Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction #2

デッドデッドデーモンズデデデデデストラクション [Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction] #2

by Inio Asano, Marc Bernabé (Translator)

Los tokiotas han adaptado su vida diaria a los platillos volantes que sobrevuelan la ciudad, sin preocuparse demasiado por los invasores… e ignorando si algunos ya están entre ellos.

Genres: Manga, Science Fiction, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Japan, Seinen

164 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 2015

About the author

Inio Asano (浅野いにお, Asano Inio) is a Japanese cartoonist. He is known for his character-driven stories and his detailed art-style, making him one of the most influential manga author of his generation.
Asano was born in 1980 and produced his first amateur comics as a teenager. His professional debut happened in 2000 in the pages of the magazine Big Comic Spirits. Since then, he has collaborated with most of the major Japanese magazines of seinen manga (comics for a mature audience). Among Asano's internationally acclaimed works are: the psychological horror Nijigahara Holograph (2003-2005); the drama Solanin (2005-2006); the existentialistic slice-of-life Goodnight Punpun (2007-2013); the erotic A Girl on the Shore (2009-2013); the sci-fi Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction (2014-2022).

Reviews

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across a review where someone said, "This is one of those books where I have no idea why I like it," and I have to admit—I kind of feel the same way! 😅

Well, that's not entirely true. I do know why. The dialogue is sharp, and the chemistry between the characters is magnetic. There’s this constant sense of anticipation, like something big is just around the corner, even though not much has actually happened yet.

That said, we do get glimpses of what's to come. Without giving away any spoilers, there's definitely more beneath the surface than it seems.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But it is a big deal! You shouldn’t just avert your eyes from the truth!”

So, I liked the first volume of this series by Inio Asano, and thought it was pretty smart, but I read it in July 2019 and as with many manga series I just sample, I forgot about it until someone liked that review recently and I decided to get the next three volumes. Now I think it is even better than I thought before. The Leo DeCaprio film Don’t Look Up? That’s what’s going on in this series: Look Up, realize what is going on, and then change your lives!

So we are three years after an alien attack on Japan, with hundreds of thousands of people dead. But since then there has been this spaceship hovering overhead, and people have largely gone on with their lives. And two kinda “normal”girls who hate school and just wanna get into pop culture and hang with each other, they just go on with their lives with this huge spaceship hovering! Hey, girls! Look up! But some kids are looking up and getting scared they may not be able to just go on with their lives. So maybe some kids are starting to look up!

Hey: This is not just some slice of life teen manga; it is about Fukishima and climate change and the possibility of the world ending! This is a wake up call! It's about turning teen angst about exams and crushes into political action. Maybe particularly anti-military-industrial complex, as it appears (of course!) that a war on the alien invaders might actually jump start the economy (as with any war rumbles). It’s dark dystopian satire! With typically great Asano art (Goodbye PunPun, Nijigaharra Holograph). End of the … whaaaaa? But it’s Christmas coming! What are we getting for presents? We gotta shop! But maybe, in the cliffhanger, this spaceship might just be moving!

[Artemy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the first volume of DDDDD, and I loved the second one even more. Slice of life in the face of alien invasion and possible end of the world continues to be a hell of a compelling premise, and Inio Asano comes up with some great stories to tell in this world. Lots of emotions, many people are getting paranoid and start to expect Tokyo to get bombed, others want to move on with their lives and try to date, go out and have a normal life. I particularly enjoyed a story about an alien masked as a kid who tries to do a Reddit AMA using the computer of a conspiracy theory nut, that was a really fun one. But I am also starting to really like the core group of girls, their relationship with each other is much sweeter and kinder than I first thought. Visually, Dededede continues to be a treat, Asano's unique style conveys so much depth and personality, and the overall visual design of the books is an absolute eye candy with its bold covers, inventive interstitial pages and coloured inserts with a whole other story within the main story. Overall, DDDDD continues to be an excellent read, and I will be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books where I have no idea why I like it.

