Manga Review: Asadora! Volume 5 by Naoki Urasawa
Note: This review contains SPOILERS for earlier volumes of Asadora!
It is 1964, and the Tokyo Olympics are about to begin. But there has been a sighting of “that thing”, a gigantic creature of unknown origins, in the vicinity. If it can’t be driven off, the Olympics will have to be delayed or cancelled. The one person in a position to do anything is seventeen-year-old pilot Asa Asada, who has encountered “that thing” before during a typhoon. She takes off in a Piper Cub with Keiichi Nakaido, a college student whose deceased teacher left notes on possible weaknesses of the monster. Meanwhile, two of Asa’s classmates face their own troubles.
This is the latest manga series from Naoki Urasawa, who’s produced such hits as Twentieth Century Boys and Monster. He’s known for having multiple subplots and intriguing characters, and trying out different genres. In this case, it seems to be a kaiju (giant monster ala Godzilla) story, but there’s other things going on.
Asa’s mentor, Haruo Kasuga, was a fighter pilot during World War Two who fell on hard times after the war. He kidnapped Asa as a child, but a typhoon happened, the two had to work together to survive, and became friends. Now he runs a small aviation business. Mr. Kasuga isn’t available for the mission as he’s taking responsibility for an auto accident caused by a tabloid reporter who’s been stalking Asa.
Asa’s friend Yoneko “Yone” Nakajima has been scouted by an entertainment agent, who turns out to be underprepared for the interview, as the only dress he has in stock is embarrassingly undersized. (He has also fallen on hard times.) Yone’s “guardian” Eisaku Noro shows up to protect her interests, but it turns out he’s been in the entertainment industry himself, and Yone is in for more embarrassment.
Miyako, Asa’s other school friend, was tailing Yone because she wants to break into show business herself, but got lost in a bad neighborhood. Miyako is threatened by a gang of juvenile hooligans, but before anything truly bad happens is rescued and introduced to the world of professional wrestling.
Back in the main plot, Asa confronts “that thing” and we learn that she may have a prophecy about her.
While most of the immediate plotlines are resolved by the end of the volume, we’re still in the early part of this manga, so there’s sure to be some major twists ahead.
Urasawa’s art remains impressive, the characters are easy to tell apart (important in a large cast), and the writing is intriguing. The subplots are just as important to the characters experiencing them as the main kaiju invasion is to the story.
The period setting also allows for interesting detail. The slang term “transistor glamour” is used for an attractive petite woman because at the time transistor technology was the new hotness. The agent is floundering because entertainment trends are changing in ways he doesn’t understand. The war generation is hitting middle age, though some appear to have aged more rapidly than others.
Content note: Yone dons a couple of “fanservice” outfits at the request of the agent and her guardian, and isn’t comfortable with this. Miyako is threatened with sexual assault.
It’s not clear exactly where the series is going from here given Urasawa’s love of twisty plots, but past experience leads me to believe the journey will be interesting and fun. Recommended to manga fans who are willing to wait for answers.
