Asadora!, Vol. 7

あさドラ! [Asadora!] #7

by Naoki Urasawa, John Werry (Translator)

A deadly typhoon, a mysterious creature and a girl who won’t quit.

In 2020, a large creature rampages through Tokyo, destroying everything in its path. In 1959, Asa Asada, a spunky young girl from a huge family in Nagoya, is kidnapped for ransom—and not a soul notices. When a typhoon hits Nagoya, Asa and her kidnapper must work together to survive. But there’s more to her kidnapper and this storm than meets the eye.

The mysterious creature appears in Tokyo Bay and takes a chunk out of a self-defense forces vessel. Asa is called into action, but she has trouble reaching the airfield due to the Olympic crowds. Meanwhile, Shota arrives at the same beach as the creature. Asa and Kasuga finally get up in the air and do a fly by, but the creature damages their plane, causing them to lose altitude. Will Asa be able to regain control?

Genres: Manga, Comics, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Seinen, Fantasy

184 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2022

About the author

Urasawa Naoki (浦沢直樹) is a Japanese mangaka. He is perhaps best known for Monster (which drew praise from Junot Díaz, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner) and 20th Century Boys.

Urasawa's work often concentrates on intricate plotting, interweaving narratives, a deep focus on character development and psychological complexity. Urasawa has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Japan Media Arts Festival excellence award, the Kodansha Manga Award and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2008 Urasawa accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University.

Series list (not including short stories collections):
- Pineapple ARMY (パイナップルARMY) 1985-1988, written by Kazuya Kudo;
- YAWARA! 1986-1993;
- Master Keaton (MASTERキートン) 1988-1994, written by Hokusei Katsushika;
- Happy! 1993-1999
- MONSTER 1994-2001
- 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年) 1999-2006
- 21st Century Boys (21世紀少年) 2007
- PLUTO 2003-2009, based on Tezuka Osamu's Tetsuwan Atom
- BILLY BAT 2008-2016
- Master Keaton Remaster (MASTERキートン Reマスター) 2012-2014
- Mujirushi (夢印-MUJIRUSHI-) 2017-2018, collaboration with Musée du Louvre
- Asadora! (連続漫画小説 あさドラ!) 2018-ongoing

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exciting outing! As the marathon is run for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, one character realizes his shortcomings and makes some unfortunate choices while another rises to the sky again to do battle with a kaiju in her little plane.

I feel this story would be better read in large chunks, but I can't keep myself from seeking out each volume as it becomes available.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapter 45. To the Sea -- Chapter 46. At the Beach -- Chapter 47. Superhuman -- Chapter 48. One Blow! -- Chapter 49. Landing -- Chapter 50. The Birth of a Hero -- Chapter 51. Returning from Work -- Translation Notes -- Sound Effects Glossary

[Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo mejor del tomo es una sorpresa que mejor no conviene contar y que refuerza otro de los elementos fundamentales en el último Urusawa: el peso de la cultura popular; en este caso gracias a iconos cinematográficos/televisivos. La gracia es que, donde otras veces hay indefinición en si es real o no lo sucedido, ahora se deja claro cómo sucede la aparición. Sí que cada vez extraña más que una niña y un equipo amateur terminen a sueldo de un ministerio para seguir las apariciones del kaiju, pero todavía puedo apartar mi incredulidad.

[Doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drugs are bad...mmm kay

With the pressure of his family continuing to crush him Shota continues doing what he must to one day be in the Olympics. In the mean time a titanic threat continues its journey toward the coast and Asa will once again have to face it with the help of Harou.

As a volume this series continues to be impressive graphically but this volume kind of feels like filler even though it is the beginning of a potentially dreadful time for Shota we at least get some serious Kaiju action and a Ultraman type scenarios but I am looking forward to see how the great beast is finally defeated and hopefully nothing too bad happens to Shota though this volume has taken a dark turn in his life.

[Arsenic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Les scènes rêvées par Shota font très classiques de films de Kaijus. Je suis assez pessimiste sur son destin...
J'ai beaucoup aimé la scène avec Asa et ses amies, je trouve la famille et l'entourage d'Asa vraiment touchant et intéressant.

[Rachel B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pauvre shota…

[Jelka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noooo, I knew something bad was going to happen to Shota. I didn't expect it to be this ... but I knew it.

[Lightwhisper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy adulto y actual sobre las drogas y la arte muy belíssima:)

[em · Rating 5 out of 5]

asa never disappoints!

i don't know how many more volumes i have of this series but i'm gonna be so sad when it's over :( still my favorite manga i've read

[Al Tarancón · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uy, que me lo leí hace un par de semanas y ¡no me acorde de darlo de alta!

Me había quedado en el 6º, y en su momento tardo mucho en salir, así que acabe perdiéndole la pista. Al parecer han salido solo un par desde que me leí el ultimo, así que tranquilidad.

Este tomo me dio un susto, porque hojee brevemente el contenido cuando lo compre vi una cosa que me descoloco mogollón, y temí que la historia tirara por unos derroteros que no me cuadraban. por suerte, o por desgracia, en realidad era todo parte de una trama que da un poco de pena, pero que entra dentro de los cánones de lo que se espera uno aquí. Sigue manteniendo el buen hacer, como siempre.
Lastima no haber podido acercarse al Salón del Manga, que venia este año.

[Gigli · Rating 5 out of 5]

»»» A compra:
Comprei na Amazon.es juntamente com o anterior, para evitar situações como noutras séries que sigo em que os volumes ficam esgotados. Gosto demasiado desta série para isso.

