Dementia 21 Vol. 2

ディメンシャ 21 [Dementia 21] #2

by Shintaro Kago

In Vol. 2, Yukie boldly decides to join the resistance — against a squadron of maniacal diapers hell-bent on taking over the world! A shorthanded hospital hires zombies to care for its patients, but … what exactly do they eat? When an old man creates a machine that causes out-of-body experiences, what could possibly go wrong? And why are children getting rocket launchers in their stockings? Three words: Santa has dementia!

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels, Humor, Fiction, Short Stories

300 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2012

About the author

Kago Shintarō ( 駕籠真太郎) is a Japanese illustrator and manga artist. Kano was born in Tokyo in 1969. He debuted in 1988 on the magazine COMIC BOX. Since then his comics, usually short stories, have been published in several adult manga magazines, gaining him considerable popularity around the world.
Kago specialises in ero-guro, a Japanese visual genre that puts its focus on eroticism, sexual corruption, and grotesque body horror. Many of Kago's manga have strongly satirical overtones, and deal with grotesque subjects such as extreme sex, scatology and body modification. His unique style has been called "fashionable paranoia".

Reviews

[Laura (ローラ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surreal story made doubly-surreal by the current state of the world... It's a good title, but not going to help if you're feeling anxious. I wish I'd waited to read this until after the madness had passed us by... will it ever?!

[Juan Fuentes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es más irregular que el primero, pero algunas historias están geniales. De traca.

[Litwithlove · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that the first volume had a better variety of stories with stronger plots and moments that gave me the Willie's. This volume was perfectly okay but didnt blow me away, none of the stories were particularly memorable.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

The adventures of Yukie Sakai continue in this volume. Carrying on with her career as a home health aide to the elderly, Yukie faces even more surreal adventures with her increasingly more bizarre clientele. Dementia 21 is a loose satire on the healthcare industry, with plenty of commentary on aging and wellness, but the message is plenty diluted by the truly surreal nature of it all. This volume has a much more continuous story going for it compared to the more episodic adventures seen in the previous volume, which does make for a bit less disjointed of a read, though I did find the actual stories in the first volume more enjoyable. Here we follow Yukie as she joins a resistance against a legion of sentient diapers (WTF, I know) whilst zombies take charge of the day to day care at the hospital. There's also a funny bit about children getting strange presents because it turns out that Santa Claus is off his rocker now.

It's a bit weaker of an entry, but the surreal aspects and the light social commentary is still pretty well done. This is all about appreciating Shintarō Kago's truly absurd designs anyways, of which there are plenty to comb through here.

[Titus · Rating 1 out of 5]

In most ways, this is just more of the same as the first volume: a series of absurd, outlandish stories about a young woman who works as a carer for old people. The most significant difference is that in this volume, there are two stories that I actually quite liked: one about an old man mobbed by hundreds of grandchildren demanding money, and one about a retirement home employing zombies as staff. Nonetheless, the overwhelming majority of the content here is utterly inane, with the low points being profoundly stupid (e.g. a story about nappies taking over the world, and one about Santa Claus getting dementia).

[Eric Trébol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este segundo volumen, si bien pierde el efecto sorpresa del anterior, no lo hace así en lo que se refiere a calidad, potenciando sus facetas más absurdas, escatológicas y humorísticas sin parar de ir a degüello. Tiene algo más de continuidad entre varios de los capítulos, y no deja de ir a degüello a por todos. Sensacional el capítulo meta, que es una de las cuchilladas metafóricas más descacharrantes que he leído.

[Luis Fe Domínguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

No es mejor que su antecesora aunque tiene momento de lucidez e ingeniosidad, Yukie, esta villana heroína, le llega su final y con mucha astucia digiere todo este caos que sigue apareciendo en su vida. A veces resulta un tanto desesperado, no hay por donde agarrarle, no hay lógica, no hay narrativa, no tiene ningún sentido, pero es tan gracioso que provoca simpatía, frescura, quizás, este sin sentido sea el que lleve al lector a leer hasta la última viñeta.

[Yuri Holanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremamente inventivo, criativo e divertido. O primeiro mangá que eu comprei, e não poderia estar mais feliz com a decisão!

Esse volume começa inferior ao primeiro, com um tom um pouco mais direto, menos contínuo, com um ritmo mais quebrado. Mas as cinco últimas histórias são de cair o queixo, e dão um desfecho incrível e mega complexo para o universo.

Estou encantado com essa obra do Shintaro Kago e pretendo explorar muito mais dele no futuro.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual: 2.5

I was really disappointed by this volume, especially since I loved the first volume so much. The stories in this one didn't hold the same charm, and honestly, they felt lazy. I felt like this was written with pressure from the publisher without as much as passion and humor as the first one, which sucks but it is what it is.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still within expectations, a rule breaking absurdist Manga with morbid elements. But the premise is at this point running its course I feel. It's approximately as good as the first volume more or less, but maybe just feels like he's running out of ideas, which is weird to say considering how absurd and nonsensical the actual plots are.

[Cristina Munster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Las historias de este volumen son divertidas e hilarantes, pero no tanto como las del volumen anterior. El primer capítulo es mi favorito y creo que por eso tuve expectativas muy altas. Me gustó la trama que se construyó desde el capítulo 12 porque no esperaba una verdadera guerra intergeneracional para terminar este manga.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mucho menos imaginativo que el primer tomo y con la temática más difusa, aunque más narrativo y conexo.
Hay tres o cuatro capítulos sobresalientes, pero el resto son algo aburridos y repetitivos, por desgracia.
Por lo demás, mantengo todo lo que dije sobre el primer tomo.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to a room full of old people and they did not like how I did the voices of the old characters they said I was not a good voice actor so I put their lunches just out of reach and closed the windows and told them Pat Sajak died.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

the first couple chapters were fine and what I expected from this insane writer but after like the first 3 each short story just became so stupid and ridiculous and laughable (not in a good way). completely disappointing

[Thiago Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

O texto em inglês é primoroso, ri demais com algumas das soluções encontradas por quem traduziu e Kago ainda mais SELVAGEM no enredo de cada história. Absurdo e maravilhoso.

[Wombo Combo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man, I forgot how much I loved this series. It's so over the top and just plain funny. Probably the silliest and most absurd manga I've read.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much preferred Vol 1.

[Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoever thought elderly people could be so entertaining!

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

many and good ideas.
endings of stories are pretty rough sometimes.

[Ben Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't as strong as the first volume, but it's still pretty good. This series deserves a lot more attention than it gets.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the craziest comics I have read-this volume ties together the series and ends it on a fitting note. I cannot understate how weird this one is.

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 4 out of 5]

prescient. we could do so much better for our elderly population

[Javier Campos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagineria del absurdo y la realidad llevado al extremo. Me encantó este autor

[Sadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mto bão.

[Mechayoshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has a darker more cynical tone than vol 1, but kept me entertained all the way, remaining less than predictable.

[Lindsay Loson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Al Capwned · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one but still pretty good and in a similar style as the first one of course.

[Henrique Camuzzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Não é tão bom quanto o primeiro, mas ainda assim, uma ótima continuação e desfecho para a série. Continua bizarro, surreal, ácido e totalmente viajado kkkkkk

[Suzanne Hartmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this one as much as the first graphic novel. A bit mean spirited.

[André Sousa · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10