By Q Hayashida. Released in Japan by Shogakukan, serialization ongoing in the magazine Ikki. Released in North America by Viz.

I’ve said a few times before that I don’t really read Dorohedoro for the plot, and it’s true. This is the sort of series that is best experienced by, when a new volume comes out, re-reading every previous volume just to remind yourself of all the little details. Since I don’t do that, I’m constantly forgetting things. But even I have to admit that the main plotline is starting to actually give us more than vague hints here. The Cross-Eyes are becoming more and more important, and Risu and Caiman’s search looks to be the same one, from different angles. Most of all, we meet a guy in a flashback who I have a sneaking suspicion is the one man tying this all together.

All right, enough of the plot. Let’s go back to talking about violence and humor, which are still this manga’s main fuel. Hayashida excels at writing grotesque action scenes filled with gore, and we certainly get that here. The highlight is probably Shin headbutting a man so hard his brain goes flying out the back of his head. I mean, this series isn’t rated M just for the breasts, you know. And quite often the violence and humor combine, such as the fate of the Cross-Eyed’s landlady, which is both horrible and yet somehow amusing. It’s hard to take an evil gang seriously when they’re such schlubs, and I can’t imagine what new bright-eyed character Natsuki sees in them.

The other thing threading through this entire series is drug use and abuse. The way magic works in this universe involves a lot of ‘black powder’ being sold to help non-magic users get a quick fix. Though they’re running out, so they’re starting to sell off some coarser fakes that aren’t as pure. No prizes guessing what the metaphor is here. Meanwhile, En is basically trying to build a new and better hallucinogenic mushroom, and finds that while it makes your wildest dreams come true, the comedown afterwards is rather harsh (poor Fujita…). I have to think at this point that En is aware that Chota is impersonating Nikaido and is just giving him enough rope to hang himself, given Chota’s pathetic attempts at impersonation.

But as always, it’s the relationships and friendships between everyone that are the main reason to read Dorohedoro. Shin may not have a crush on Noi the way she does on him, but his single-minded devotion to finding her is impressive to see. Nikaido and Caiman have swung back into their old groove, though I’m not sure how long that will last. Seeing Dr. Kasukabe reunite with his wife (who has a surprise new job!) is bittersweet but also rather touching, and I hope we see more of her soon. And then there’s Ebisu and her dream of her parents, reminding us that she is more than just comedy relief but a broken young girl.

I still can’t think of a dystopian title I’m enjoying more than Dorohedoro. I know that things will get much worse for everyone soon, but for once I’m actually looking forward to it. This cast does better when its backs are against the wall. And most importantly: will we see more of the Gyoza Fairy?

By Q Hayashida. Released in Japan by Shogakukan, serialization ongoing in the magazine Ikki. Released in North America by Viz.

Once again I am struck by how much this manga develops close bonds of friendship and respect between people who, were they in the real world, would be horrible monsters. En and his gang, Caiman’s ongoing search for Nikaido, even Kasukabe’s strangely distant yet loving relationship with his (as yet unseen) wife. The reason I bang on about how much I like Dorohedoro is that its world building makes it FEEL like a world. This is a place where life goes on even when the protagonists are not on screen, and has people whose priorities are more than simply helping the hero carry out his master plan. Let’s face it, finding your lost friend is all well and good, but there are pies to be sold!

And Dorohedoro also has a glorious sense of humor, not afraid to let everyone embarrass themselves in the name of broad comedy. Thus we have Pieman, Caiman’s alter ego while in En’s mansion, who looks like a refugee from Burger Time with fake breasts. Even better, not only does Caiman pretend to be Tanba’s new wife, but he finds himself getting too into the role, needing to actually remember what he’s here for. As for the pie battle itself (between Tanba and a rival merchant/ex-girlfriend), it ends the way you’d think, even with the use of supernatural aid on the enemies’ side.

There is also Risu and his attempts to connect with a gang of cross-eyed. I will admit that I still tend to find the parts of the manga with Risu a weak point of the book, mostly as he’s simply not as boisterous as our 4 protagonists and not as downtroddenly pathetic as Fujita. I know he has a story that will pay off down the road, however, so it’s worth paying attention. Likewise, I find Chota’s obsession with En to be a bit much, but then that’s how it’s supposed to be. And his imitation of Nikaido is quite funny (you just know this will end badly for him).

