A sociology student in Tokyo is investigating Otaku for her thesis. Otaku is some kind of fetish that girls dress in cosplay or something, it wasn't explained well at all. Her relationship with her boyfriend is also falling apart as he's filming a J-horror film. Then there's two police detectives investigating a series of murders where a different body part is cut off a young woman. This should be exciting but it's all very boring. The artist is technically talented but all of the characters look the same and I had a hard time telling them apart.

This was an interesting one. I enjoyed Inspector Arakawa and his protégé - they seemed to have good chemistry while they were working together. I also really enjoyed the artwork. The plot was kind of meh but honestly, I'll probably read the next volume, just to see what happens. Overall I liked this but I didn't love it.

Great graphic and interesting plot if a little dark. Not exactly what I expected. However, it was well written. Worth the read.

It was an interesting story with nice art and a great idea, but the pacing was so off. Plus I got somehow bored in the middle and could not jump back onto that train and I just wanted to finish that as soon as possible. Maybe I am just not the right person to read this kind of story. There is a lot of unexplained. The artwork is ok, suits the story.

Loved it by all means. The characters, the artwork and the smooth script. Even the silent panels speak volumes. We need more!

A few months back I did what any good book blogger does and logged into NetGalley to submit some reviews. Also, I did what any easily persuaded book blogger does too and y’know accidentally grabbed a few Graphic Novels that caught my eye. Tokyo Underground was one of them.

Please note: The full graphic novel’s title is Otaku Blue, but the chapter/volume that’s available is simply Tokyo Underground. Only the title page and Goodreads make this apparent – not NetGalley.

Tokyo Underground opens as many mystery’s do – a shocking scene to grab the reader’s attention. This one was two police inspecting a murder scene – the victim a prostitue with a body part missing. She’s the first of many and each are found with a different part missing. Throughout the graphic novel the cops make some gross comments about the victims which made me feel uncomfortable. There’s adding humour to make their jobs easier, and there’s gross I don’t wanna read any more.

Asami and her thesis
Shortly after we meet our protagonist, Asami, a student struggling with her thesis on Otaku and Otaku culture.

(Also she has a very shitty, controlling, and emotionally manipulative boyfriend. I want to throw him out with the trash.)

As Asami isn’t an otaku herself she has to figure out what area of the culture she wants to focus on. After joining online message boards a group of otaku’s volunteer to being interviewed, but also help to find her an otaku style she can be comfortable in whilst joining them at conventions.

As she delves further into the otaku lifestyle she gains the attention of a legend otaku – Mr Buntaro. Who I personally felt was very creepy from the get go, but Asami is so focused on getting her thesis finished she accepts his attention in hopes to interview him.
Dangerous Otakus?

Now can I bring your attention back to the start with the murdered lady and the ones that are found throughout the story, parallel with Asami’s story.

Yeah weird huh?

Whilst this chapter/volume doesn’t confirm the murderer and Mr Buntaro are one and the same. It is strongly hinted at. I would be very surprised if it turns out any other way.

This is where my main concerns with the graphic novel are and why I gave it two stars. Should the Mr Buntaro and the murderer be the same, then isn’t this heavily leaning into the negative connotations that otaku’s already have to deal with? Is this a storyline a non-Japanese author should be taking?

Or perhaps they’re not the same, and it’s only heavily implied to lean into that stereotype and prove us wrong for jumping to that conclusion?

I want to hope it’s the latter but there is a lot that suggests otherwise. Plus they’d need to introduce another reason these two storylines are unfolding side by side.

It would be a nice twist if it’s actually the shitty boyfriend who is the murderer though!

I can only be hopeful for that.
Will I continue this series?

Needless to say this was an okay introduction to Otaku Blue. However I don’t think I can recommend it being read this way. I believe this story will work better as a completed piece. I would be tempted to read the second part to see if it grabs my attention further.

Lastly, as I haven’t touched upon it yet, the art is fine. It does what it needs too and at the very least the characters look Japanese. But ultimately it’s not my preferred aesthetic when selecting graphic novels to read. The cover definitely intrigued me more than the inside.

Anyway, I’m going to leave you with this creepy screenshot of Asami and Mr Duntaro talking so you can get a feel of why I don’t trust him.

I really enjoyed reading this graphic novel. The art style was a very fascinating blend of Japanese manga and Western aesthetics and the plot was also quite the gripping mystery. Although the depiction of Japanese culture (and especially the otaku culture) often seemed to be very stereotypical, overall I believe it suited the purposes of the plot and the story. I'm looking forward to the next instalment!

I was really excited for this graphic novel. The cover was eye catching, the summery was intriguing and I am always interested in learning more about Japanese society and culture. While I was invested in the storyline (enough that I will be seeking out book two), I was a bit disappointed the art style differed so much from the cover. This volume (not surprisingly) ends on a cliffhanger. This will be interesting to anyone who enjoys graphic and appreciates the interesting Otaku sub culture.

I was so excited about this from the cover but got pretty disappointed real fast because the art style isn't even close to the cover.

I don't generally hate on people's art style but I can't help but hate on how the illustrator draw women in this. They are all drawn the same way so you can't recognize female characters from each other except for their clothing! Besides that, their faces isn't all that consistent too so the same characters sometimes look a bit different in the next panel besides for the male characters.

Story wise was somewhat mediocre and predictable. I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series despite it being a duology. Maybe when I'm curious enough I would.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

An interesting and original story. The pacing felt a bit off though. Although it ended at a natural point it was a bit slow. While I'm curious enough about the story to pick up Volume 2, there are quite a few threads that need to be resolved, so hopefully it isn't going to be a mad rush to get it all in so the story doesn't flow or make sense. Beautiful cover. Although the interior artwork was decent, it would have been truly swoon-worthy if the story art was similar to the cover art.

