Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture Volume 1

Take a college freshman who can see and talk to bacteria, throw him into an agricultural college where livestock are as commonplace as co-eds, professors wax poetic about fermentation and grad students try to brew sake on the sly. Yep, you're not in the land of American comics anymore -- welcome to the world of Moyasimon, the most eccentrically educational yet entertaining manga you'll ever read.

While there's lots of gross-out moments in Moyasimon as eccentric professor Itsuki serves up another example of fermented (and stinky) delicacies from around the world, every bit of it is fascinating and fun.

Tadayasu Sawaki has always had an unusual ability: he can see usually microscopic bacteria as cute little airborne critters that can talk to him. When Moyasimon opens, Tadayasu and his childhood friend Kei have arrived at their new university in Tokyo. But far from being a glamorous, urban institution of learning, Tadayasu's new alma mater is an agricultural college where livestock and crops mingle with coeds and professors. In this setting, Tadayasu's abilities are not just strange, they're very, very useful and possibly very lucrative.

Almost immediately upon entering agricultural college, Tadayasu meets Itsuki-sensei, an eccentric professor whose knowledge of bioscience is only exceeded by his enthusiasm for some of the stinkiest, most foul-tasting fermented foods ever created by man.

He also meets Haruka Hasegawa, a cynical grad student whose bossy tendencies seem to match her taste in semi-dominatrix fashions. Haruka is skeptical of Tadayasu's abilities, but even she has to concede that his abilities are no fluke, especially after he spots a colony of microbial critters making themselves at home in her shoes.

The first volume of Moyasimon does a great job of explaining the basic premise of this eccentrically educational and extremely entertaining series. Readers are introduced to an ensemble cast of kooks that rivals any hit sitcom on TV, and gets a taste of the kind of "I didn't know that" moments that Ishikawa has in store in the volumes of Moyasimon yet to come.

Even though some of the examples of Itsuki-sensei's gross-out fermented foods made me glad that this isn't a scratch-and-sniff book, all of it was fascinating. Thanks to Moyasimon, I now have a greater appreciation for sake-brewing, cheese-making and the inner workings of the human digestive system. It may not sound fun, but Moyasimon makes it fun.

It's also astonishing how effortlessly Ishikawa mixes realistic-style art with abstract (and very cute) representations of real bacteria, mold and germs, such that the reader never questions Tadayasu's abilities. It's also a testament to Ishikawa's extensive research and inventive storytelling that readers come to appreciate the science facts he weaves into this tale, and the endearing personalities of each type of microbe -- even the ones that are harmful to humans!

In my book, Moyasimon wins on several counts: nicely-executed art, richly-researched facts, plus a smart and interesting story, all washed down with some clever comedy. There are only a few missteps here, like the lack of character development for Tadayasu's best friend Kei, who's nice enough, but not much else. Also, Professor Itsuki's explanations can be somewhat verbose, although that's appropriate for his character.

Quirky, smart and fun, Moyasimon is a welcome reminder that Japanese manga has lots of creativity to share with the rest of the world. Pick it up and prepare to be amazed.