ChurchHatesTucker ☑#MangaMonday 54 “Manchuria Opium Squad” by Tsukasa Monma (story) and Shikako (adaptation)
Did you watch “Breaking Bad” and think “needs more historical drama?” This is the #manga for you.
The story follows Isamu, a Japanese conscript in the puppet state of Manchuko (Manchuria) who starts dealing opium, initially to buy medicine for his ailing mother. He soon runs afoul of the army and the Chinese underworld, both of which have an interest in the drug trade, but gains a diverse group of allies.
This is historical fiction with an emphasis on ‘fiction.’ E.g. “Alexei Rodzaevsky” appears to be a de-nazified version of Konstantin Rodzaevsky. The “true opium” Isamu produces is almost comically addictive. But the tale is a gripping one. The art has a great scratchy realism, with some nudity and a lot of violence (n.b. including torture.)
Ongoing with 5 of 19 volumes available digitally in English (Kodansha.) Censored (of nudity only) chapters are available on K Manga.
