Ayashimon punches its way through seedy demon gangsters

Ayashimon Volume 1
By: Yuji Kaku

Kabukicho is Tokyo's seedy underbelly on neon-lit display. Its iconic gate welcomes visitors to a haven of dreams; beautiful men and women luring customers into clubs where drinks are poured and Yen is lost; where flashy facades give way to even flashier interiors, scantily clad women dancing in robot parades as drunk businessmen wave glowsticks like a syncopated machine of Asimov fetishization. If you're a fan of the Yakuza franchise (which, of course, I am — as evinced by this convenient review of the latest game), you've plumbed the depths of this tiny portion of Tokyo (called Kamurocho in-game, it's a very faithful recreation of Kabukicho).

It's the perfect setting for a neo-noir crime drama and that's why Ayashimon (by Yuji Kaku, author of Hell's Paradise) is an interesting beast.

Maruo Kaido is obsessed with manly man manga like Jojo and Fist of the North Star. Because of his fandom, he trains hard as a child to be as strong as his comic book heroes, managing to be so strong nothing can stop him. In essence, he's become One Punch Man but with more motivation than the apathetic egghead of that series. He seeks a challenging battle, leading him to meet Urara, a demon (oni) with the appearance of a young girl. The daughter of a murdered Yakuza leader who held Kabukicho together, Urara has Maruo join her. The entire underworld of Kabukicho is comprised of demons posing as humans, all of which have been born through monetary greed. That's why they're strong enough to give Maruo a run for his money — which he embraces wholeheartedly.

Compared to Hell's Paradise, the story of Ayashimon is a bit plain. With a typical manga protagonist and a silly explanation of how the oni work (the idea of them manifesting through human greed makes some sense but it'd be more expansive and sensical were they crafted through more sins), enjoyment wasn't coming so much from the plot. What I found interesting was the setting, despite most of this first volume taking place in cramped rooms rather than showcasing Kabukicho more frequently, and some of the oni characters. Urara is a well designed and fun protagonist who makes the overbearing and cringey Maruo easier to deal with. Other Ayashimon have great designs and the hint of entertaining personalities.

A lot of my enjoyment of Ayashimon was the art. If you've read Hell's Paradise, you know Kaku is an amazing artist who not only crafts memorable character designs but adds a lot of flair to his action sequences. With a crisp pacing that pushes to the next battle quickly, that makes this volume a breezy read. Add to this the strong splash panels and you have 200 pages of eye candy.

Ayashimon only ran three volumes in Japan. Whether that was the author's intent or it was canceled I haven't determined...but if this does only last 3 volumes I can say it won't be enough to build any characters or get totally invested in this world. It seems expansive and exciting...but Ayashimon is hampered by the lame main character and a dependence on ideas done better in other media. Regardless I still think it's worth a read, a fun little shonen that, if nothing else, is a nice distraction while waiting for the next One Punch Man volume.

Find out more about Ayashimon on Viz's website