Controversies in a series always attract negative attention but it also makes the public curious about the story. This is what happened with Drama Queen, the new series of Shonen Jump+. The manga debuted in December 2024 and attracted a bunch of attention, obviously not for good reasons. However, the controversy surrounding Drama Queen made it the top newly serialized series of 2024. The information comes from the official website of Manga Plus.
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At the end of each year, Manga Plus, the official global source of Shonen Jump manga, releases the top rankings based on the number of views each year. The ranking for the new series is compiled based on the number of views within the first seven days after the first chapter’s release. It’s only for the series translated into English. Manga Plus added 57 English-translated series in 2024, and Drama Queen is by far the most popular one. It’s also been trending on the Manga Plus app ever since its release. The first chapter has over 1.5k comments, with most of them complaining about the themes of the story.
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What is the Controversy Surrounding Drama Queen?
The Drama Queen manga series is encountering racist allegations for its alleged anti-immigrant themes. The story is set in Japan, nine years after the aliens saved Earth from destruction and moved there. Their population currently stands at 17 million as they live proudly among humans as “saviors.” However, Nomamoto, a factory worker, fed up with her alien factory owner, sees the race for who they are. They often act arrogantly and she believes they look down on humans.
She meets a man named Kitami, whose family was killed by aliens. The two quickly hit off for sharing something in common – their hatred for aliens. However, their lives turn upside down Kitami accidentally kills an alien and Nomamoto becomes an accomplice to help him out of the bind. The story takes a dark turn from the very first chapter as we see Nomamoto and Kitami cooking the alien and eating him. Nomamoto says that the smell of the aliens burning smells awfully similar to squid, a popular seafood delicacy.
Several readers interpret the depiction of aliens as a metaphor for immigrants or foreigners, leading to discussions about potential racism or xenophobia in the story. However, some readers even argue that the manga is being misinterpreted. They suggest that the aliens are not intended to represent immigrants but rather serve as a plot device. Additionally, one scene in the first chapter sparked controversy as readers claimed it was targeting LGBT+ couples who may use a gender-neutral term for their significant others.
Nomamoto collides with an alien and asks him for an apology. However, the human woman accompanying him calls him her partner and tries to resolve the conflict. Later, Nomamoto says she hates aliens and women to refer to their boyfriends as “partners.” This didn’t sit well with readers, who believe the author taking a jab at inclusive LGBT language. However, while the manga doesn’t make an official statement regarding the controversy, it changes Nomamoto’s statement to “I hate women who use pet names for their boyfriends.”
The manga debuted on December 1st and currently has four chapters. The controversy doesn’t seem to die down as the anti-immigration themes are perceived to be on display more strongly with every new chapter.
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Fumiji Yuba / Gege Akutami / Shueisha