There’s darkness afoot, though – this is still a dark and gory manga. First we have Nikaido, still possessed for about half of this book, getting her back sliced open by… well, as she says it’s not caiman, but it’s certainly connected to him in some way, just as Risu is. Unpleasant stuff, especially given how happy-go-lucky Caiman is in general (there’s a nice heartwarming flashback to how he and Nikaido first meet, and he gets his name). Secondly, when chasing after Kasukabe and company, who have gone to visit his wife and found some nasty goons instead, Shin and Noi get the crap beaten out of them – indeed, Shin gets left for dead. Which no doubt will prove to be a mistake, as the cliffhanger shows a not-dead Shin preparing to wreak his revenge.

The beauty of Dorohedoro, in addition to his morally grey but fun characters and its amazing crapsack world, is that after finishing a volume you can’t wait to see what’s next. That’s absolutely the case here. Bring on Vol. 8, I have to know how Shin wins!

By Q Hayashida. Released in Japan by Shogakukan, serialization ongoing in the magazine Ikki. Released in North America by Viz.

No thrilling escapes for Nikaido after last volume’s cliffhanger ending – she’s captured, and En is determined to make her his new partner. That said, the most fascinating thing about this volume, and indeed Dorohedoro as a whole, is the motivations of the so-called ‘villainous’ characters. In a world where everyone’s a bit of a sadistic murderer, how do you judge who’s really a good person or not? Well, one way might be that they don’t chain you in a dungeon and mind-control you into being a zombie. But on the other hand…

En is on this volume’s cover, and En gets the most attention, as we get a flashback to his own origins. Of course, this particular flashback is a movie directed by En, so there’s a slight question of veracity. But even if it is propaganda, it *sounds* right – we even see him without his mask! (He has thins tiny pencil mustache – I bet he thinks it makes him look cooler, but I was thinking more cute.) The big thing about this flashback, though, is it continues to show that En’s past is tied with the past that Caimahn is trying to discover – and that the current happy-go-lucky lizard head Caiman was probably a very different person when he was a Cross-Eyed.

However, as sympathetic as En seems in the final chapters, it’s balanced by his treatment of Nikaido, which I already alluded to. Forced to sign a partner contract – which in this universe involves literally opening up your chest and sticking it inside your body – Nikaido is then imprisoned for the majority of this volume, and it’s very much the chains and bread and water type of prison. When she’s finally freed, it’s only because the contract – which is shown to be magical in nature, as if opening people’s chests like doors wasn’t a clue enough – is making her passive and accepting. Indeed, at one point she has a bowling ball dropped on her head by a jealous Chota, her reaction is basically “oh”. It’s sad to see, and does not endear En to you, no matter what grand plans he has. (The ‘extra chapter’ is a side story showing us how Nikaido got her restaurant, in case we missed the old chirpy version.

And as always, there’s the world building. This month the Manga Moveable Feast is discussing Viz’s Signature titles, and this is certainly one of them. Indeed, I have trouble imagining this series anywhere but in Ikki, Shogakukan’s experimental seinen line. Hayashida clearly has an ongoing plot, but the series works because she’s given so much time to play everything out – even the action scenes don’t feel rushed. Dorohedoro’s been running since 2000, and Japan is up to Volume 16. While this means it must be selling something, I think it also shows the trust the editors place in her to deliver these sorts of goods. Of course there is *some* pandering to the reader – each volume is filled with gory violence, and one scene showing Noi and Ebisu bathing a struggling Nikaido has our standard gratuitous nudity – but it’s not done in the usual “look, boobs!” way we see in, say, Cage of Eden.

Lastly, what struck me about this volume was the unashamed sentiment it still has in its crapsack world filled with morally ambiguous characters. The ongoing funny-yet-heartwarming relationship between Fujita and Ebisu. The way that Caiman has quickly won Tanba over and is now prepared to reveal things that he really only told Nikaido before. And Johnson and his compatriots escaping En’s prison, not because of a clever and daring escape, but because Johnson saved Shin’s life back in the day and Shin owes him. In a world where hell is literal (and not always filled with the dead, as En can attest) but we’re not so sure about heaven, these little moments are precious. It’s the difference between having a world of villains and having a world full of unlikeable villains. All of Dorohedoro’s cast makes you want to read more of them. Even En. Though I wish he didn’t have to resort to brainwashing.