Manchuria Opium Squad - Vol. 1 Ch. 1 - A Man of Manchuria

[Nikoko]

Gee whiz, a manga that idealizes the Japanese soldiers occupying another country and terrorizing its citizens, while demonizing the inhabitants under occupation? Who would've thought?
I was hoping this would be a complex, provocative account of the Japanese occupation, but based on this first chapter, I'm not holding my breath

 

[duylinh]

People don’t think about it like this, but if we really consider it, movies about American soldiers fighting in the Middle East, Vietnam or Somalia are exactly this. If you look at Black Hawk Down, you wouldn’t bat an eye at the depiction of the locals and the American forces, nor would you think the same way as you do towards the Japs in Manchuria and the Manchurians as you would towards the sniper in Full Metal Jacket. The real difference is the Japs were the enemy and they lost. The truth, really, lies in between. People don’t talk about this much but most French were complicit or uninterested in Germans occupied France. Most Iraqi and Afghan were indifferent about American forces. Most Chinese living under Japanese occupied China or Manchuria were complicit or didn’t care as well. It’s just a fact of life that most people just want to eat and make money. Nationalism or fighting for equality only shows up when there’s benefits to be gained.