»»» A aventura:
Asa e Kasuga seguem para impedir o monstro gigante de atravessar o mar e chegar a Tóquio, tendo apenas a sua pequena avioneta aviada de umas bombas como meio para o fazer.
Isto porque as forças militares japonesas estão proibidas de atuar devido às sanções aplicadas após a 2.ª Guerra Mundial.
Shôta, o amigo de infância de Asa, combate também, mas consigo mesmo, devido às drogas experimentais que tomou num momento de fraqueza e desespero.

»»» Sentimento final:
Muito bom.
Fantástico embate entre Asa e Kasuga e o monstro, onde a mestria de ambos é a sua melhor arma.
Já com Shôta temos uns momentos interessantes em que a droga o convence de se transformar num robot gigante e de ter derrotado o monstro que viu quando estava na praia, aquele que Asa e Kasuga combatiam. Ao mesmo tempo a droga torna-o uma pessoa menos boa e isso deixou-me triste, esta personagem não merecia este caminho - mas talvez essa seja a história de muita gente.
Muita ação e muito coração. Venha o próximo.

»»» Nota final (capa e outras considerações):
--- [Capa] – Mais uma boa capa, aqui bem fiel ao conteúdo, apesar de, mais uma vez, achar que Shôta também tinha relevância para aqui figurar.
--- [Ilustração] – Um trunfo, como sempre.

»»» Uma espreitadela:

[Josh Bizeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a Half Stars.

More Kaiju action with Asa doing her level best to bite off more she's been given to chew, a short but enjoyable bit of drama towards the end of the volume involving Asa, Miyako, Kinuyo, et al. and a decidedly concerning turn for Shoto, whose desperate need and strain to live up to his family's expectations along with those he projects on our title character encourages a choice opening a path to hallucinated glory where naught but psychological and physical ruin surely reside.

[Patricia Q · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fast paced volume. It felt like I was holding my breath the whole time reading it.

[Neyly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had some serious misgivings regarding Shota. That illegal drug he tried to enhance his abilities made him into a giant cyborg, enabling him to fight the kaiju. Or so he believed. Instead the drug altered his mind, not his body. The drug wore off but Shota still thinks he fought the kaiju while on it. Not good. Let's just say I'm glad the plot veered away from where I thought it headed.

Destroying the kaiju grows more complicated now that Asa and Kasuga realize it is bipedal, meaning it can stand up and presumable walk out of the sea should it chose.

Most of Vol. 7 revolves around either Asa or Shota and their interactions with the kaiju. It's getting harder and harder for the government to keep the kaiju's presence secret.

Recommend: Good stuff !

[Vilma Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good series, though I never know where it's taking me. One moment, we have Asa facing off against a giant Kaiju. Another, she's dealing with being the older sibling to three younger siblings that depend on her after the tragic loss of most of their family. And yet another she's dealing with the typical coming of age things that come with being a teenage girl.

This volume we also saw a little more of the childhood friend who's in love with Asa. His story was already sad (thanks to his awful family) but now it's taking a darker turn. I honestly don't know where things are going. I'm here for it though, and I can't wait for the next volume.

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Urasawa is an amazing writer tying together a ton of different storylines into a tale that feels cohesive and fluid. He's also an amazing artist, although his artwork can be straight-up horrifying. Shota wigged out on some kind of crazy drug is one of the most disturbing things I've seen in a comic in a good long while, and I'm sick to my stomach over what's going to happen to him.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume focuses more on Shota, and from a moderately interesting arc, we move on to one that I absolutely cannot get behind —he thinks he's a Kyodai Hero under the influence of drugs that he carries around for somewhat absurd reasons—and as a result my interest has taken a big hit.

[Reyne Derrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly with each subsequent volume I lose more and more interest in this series. I just don’t find it very interesting. Like while there are moments of intrigue. Urasawa spends so much time on the side characters that I just lose interest in the plot of the story. This one was just about one of Asa’s friend becoming a drug addict while she once against fights the Kaiju.

[Thandersan · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’ai attendu si longtemps avant d’avoir la suite en main omg
Genre le dernier tome est sorti en juillet 2022 (10 mois d’attente ???)

Toujours une masterclass, et j’aime toujours bcp comment les personnages sont écrits avec les relations qu’ils ont entre eux !!

[Joseph Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

While sad, the author is not afraid to accurately show failure, and the consequences that come with it. Despite our characters' struggling, that alone is not enough to succeed, and that pulls on the readers' emotions, making both the journey and final results seem more significant.

[Mattia Lugli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inatteso. Questa è l'unica parola che mi sembra definire al meglio questo volume.
Tutto molto bello e fluido da leggere, sono molto curioso del continuo

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy that my library has been ordering every newly released volume of this series. This was a great addition 👏

[Jack Syron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a turn for the series. Art is too good to dismiss even with the crazier moments. Highly optimistic on a strong finish

[David Sanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un giro casi me vuelve loco. Cosas de Urasawa.

[Mark Schlatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very, very action packed, with excellent scenes from Urasawa. I am getting, however, more and more concerned about the plotline for a young male character and finding those pages harder to read.

[Camila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the part nearing the end with Asa standing up for Kinuyo and Miyako, and the panelling continues to be lovely. And Sho... I'll need a while to recover from the way his storyline is going.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Trevor ComicFan · Rating 5 out of 5]

94

Urasawa is by far my favorite manga artist. I am enjoying this series quite a bit. I hope more volumes make it to America soon!

[KJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ brooo bakgrunnskarakterenes historie blir bare mørkere og tristere :((

[Sourimak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une tournure fantastique assez drôle permet de belles planches de combat ! Chaque tome réserve vraiment son lot de surprises !

[Sarah AK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the emphasis on Shota in this one, but man oh man am I scared for him...