Asadora vol. 8

The monster is still out there, but now Asa has more important concerns.  Like attending her friend Yone’s idol audition in front of some industry executives.  Her manager, Noro, may have come off like a two-bit hustler before, but he’s got a plan to ensure “Marilyn Nomajin” makes an impression here to become the next big thing in Japan!  As to whether or not that happens, we find out in short order as the story jumps ahead four years to 1968 where Asa is now running the small airplane company she used to fly for, while also still keeping an eye out for the monster.  Yet Yone’s troubles persist into this new era as well, which is how our protagonist finds herself breaking into someone’s home to steal the only copy of the film her friend is starring in.

If the description above gives you the impression that this is a volume of “Asadora!” where all of the subplots are given prominence over the main plot, then you’d be correct.  Mangaka Naoki Urasawa doesn’t ignore it completely, and we get a hint that this monster business is going to be creepier than it initially appeared to be, but it’s definitely been placed on the back burner here.  As has the business with Sho and his drug use, which is still giving him delusions of grandeur.

It’s a ballsy move to sideline the most interesting stuff in a series to focus on the everyday lives of its characters.  Though Urasawa has shown himself to be good with this kind of stuff in the past, it doesn’t really work here.  That’s because Yone’s showbiz travails are bog-standard and not that interesting as a result.  We do get a dramatic suburban rooftop chase sequence out of Asa’s efforts to steal the film, but that’s as exciting as this whole business gets.  The encounter that closes out this volume isn’t immediately interesting either, so let’s hope the monster comes roaring back to shake things up in vol. 9.