I’ve read a fair number of manga that are self-referential and examine otaku culture from the inside. I’ve also read a handful of American comics titles that explore contemporary geek culture. What I found particularly intriguing about Otaku Blue, however, was that it is a French comic about Japanese geek culture, or more specifically otaku. What might those perceptions be like? And how might that tie into the murder mystery Otaku Blue has as its narrative engine?
Asami is trying to study otaku culture for her graduate thesis in sociology. She begins by meeting with young women who embrace the fashion and behavioral side of her study, embracing the Lolita role. Meanwhile, the police are investigating a serial killer who is killing and mutilating the bodies of prostitutes in Tokyo. As the story progresses, the two threads begin to look like they might be intertwined.
Otaku Blue suffers from not living up to its potential. It does good work in developing some characters, while others occasionally feel like stereotypes, especially the bitter, burned-out cops who are distant from their families. Meanwhile, the exploration of otaku culture feels surface level, when it could be so much more immersive and engaging.
Otaku Blue is a two-volume series, and there is enough here that I am willing to give it one more volume to show how it all wraps up. If this was an ongoing series, though, I don’t think I’d continue reading it. This might be a good choice for people looking for a short series involving murder set in Japan, but it isn’t the strongest entry in that subgenre.
CONTENT NOTE: This volume of Otaku Blue contains depictions of mutilated, dead prostitutes, so this is likely not the best choice for younger readers.
Review will be available at provided link on May 23, 2019.

Interesting premise but a little too short. Basically, it's three different stories that may or may not tie in together. You have two police officers investigating a series of murders, mainly of young prostitutes in which the serial killer harvests one body part from each woman. The detectives get a little bit of a story arc and you get to see some of the secrets they are hiding.
Then there's Kotaru, an aspiring film maker and incredibly crappy boyfriend who is always busy on his sets but of course gets mad at his girlfriend when she can't drop her life and go do something with him - which usually means getting dragged to some old horror movie.
The main story is Kotaru's girlfriend Asami, a sociology graduate student working on her thesis which centers around Japan's Otaku culture. She's always busy with her project and her side job working at a maid cafe. During the course of her research a professional "Gothic Lolita" befriends her and gets her to connect with the ultimate Otaku - a man known only as his online persona Buntaro.
Towards the end of the story we also start to see the beginning of Buntaro's story and what he's all about, which may not be good, since he's very mysterious and kind of creepy.
Will definitely want to read volume 2 to see what comes next.

Knowing more about Asian culture and the perspective both of youth and by extension geek culture is also relayed in a texture of both comic books and movie as the upcoming release of “Detective Pikachu” shows. In “Otaku Blue 1: Tokyo Underground” [Richard Marazano/Europe Comics/58pgs], this texture if brought in play since it balances on both social media and cosplay which is a big part of modern fan culture (as in dressing up your favorite character). This graphic novel follows a sociology student Asami, who although a bit older wants to understand this element of cosplay validation. In what was slightly confusing at first, she takes a job at a maid cosplay restaurant since the aspect of enjoyment can be mutual. The Otaku is the obsessive fan who does not creep as much as validates but this seems to be a very thin line. Again this might be a perspective of culture and, by extent, honor which might seem a little odd to American sensibility. At the same time, there seems to be a new serial killer who is murdering prostitutes but is taking uncommon body part like eyes, hands and feet. Our lead character actually ingrains herself with a group of cosplay girls who get the attention of the most famous Otaku who takes an interest. The cliffhanger involves the actual meet though a few men in the story could be the culprit. Otaku is an odd read because it has elements of thriller, social commentary and obsessive compulsive habits. It is an interesting perception dependent on the aspect of its endgame which is not shown here.

C-

By Tim Wassberg

A wonderful graphic novel that manages to combine a compelling narrative and illustrations to create a wonderful experience for the reader.

Asami, a sociology student, writes a thesis about otaku. She gets a chance to meet a famous and mysterious otaku knows as Buntaro. In the meantime, Inspector Arakawa follows a sadistic killer who kills local prostitutes and collects parts of their bodies.

The story doesn't shy away from showing gore, but plotwise and conflict-wise, it develops slowly and meanders way too much. While I enjoy the art, at this stage, I don't find the mystery and the pacing rewarding enough to continue reading when Vol. 2 is published.

I desperately want to read this but it won’t download at all...! I have no choice but to rate it 1 just because I haven’t touched it. I’m so sorry :(

I was left a bit confused on how these stories could be connected, and I had many theories regarding who could be the killer. However, the final scene is almost like a declaration about it. I want to keep an open mind and believe that this was just a trick, that the killer will not be the most obvious option, and wait for the next volume. The style was nice enough and entertaining to keep going, and I liked the art a lot, so I want to keep my faith in Otaku Blue.

Full review: https://bit.ly/2E5RY3J

Otaku Blue. Great artwork, interesting subject but halfway through reading it the book it was archived so I can’t comment further sadly.

This was extremely fascinating! The artwork is a ink-noir style that really fits the mysterious, creepy tone of the story. The plot is interesting in the way it weaves between two different threads, yet each new page reveals that they are somehow connected . . . until the cliffhanger end pieces almost everything together.

Love the storyline and the illustrations. And to stop right there at the end of this volume is just pure evil. I’m truly caught hook line and sinker for Otaku Blue.