefree attitude about everything. Even in the stories themselves, it's pointed out how truly innocent and void of sin Goku is. I should point out that this only really works when he is a kid, yet his character remains intellectually unchanged through adulthood (as is described below). The supporting characters, for the most part, also have strong personalities. Bulma, Kuririn, Lunch, Roshi, and others make the stories much more interesting, and their personalities are varied enough to make a really nice cast. It's usually in the fighting segments that they're pushed to the background, not really having anything to contribute simply because "only the strongest can succeed, and Goku is always the strongest."

In Dragon Ball, Goku is a kid. This means that physically, he's not the omnipotent god he will become as an adult. His mind is also that of a child. This is one of the most important things that make Dragon Ball much better than Dragon Ball Z. Things will happen around Goku as opposed to only against him. He's part of the story, not the story itself. Yet even nearing the end of Dragon Ball, it starts to falter. Volume 16 is solely Goku vs. Piccolo. That's it. Just one huge battle for 150+ pages. I understand the importance, but it drags on for quite a while.

Later sagas (i.e. Dragon Ball Z) get into the huge drawn-out epics of fighting "the ultimate threat," one after another. Even the tournaments, which started out as very enjoyable, quickly turn into fierce battles between the few main characters that are still physically able to match one another. Almost all of the humor is phased out in favor of reaching for highest possible level of intensity. But since it's only that again and again, it gets old pretty fast. As stated before, the supporting characters get pushed to the background during fighting segments. And since the entire manga basically becomes only fighting, they have absolutely nothing to contribute. Often they are left behind entirely.

And again, since Goku is always the strongest, even characters that are able to fight well can't do anything anymore (e.g. Tenshinhan). For Dragon Ball, I could ask, "What awesome adventure will happen next?" Anything and everything was up for grabs. For Z, the question changes to, "What diabolical force will Goku have to destroy next?" There's absolutely no question that another evil force will rear its ugly head and force Goku to do battle in order to save the Earth/Galaxy/Universe/Reality.

Goku's character retains that sense of innocence throughout his entire life. It makes sense when he's a kid, often leading to humorous situations. But as an adult, it doesn't really work out. It actually makes him into a completely inconsiderate jerk. He is married, has kids, and has the responsibility of defending the Earth among other things. Yet he still jets off on a whim, carefree as ever, without ever considering how his actions affect others. But even if someone outright calls him on it (which almost never happens), he still can't fit the pieces together on why he's being an asshole, and everyone just kind of lets it go. Lather, rinse, repeat.

There aren't really any new notable characters introduced past volume 16 that aren't "the next strongest guy," which is too bad. Characters like Pilaf, Oolong, Yamcha, Bulma, Kuririn, Roshi, Lunch, Taopaipai, the All-seeing Crone, Mr. Popo, and Commander Red aren't presented anymore. It's ground down to just the main fighters, and even then there's not really any more character development. The whole series loses that sense of fun, which is what made it great in the first place. Sure, there are maybe one or two exceptions (i.e. Ginyu Force), but they rarely ever happen.

The root of the problem is that the stories become extremely formulaic. Nearly every single time, an extreme battle will be taking place, and one (or both) of the combatants will claim to a) be preparing for the ultimate attack, or b) not using their full power. Both claims cause everyone present to freak out. After said "ultimate attack" or "full power" is used/reached, it will often happen again. And again. The common tropes associated with the series are not exaggerated. I'm not saying that it's bad. It just becomes a very predictable paint-by-number scenario.

The artwork differs a bit from Dr. Slump. I don't really feel that one is better than the other, though. In Dr. Slump, there's a lot of attention to detail, especially for interior shots of buildings and for machines. There's a great sense of wackiness to it all, and anything can (and does) happen with the art. The backgrounds don't really blow my mind, and I would say the very rural setting contributes to that. In Dragon Ball, however, the panoramic scenic shots are very impressive. The stories take place in every type of location on Earth (and beyond), and Toriyama can draw it all brilliantly. He also captures action very well. The characters are very distinctive and have a good aesthetic design in both series. But Dragon Ball gains much harsher linework, which assists in matching the level of intensity.

All in all, Dragon Ball feels much more controlled than Dr. Slump. Having concrete story-lines helps this a lot. There are set objectives and obstacles, and Point B is actually reached time and time again. Though I do have my complaints about the series, it's still one of my favorites. I feel that part of truly enjoying something is being able to point out the imperfections as well as the brilliancy (as opposed to subjectively clinging to it as the "greatest thing ever" simply because you can't even entertain the fact that it might not be perfect).

I feel that Toriyama is a better comedic storyteller than a serious one, so volumes 1-16 of Dragon Ball will always hold up better in my mind than the later ones.

Pluto, Volume 3

Act 16 - Uran

Atom picks up Uran from the police station after her incident with the large escaped cats. On their way out, they pass Professor Abullah. Abullah has been called from Persia to Japan by Superintendent Tawashi to help out on the recent murder cases. It also turns out that Abullah was the last person to speak with Junichiro Tasaki before he was murdered (back in Volume 2).

As Atom and Uran are walking back home, Atom states that he couldn't tell if Abullah was robot or human. It turns out that Abullah is mostly machine, since he lost much of his natural body in the war. He asks Tawashi about the recent localized tornados, and heads over to Central Park to check out the most recent site.

Act 17 - Death to Machines!!

Jump to Düsseldorf. A man named Adolf has just been given clearance to retrieve the body of his brother, who was killed three years ago. Adolf states that even though his brother was scum, he still wants to give him a proper burial.

He takes the body to a local doctor, who discovers that the body was killed in a very specific way. Later, Adolf and his wife are having dinner at a local restaurant. Gesicht and his wife just happen to be there also. Gesicht is called away by work, and ends up stopping a group of criminals who have hijacked a military-grade vehicle. He stops them with his unique Zeronium ammunition.

Meanwhile, Adolf travels to a secret meeting late into the night. It turns out he's a member of the "KR," which is a group of staunch robot haters. He reveals to the group that his brother's body had been killed by a Zeronium Alloy Shell. Adolf makes a pledge to destroy whoever killed his brother.

Act 18 - Zeronium

Since Zeronium is so rare and requires special clearance to use, Adolf travels to the Office of Public Information to find out any information he can about Zeronium discharges three years ago. Bafflingly, there is no record of any incident. The only result is Gesicht's attack the night before. Adolf puts pieces together and decides that Gesicht is responsible for his brother's death. But whether or not that's actually true is unknown. Regardless, the head of the KR sees it as a brilliant opportunity to forward their cause.

Act 19 - Epsilon

Hercules retrieves and activates his battle suit that he used during the war, intent on finding the murderous robot that killed Brando. Before he can take off, however, he is shot down. It turns out to be another powerful robot named Epsilon. He states that if Hercules can't even take that one shot from him, he'll never be able to destroy his true target. He also believes that humans and robots are growing ever closer. And if they get too close, something terrible will happen.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the KR are discussing how they can use Adolf's story as ammunition in the fight against robots. They have to be careful, however, because if the public really knew how terrible Adolf's brother was, they'd side with the robots.

Act 20 - Robot Haters

Adolf purchases a Compact Cluster Cannon (basically a guided rocket launcher). As he's holding it, he has flashbacks of his childhood. Turns out his father lost his job because of robots, and ended up killing himself because of his perceived uselessness. His older brother is also anti-robot, and it's clear that Adolf's anti-robot sentiments started at a very early age.

Meanwhile, the KR has started their media invasion, placing strong right-wing proponents of their cause on major news networks and programs. Secretly, the head of the KR also gives a silent assassin permission to kill Adolf if he does anything stupid. As a side note, I hear everything this guy says in Ed Wuncler's voice. I just can't help it.

Adolf follows Gesicht to the woods, where he's thrown back by the appearance of Epsilon before he can use his Cluster Cannon. Epsilon wants Gesicht to stop Hercules, in hopes to prevent another massive war.

Act 21 - Uran's Search

Uran awakens and senses something sad nearby, so she skips school to investigate. She ends up in a redevelopment zone, and finds a homeless man asleep under a bridge. It turns out he's a robot, so Uran rushes to get some energy for him.

After he wakes up, he states he can't remember his name or where he came from. All he can remember is a model number. But apparently he painted some abstract art on a nearby wall before passing out. Uran leaves to fetch some more paint and food, and when she returns, the man is admiring all the flowers in the redevelopment zone, and completes his painting, which turns out to be flowers as well.

Act 22 - Pluto

A mysterious man is walking in an abandoned alley while speaking to Professor Abullah via wireless communication. Abullah states he has a job that needs completion, and the man readily agrees.

Uran is trying to sneak back home without being detected, but is caught by Atom. She attempts to make up excuses as to why she's been out so much lately, but Atom promptly shatters them with basic logical questions. He doesn't pry though.