[Ami 乁⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠o⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠ㄏ (written by Jane Austen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐🌟💫 (3.75 stars rounded up to 4)

This volume is even more funny than the previous one but it also has a lot of political and social intrigue. Though the focus is still on the lives of our two main characters, the mystery of the invaders and their intents is growing!

[Mehsi · Rating 2 out of 5]

"When you look up at the sky, what do you see? A blue sky? Freedom? A hopeful future? The people of Tokyo see none of these. Instead, an ominous alien mothership looms overhead, engulfing the city skyscape."

Review for Volume 1 and 2.

Yep, I was definitely intrigued by that sentence when I spotted this series. But in the end it just felt short. Mostly because it is about the daily lives of several girls, all friends, with some aliens/spookiness/feeling of something wrong. I was just hoping that it would be a bit more about the aliens, maybe some more threats and danger instead of girls just going their way and trying to get into college. You keep seeing the aliens (or well the ship/ships) and you feel unsettled but then nothing really happens!

The characters are interesting, but very goofy and weird. I am also a bit confused about their age, they look like middle-graders, but are instead high-schoolers about to graduate (it wasn't until I saw one of them drive and the other talk about college that I saw that they were much older). Most of the time we see them go through their daily lives, thinking about if they should leave Tokyo and go to somewhere safer (as people say that those who stay in Tokyo are pretty suicidal), trying to graduate and get to college, one of the girls has a short romance (with a terrible dude), one girl's dad is missing which caused her mom to go pretty wonky, but we also see them think about the aliens and discuss it.

We also find more out about the aliens, how they came to be in Tokyo, we see aliens (who look pretty human). And there are some revelations that me wonder about the true intentions of both the humans and the aliens.

I did love how they revealed the aliens to us. At first it seems everything is just happy happy, but then you see them look up at the sky.

The art is gorgeous, well I should specify, the backgrounds/scenery are amazing. The characters are hit and miss. :P Especially the side characters feel like the author just couldn't give a fig about their design.

I would continue to read this one, but frankly I am not that much interested in reading it further. I may just wait until it is done and then check the last volume to see if something happens with the aliens.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

So continues the life of high school kids about to become college students while also living in a world where a gigantic alien spaceship lives above them.

Just more coming of age stories of love, heartbreak, and trying to decide what to do in life. The book is best when it has focus on one of the girls as their bond is perfect, the jokes are funny, and their life and tribulations are interesting. On top of that we do get a bit deeper into the aliens and we even follow one around for a bit.

As always, Inio has a dark look into our world but not one we can't relate to. Maybe we can relate a bit too much. But he juggles different styles here really well. Going from outright funny to sad to happy again in a matter of a few pages. The intriguing thing is the mystery of how the alien will eventually fit in.

A 4 out of 5.

[Estibaliz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This certainly is getting better!

Volume 2 keeps expanding in the world presented in the first volume, introducing new characters and information to the mix, all while maintaining that same sweet and fresh tone that was so prominent in volume one.

Big moments, small moments, and a story that advances at good pace without rushing it, now we even have an alien in disguise to follow and learn (hopefully) a bit more of what's going on.

And, quite a good amount of social commentary here too, without being too in the face. Climate change, international politics, societal pressure on young people... Asano as its best.

Great fun, and volume 3 coming next.

[Sarah (menace mode) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ontan is a NATIONAL TREASURE.

[Cal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy how our main cast is just a weirdo group of highschoolers. It's almost nostalgic in a way that I feel like a lot of other authors miss. Crass and flighty, but there is always an undercurrent of care for each other even if they're arguing. The overarching alien plot also picked up in a really interesting way this volume and I'm interested to see where that goes. Overall, there's a few low points for me but I feel like the cast and character driven plotlines are still enough to carry it and make it a solid book at this point.

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume of Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction continues to explore life in Tokyo with the mothership of the invaders looming overhead. In the beginning of the volume, we’re treated to more dialogue between Kadode and Oran. They decide to go hunting for a mythical snake when in reality, they go to a diner in order to study for upcoming exams. Kiho was left out and ends up spending some time with a boy she liked name Kohiruimaki. It turned out that the two of them had different views and ended up parting ways.

