is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written and illustrated by

Setona Mizushiro is a Japanese manga artist. In 1985 she participated in the publication of a dōjinshi. She remained active in that world until her debut in 1993 with the short story ''Fuyu ga Owarou Toshiteita'' (Winter Was Ending) that ran in Shogakukan's m ...

. It was serialized in ''

Princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

'' magazine from March to November 2002 and published in two volumes by

Akita Shoten is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Teio Akita on 10 August 1948. As of 2020, the company's president is Shigeru Higuchi. Magazines Male-oriented manga magazines ''Shōnen'' magazines * – Bimo ...

. Written in response to the

Columbine High School massacre On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, 12th grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. ...

, the story follows three high school students and a teacher who meet online and plot to blow up their school.

Plot

Rika Saginuma, Nanaka Shimada, Yumihiko Tsukumura, and biology teacher Reiichi Katano meet in a

chatroom The term chat room, or chatroom (and sometimes group chat; abbreviated as GC), is primarily used to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. The term can thus mean any technology, ranging from ...

, where they go by the screennames 11, Polaris, Mr. Money, and Jangalian, respectively. While online, they discuss their frustrations and form a plan to blow up their school, which they see as the source of all their problems. As the characters get to know each other, they begin to realize that their problems are situated in other aspects of life, as well, not just from the school. The characters find solace in each other; a major topic of the manga is loneliness. All of the characters implode inside as their problems condense. Jangalian is stalked by his boss's daughter, 11 can't deal with a younger girl's presumed superiority, