When VIZ Media first announced that they'd be releasing Detroit Metal City by Kiminori Wakasugi in June 2009, anticipation ran high and some trepidation set in: Would VIZ 'sanitize' this seinen manga rock and roll comedy for delicate American sensibilities? I got an early look at this upcoming release and I'm relieved to say that this edition of Detroit Metal City is every bit as raw, rowdy and funny as the original. In Japan, Detroit Metal City has spawned a hit live action movie, an anime series and a soundtrack album, but is America ready to "Go to DMC?"
The basic premise of DMC is simple yet outrageous. Krauser II is the demonic lead singer and guitarist of Detroit Metal City, a black metal band on the rise. Soichiro Negishi is a dweeby country boy who moved to Tokyo to make it as a pop singer. So what do these opposites have in common? Krauser and Negishi are the same guy.
When he's on stage at the club, Krauser II is a charismatic, profanity-spewing superstar who sings about raping women and killing his parents, while legions of rabid fans hang on his every growl. But beneath his makeup, Krauser is Negishi, a 23-year old virgin with a bowl haircut who can barely pay anyone to hear him sing twee songs about 'raspberry kisses' and first dates at a cafe. As his two lives collide, Negishi often gets stuck between rockin' and and a hard place. How did everything go so, so wrong?
Check out my review of Detroit Metal City Volume 1 from VIZ Media, and see if this heavy metal comedy really is a cracked mix of Spinal Tap, Marilyn Manson and South Park, or if its brand of over-the-top humor gets drowned out by its f-bombs and crude sex jokes.
Also, see the other 19 manga (besides DMC) included on the 20 Most Anticipated Manga of 2009 list, and more new releases coming soon in the VIZ New Manga Preview Gallery.
Image credit: © Kiminori Wakasugi 2006 / HAKUSENSHA, Inc.
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