Beastars made waves in the anime and manga industry when it premiered, and now that series’ creator returns with the new series Drip Drip that shows incredible promise.
Drip Drip Volume 1 is a collection of Paru Itagaki’s limited series manga of the same name. The original nine-chapter series ran from December 2020 to February 2021 in Weeky Manga Garaku. The new volume is set to be released in mid-October by Viz Media. The story follows Mako’s trials and tribulations as she tries to carve out a normal life being an extreme germophobe. While she can overcome some limitations of her circumstances, such as finding work in a hygienic food container factory, in many other aspects of her life, particularly her ability to find and keep a boyfriend, she hasn’t been very lucky. Making her life more difficult is her perception that intimacy, both physical and mental, are generally impure. Not wanting to give up her hope of finding real love “like everyone else” she tries to find a boyfriend to both comic and heart-breaking effect.
The one characteristic of Drip Drip that first jumps out is Itagaki’s style. Itagaki is perhaps best known for her work on the award-winning cult classic manga Beastars which explores the interactions between different animal species living in a diverse anthropomorphic world. On the one hand, Drip Drip is quirky, and bizarre with more than a few bizarre situations. On the other hand, the story that Drip Drip tells focuses on everyday aspects of life, in this case, the desire for companionship and the inability to obtain it, that every reader can identify with and understand.
What Makes Drip Drip Such An Addictive Manga
Under the surface, which includes images of graphic nudity and sex that may not be for everyone, Drip Drip is a surprisingly addictive story that keeps the reader turning the pages to figure out if Mako will ever be able to solve her issues. Itagaki makes it easy for readers to invest themselves in Mako and her predicament. Once the reader gives themselves over to Mako’s perspective, the story’s flow is seamless and readers really start seeing the story from Mako’s point of view. The story is helped along by Itagaki artwork. While it may not be as dynamic as One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda’s, Tite Kubo, or even her father Keisuke Itagaki, its caricature-heavy, sketch-like format works perfectly for this particular story.
In the end, Drip Drip is a very entertaining coming-of-age story of Mako Higari, a thirty-something woman who finally and conclusively deals with a “Mom issue” that’s been plaguing her for most of her life. While her methods of trying to overcome her childhood insecurities and liberate herself may even be controversial, she illustrates how many people deal with their problems, namely using what they must get what they want. Drip Drip is the perfect read for fans of Itagaki’s unique style that she made famous with Beastars.
Drip Drip Volume 1 will be available on October 18, 2022, from Viz Media.
