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Libre Publishes Political Parties Personified Manga

On October 29, boys-love author Izumi Mito and illustrator Niinyan released a new manga titled Seitō Kijinka Seitō-tan (Seitō-tan, Political Parties Personified) with personified versions of several of Japan's political parties. The manga depicts Japan's two main parties, the Democratic Party of Japan and Liberal Democratic Party, as the quarreling big brother Minshu-tan and little brother Jimin-tan. Other factions such as the Communist Party (the poor Kyōsan-tan), the Social Democratic Party (the effeminate Shamin-tan), and independent members (the free-spirited, dreadlocks-wearing Mushozoku-tan) are also featured.

While the series focuses largely on political humor, other titles such as Hellsing and Neon Genesis Evangelion are parodied within the work. The volume, published by Libre Publishing Co., Ltd., also features color pages and an interview between People's New Party (Kokumin Shintō) founder Shizuka Kamei and Mito. (Shizuka is featured on a wraparound jacket band on the book's cover with the blurb, "Kamei-Daihyō Moe~.")

The "-tan" honorific is used in Japan as a particularly cute version of the casual "-chan." It is an ongoing Internet meme for personifications to be named with a "-tan" honorific, particularly in the case of technological personifications. The most famous examples of this meme are the "OS-tan" creations, in which various computer operating systems are personified as cute, usually anime-style females. It was recently announced that one such drawing, a personification of the Opera web browser, would be released as a figurine.

Source: Comic Natalie