Economic Crisis: Akumetsu hates on dem banksta’s, dawgs

I know what you’re thinking – anime and assets? Manga and mortgages? Figurines and the Federal Bureau? It will all be explained in due course.

Perhaps you don’t want it explained in due course, but want answers now. Understandably so; you’re feeling a little tetchy, what with the global economic crisis that looks set to sweep most financial institutions off their feet with a firm roundhouse kick, although there are some notable exceptions.

Interesting is the response, with many governments announcing bailout plans for the banks: a motion which seems paramount to medieval Europeans attempting to halt the Black Death by overfeeding vermin cheese until they perish in bodily explosions of gluttonous ecstasy.

Shylock: lolis loathe bankers; yea, verily, they chase them through the streets for their unmoeness.

I somehow doubt that the higher-ups who got us into this mess are going to be the ones to suffer the repercussions of their “financial mismanagement”, which is a nice, politically-correct and euphemistic phrase that basically means, “Duuuurrrrr you done gone and catched us, but you cant dooz nothin’, we gonna fuck your shit up and we’re gonna need more (your) money to fix it, kthxbye newbs.”

Despite this, those who put their faith in the banking system – which is largely ridiculous, if you think about it carefully – have very little recourse. I’m no fiscal expert, and that’s not really the subject of this post: if you’re looking for some intelligent discourse on its effects (lol no Evangelion 2.0?) , you can always saunter over to these here x’s one the map. I’m more into vengeance, vendettas and vigilantism myself (nana nana), and Akumetsu supplies these in bucketloads of heavy-handed lines of inked goodness.

Akumetsu follows Shou, a high school student that stumbles upon a fairly useful power. Lamenting the collapse of Japan, he decides to use his power to destroy evil in a public one-man, one-kill kamikaze approach which proves to be spectacular in execution as he weeds out Japan’s corrupt underbelly. Donning the mantle of a demonic mask and proclaiming himself Akumetsu – Destroyer of Evil – what makes Akumetsu interesting is that the “evil” Shou typically targets is the bureaucracy and corrupt financial institutions.

Akumetsu is classified as shōnen, yet at its base it deals largely with seinen themes. The artwork is excellent, and the story is refreshing – and, in today’s current climate, has a certain topical air to it. Unfortunately, a lot of its less obvious satirical content passes right over my head and I imagine that other, more informed readers of Japanese business and politics may appreciate some of the more subtle nuances.

Akumetsu is edgy, dramatic, over-the-top, and well-written (if the translations offer any indication of the original content). While I am loathe to give anything away, the fact that Shou basically sacrifices himself for each kill provides an interesting twist in the usual vigilante tale. If I had to offer an American comparison, I’d argue he’s a compromise between Batman and the Punisher – while he similarly has no qualms in employing violent and gruesome tactics to achieve his ends, it is balanced by his adherence to the “one-man, one-kill” philosophy and the fact that he offers his own death as a sort of justification.

Likewise, he employs this brutal approach in a blinkered view. Despite his public appearance and clashes with law enforcement officials that attempt to bar his way, he will not kill any of them, focusing on his target alone.

Akumetsu by itself is superior in many aspects, but with the economic crisis we’re all facing it is bound to send an additional current of dark, guilty pleasure up your spine as Shou delivers lax, lazy and corrupt financial officials their come-uppance. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, or have been turned off by it shōnen origins, I suggest you give it another look.

P.S: Banksta 4 Life, ya’ll.