Every bit as invigorating as (and bit more twisted than) the already fantastic first volume.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Felipe Smith
What They Say
The version of Tokyo that Milton is now witness to is nothing like what he saw in his favorite cartoons and comics. Instead, Tokyo is a bustling and surprisingly quiet megalopolis, where salarymen are seen more often than cosplayers and no one seems to have read the Peepo Choo manga. What’s more, those who do read comics – and they come from every age group and demographic – are reading comics about sports heroes, office employees, wine tasters, and politicians instead of ninjas and giant robots.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
At the start of the volume, we find Milton meeting Miki for the first time, and soon see them erupting into strange “Peepo talk.” They’re both ecstatic to have met one another, but soon learn that as far as real language goes they can’t quite communicate. Regardless, Miki manages to give Milton her phone number before he leaves with Jody. Jody soon finds himself being photographed by beautiful girls, only to find out that his fate hasn’t taken a turn for the better; he’s actually being mistaken for a gay celebrity named “Beauty Judy.”
After a quick aside in which Milton and Jody discover the oddities of Japanese televisions and toilets, we rejoin Morimoto and quickly find him picking a fight with a rival gang. Aniki pulls the men aside afterward and tells them to do what they will to Morimoto so they can keep relations agreeable between their groups. However, Gill gets to them before they can even touch Morimoto, and contacts Aniki to tell him to keep others away from his prey.
Over the remainder of the volume, we learn of Reiko’s distaste for foreigners, see Aniki get murdered (while Gill does something… disturbing), learn of Peepo Choo’s origins (and the fact that it was never popular in Japan), and see Morimoto’s attempt at avenging Aniki (again, while Gill does something disturbing.)
In Summary
In this volume, we dig even deeper into the essence of the characters involved as well as, interestingly enough, the history of Peepo Choo itself. With elements such as Milton’s dreams crashing down around him, Gill’s increasingly unnerving behavior, Reiko’s surprisingly depressing past, and even Jody’s inability to catch a break, there’s plenty to keep your attention here. This is a book that can have you laughing out loud at something outlandish one moment, then shock or even disgust you with its vivid depravity the next, and yet it never feels disjointed in the least. If you’re fan of the first volume, do yourself a favor and pick this one up (but be warned, virtually all the sexual imagery presented here is of a disturbing nature, even more so than what was shown in the last volume.) If the author can create even half as intriguing for the next volume, we’re in for one heck of a finale.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: N/A
Age Rating: 18+
Released By: Vertical
Release Date: September 14th, 2010
MSRP: $12.95
