Atomic King Daidogan is... well... it's... Let's just let the author's description of Volume 1 speak for itself, shall we?
It is the glorious FUTURE...
...and no city better exemplifies why the future is AWESOME than Neo-Tokyo, Capital of Business! Here, brilliant and shrewd businessmen combat one another for corporate supremacy, not with boring negotiations, but with EPIC GIANT ROBOT BATTLES! Sounds great, right? Ha ha! NO. Not if you're BROKE.
Our hero, restaurateur Goto Onishi, is totally destitute. His late father left him in charge of the family ramen house, and despite Goto's lofty dreams and burning fighting spirit of JUSTICE, he has next to no business sense and is running the place into the ground. As if this weren't bad enough, Goto has to constantly defend his business, nay, his very MANHOOD, from the barbs and slander of his arch-rival Pimp King Oboe and his deadly robot: DYNOMITE DX!
But...! Goto's father may have left him with more than just a restaurant. What hidden (giant robot) secret power (giant robot) lurks beneath the floorboards (giant robot)? Will Goto be able to defeat the Pimp King? Who exactly WAS Goto's father? And who's this mystery dude who pretty much looks exactly like Goto except he's taller and stuff?! Three of these four questions will be answered within! Prepare you now... for ATOMIC KING DAIDOGAN!!
Atomic King Daidogan is an American-made manga, penned by one Nathan Maurer, better known on DeviantArt as captainosaka, and as you can see, it's a lovely example of the Affectionate Parody. Nobody takes the events of the story seriously, except for the ridiculously Hot-Blooded and over-the-top hero, who reads like the most basic traits of Shōnen heroes cranked up and mashed into one guy.
The first chapter of the manga won fist place in one of Tokyopop's Rising Stars of Manga books, and had its first volume published through Tokyopop in 2006, in a very limited release. Sadly, once the first stock of Volume 1 was sold out, that was it. There are currently no plans for a Volume 2 or for Tokyopop to redistribute Volume 1...in print. You can get volume 1 digitally through Comixology
. However, the author certainly hasn't stopped making comics. The author's DeviantArt account can be found here. His most recent project, the Gurren Lagann webcomic/80s buddy cop movie parody DOUBLE K can also be found through said deviantArt account. And if you're wondering if it's even more off-the-wall than Atomic King Daidogan? OH HELL YES.
Tropes are to exhibit in Atomic King Daidogan:
- Animesque: Unlike some works of this type, it's not just aping a visual style, it's full of more shonen manga tropes than you can shake a kendo stick at.
- Anime Hair: Goto. So much.
- Affectionate Parody: Of Shōnen manga in general.
- Better than a Bare Bulb: Everyone except Goto mercilessly lampshades everything that goes on.
- Calling Your Attacks: "Burning Fister Of Plasma Gorgeous!"
- "OK, what the hell does that even mean-"
- Anticlimax: Played for laughs in chapter 1. After a defeat at the hands of Pimp King Oboe, Goto begins to despair about not being able to protect his late father's noodle shop because he doesn't have a giant robot. He begins to wonder if his father's speech about the shop hiding a "great power" was all lies... and he immediately falls through a secret door into the basement."Never mind, father was right. There is big robot down here."
- Cat Girl: Naoko.
- Humongous Mecha: Enforced. Quite literally, as it happens. Neo-Tokyo law requires that all business disputes be settled "by way of incredibly exciting giant robot battles!" ...which sucks if you're too broke to afford a giant robot.
- Intentional Engrish for Funny: The entire thing is American-made, and Goto still talks like he's right out of a "Blind Idiot" Translation. Nobody else does, and only his business partner Naoko understands what the hell he's saying.
- Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Pimp King Oboe's kung-fu harlots.
- Real Men Wear Pink: "Men can also enjoy to flower arrange! It is traditional!"
- Retcon: The first chapter is basically the original oneshot, with some Foreshadowing of later chapters and plot points not originally planned thrown in.
- Right Makes Might: Subverted in the first part of chapter 1. Despite not having a giant robot to fight Pimp King Oboe, Goto charges Oboe's robot anyway, reciting a badly translated but inspiring line about courage making up for strength... and gets swatted anyway, because he tried to charge a damn giant robot!
- Troperiffic: Take one look at Goto and tell me how many classic Shōnen hero traits you spot.
