Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction 08

デッドデッドデーモンズデデデデデストラクション [Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction] #8

by Inio Asano, Hana Rude (Translator)

Oba und Makoto benutzen die Apparatur, mit der man Erinnerungen wiedererleben kann. Sie beobachten Oran und Kadode und deren Erlebnisse vor acht Jahren. Die beiden sind von ihrer Persönlichkeit her kaum wiederzuerkennen. Was ist bloß in jenem Sommer geschehen?

Genres: Manga, Science Fiction, Comics, Seinen, Comics Manga, Fiction, Drama

168 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2019

About the author

Inio Asano (浅野いにお, Asano Inio) is a Japanese cartoonist. He is known for his character-driven stories and his detailed art-style, making him one of the most influential manga author of his generation.
Asano was born in 1980 and produced his first amateur comics as a teenager. His professional debut happened in 2000 in the pages of the magazine Big Comic Spirits. Since then, he has collaborated with most of the major Japanese magazines of seinen manga (comics for a mature audience). Among Asano's internationally acclaimed works are: the psychological horror Nijigahara Holograph (2003-2005); the drama Solanin (2005-2006); the existentialistic slice-of-life Goodnight Punpun (2007-2013); the erotic A Girl on the Shore (2009-2013); the sci-fi Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction (2014-2022).

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this publisher frame for the series:
Three years ago the aliens invaded Tokyo.
Nothing was ever the same again.
But after a while, even impending doom starts to feel ordinary.

This captures the foundational feel of the series, where an alien spaceship threatens the end of civilization and (don’t look up!) life goes on as usual, with teen hormones and gaming seen against an insane political backdrop.

This is an all-backstory volume, where we focus on the cliffhanger revelation from volume seven about Oran, which I'll admit is a bit interesting. What else?

*We explore the ludicrous possibilities of war between China, the USA and Japan around the question of what to do with the invaders/aliens. But guess what is the most common solution proposed by military leaders and politicians about how to deal with the aliens? Right, I didn't even need to ask: Military solutions. Because this will make the leaders look good and help the economy, and so on, the usual justifications. Bomb them all the way back home, the savages. Murder anyone you can’t understand, any alien. But the invaders are not clearly evil or even aggressive, really.

*Each volume is framed by a goofy escapist manga, Isobeyan, everyone is supposedly reading in Tokyo, but (surprise!) Isobeyan, this SuperMario kinda guy suddenly emerges in the maon narrative. Goofy? Surreal?

The visuals from mangaka Inio Asano, especially the backgrounds, are as good as ever, maybe even better than usual. This series is nothing much like anything else Asano has done, a teen manga with a kind of manic energy and multiple plotlines, yet infused with a political cynicism and dark humor I appreciate.

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is essentially one big flashback. Following the revelation about two of the main protagonists in the last volume, we’re taken on a deep dive into their pasts. But even with this extended backstory, I still didn’t feel like it explained much regarding that big reveal. I’m left feeling just as confused. 😅

Come on, Asano! Give us some answers!

[Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Por sorpresa dos personajes empiezan a ver el pasado de Kadode y Ouran y la historia se transforma en un cruce entre Stranger Things y Doraemon. Esta recurso habitual para llenar huecos permite explorar no sólo el período en que se conocieron, sino que da sentido a muchas cosas ya vistas; entre ellas esas historietas de Isobeyan, el trasunto del gato cósmico que abre y cierra cada tomo. Bien por Asano y sus colaboradores, con un dibujo donde destaca el nivel de detalle en cada viñeta.

[Jon Ureña · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.

This series' stupid name is "Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction". I'm reviewing everything remaining from the start of the seventh volume up to chapter 59, which is the latest in this ongoing series.

Another story I've read up to the latest chapter produced, and that I'll necessarily have to abandon only to come back from time to time, revisiting characters whose specificities I'll have mostly forgotten. In any case, the biggest issue I had with this part of the story had to do with how dire the "arena subplot" had gotten (being in the verge of a war between and the US, and possibly China, along with the fact that the mothership will explode in about a month, sterilizing the whole planet, unless someone stops it) in contraposition to the general cluelessness of the main plot involving our group of girls. The author "parodied" one of those infamous "beach episodes" from many mainstream mangas/animes, but mostly the only parody here is that the girls are quite plain, and that the hardass conspiracy theorist girl didn't know how to swim. The disconnect both in stakes and tone between the parallel plots annoyed me a bit.

The biggest development in the main plot involved the disguised alien having realized that Ouran "Ontan" Nakagawa, the zany, drooling conspiracy theorist and hardcore gamer would recover some vital memories she had either lost or supressed: according to the disguised alien, the Ouran that exists in this timeline came here when she was 8 years old, from another timeline where she and her best friend Kadode saw a scout ship that came to Earth about 7 years earlier than the mothership, and ended up rescuing its pilot. Somehow that Ouran travelled to a different timeline. By chapter 59 the thing is ongoing, so we don't know. What happened to the Ouran from this timeline? Her best friend from the other timeline had a more decisive, serious personality, so I'm guessing that version stayed behind. In any case, I'm guessing something bad happened, because the disguised alien, who was telling this to someone, asked them to forgive Ouran for whatever she did.

