Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction vol. 10

Any longtime reader of Inio Asano isn’t likely to ask if things are going to get better after the events of vol. 9.  No, they’re likely to ask “How much worse are things going to get?” while also holding out hope that things don’t become terminally depressing by the end.  At the risk of minor spoilers I think it’s worth mentioning that this volume ends with the words, “TWELVE HOURS UNTIL THE END OF HUMANITY,” so feel free to guess if this series is still for you.

That said, if you didn’t stop reading after vol. 9 then nothing here is going to dissuade you from seeing “Dead Dead Demon” through to its end.  (Which is coming in two, probably three volumes.)  So when I say that things are going from bad to worse in Tokyo, I mean you can expect to see everything from reporters acting dishonestly, to spaceship decay-driven destruction of residential areas, to politicians trying to save their own skin, to radical fringe groups planning and carrying out murders, to one big public massacre.  Oh, and while this is happening, America and China are planning to make their moves against Japan, while certain members of the island nation prepare to go “Smell ya later, suckers!” to the rest of the world.  It all makes you wish that you could be hanging out with the main cast on the beach while all this passes them by.

Except it doesn’t and their story ends with one character pulling a gun on another as they try to go off and be a big damn hero.  There’s no escaping the pull of the events in Tokyo, even as the situation disintegrates.  It’s also not too bad to read as Asano keeps the plot moving in an unpredictable fashion as while you can be sure that bad things are going to happen, you’re still surprised to see what they are.  This is in spite of the fact that the series could really use a Cast of Characters list at the beginning now as it’s getting hard to remember who’s who outside of the core cast.  Regardless, this is a strong start to the end of this series even as it indicates that humanity is quite clearly screwed.