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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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