Peepo Choo is a bit of an amazing product, when you think about it. Done by an American named Felipe Smith, it was originally published in Kodansha's Morning2 magazine, intended for a Japanese audience. Now, the manga has been brought to America by the fine folks at Vertical Inc., and I can't help but feel like the journey of the manga itself reflects the story it carries within.
Peepo Choo, ultimately, is about cultural perceptions -- Japanese perceptions of life in the US, and US perceptions of life in Japan. Drawing on his experiences from both sides of the Pacific, Felipe tells a story that hits a little too close to home for many of us here, all the while keeping us on our toes.
See what I mean after the jump.
Peepo Choo Vol. 1
Creator: Felipe Smith
Publisher: Vertical, Inc.
Release Date: July 13, 2010
MSRP: $12.95
In Peepo Choo, we've got a few storylines going on, but it's all leading to a showdown on the mean streets of Tokyo. On the American side, we've got the classic over-enthusiastic otaku, Milton, and his jaded thug of an older brother traveling with their boss (who is secretly a vicious murderer) to Japan on what seems to be a pleasure trip. In reality, their boss was hired to whack a yakuza who's gone too far, thinking he's a badass American gangsta thug.
As you can see, it sets the stage for a lot of interesting possibilities. Felipe hacks away at his audience with line after line of depricating humor: showing just how ridiculous otaku can look while performing their sacred dance rituals from their favorite show; how over the top thugs boast to their friends. As a result, you see the impact the media each puts out (anime, films like Scarface) have on foreign cultures.
What hit home so hard for me was thinking back to those early days of watching anime, and having these misconceptions about how many people actually watched and enjoyed anime. For many readers, I'm sure you'll see a bit of yourself in Milton's over-the-top fandom.
Felipe's art comes across as a bit hit-or-miss for me -- it feels all over the place. Usually, when doing Japan-focused drawings, his work comes off as really sharp and impressive. But when he gets to the more thuggish American side of things, the art becomes sketchier and less well-defined. That may be intentional, or because of the harshness of the production schedule in Japan, but it did irk me.
Peepo Choo is undoubtedly enjoyable, although it will force you to face your past sins of otakudom that you thought were left far behind. I'm excited to see how the rest of the story unfolds over the series' several volumes.
live comments!
looks interesting, i might pick this up sometime.