Let's Go Karaoke!

Karaoke Iko! draws its strength from its limitations and short format and it's one of the best one-shot mangas I’ve read so far. It’s perfectly suited to this length. It jumps straight into the action without wasting a single panel. You never get the feeling that something is missing or that important parts were cut short due to the brevity. The manga offers a brief, spontaneous glimpse into the lives of two men who couldn’t be more different, yet still end up becoming friends. The characters are well-developed and don’t feel bland at all. They’re lively, and their relationship and reactions feel natural, especially because of,or perhaps thanks to, the ridiculous and funny situation they find themselves in. The art style is simple, and the expressive faces fit the tone and absurdity of the story perfectly. The cover is a bit misleading, as it gave me a very different impression of the story’s vibe, but the actual comedy is lighthearted and genuinely funny. Definitely worth reading, especially since the short length and cheerful tone make it super easy to get into.

Karaoke Iko is a short gag manga about the Yakuza and Japanese music. It has good references to real bands and songs, such as Kurenai by X Japan (one of my favs). There’s also a slight BL tension between the main characters. The art and humor are fine, and the story is easy to follow. However, seeing the X Japan reference made me expect more Japanese music related references. Since the series is short, there aren’t that many cultural gags. If it were a bit longer, it could have been quite good. If you don’t want to spend too much time on a gag manga but stillwant to have fun, you can give this one a try. I also highly recommend checking out the bands and singers mentioned in the manga.