Don's (Review): Picture the "Blues Clues" guy if he somehow lost his anti-depressant meds a couple weeks ago; there is so much going on in this dark - and darkly funny - manga, both on the page and in-between the lines. At 31, Uramichi couldn't be more jaded; he's given up, and doesn't care who knows it, whether that's a pair of animal-costumed co-workers whose mouths and mistakes often get the bad end of his temper, or the singing male and female duo who also act as co-hosts on the children's show with Uramichi, whose songs are mostly about life only kicking you more when you're already down. Uramichi clearly has issues of depression and has given up on life already - his co-workers equally dysfunctional - yet with all the maudlin messages and sardonic humor, you can't help but care for Uramichi and the gang, even root for them, and there are also more than a few surprisingly funny moments here, often in the form of the hilarious, sometimes quite mature way the studio audience kids react to the trauma and drama of the adults performing (r trying to) before them. The artwork is excellent, helping to set up the dark humor and sarcasm, and by the end I was really rooting for Uramichi to get his groove back ... even as the story drops a few hints of surprises coming up for volume two that might hopefully turn him around. Fans of sarcasm and snarky humor, or those who've ever looked back on life (no matter the age) and wondered what the heck happened ... you'll get this, complete with some laugh-out-loud moments, and look forward to volume two. Others may want to pass, though I think you'd be missing out. Personally, it had to grow on me, initially - but once it did, I loved it. 4/5 stars
NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
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