Drama Queen

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Almost anything I can say here would start a fight. Which is why whether you agree with the author or not, it’s worth reading.

It’s a new series so it’s hard to judge it on any level other than that if you share the author’s opinion, it’s reassuring to find out you’re not alone, and if you disagree with the author, it’s important to understand the thought process of the people you disagree with.

Censorship is a cancer and you shouldn’t trust anyone who leans on it. And you shouldn’t let them be your spokesmen. Understand your argument and understand your opponent. Fail to ... do that and even if you’re right you’ll be weaker for it.

Drama Queen has an intriguing premise, but it is still too early to confidently recommend, especially if a reader has experience with series such as Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul, Code Geass, or Overlord. Even a Fire Emblem game has this similar premise. Other reviewers may use buzzwords like "anti-imperialism" or "racist dog whistle"; however, that is not really the issue here. Instead, it could be argued that those specifically are what makes this story interesting.

The worry for Drama Queen is the potential direction that it will take as it develops since if it strays into the path of the aforementioned series (and arguably, it ... is already doing that only 2 chapters in), it will fall into the cliché of "b-but not all [insert group] are bad", which will pit the two currently friendly protagonists against each other. This takes away the originality factor, which may taint the experience, and that is especially the case here when murder is involved, adding to the moral weight of actions.

Other than that, the art style is appealing, the character personalities are enjoyable, and the world-building is easy to follow so far.

Hopefully, Ichikawa, the author, is crafty in developing the plot moving forward instead of rushing toward a resolution.

While I can't knock it for its anti-imperialist themes, Drama Queen does come off as incredibly racist dog-whistle for contemporary immigration issues in Japan. I'm going to edit this for clarity because some people have not been able to comprehend the obvious. The actions of the protagonists are nothing but glorified; this isn't Death Note, these aren't villain protagonists. The popular notion that the couple will be painted as unsympathetic later on is wishful thinking at its worst.

The setting is in Japan, where aliens live among Japanese people due to the aliens saving the Earth from a "giant meteorite" and introducing humans to fancy new ... technology. The protagonist; Nomamoto, is introduced harassing a mixed-species couple because the noticeably brash stereotypically American-acting alien accidentally bumped into her on the street. She goes on to state how she hates all the aliens including the ones who did nothing wrong (she somewhat reminds me of the intolerant bystander from Monster Musume as a result). Nomamoto also says that she also hates couples who refer to their significant other in gender neutral terms (does this remind you of anyone?), "partner" instead of "boyfriend" in this case. This is important because it indicates that the author has an unusual awareness of contemporary western neoreactionary ideology, such as works derived from Renaud Camus. This is the first tip-off that the aliens are a metaphor for migrants, contractors, American military enlistees, and all other foreigners.

The aliens are indicated to have better technology and higher level positions in Japanese society. You might say "but wait, this isn't the reality in Japan as of right now!", and you'd be right. However, if you're aware of the French-origin "The Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, which the author most likely has knowledge of considering the former commentary on gender ideology, this is exactly to be expected from the narrative. It is shown that Nomamoto's boss is an abusive alien who lashes out at his employees. Kitami (the other protagonist) chews him out and complains about the alien not learning Japanese; this is a common complaint about foreigners in Japan, which is the second tip-off that the aliens are a metaphor for foreigners.

Kitami meets up with Nomamoto on the beach and reveals that he hates all aliens too because one killed his entire family in a drunk driving accident. This is a direct, overt, and obvious reference to the dozens of times American military and base workers have done this, the most recent being Navy Lieutenant Ridge Alkonis killing 2 Japanese people in 2022. Kitami's mention of the police being afraid it would turn into "an interplanetary issue" and covering it up is a direct reference to this happening in real life regarding the aforementioned killings. There's also accusations that the "meteorite" was a false flag, a common theme in neoreactionary communities.

Through a series of wacky hijinks, the abusive alien boss ends up self-immolating by accident. Kitami shows up at Nomamoto's door later that day with a dead alien body (he admitted to killing it for trivial reasons), and they decide to cover up the death of the alien by eating its corpse. This is strangely reminiscent of World War 2's Chichijima incident (look it up), and while cannibalism was not exceptional during the war, honestly I have no idea why the author would decide to invoke these themes considering that they make Japan look bad. The protagonists state their conviction to ethnically cleanse Japan of aliens by killing and eating them. The chapter then ends.

My main criticism is the following: The people who travelled or immigrated to Japan largely do so because they view Japan as a superior country, and yes, while there are a lot of foreigners who are totally Machiavellian and violent in nature, to portray all migrants and foreigners as a monolith of invading aliens is bad writing and doesn't make for an interesting plot. In addition, it wasn't for its premise being akin to The Turner Diaries, it would just be another Mary Sue meets Gary Stu romance manga with nothing in particular to offer to anyone. Let it be known that I am for free expression and all that cool stuff, but it's insidious that this is in a Shounen magazine aimed at younger children and not in a Seinen magazine for young adults who would be more equipped to view these themes critically.

The reasons it gets a 3 instead of a 1: anti-imperialism is still a cool theme even if the execution of the metaphor is the worst it could possibly be, the art is quite decent, and Nomamoto is kinda hot- she can munch on my alien nose any time if you know what I'm saying. You know what I'm sayin'? Yeah you know. Aight. Cool. Peace.