DANCE! KREMLIN PALACE! by Shintaro Kago (Chapter 5)
Yeah, yeah. I know how long it’s been. I would like to say I’ve been completely swamped with homework (which is true), working overtime (also true), and all around busy (which is totally true), but to be honest there were lots of times where I chose playing video games or reading manga over updating the blog. So, I’m sorry guys and gals. I know how bad you’ve been jonesing for this chapter. I guarantee it won’t disappoint.The newest chapter of DKP is an apocalyptic future prediction for Kago’s surreal USSR. As usual, he takes stereotypes to the extreme, causing the utter collapse of the country. Some pretty brutal images (see above), so don’t read this at work (save it ’till your mom walks in the room!).Also, there’s been lots of activity from a Russian forum. I can’t really read what they’re saying (altavista doesn’t do languages justice), but I have gotten some odd comments from a few Russians. So, I thought I’d include my personal statement about the comic:As with any parody/satire there will be many people who are offended. There is humor and derision in the story, but I don’t feel it is aimed at the Russian people or Russian culture. Instead, I feel the finger is pointing straight back at the Japanese people. The manga takes ignorance about other cultures and pushes it to the extreme. Someone casually saying, “Oh, look at that Russian. He must like vodka,” might not realize how ignorant they are. By making an entire book about extreme prejudice, Kago intends to illuminate his readers to their own prejudice. This issue is even more poignant in this most recent chapter, where he basically goes down a list of stereotypes. That same person who made the vodka comment might see the image of a mob of Russians attached to a plane trying to drink it’s fuel (because of a vodka shortage) and somehow make the connection between this image of extreme prejudice and their own.Anyways, that’s how I see it. For more about Kago’s psyche, check out the interview in Vice Magazine which Same Hat thankfully scanned.
Posted: July 29th, 2008 under Shintaro Kago, Scanlations.
Comments
Comment from penguin
Time August 26, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Tnx for translate, i hope, you made this work to the end 
And, yes, you are right, this manga сonsists of extreme humour and stereotypes.
I’m from Russia and very bad know english, but thanks to you, I start to understand all humour of this manga.
Respect
Comment from TheBigGSN5
Time September 12, 2008 at 1:06 am
“Instead, I feel the finger is pointing straight back at the Japanese people. The manga takes ignorance about other cultures and pushes it to the extreme.”
Don’t forget the US in that. For more than half a century we’ve considered the Russians to be against us in some fashion or another, yet what does the average person even really know about Russia? Most Americans probably think Putin is still their president. Don’t take it personally, tovarishch-es, as we don’t even know the names of the leaders of the countries that border us. It’s astounding how little Americans care about the rest of the world.
Comment from WW
Time September 12, 2008 at 4:17 am
Just how many chapters are there?
Comment from Rizzah
Time September 12, 2008 at 7:57 am
there are 11 chapters and a bonus section.
Comment from magwaa
Time August 2, 2008 at 9:04 am
That some Russian forum has caught onto this is pretty sweet. Kago making rings around the world!
Definitely worth the wait. Thanks!