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Akumetsu: The manga of banking system reform?

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kiba Posted: Wed, Dec 31 2008 9:43 PM

There is a manga called Akummetsu and it deal with a omiprotent terrorist/vigilante who deal his own brand of justice by killing all sort of corrupt people. The targets range from bankers who give out loans to failing entrepneurs to corrupt politicans that suggest keynasian-like policies such as spending on roads and public utilites while running into massive public debt.

I thought it was amusingly similiar to the financial crisis that we are in right now. Heck, the manga even feature business cycle that is caused in part by the government.

 

Sadly, it stop short of recommending free banking or anarchy.

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bigwig replied on Thu, Jan 1 2009 12:20 PM

Thanks, I'll have to check it out. Do you know if it's in English?

 

You might also want to check out Spice and Wolf. You can view the subbed anime online for free, but I've heard they're making english version of the novel and manga. It goes into currency exchange more than action.

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kiba replied on Thu, Jan 1 2009 1:11 PM

bigwig:

Thanks, I'll have to check it out. Do you know if it's in English?

 

You might also want to check out Spice and Wolf. You can view the subbed anime online for free, but I've heard they're making english version of the novel and manga. It goes into currency exchange more than action.

Indeed it is translated into English.

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kiba replied on Fri, Jan 9 2009 6:41 PM

w00t! This manga seriously own!

 

It even consider privatization of roads in the latest chapter!

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sounds like death note with an economics bent.

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kiba:

Sadly, it stop short of recommending free banking or anarchy.


Actually, I would say this is a brilliant marketing move (ye olde "saying without actually saying it" routine), especially with a traditionally xenophobic Japanese culture as your audience (last I've read, it's still quite of a mess over there with rampant taxes & lingering stagflation from the lost decade of the 90's). 

I would love to get a copy of this, however, as on a somewhat related note, I've been noticing a few potential interesting trends in Japan itself, specifically in it's music scene, which is quite possibly seems like the most competitive music market on earth, imo(i.e. bands easily sell numerous singles, mini-albums for an entire career before bothering  with albums, bands frequently form & break-up from one another's line-ups, overall closely knit community).

Would anyone happen to have a torrent or a pdf?  I'd imagine importing this (and the chances of a translation) might not be practical, otherwise.

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kiba replied on Sat, Jan 10 2009 2:27 PM

Nitroadict:

Would anyone happen to have a torrent or a pdf?  I'd imagine importing this (and the chances of a translation) might not be practical, otherwise.

There is no PDF that I know of. It is all just a bunch of images.

It is already scanlated in english by several translation groups across the net. It is illegal though. (copyright infringment and all that) My favorite place to read manga is this site(with a link to Akumestu): http://www.onemanga.com/Akumetsu/

I reread the latest chapter that been translated. Seem to me that it doesn't suggest the privatization of roads per se, but one of the evil congressman does oppose the privatization of public highway and the Prime Minster's economic reform. So this to me implied that the priviatization of roads is favored.

This manga is explictly political and it seem to have a quasi-libertarian bent. Since the translation of the manga is not complete, this might not be true in later chapters. To discern the true political stance of this manga, I tried to look for the biography of the authors but the usual sources such as Wikipedia failed me. It is also entirely possible that the authors simply want to do good story telling and that the explict political philosophy and thought provoking questions just happen to be a byproduct.

Nonetheless, the renouncement of democracy by Akumestu(Because he does not want to be a marytar of democracy) among other things really does seem to point to a libertarian leaning if not anti-statist and pro-free market.(since his targets are corny capitalism)

Several readers did note that this manga is thought-provoking. Perhaps some of them will be more skeptical of politicans in their own country and attempt to bailout the banks.

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ever since reading this post I have wanted to buy a hard copy dead tree version. I have not seen a hard copy English translation of this anywhere! Does anyone know where I could get one? I love the story!

I am an eklektarchist not an anarchist.

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scineram replied on Sun, Jan 25 2009 11:12 AM

It seems this was discontinued, so there is no proper ending, but I will try to look into it.

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kiba replied on Sun, Jan 25 2009 11:21 AM

scineram:

It seems this was discontinued, so there is no proper ending, but I will try to look into it.


Really? You read the whole thing in Japanese? It is 18 volumes long.

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kiba replied on Sun, Jan 25 2009 11:23 AM

ryanpatgray:

ever since reading this post I have wanted to buy a hard copy dead tree version. I have not seen a hard copy English translation of this anywhere! Does anyone know where I could get one? I love the story!

As far as I know, no manga publishers have picked it up in the states so you will have to get by reading illegally translated materials.

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scineram:

It seems this was discontinued, so there is no proper ending, but I will try to look into it.

Thank you!

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kiba:

ryanpatgray:

ever since reading this post I have wanted to buy a hard copy dead tree version. I have not seen a hard copy English translation of this anywhere! Does anyone know where I could get one? I love the story!

As far as I know, no manga publishers have picked it up in the states so you will have to get by reading illegally translated materials.

I apreciate those being there - do not get me wrong - I just enjoy reading things in paper. I even got a Sony Reader and as much as I love it there is still something about paper that even E-INk cannot replicate.

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