075_20250828_This Communication
Basic Information
A survival suspense manga written by Maruei Rokudai
Serialized in Shueisha's 'Jump Square' from the May 2020 issue to the April 2024 issue
Completed with a total of 49 chapters and 12 volumes
General Introduction
20世紀後半――地球に突如として現れた謎の生物「イペリット」。
敵と認識された人類の多くは滅ぼされ、地上は廃墟と化していた。
生き残りのデルウハは、絶望の果てに自ら死を選ぶが、ある研究所の人間によって一命を取り留める。
その研究所では、イペリットに対抗するべく造り出された少女たちがいた！Introduction
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In Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, a 'Welcome to Kamikochi' sign sits among snow-buried rubble
In what appears to be a freezing ruin, a man in full cold-weather gear, including goggles and a mask, is climbing
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After climbing further, the man takes off his mask and goggles
'Phew! Finally above the gas level...'
'Bread and salted meat... that's all I need. I don't care if the world gets buried in gas or if I'm forced into a job killing monsters.'
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The man discovers that his target facility has been destroyed
'Food is something that dies before the world does, but I never thought... I'd end up following in the footsteps of bread and salami.'
The man holds an axe to his neck, intending to take his own life
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Flashback
In the latter half of the 20th century, creatures called "Iperit" suddenly appeared on Earth, seemingly transforming the planet into a place more habitable for themselves.
Humans were seen as obstacles and enemies, and were wiped out; by the 21st century, the surface had become a ruin filled with the gas they emitted.
If any survivors remained, they were only those who had built underground facilities in polar regions before the creatures appeared.
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A massive underground facility appears behind a man committing suicide.
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A girl named "Yomi" emerges from a hatch beside it.
"Shut up! Why do I have to be lectured for someone else's failure!"
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The spirited girl finds a man with an axe embedded in his neck.
"Director, shouldn't you come over here?"
"If there's an injured person, just say so clearly!"
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The man is carried into the facility and treated.
To the man deliriously talking about food, he says, "That's a healthy delirium."
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The staff member says this to the director, who is questioning the man's physique, which doesn't look like that of someone who has been starving.
"You don't have to ask, you could just search him. He might even have the cigarettes you like, Director. Think of it as a perk for saving his life..."
"Stop it, don't lose any more of your humanity...!"
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The director explains the facility to the man who has awakened.
This is a research laboratory built during the Great War about 80 years ago,
The military personnel left after the war ended, but about 200 people, mainly researchers, live here.
Since it's not the kind of research we can make public, we usually keep it hidden.
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A man expressing his gratitude while walking outside
I am Deluooha, I do not have any cigarettes.
Huh? No, I am not looking for any... but once humanity becomes prosperous again and can produce luxury goods, I have one cigarette I am keeping carefully to smoke to my heart's content.
Then let me help you with that dream. Director, let us make a contract. As long as you provide me with daily meals.
Before that, Mr. Deluooha! Who exactly are you?
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At that moment, a giant monster called an "Iperit" appears
He suggests running back, but is met with hesitation: "If this facility is overrun, the ceiling will collapse and the equipment below will..."
Then how have you been keeping this laboratory running?
We have our "Huntresses." "Female hunters?"
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A small girl leaps out from the hatch in front of them
The girl uses her sword to impale the monster, hoist its massive body, and slam it into the ground
Deluooha asks, "I see, so you've been messing with human bodies, haven't you?"
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The director speaks with an apologetic look on his face.
“It is only until the age of humans returns; this is by no means my intention...”
“Isn't that amazing! It's as good as won!”
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Deruha accepts it with a bright face.
“Oh, how reliable! You're creating excellent soldiers and protecting the food supply! I would love for you to hire me!”
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Another girl walks out from the hatch.
“Yomi-chan, you shouldn't be alone again.”
“Could the weak not speak to me?”
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Yet another girl comes out and starts acting violently.
“They're like beasts, aren't they? They are warriors created by drugging children who were given up in the form of contributions. They likely feel abandoned somewhere. Everyone is just desperate for merit and acting out; rather than cooperation, they want to outdo those around them, believing they must have value.”
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"So this is the world's last army," Deluha said.
"People fled the slaughter and the gas to head for the highlands, and then fought over barren land that couldn't even be farmed."
"War in the face of monsters? All that's left is mustard gas."
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The director says in despair,
"As for the Huntresses, if only there had been just one military leader, but there's no one left anywhere..."
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Watching the Huntresses fight, Deluha says in surprise,
"Hey, wait, two of them just died, didn't they?"
"Their durability is average, so there are casualties every time."
"Don't tell me that child doesn't die?"
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The director answers happily,
"That's right. To be precise, it's regeneration. When they sustain a certain amount of damage, they enter a state of suspended animation, and about an hour before they would die, they regenerate back to their undamaged state."
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In the chaos of battle, the Huntresses end up killing each other.
“Yomi killed Mutsu and ran away!”
Director: “I’m always telling you, cooperate with your teammates!”
“Shut up! It’s not my fault!”
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Deruha speaks to the agitated girl.
“Hey, 20% of war casualties are friendly fire. Don’t worry about it.”