Uran makes her way back to the redevelopment zone to find it full of flowers. It turns out the man can breathe life into things. He states that there's a world of life (represented by his flowers painting), but there's also a world of death, befreft of any life. He then has a vision of something that absolutely terrifies him, which Uran doesn't understand.

Meanwhile, Abullah's agent has made his way to Central Park, where the most recent localized tornado touched down. He suddenly starts hacking and heaving thousands of cockroaches from his mouth, which scatter into the park. Abullah tells him that he has to be careful not to damage who they're looking for. The model number Abullah gives matches the one the man gave Uran earlier, and Abullah states the name is Pluto.

Act 23 - Wandering Soul

The cockroaches return in the morning, and the man contacts Abullah to tell him that he's located Pluto. Abullah says he's on his way.

Meanwhile, Uran and the homeless man are still talking about life and death. The man reveals that he can create a small tornado. It starts raining, and flowers start blooming everywhere around them.

Suddenly, Atom and the Robot Specialists from the Ministry of Science appear. Atom tells Uran to get away from the man, because he has a strange electromagnetic field spinning around him, and he's dangerous. The police suddenly show up as well, to everyone's surprise. The man hears Uran address Atom by name, and it causes him to swell with hatred. The police are preparing to fire, but Atom stops them at the last second. The man mutters something about robots deserving to die, when suddenly a flash of lightning erupts from his head in the shape of two horns. He then promptly falls to the ground.

Upon closer inspection, Ochanomizu discovers that the homeless man's electronic brain is missing. Suddenly, a large construction robot smashes through a nearby wall. He states that the man is his off-duty body, and that he had been looking for it. It creates many questions, most notably how the man was able to function at all without any A.I..

The final scene we're shown is a lake far from the redevelopment site. Abullah and his agent stand at the shore while the surface erupts. A large robot bursts from the depths, and Abullah states that this is Pluto's only real body, and his orders are to destroy Atom.

Impressions

Some questions are finally moving towards answers, but a crew of new ones are quickly taking their place. This is only part three of eight, so there's a lot more to go. I still really enjoy seeing Urasawa's imagination at work. I really like his location shots. His "old-time village on top of a futuristic skyscraper" was particularly impressive.

This volume was less "eventful" than the prior two. Nothing was wrapped up here, but it was still intense nonetheless. It was much more of a "building up" sort of volume.

Now that we've finally seen Pluto (kind of) and found out who is controlling him, will motivations be revealed? Does Pluto's possession of the construction worker show he has capacity (or urge) for good? Who was Adolf's brother, really? Is there a connection between Abullah and Dr. Roosevelt? Why is Uran so rude? Will Epsilon's predictions come true? When will Dr. Tenma show up? Argh, so many questions! On to Volume 4!

Dr. Slump

Ho-yo-yo!

So I was going to try and focus on Astro Boy and Pluto, because trying to juggle tons of manga and comic books at the same time is rough for me. I don't like a series to be sitting forever while I slowly whittle away one little bit at a time. I like things to be completed in a relatively timely manner.

However...

I started Dr. Slump just to see what it was all about, and ended up putting everything else on hold. This series is absolutely hilarious. The writing and drawing work together seamlessly to present a no-holds-barred explosion of humor. I made the mistake of taking some volumes to work. I had to do my best not to laugh out loud like an idiot in front of co-workers. And even if they did ask, my explanation as to why I was laughing would have made me sound like I have the humor level of a six-year-old.

Dr. Slump was a manga by Akira Toriyama, originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1980 to 1984. It launched him to super-success in Japan, and was years prior to his Dragon Ball success.

The first Toriyama work I read was Dragon Ball Z, and I thought it was cool. Then I picked up Dragon Ball, and thought, "holy crap, these are his strengths as a writer." Then I read Dr. Slump, and saw the true genius that is Akira Toriyama. Dragon Ball is great, but what separates it from Dr. Slump is that darn central plot. Things like main objectives spread through multiple volumes, "realistic" relationships built between characters, and fighting to achieve similar goals. That being said, Dragon Ball is also very good, but in a totally different way. The whole thing is very grounded in its own universe. Dr. Slump, on the other hand, doesn't hold back. It's like the entire thing is happening on a whim, and no amount of logic is going to bring it down. If an idea pops into Toriyama's head, no matter how ridiculous or outlandish, it's going in. If he feels like putting the characters in an American Western setting, he'll do it. If he feels like re-telling a fairy tale with his characters, he'll do it (with the most ridiculous casting possible).