While the first half of the volume felt a bit “normal” (and that’s a relative term seeing how we’re dealing with Inio Asano here), the back half began to stir up some drama when it was announced that there was a battle taking place between the Japanese SDF and the Invaders in Shibuya. While this is going on, we check in on Keito, the invader that escaped the crash from the first volume and has been posing as a citizen of Tokyo for the past three years. He lets himself into some occult nut’s apartment but makes his escape when he returns home. He seems to just be traveling from place to place, taking in Tokyo’s culture. There haven’t been any real plans revealed yet, is he even has any.

The end of the volume comes when the SDF open fire on a medium-sized cube-like vessel that was making its way out of the city. The blast destroys a good portion of it and it looks to crash into Musashino City where unsuspecting residents are living. That was quite the cliffhanger for the second volume. Asano continues to offer up a darker, grittier outcome on life and this sci-fi twist breathes a certain life into this story.

The characters, though, felt a bit flat in this volume as they all just seemed to be going on their own paths without anything really standing out. The story seemed a bit slow-paced as well as we really didn’t get anything interesting until the back half of the volume. Then again, this aligns with Asano’s style and even though things were a bit slow-paced, the dialogue and the way the story was written still held your attention. The fact that he can do that while only being mediocre is a testament to his skill as a mangaka.

Honestly, there really isn’t much to talk about in this volume, character-wise. The only real development we got came with Kiho and her rocky relationship with Kohiruimaki. Kohiruimaki was a bit dense to the fact that Kohi liked him and really just ended up spouting off a bunch of stuff that demeaned the things that Kohi believed in. He felt that Kohi wasn’t looking towards the future and was pretty dumb for being short-sighted. No matter what the context, saying something like that… especially to a girl who has an interest in you, is instant proverbial death.

After Kohi revealed that she liked him, Kohiruimaki felt bad for the way he acted. He texted her and said that he was going on a journey and will return as the man that she deserves. He also apologized for not noticing her feelings. In the end, it was nice of him to man up to his mistake but it’s a bit too soon to see if his apology has any sort of positive effect, but it is a start. The only other interesting tidbit was with Keita. Even though we only saw him for a brief period of time, it was interesting to see how he’s been blending into society. Also, for those who are wondering, no… his name wasn’t mentioned as of yet. I simply looked it up because I didn’t feel like typing “the alien invader” or any alternate version of that phrase over and over again!

The fact that he hijacked an occult fanatic’s apartment to take a bath and grab a bite to eat was hilariously perfect. It’s bad enough that the guy thought his lines were tapped and he was being watched as it was… now when he returns home and finds that things are not as he left him… well… you can imagine how psychologically damaging that could end up being for him. It’s this kind of dark humor that gives me the biggest smiles! I loved it. Plus, the snowman scene was pretty hilarious as well!

Volume two of Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction continues to build the world and its characters. While it did come off as a bit slow, it still grabbed your attention and made you keep turning the pages one by one. The characters are dark, gritty, entertaining, and more realistic than any other character you would find in, virtually, any other manga. The sci-fi hook is splashed in when needed and blends seamlessly with the rest of the story. While the citizens of Tokyo continue on with their day-to-day lives, you still get the hints that they are very concerned about the mothership that continues to loom over their city.

Knowing that it could attack at any moment but they can’t really do anything about it is just something that they’ve all accepted as fate. It’s kind of grim when you think about it. To just carry on your day as normal while knowing it could be your last but with an attitude of “well if it happens, it happens” is just really morbid and dark. Is that truly living? Is that truly society? I wonder what kind of backlash the government will get after shooting down the medium-sized vessel over a populated area?

Knowing Inio Asano, we’re not going to get the answer straight away in volume three. It’ll probably go right back to some slice-of-life antics and then just casually slip in the results of the attack over a news broadcast or something else depicted as background noise. That’s one of the great things about this manga. Often times, people will glance over background text like that because it just adds realism to the story and doesn’t contribute anything to the plot but in this series, anything and everything is vitally important. Something as simple as background text of a radio announcement plays into the characters dialogue or into a major plot point later down the road.