Deruha takes off his coat, revealing a military uniform with medals underneath.
“I’m an expert at this! Bring me the cannon! I’ll show you what a real war looks like!”
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From the cannon emplacement on top of the fortress, Deruha accurately picks off the Iperit.
“Artillery is math. Future position, temperature, air pressure, wind speed and direction... If you measure correctly, the shell will hit 90% of the time.”
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Blushing, the Huntress girl “Yomi” asks Deruha.
“Could you say what you just said again in front of everyone?”
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The director is moved.
“Oh, Yomi is relying on others... A military leader! With this, the research facility can be protected...”
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Deruha says to Yomi:
“You want me to defend your killing of an ally, don't you? There's an easier way to get forgiven... Turn around and close your eyes.”
Deruha kills Yomi from behind with an axe.
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Deruha says to the director:
“Twenty percent of deaths are friendly fire. Incompetent commanders, idiots who get in the way, and others who are generally inconvenient to have alive—when the battlefield gets chaotic, friendly bullets fly. It seems you've understood the common sense of it.”
“Why did you kill 'Yomi'?”
“She was inconvenient. She was proud and isolated, yet she killed an ally. Her relationship with her teammates was irreparable. Plus, she was deeply troubled by it herself. We can't win a war like this. A memory reset will help her regain her confidence.”
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Deruha says with a gleeful smile:
“If I kill the remaining two as well, it will be erased from everyone's memories, and the infighting will be as if it never happened. They are the perfect soldiers who can make anything inconvenient disappear just by getting their clothes a little dirty!”
“They will become a fine unit. Now, Director, sign the contract!”
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Deluoa kills two huntresses immediately after the contract
“What will happen if they find out about this?”
“We’ll be in a direct confrontation with those super-powered monsters as a murderer and their accomplice.”
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The director questions the decision to hire Deluoa, and the girls rush over
“Director! We were all regenerating, but what about the Iperit?”
“This Mr. Deluoa here used a cannon to defeat the ones you couldn't, so—”
“Let me introduce myself. I’m Deluoa. As long as I can keep a position where I can eat bread and salami every day, I don’t mind being put to work killing monsters. That’s the kind of man I am. Nice to meet you!”
That’s the end of chapter one.
Impressions
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The skill in "setting up the stage and the scope of the stage," such as the world and its rules, "in order to focus on depicting something" shines through.
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For example, even in games, there is the creation of rules where you think, "Okay, these are the rules, so I should approach it with this mindset," right?
With card games, for instance, if it's Old Maid, it has probably been played trillions of times around the world under that rule.
With computer games, for example, Super Mario, it's like "clear 32 stages by moving right using only left-right movement and jumping."
This time, because the focus is on depicting "a battle of wits where you manipulate people's hearts to defeat the enemy" in self-contained episodes, I am impressed by how thoroughly the rules and stage devices have been thought out.
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The protagonist's psychology and actions are, without exception, in a 'tragic and destructive direction'.
It is consistently, and almost refreshingly, 'malignant'.
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For example,
if there were an episode where 'someone who had never been relied upon learns what it is to be relied upon and comes to trust others with their back',
or if there were an episode where 'a child starving for family love learns what love is and begins to look forward',
in the end, they will, without exception, mercilessly ruin it.
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They are a clever person who truly embodies being 'inhuman' and 'scum'.
Instead of 'trusting', they treat others as 'inorganic weapons by having no emotions'.
Rather than 'fighting by nurturing bonds with allies', they use 'friction to subdue allies'.
Even in cases where 'they won against the enemy and the bonds between allies deepened, so it wouldn't matter if they erased their memories or not', they will always 'kill them and erase their memories'.
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With such a "hopeless, negative-trait protagonist" at the center, what was the "essence" the author wanted to depict in this manga?
It's an "all-encompassing psychological battle where even allies (human weapons) are potential targets for elimination," told in self-contained episodes.
If it were just about defeating enemies, it would be saturated as a "genius strategist/military story," and if it were just about slaying creatures, it would be a "monster hunting story," but this specific flavor adds a sense of novelty.
In other words, this "battle of paranoia where neither enemies nor allies can (or will) trust anyone but themselves" is quite intellectually stimulating and interesting.
I feel like this is a work I want to read when my mind is clear, when I have the mental capacity to focus on it, or when I just want to forget everything and refresh my mood.
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Because the stage devices and constraints are well-crafted, you can really enjoy the story.
Of course, since this is the "essence" the author wanted to depict, that is exactly where the fun lies.
While "self-contained episodes" can easily lead to stagnation, the author keeps the storytelling fresh every time by changing the "world's constraints" and the "constraints within each episode."
It is strange that despite being such a skillful and impressive work, it has "no awards or media adaptations as of yet."
Overall Review
Recommended for those who want to read a self-contained "all-encompassing psychological battle" story where even allies (human weapons) are potential targets for elimination.
For those who want to read a "mind-bending" work with impressive story progression, please read it as entertainment when you have the mental bandwidth to think.
Thank you for reading until the end!
If you thought it was even 1mm "good," please considersupportingme.
(This will go toward the operating costs of theYouTube channel that uses this manuscript.)