Animeheads

Manga is one of Japan’s largest cultural exports. Thousands of volumes are released annually. However, traditional publishing has not only shrunk in recent years but is also subject to new restrictions. As a result, self-publishing has grown. Not only have web manga gained substantial popularity, but also doujinshi. And as these mediums have remained relatively unrestricted and obscure, they have attracted certain people with anti-establishment sentiments.

The SSU has known about this problem for some time. Strange as it might sound, hardcore otakus on shady forums account for a significant amount of “problematic speech.” However, nothing concrete had come from these concerns.

At least not until now.

“Apparently a small sect of Ghosts are planning a real-life meetup at Mangaket.” Yoji had asked Naoki to meet him up on the school roof so he could explain this personally.

“Mangaket? You mean that one convention that sells fanmade comics? Why would Ghosts be meeting up there?”

“They’re fans I suppose. But the intel’s likely to be solid. I spent hundreds of hours on the net, infiltrating these sites until I eventually managed to worm my way into a dark web chatroom. All I’ve got are usernames, but around ten said they’d be there.”

“Isn’t Mangaket super busy?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I’m not really confident about this operation, but Hamazaki is insisting. He thinks this’ll redeem us for our last mistake.”

“What’s the plan then?”

“We’ll be going undercover at Mangaket. While pretending to be ordinary otakus, we’ll be secretly patrolling the premises, looking for any suspicious activity. Once we’ve identified a person of interest, we’ll monitor them until we can confirm their guilt. However, we’ll wait until after the convention to start making arrests. Causing another incident is the last thing we need right now.”

“Undercover, huh? And as otakus?”

“You’re not exactly the best actor are you? And have you ever even watched an anime?”

“Of course I’ve watched an anime, it’s just…”

***

“Damn it… How did it come to this?”

Naoki didn’t know an anime from a hole in the ground. He hadn’t even watched a Shonen Jam series since middle school, so if he was to convince anybody he was an anime fan, he had to start seriously working on his shoddy acting skills.

So to do that, he went up to the roof after school to practice by himself.

“Asuna-chan is my waifu! And if you think Reo is better, you clearly just need to screw your head on straight!”

Naoki was blushing as he nervously tried getting into character. “I mean, Asuna is always so spirited and earnest while Reo is a complete stick-in-the-mud bore! That one scene where she ignores Shingo? Unforgivable!”

However, he was starting to get a bit more into the role. “I realized my feelings for Asuna were true during the final scene of the movie when she reached out to touch Shingo’s cheek…!”

But as Naoki turned around, he came face to face with another person. “Ah!” He jumped back, surprised.

It was a classmate of his, Akemi Kashima. A pretty boy who was known for being aloof at best and a bit errant at worst.

However, while the embarrassment for Naoki was great, Akemi’s face remained stone cold. “Um, am I interrupting something?”

“N-no…! I was just, uh…” Naoki looked around nervously.

“Honestly, I didn’t think you’d be into anime. Although, your taste is awful.”

“W-what!?”

“I mean, Asuna? Really? Everybody knows that Reo is best girl.”

“Uh, that’s great, but…”

“First off, Asuna is borderline abusive to Shingo. How many times does she berate or even physically abuse him throughout the series? She’s just a total bitch.”

“Okay, but I really don’t…”

“Meanwhile, Reo is kind and empathetic towards him. Just think about that scene where they held hands for the first time, or near the end when she’s with him in the hospital. Did Asuna ever do anything like that?”

“That’s cool, but…”

“And about the incest stuff, that doesn’t even really matter because–”

“Look!” Naoki yelled. “I don’t care about which girl from a thirty year old anime is better!”

“Jeez, no need to freak out. You’re the one who brought it up.”

Naoki let out a deep, exasperated sigh. “What are you even doing here?”

“Are you serious!?” Akemi looked genuinely upset. “You’re on cleaning duty with me today!”

“Oh yeah…”

“What? Don’t tell me the important SSU business you were conducting up here somehow supersedes that.”

Naoki blushed. “O-of course not…! Whatever… Let’s go…”

Naoki and Akemi went down to their classroom and did their cleaning duties.

Honestly, Naoki found Akemi annoying, but also a bit refreshing. Naoki was practically drifting through school at this point. His teachers gave him a lot of leeway, and they’d even rubberstamp his grades to make sure he passed. This attitude spread to the entire school. He had become almost untouchable. Therefore, it was a breath of fresh air for somebody to hold his feet to the fire over something as mundane as classroom cleanup.

***

At a cosplay shop in Harajuku, the other members of the 9th Squadron were currently engaging in a supply run.

“How do I look?” Chiaki stepped out of the changing room dressed in a magical girl cosplay.

Yoji nodded slightly. “Good. You’ll blend right in.”

She looked disappointed. “Just good?”

“Yup.”

“Hmph.” She crossed her arms. “Aren’t you a nerd? Shouldn’t this outfit make your heart skip a beat?”

“Maybe if you were cuter.”

It was a critical hit right through her heart. There was no greater wound to a woman’s pride than to be rejected by a man she had no interest in.

As Chiaki recoiled in anger and despair, Yoji took a few steps away.

“I must say, it is pretty fitting. You’re pretty much the closest thing to a real life magical girl.”

Chiaki probably would’ve humored him if she wasn’t so mad. “Is that right?‘

“Yeah. All you need is an animal companion…”

Yoji kept rambling, but Chiaki didn’t listen. However, what he first said did run through her mind. She grew up watching magical girl shows, even dreaming of going on those kinds of adventures herself. Now that she was doing something similar, the reality really hit her. In a way, she had become a lot like those characters she idolized in her youth because just like them she didn’t fight for thrills but for justice and peace.

***

Hamazaki sat alone in his office late at night, watching Tokyo’s skyline. Mangaket was fast approaching, and he had a few more matters to attend to.

“I assure you, Director, there is nothing to worry about.” Hamazaki held his cellphone up to his ear. “This convention will be our biggest bust in a while, not to mention our cleanest.”

Hamazaki listened attentively to his boss’s words.

“I understand. I’d like to thank you for your patience. Teenagers can be difficult to work with, but Helel’s fickleness has made that a requirement.”

“Oh? You’d like to send us backup? I appreciate the offer, but I assure you that the 9th Squadron can handle this operation.”

Whatever the director said ended Hamazaki’s protests.

“I see.”

However, the director’s next words gave even Hamazaki pause.

Having nearly dropped his phone, he asked. “Excuse me, what was that?”

Hamazaki couldn’t believe his ears. All he could do was ask in disbelief, “You’re sending us the 7th Squadron?”