Shonen Jump Plus’ new manga, Drama Queen, written and illustrated by Ichikawa Kuraku, is creating a lot of buzz online because of its controversial story. It deals with racism, and hate crimes, and people are already debating its message.
The manga’s story starts with aliens who saved Earth from a giant meteor and are now living among humans. But things aren’t exactly peaceful looking from the main characters point of view.
The main character, Namamoto, is a young girl who ran away from home and now works at a factory with an alien boss. The factory is terrible, workers don’t even get proper ventilation or air conditioning.
Then there’s Kitami, the second main character. His family died in a car crash caused by an alien driver who ran away instead of helping. This tragic event made Kitami hate all aliens.
At the start of the story, Namamoto is walking down the street when an alien accidentally bumps into her with his elbow. He doesn’t apologize, which makes Namamoto mad, but she keeps quiet because she knows it will only cause trouble.
She already thinks aliens are arrogant and have taken all the good jobs. Later at work, her alien boss yells at her and threatens her job. Kitami shows up and stops the boss from hitting Namamoto, but this leads to her getting fired.
Things get darker when Kitami comes to Namamoto’s place carrying a dead alien’s body. He says he killed the alien after an argument because the alien bumped into him and started shouting. Kitami asks Namamoto to help him get rid of the body, but it’s not easy. They can’t bury it because the smell will give them away, and dumping it in the ocean won’t work either since the body will float because of gases.
Kitami comes up with a gruesome plan: they will chop up the alien, boil the pieces, and dispose of them. Namamoto remembers how her boss was burned to death in an accident at work and how the burning flesh smelled like grilled squid. They try this method, and it works. This shocking sequence wraps up the first chapter.
The Problems with the Story
The biggest issue with the story so far is that Namamoto doesn’t have a strong reason to hate aliens as much as she does. Sure, her boss is terrible, and her workplace is awful, but that’s not really because of aliens as a whole.
In the first few scenes, other humans seem happy living with aliens. One woman is even dating an alien.
Also, some parts of the story make it unclear if Namamoto is reliable. For example, she says an alien hit her, but we don’t see it happen. When she bleeds after her boss yells at her, it’s unclear if he actually hurt her or if she’s imagining things. This makes her hatred seem more like her own paranoia than actual experience.
Kitami’s hate for aliens is more understandable since his family was killed by one. But the way he takes revenge is extreme.
Killing and cutting up aliens isn’t exactly a justified response, especially since we don’t know if the alien he killed in the first chapter was guilty of anything. What if that alien was actually innocent?
Xenophobia in the Story
The manga definitely shows xenophobia and hate crimes. Kitami killing aliens and even eating their bodies is a clear example. Namamoto’s attitude toward aliens also shows how prejudice builds up without solid reasons. She blames them for taking jobs and being arrogant, which feels very similar to real-life issues of racism and xenophobia.
In the real world, there are many examples of this kind of prejudice. Immigrants or minorities are often accused of “stealing jobs” or being a burden, even when they contribute to society. Kitami’s actions reflect how hate crimes can escalate when people let their anger and biases take over.
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Is There Hope for the Series?
The second chapter gives a hint that the story might get better. At the end of the chapter, a detective seems to be investigating the alien murders. This could mean the story will shift to show the consequences of Namamoto and Kitami’s actions.
It might turn into a darker story where the main characters are actually the villains, similar to Death Note.
If the manga starts exploring these ideas more deeply, it could end up being an interesting and thought-provoking story. But right now, it feels too one-sided.
The aliens haven’t done anything truly terrible in the first chapters, so the hate against them feels exaggerated. The series needs to show both sides of the conflict better to avoid coming off as promoting xenophobia.
Overall Reception
The reception to Drama Queen has been somewhat mixed but leans mostly positive on the Manga Plus platform and social media. Despite the outcry and criticism, or even the positive comments, one thing is clear: the series has grabbed the attention of many manga readers. People are curious to see how the story will develop from here.
Right now, the series is trending at the Number 1 position on Manga Plus, even though only the second chapter has been released. If the author’s goal was to get readers talking, it’s safe to say they’ve achieved that.
My Final Thoughts
Drama Queen is off to a controversial start. The story is dark and shocking, but it also has some big flaws. Namamoto’s and Kitami’s hatred for aliens isn’t fully justified yet, and the aliens themselves aren’t shown doing anything bad enough to deserve it.
If the series dives deeper into the consequences of prejudice and explores moral gray areas, it could become a powerful story. For now, though, it’s a messy mix of hate crimes, social commentary, and dark humor that raises more questions than answers.