Along the way Nakagawa also realized that she had fallen for the disguised alien, who conveniently looks good, and wants him to stay around. She's the kind of person who feels like she's betraying herself when she shows mushy feelings, so this was a personal development for her.

Not much else to say at this point, and there's nothing else to say for a good while, so here are some drawings from the series as a whole.















This is fan art, but it's just cool:

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

All flashback volume giving us some background of the first invader. I'm definitely still enjoying this series. It's focused and not too lost in getting us around the invaders and what their motivation/technology is. This has always been a series focused on our main Earth characters and much more enjoyable for it.

[Marco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finale decisamente inaspettato.

[Matthew Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que añadir tanto trasfondo a una historia debe estar completamente justificado en función del punto que se quiere presentar. En este volumen, se dedicó todo el espacio a explicar las motivaciones detrás del cambio en el mundo y su transformación.

Ahora bien, entendiendo eso, pero ¿realmente era necesario extender tanto la narrativa para justificarlo? Después de haber terminado el manga, creo que no. De hecho, siento que aquí es donde la historia comienza a decaer. Mi pregunta sigue siendo la misma: ¿cuál es el verdadero objetivo de todo esto?

Al final, tengo la sensación de que el manga nos lanza una serie de críticas abiertas para que como lectores y lectoras seamos quienes encontremos las respuestas a las pretenciosas preguntas del mangaka. Esto no me molesta en sí mismo—hay historias que están hechas para hacernos reflexionar—pero aquí el mensaje se siente como si nos dieran una revelación máxima, y no es así, varias cosas ya se intuía que a dónde iban a ir. Termina transmitiendo la idea de que todo lo ocurrido se debe a una niña y a un simple efecto mariposa. ¿Realmente era necesario llegar a esa conclusión? Honestamente, tengo mis dudas.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars remain for the always amazing visuals from Inio Asano sensei. There was an eight month gap between the release of this volume in the last, so I spent a minute rereading the series. This volume focuses primarily on a flashback precipitated by the cliffhanger revelation ending the last one. By far, this is the weakest part of the story since the first volumes (which suffered from a labored pacing, but provided character and world building). That’s not to say there is nothing interesting here. Oran and Kadode have unique start to their relationship. The framing aspect of the darkly humorous Isobeyan strip comes into clearer focus as well. But, the larger S.E.S. conspiracy plot comes to a halt as does Futaba’s dire mission... for now.

[Adriano Barone · Rating 5 out of 5]

E niente, qui si torna a piangere, e Asano si conferma il più grande "miserabilista" del contemporaneo. Uno che ci vende manga in cui ci ricorda quanto facciamo schifo e quanto facciano schifo le nostre vite, e forse non vorresti sentirtelo dire e leggerlo con questa lucidità, ma poi hai la nausea di libri e fumetti consolatori, dei romanzetti innocui alla Murakami o dei graphic novel intimisti che non raccontano nulla, allora meglio chi ti pone di fronte al fatto che vivi nel vuoto, in solitudine, senza scopo, e che la tua vita e la tua morte non cambieranno niente per te, per gli altri e per l'universo.
Grazie, Asano-sensei.

[Nate]

Volume 8 is all backstory. And it’s well done backstory. I suspect the series is ending soon and the flashback feels placed right where it should be, giving us what we need to know before the conclusion. Then again, I could be completely wrong and the series might go on way longer. Either way, this was an engaging read. Tightly written and emotional with some of Asano’s best visuals to date.

[Estibaliz · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best volumes so far, if not THE best.

A full-on flashback addition to the series, that offers an unexpected twist to the story, while showing the start of Oran and Kadode's friendship, as well as the first visit of the invaders and some of their powers and potential intentions; all of it topped up with quite a dramatic ending.

Looking forward to volume 9.

[Cassie Fleurs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arte excepcional e inmaculada de Inio Asano , con una historia compleja critica. Al mismo tiempo con la ternura y risas que genera ver crecer a nuestras protagonistas.

He releido varias veces lo que lleva esta manga y cada vez me gusta mas.

[DonutKnow · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series always kind of pushes my limits in terms of weirdness. The art is a bit different to what I am used to, but in this volume I understood a little bit more about the main characters in a different universe/time... 🤔

[Gabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Series has gone full ET, but I'm into it

[Ami 乁⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠o⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠ㄏ (written by Jane Austen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5 stars)

Finally getting to know what really happened in the past...Kadode messed up big time.

[Irati Azpeitia · Rating 5 out of 5]

increibleeee

[Solim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great back story in this one! This series started all over the place but it is coming together more as I get further into it.

[ana margarida · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh não

[Alvaro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't remember if here the backstory and plot twist begin. It felt flat. Perhaps if the doraemon references were to be taken seriously we'll see it was here all along.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pair are more connected to the visitors than first thought. A good origin story and a tragic misuse of technology.

[Lionel · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh...so I was right. She is a sociopath.

[Karine · Rating 3 out of 5]

flashback que continua no volume 9 (que explica mais o que aconteceu)

[Ariz · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Wah!"

[Isel · Rating 4 out of 5]

😱

[Orrosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is absoluty amazing

[Dony Grayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tomo 8 argentino de los 12 que van a ser.

[Kapitol Tank · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 capítulos destructivos (#57 a #64) precedidos por la no tan típica historia corta de Isobeyan de tres páginas, el supuesto capítulo 623: "El palito contundente".