This manga makes you take in every word as something of significance and importance. It’s one of those series that you really have to pay attention to otherwise something might happen and you’d wonder just what you missed because it won’t make any sense. The ability to utilize every inch of the page and every word on it in such a way that drives the entirety of the story forward isn’t easy but Asano pulls that off flawlessly! Two volumes in and I’m really loving this series!

[micha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im zweiten Band dreht es sich hauptsächlich um die Thematik, wie man den eigenen Alltag im Angesicht einer unbekannten Bedrohung gestalten kann. Macht man einfach so weiter wie immer (?), oder was bedeutet es überhaupt, am Rande des Kriegszustands zu leben. Muss sich da nicht etwas Prinzipielles ändern?

Erst am Ende des Bandes geschieht dann etwas "wirklich Neues" in der Haupthandlung, nämlich die Einführung einer neuen Figur (ein Alien in Menschengestalt), und die Entscheidung der Regierung, das Raumschiff über Shibuya abzuschießen. Um die Entscheidung zu rechtfertigen, wird an das japanische Nationalgefühl appelliert, das einen deutlichen Nationalismus hervorruft.

[の僕にもう言葉はなく、夢みたいにうまく行かずに、静かに待っていた奇跡の上、落ちた、モノクロームの水滴はひどく、冷たく、アルビレオ程気が遠のく 浮かぶ駅までつれていって、たとえばあの夢のように、動くことももうないから、黒い空 蠍座の星は、悲しい程に遠く赤く、そっとつぶやいたあと君が残していった、横顔と · Rating 3 out of 5]

‏"I don’t like to talk about the future.”

الحوارات طويله بزياده زي ماقلت قبل

[Joel Tunnah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoying this series a lot.

[Tar Buendía · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este retrato loquísimo de las generaciones actuales me tiene enganchada a más no poder.

[Marco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non mi è ancora chiaro dove voglia andare a parare.

[Sergsab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que se ha perdido un poco el fuelle del principio y que el tema principal se está desvaneciendo entre otras tramas secundarias que si bien están siendo geniales no compensan la poca información que dan sobre los "invasores". Ahora sí, esto no es una historia sobre extraterrestres. Esto tiene que ver más con la capacidad de los japoneses para enfrentarse a las crisis. Externas e internas. De cómo el tokiota medio se arriesga a todo, sin ser capaz de abandonar el núcleo del conflicto.

El aluvión de teorías que sueltan estas chicas por la boca es digno de analizar en clase de Teoría Política porque madre mía! Aquí no se habla de novios y citas (al menos, la mayoría no) e incluso cuando son estos los temas a tratar, los giros y las reflexiones distan mucho de ser los propios de un shōjo.

El dibujo sigue siendo IMPRESIONANTE, las escenas de movimiento, las expresiones de los personajes, el rasgo identificador de los "extraterrestres". Todo lo que es visual, Asano lo convierte en puro arte.

A finales de mes saldrá el siguiente número que, por supuesto, caerá en mis manos. Estas cinco chicas antisistema tienen en mí a un ferviente seguidor.

[Matisse · Rating 5 out of 5]

And so, Inio Asano reveals his conceit. If 'Nijigahara Holograph' was Asano doing David Lynch, and 'Solanin' was Asano doing Twentysomething Angst, then Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction is Asano doing District 9.

I mean, I'm still in love with it. The first story in this volume is just about a highschool girl breaking up with her boyfriend and going to her friends about it. It just so happens to be a city with a flying saucer overhead.

On another note, I do think this book struck gold in coming stateside when it did. The book was published in Japan 2014, and we were all doing okay globally, so it could read as pure science fiction. The English translation comes out in 2018, and suffice to say, the protagonists' comments about having the bravery to study when the world could end tomorrow...pretty on-the-nose there, wouldn't you say?

[shereadsmanga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it a lot in the same measure as volume 1. I’m definitely seeing where Asano is trying to take this series and I’m liking it a lot. The political side of the story could drag sometimes for me though. I love every second we have with the girls. And their high-school relationships are so sweet and yet fleeting making it feel quite real. I do love the overweight older brother so much, quickly becoming my favorite.

