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Shonen Jumpis presently face up one of the most challenging time in the magazine ’s long history . After its major sales - driving serial -Jujutsu KaisenandMy Hero Academia- ended at basically the same time , One Pieceis the only manga leave to carry on its back what is supposed to be the premiere publishing in the industry . Over the past geezerhood , Shonen Jumphas frantically searched for the " next big thing " , without much succeeder , with the exception ofKagurabachi .
However , a series that just debuted has gotten all the attending that Shueisha require , but perhaps for the incorrect reasonableness . Drama Queenby Kuraku Ichikawa debuted on December 2 , 2024 , onShonen Jump+ , the digital sister issue ofWeekly Shonen Jump , whose lineup includes massive smash such asSpy x Family , Chainsaw Man , and the late success , Dandadan . On MANGA Plus , Shueisha ’s digital reading app for the Western grocery , Drama Queenranks , at the time of writing , as first in the " trending " chart and fourth in the " hottest " one , with its 2nd chapter being outstrip only by establish seriesChainsaw Man , One Piece , andBoruto .
Western Fans Are Getting a Lot of Things Wrong About Drama Queen
InDrama Queen , planet Earth get a sudden and unstoppable immigration wave of outlander , after this yet - unnamed metal money saves Earth from an impending shooting star rap . world authorities thua welcome the alien , who integrate into day-after-day life despite their different looks . However , there is a significant cultural shift , which is utterly portray in the first chapter . Everyone on Earth loves the aliens because of their treatment and the innovation bring by their technology , so they are basically allowed to do whatever they require .
The protagonist , a miss named Nomamoto , works a menial , low - wage job for a despotic alien boss who overwork his actor and does n’t even speak their language . She believes she is the only one who hate the extraterrestrial until she meets coworker Kitami , a boy who lose his family in a motorcar wreck due to intoxicated alien , who were never persecuted for it . One Nox , Kitami picture up at Nomamoto ’s place with an alien he unintentionally killed . To dispose of the body , Nomamoto , who could never yield to eat enough solid food , decides to cook and eat it , discovering she enjoys the taste of aliens , which Kitami finds disgusting .
This wild premise continues in chapter # 2 , where the duo decides that Kitami will kill as many aliens as he can , and Nomamoto will get rid of the body by eating them . It ’s understandable that some reader may incur the story problematic due to its picture of xenophobic offence , butDrama Queenis understandably a lot deeper than that . However , many Western fans were prompt to adjudicate it establish on their own ethnic framework , without thinking about what Japan ’s family relationship with immigration in reality is .
Japan’s Relationship With Immigration Is Radically Different From the Western World
Contrary to what happens in many westerly countries , Japan has almost no unskilled in-migration due to its strict 1990 Immigration Law , which officially refused unskilled strange labour . Whilethe law has been amended in 2024 , making it easier to recruit strange worker , the situation has not changed much . The bulk of people immigrating to Japan are skilled workers , and even for them , it ’s not exactly well-heeled .
This does n’t imply , of course , that Japan has an leisurely family relationship with foreigners . As a formerly isolationist land that was force to unfold its doors to the Western humans double by military means , Japan ’s relationship with the " outside " has always been complex and fascinating . For example , the country has recently been pushing back against over - touristry , especially a recent trend of people disrespecting Japanese tradition and impost to then send videos online . Many shop have started putting out signs highlighting " defective conduct " that holidaymaker should avoid , even at a time when the government activity is attempt to advance tourism to hike up the economy .
It ’s in this linguistic context that a body of work such asDrama Queenshould be analyzed . The aliens in the story are nothing like the immigrant that dwell westerly cities and can correctly be identified as vulnerable sector of guild . The aliens inDrama Queenhave the best occupation , they disrespect the local Japanese people , and are unfairly protected by the jurisprudence and the authorities . They literally take the air around like they own the position , which is not an accurate delineation of immigration in Western countries .
What Is Drama Queen’s Message?
It’s Not About Immigration, It’s About Politics
What is , then , the message thatDrama Queenis try on to carry , if there is one ? The series is certainly trying to be provocative , but going as far as say it ’s attempt to spread a anti-Semite message may be too much . Rather , the germ of inspiration for the manga may be found in the above - mentioned tourist crisis that has become a topic of discussion in the country recently . Nipponese people always carried an unfortunate label of racism , but this takings is for them to fence , not for some westerly youngster whose only contact lens with Japanese civilization has been through manga and anime .
More than about race , Drama Queenseems to be about privilege . The alien are stand - In for a inside course of instruction that was capable to get into the good graces of the masses by , fundamentally , lying ( it ’s already implied in the series that the meteorite accident was staged ) and proffer them some technical school - based entertainment . If anything , they are a lot more like to politicians and manufacture power . They are above the law , they act as as if they are better than everyone else , and they tap cheap labor .
The act of " eating your enemy " itself can be seen as an interesting exploration of how we delineate what is " human " and what is not . hide deep paper beyond dark humor and provocations , thus comply in the footstep ofChainsaw Man , the series it has been mostly compared with , Drama Queenpromises to be a compelling geographic expedition of the concept of human race as it applies to both the " other " and ourselves .
Unfortunately , these nuances seem lose to a declamatory part of the Western hearing , with some people going as far as advocating for Shueisha to cancel the serial immediately . The debate seems now equally snag , with just as many fans appreciating the provocative tone of the series . However , what is undeniable is thatDrama Queenis really revolutionary in its determination to push the limit of the musical style and focus on veridical - life story military issue that shonen manga seldom need to approach .
At the metre of writing , there has been no scandalisation in Japan about this novel serial publication , but thing may always change . What the quick chemical reaction toDrama Queenfrom Western manga fan proved is that , even in a earth where Japanese entertainment seems to be take over the industriousness , it ’s still too leisurely to judge a oeuvre of artistic creation without really try out to understand the culture that produce it .
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