Nihonkoku Shoukan

[RyoukoKonpaku]

@esmakda1 there's a side story on the author's blog that describes the whole transference from a Japanese citizen's perspective. Haven't read it yet since there's no translations available, but it'll likely describe all those starting from the isekai, food/energy crisis and cultural imports / exports (new sentient races like elves and new tourist destinations). Just really wished it released a bit more frequently.

 

[PalMarek]

Caught up with it in a couple of hours and so far it feels like a worse Gate in pretty much every way.

The biggest criticism I think I can throw at it is that there are no characters. I honestly can't remember the names of any of the characters, it's just "the japanese diplomat", "the good king", "the soldier", "the evil king". They all feel like just entities that inhabit the setting rather than the characters who shape it.
And I believe the main reason for this is the pacing, it's way too fast, it feels like it just wants to get to the Modern vs Fantasy action as fast as possible and as a result there's no POV characters on either side to develop the nuance of the conflict. Evil nation does bad thing, JSDF stomps, none of the fantasy people believe it, rinse and repeat. There hasn't been any questioning of how and why Japan got teleported and we haven't seen a single Japanese citizen.

The art is ok, lots of weird expressions and angles and a lot of stiff looking characters but vehicles and scenery are mostly well drawn and the 80s manga aesthetic gives it a certian charm, tho it looks so old I wouldn't be surprised if this was an old forgotten manga being republished.

That's not to say it has no potential as it has hinted that japan might not be the biggest fish in the sea but it's overall poorly executed in my opinion.

So in sum, interesting concept and setting but rushed pacing and lack of any significant character make it all seem like a shallow modern vs fantasy arena. If you have a thing for this type of realistic modern/fantasy dynamic you might enjoy it as a form of junk food and I'll be reading it for a little longer to see how it goes, as I enjoy the concept myself, but as of chapter 21 it's a 4/10, maybe closer to a 3.

 

[Sternberg]

I like the fact that there are no main characters, worldbuilding is where the fun is at. This manga is exactly what I've been looking for.

 

[PalMarek]

@Sternberg
I will agree that worldbuilding is what's most important in a story like this. However, my issue is that there are no character through which to explore that worldbuilding, so it ends up feeling very shallow.
The Japanese look pretty much unfazed by the fact they were teleported to another planet so there's little excitement or sense of wonder when they interact with the fantasy world. Likewise, the fantasy people's reaction to modern technology is always the same "what is that?" "wow".

Like,
[

Spoiler

The dragon rider goes out once, comes back, then goes in again and dies, at no point does he try to understand what he's fighting and how it compares to his world. The heavy soldier also just goes out to battle, tanks the machine guns, then gets knocked out and goes back to his wife as if he had just faced a normal enemy, and he even brings his shield because the japanese tankers just forgot to get it even after showing interest in it

I don't think you necessarily need to have definitive main characters to have a good story but you do need POV characters, to sell the world and the conflict, and the ones in these barely do that, and when they do is the most bare bones reaction.

 

[Orvar]

POV: Your God and just isekaied the entire continent of Japan

Similar to gate, but I enjoy this one more cause of how there's no main protagonist it follows around events that happen, but at the same time people and faces are very forgettable, I also like how they introduce random people and tell their story, and don't just kill them off 4 chapters later after telling their sob story to make the viewer sad for no reason it's an enjoyable read.

7.5/10 it would've been a 7, but the best part is how it never ends on cliffhangers, there is a so many mangas that every damn chapter ends on a cliffhanger its pretty annoying but with this manga I feel like it one of those things were you just forget about it until a new chapter comes out, most mangas depend on cliffhangers to hook in the audience. But the endings to each chapter are so chill with this manga.

TLDR: so many mangas end on cliffhangers i rather just read the goddamn light novel, but this is really chill, and I feel like I can pick it up anytime and just enjoy it.

 

[Dr_siegbert_dirk]

Spoiler: Japan wins. (obviously)

This is certainly not a flawless manga but i love rushing science in Civ and crushing countries that fell behind so much that in my eyes it's a straight 10/10.

 

[Lukz_]

Orvar You are wrong, the main protagonist is [Japan] lol (and the Foreign Relations guy)