[Tocotin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to know more about the aliens and the guy with the computer. It's also difficult to tell who is the main character – Otan or Kadode? I like all the girls, as for boys, probably Otan's big brother is the best. Not a fan of the teacher though. Love the winter – awesome pictures. Gogogo!

[David Doel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of satire and dark humor. This is not for everyone, but I'm enjoying it.

[Philip McCarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so odd, off putting, and hilarious at the same time. I haven't read anything quite like it. The overwhelming sense of impending doom mixed with the devil may care attitudes some of the folks have is a pretty fascinating dichotomy. I really enjoy the parts where the girls just hang out and find those little moments of peace and goofiness to cherish as they look towards heading off to college. The spaceship stands in for a pretty solid metaphor for change and stagnation in the face of it. A challenge with this series is that a whole lot of nothing happens while we also see things starting to arise. There are a lot of plot threads being laid down that are ambiguous. For our main crew, Oran, Kadode, and the other gals, they celebrate Christmas, get upset about the idea of never seeing each other again, and just wander around. Kadode also gets Christmas with her mom and mom's boyfriend which is heartwarming. The "new" girl, Kiho Kurihara, in the group breaks up with her boyfriend who is obsessing about the words of people online and just regurgitating what they say instead of thinking for himself. I was really happy with the way the girl's came together and supported Kiho after the break up. The disgusting teacher's girlfriend works for the weapons development firm and is in conversation with a reporter who is working to uncover the truth or something. The aliens are disguised as humans, and go in people's houses when they aren't there to do basic things like shower and have a bite to eat. And Tokyo is blanketed in a very heavy snow and a medium sized spaceship is shot down and about to crash. It all is delivered in a mundane kind of way with some cutting insight into our world, such as ownership of war and the opponents, internet culture, and ennui. The character designs in this series are also spot on, all very unique. Oran's mom is also revealed to be quite the go getter and helps out at shelters, almost overly helpful.

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considero que la historia ha tomado un rumbo más interesante, especialmente en lo que respecta a los extraterrestres, ya que los misterios comienzan a tomar un papel más central. Sin embargo, sigo teniendo el mismo problema: no logro empatizar con las protagonistas del anime.

Esto es clave, porque una de las fortalezas de este tipo de historias suele ser la construcción del día a día de sus personajes, permitiéndonos conocer su pasado, sus motivaciones y acompañarlas como si fuéramos un integrante más de la banda. Pero aquí ocurre todo lo contrario. Siento que esta banda fue creada por un hombre con el único propósito de complacer a cierto tipo de público, más que para desarrollar personajes con los que realmente se pueda conectar.

En ese sentido, me recuerda un poco a lo que sucede con Chainsaw Man. Muchas personas valoran el hecho de que Denji es un personaje muy realista, y aunque su personalidad pueda generar rechazo, esa es precisamente la intención del autor. Sin embargo, en casos como este, siento que el mensaje termina deformándose. Pasamos de una historia con una premisa clara a una que prioriza el mero entretenimiento, convirtiéndose en una especie de fetiche del autor para hacer lo que quiera.

A pesar de mis críticas al manga, debo reconocer que este volumen mejora mucho en cuanto al desarrollo del misterio general. También destaca en la forma en que explora las distintas dinámicas sociales dentro de cada familia, lo que hace que el proceso de lectura resulte mucho más interesante.

[Rafaela Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muita gente desiste dessa história pq supostamente tem o ritmo lento mas eu não vejo isso como um problema, até gosto.

Nesse segundo volume minha única crítica é a introdução muitos novos personagens que pela forma que são introduzidos parecem que farão diferença mais pra frente no plot mas no momento atua só parecerem diminuir o ritmo da história pq estamos conhecendo quem são eles invés de entender melhor os personagens que já conhecemos e o que vai acontecer com as naves.

Also algo que não está diretamente relacionado a história é o fato de que as capas da série são protagonizadas pelo grupo de amigas da kadode e da ouran mas a história do volume não necessariamente gira em torno delas.

