Manga Review: DeadAss
One of my most unexpectedly enjoyable manga reads thus far this year has been a story about a man with a ghost haunting the hemorrhoids in his butt. That sounds like a joke, but much like the way DeadAss rounds out its narrative, I mean it in the most serious and emotionally moving way possible.
Written and illustrated by hakei (Your Wings and Mine, Bloom and Zoom), DeadAss is an original English-language one-shot manga published digitally on the Viz Manga app and on Viz’s website this past February. The story follows James, a middle-aged man visiting a doctor to treat a painful case of hemorrhoids, only to have that same doctor diagnose him with a bad case of being haunted by a ghost. As you might expect, James initially dismisses the diagnoses. But before he knows it, the actual ghost of a young woman pops out of his backside to confront him. And this isn’t just any ghost. The recently-deceased Kristi is actually pregnant, and she can’t cross over into the afterlife until she finds someone who can help her give birth to her ghost baby. From the laborious breathing noises James has been making due to his extremely unfortunate anal issues, Kristi believes he just might be someone she can possess long enough who may be able to handle the pain of childbirth.
You would be forgiven for thinking based solely on this premise alone that the narrative is nothing but absurdist humor, but I found myself pleasantly surprised at the emotional and very humanizing story happening between panels of James writhing in pain on the toilet. Due to its nature as a one-shot manga, giving too much more information would basically be telling you the entire story, but this is definitely something you’ll want to read for yourself to see the heartfelt turns it takes. How did Kristi become a ghost? What happened in James’ life that allowed him to be able to emotionally prepare for helping a ghost woman through childbirth? I did not expect to click on a title with a name like DeadAss only to find myself tearing up during the last few pages.
The art in this one-shot is sharp and clean, exaggerated when it needs to be funny, and soft and gentle when it needs to convey its most emotional moments. James’ expressions of pain give you a clear sense of how extreme and uncomfortable his situation is. Meanwhile, Kristi is shown to have died with an injury that has disfigured her face, and yet the art is still able to convey her gentle, friendly nature. This manga is clearly the combined result of an abundance of talent alongside dedicated hard work and practice.
The Viz Originals One-Shot publications have been led by Hisashi Sasaki, former editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Jump. Notably, Sasaki was featured in the manga Bakuman as well as its anime adaptation. From the editor’s note on DeadAss, it seems he was also quite charmed by hakei’s work, saying, “Few mangakas possess hakei’s rare ability to craft characters that are both funny and moving simultaneously—the very essence of manga.” On Bluesky, Sasaki also added, “One of our editors said ‘This is one of [the] most “Viz” one-shots' and I totally agree.”
Viz has done a wonderful service by launching their One-Shots program last June. Without such a program, I would have never been introduced to some incredible artists and writers producing genuinely stellar English-language manga. I had not previously been familiar with hakei’s work, but reading this manga encouraged me to seek out their previous titles. I do not often access comic publication sites such as Webtoons, though I will gladly visit that platform more regularly to consume their other titles. I can recall a time where I once used to sit with bated breath, awaiting new weekly pages from my favorite webcomic authors. I’m not sure why it is I stopped seeking out new online titles such a long time ago, but I’m beginning to realize that it was a mistake to stop looking.
It even stirs up long-dormant feelings within myself to dabble in writing and illustrating comics and manga of my own. There have been many times in my own life where I have felt the urge to create rise inside me, and for a while I will pick up a pencil or invest in a tablet and start practicing, only to set it down again not long afterwards. Many years ago, I had also considered submitting a one-shot manga of my own to a publisher, but only got a few pages into my work before believing this was not the path for me. And perhaps that’s not the route I was destined for after all, but having that experience in making the attempt at all in any capacity has given me an appreciation for anyone who has put in the immense time and effort, both technically and emotionally, to keep going, keep trying, and keep submitting until you are finally rewarded with that success.
hakei clearly has a lot to be proud of, and they have been promoting their one-shot on their various social media platforms quite a bit. From all of the other readers’ comments about DeadAss they’ve been sharing, it seems I’m far from the only person who suddenly found themselves emotionally overwhelmed by a story with such a unique premise. If you are at all on the fence about the goofy story, don’t just take my word for it alone. hakei has been sharing excitement from other readers experiencing the same wave of emotions, noting how touching and human the art and writing is.
DeadAss is currently free to read from Viz in the United States, and at only 50 pages in length, I strongly recommend setting aside a little time out of your day to enjoy this story. The humor alone is well-written enough, but the weight of the tragic backstories of both James and Kristi, as well as its satisfying conclusion, make for an extremely satisfying read.
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Special thanks to the following Phobos and Mars tier members: Scott Sandler, BetaRayILL, Mannekwin, and MB.
Extra special thanks to Kasei Gumi members Andre and Gomer.
