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This week I review the digital-only Jmanga title Japan Sinks Volumes 1-4. http://archive.org/download/MangaDomeEpisode06/MangaDomeEpisode06.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Earthquakes are a way of life when you live along the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean. This is true for those of us along the West Coast of the US, just as it is for the Japanese. So it should come as no surprise that there have been several manga titles about disasters caused by earthquakes. With end of the world scenarios being so popular lately, this seems like a good time to look at some of them. Metro Survive is a two-volume series published by DR Master in 2008. It’s about Mashima, a repairman who works in Exopolis Tower, a new and popular high-rise in Tokyo. Trying to get home for his son’s birthday, he gets trapped in the subway with several other people who were waiting for the train as well when an Earthquake hits. Thanks to shotty constructions, the Exopolis has collapsed, so it’s up to Mashima to lead the people out of the subway and to find a way out. But as rescue seems less likely, and food starts to run short, the survivors start to turn against each other. It’s up to Mashima to keep the group together and alive until help arrives….
When ever there is a disaster, whether it’s an earthquake, tsunami, or both in the most recent case in Japan, calls immediately go up to donate to the Red Cross, or any of the dozens of other charity organizations set up to send relief to the people affected by the devastating event. But there is another group that is just as affected, if not more, that rarely gets any attention. Pets.