O que me deixou com a sensação de que a história não foi justa quem a personagem que deveria ser a protegidos do volume, visto que no volume 1 da kadode ela parece bem mais protagonista e conhecemos bastante da vida dela. Eu não aprendi nada novo sobre a ouran nesse volume.


Fora isso história muito legal, “crítica social foda” e acho que vale sim a leitura para quem não se incomoda com plots mais lentos. Sem contar a arte do inio Asano que é de encher os olhos.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a slice of life manga with a twist: all the characters are living with an alien invasion literally hanging over their heads. The mother ship is over Tokyo. Japan has figured out how to destroy the smaller saucers, so their are small sorties regularly over the city, but otherwise not much happens. The characters exist in a sort of frightened boredom as regular life continues.

Not all of this worked for me, but overall I am just so curious to find out if it goes somewhere, and I liked the hints of more nefarious things at work, as well as the way the stories intersected.

Oh, a note on the rating, which is "Mature": most of the characters are teenagers, and they talk and have experiences that teens actually have -- which means this is very sweary and there's some sex or references to sex. At this point I wouldn't hesitate to give this to an older teen to read, although I don't know if it's going to get more graphic as it goes on.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

We get to know the various members of Kadode and Oran's friend group and some of their family members better and it all feels like setup for more interesting relationship developments down the line as we pan out to see the larger impact of the invasion on society and the stake these individuals have in it. There seems to be hope for the unconventional but heartfelt relationship developing between Kadode and her mother's peacenik boyfriend which may be improving her mother's treatment of her as well. And in the meantime, there's the question of what the incognito alien is up to...in any case he (it?) seems quite well-meaning and sweet so far, which makes the moral issues about the treatment of the "invaders" all the more intriguing.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

More slacking during the alien apocalypse. Reading about their relative normalcy in the midst of basically a prolonged 'Independence Day' scenario with no end in sight, it still rings true his far into the Covid pandemic despite being written before it. The dialogue is fun and full of energy and the artwork might be the best I've ever seen. I haven't read Inio Asano's other works because I've heard they're intense, so its nice to read this story that the magnaka admits to being a "fun series" by comparison. The sci-fi elements are great too, and like a lot of my favorite manga it's about the mundanity and confusion of the future, taking a backseat to the characters, but there's an interesting reveal here with the aliens and I'm excited to see how that will develop.

[Ignacio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Los alienígenas llegaron a Tokio hace tres años y, sin embargo, la vida sigue como si nada. La presencia de una nave inmensa sobre el cielo de la ciudad, los esporádicos enfrentamientos entre las fuerzas de defensa y los alienígenas, la escalada bélica de un Japón en un proceso de rearme... despiertan el mismo interés en un grupo de adolescentes que las noticias sobre el inicio del nuevo curso escolar o la llegada de un tifón. Esta mirada cotidiana a la vida, las ilusiones y el hastío de los adolescentes es quizás lo más interesante de este manga que en este segundo tomo comienza a ganar complejidad con nuevos personajes y situaciones.

[Ypres]

Leer Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction en 2020 trae una sensación extraña. El manga va de cómo condiciona la vida de los habitantes de Tokio la llegada de una nave espacial que se queda flotando quieta durante 3 años, convirtiéndose en una presencia que rige la vida de sus habitantes.
También hay gente que se pone la mascarilla en la barbilla, aunque en este caso es por la radiación de la nave espacial (también hay conspiranoicos y negacionistas, que esos no faltan nunca). No está mal para algo escrito en 2014.

[Seven Pesos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Really good artwork. The world Asano is building is very closely modeled off our own - problems, joys, friendships, pains, and all. But, you know... aliens. Yeah. Again, this book is very much a texture piece. Tries to capture how it would feel in the world Asano builds. I'm starting to think Asano might be making a case for opening Japan's borders to refugees / migrants to combat Japan's social / aging population problems. Too soon to say with any certainty, plus I'm not really all that well informed about issues affecting contemporary Japanese society. Regardless, good read. I really liked it.