The basic story is that a scientific genius and inventor (but idiot all the same) named Senbei Norimaki creates a robot "daughter", whom he names Arale. She's going to be his "scientific triumph," except she ends up having the carefree personality and mind of an innocent child. Just with, you know, massive super strength and incredibly advanced intelligence. Arale is supposed to be the main character (much to Senbei's chagrin), but Toriyama really kind of uses her as a pivotal figure to showcase the whole town. Most characters get their own story focused around them at one point or another. And when a new character becomes part of the team, the general wackiness lets it happen seamlessly.

The stories are episodic in nature, often being made up of only a few pages each. There's not really a "main goal" the manga is headed towards, it's more of a, "what on Earth is going to happen today?" type of feel. This allows Toriyama to loosen standard restrictions that would otherwise prevent the manga from doing its own thing. It's like a stream of consciousness, except the narrator is an eccentric pervert who procrastinates and holds trivial grudges.

There is a sort of sense of continuity between stories, though. For example, if a character from Volume 2 shows up again in Volume 8, he'll remind the reader of that fact (and often state that "his fans" demanded his return). The fourth wall is broken a lot, and real-life characters (e.g. Toriyama himself, his editor, etc.) are thrown headlong into the mix. At one point, Toriyama even interviews/interrogates characters, asking how such crazy things could possibly happen. They retaliate by stating that he's the writer, so it's his fault. It's chaos at it's finest. Characters regularly reference that they're in a manga, and how stupid the writing is. They'll break through panel lines to reach other panels, directly address the reader, and insult the writer/editor/reader. Numerous parodies on Japanese, American, and Chinese culture run rampant throughout.

Toriyama does not hold back at any point. It's like his crazy mind is spewing out wacky ideas and ridiculous stories, and everything just goes down on paper without thinking about it. He's stated numerous times that stories pretty much got written as they were being drawn, and often the approaching deadline would force whatever idea came into his head to become that week's story. Everything from sentient poop running around and ganging up to aliens inadvertently defeated by a game of robot tag. It's such brilliant pandemonium. The pacing is quick, and the reader (not to mention the characters) barely have time to take a breath, and that's a large part of what makes the manga work so well.

The character themselves range from "normal" people, to aliens with butts on their heads, to everything in between. Their personalities are very distinct for the most part, and running jokes are quite common. It's definitely a crude gag manga, but it has such a feel-good atmosphere that you can't help but laugh. As obscene as it is sometimes, it still has a feel of innocence (as weird as that sounds). The humor may be inappropriate, but at its core it's harmless.

In between stories, Toriyama has "bonus pages" spread throughout each volume. They might be how he gets ideas for stories, what his typical day is like, reminiscing about his past, and the like. Obviously, these interludes are just as ridiculous as Dr. Slump itself, and it's fun that Toriyama makes himself the butt of his own jokes. Some of my favorite bonus pages were in Volume 13, where he created his own "Hall of Shame," and pointed out writing or art mistakes he had made in prior Volumes, resulting in physical punishment by his editor.

Some aspects are lost in the translation to English, however. Many puns and plays-on-words lose their effectiveness, sometimes even having to be explained via margin notes. Character, object, and location names are often jokes in themselves, and though they aren't changed for the English release (thankfully), the joke is nonetheless lost on us. It was particularly painful when the Tsun family was introduced. They are from China, so Toriyama used a goofy sort of Japanese writing and pattern order to convey their odd speech patterns. In English, though, the writing is still in English, so the translator attempted to compensate by placing awkward words and phrasings at the beginnings and ends of sentences. It doesn't work nearly as well.

Dr. Slump was adapted to anime format in both 1981 and 1997. Unfortunately, we didn't get either in the U.S., but out of the eleven movies, we are getting five of them later this year. I've watched a few episodes of the anime on YouTube. I have to say, it captures the ridiculousness pretty well, although I feel the humor works better in print, because animation just can't fully capture the rapidity of the pacing.

I was considering doing a Volume-by-Volume post, but it's so chaotic that it wouldn't make much sense. I would highly recommend this series to anyone that wants to see gag manga at its finest, with toilet humor, vulgar puns and all. Even though it has a very cartoonish look, I wouldn't recommend it for kids under the age of 13 or so. Some of the jokes would probably be over their heads anyway.