Manga: Reviews of Ichi-F: A Worker’s Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant and Platinum End

Time Codes: 00:00:26 - Introduction 00:03:29 - Listener mail! 00:07:21 - Follow up on Revolutionary Girl Utena 00:08:40 - Ichi-F: A Worker's Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant 00:33:42 - Platinum End 01:10:43 - Wrap up 01:12:16 - Contact us   This month on The Comics Alternative's manga series, Shea and Derek check out two very different titles. They begin with Kazuto Tatsuta's Ichi-F: A Worker's Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (Kodansha Comics). This is a 500+ page account of the reconstruction and cleanup in the wake of 2011's disaster in Fukushima. As the guys discuss, the text does two things at once: provides objective reportage of the situation surrounding Fukushima and reveals the author's very personal experiences  in securing and maintaining his role in the cleanup efforts. While both guys enjoyed the book, perhaps Derek more than Shea, they nonetheless wondered about Tatsuta's background as a mangaka -- "Kazuto Tatsuta" is a nom de plume, so it's difficult to determine any bibliography -- and any potential agenda (if any) underlying this work. After their focus on real-world disaster, the guys move into the realm of fantasy. Platinum End (VIZ Media) is a current shōnen series from Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, the same team behind Bakuman and Death Note. The second English-language volume was just released this month, so the guys have enough story under their belts to get a secure feel for the art and narrative. As Derek explains, the premise appears a little on the hokey side, at least at first, but as things develop the story begins to take on a life of its own, one that soon hooks you. Much of this is because of Obata's style, but there are also larger thematic issues that make this title worth exploring. The guys discourse over the text's theological import, its engagement with gender identity, and its satiric commentary on contemporary popular culture. This is definitely a series that both Shea and Derek will continue reading.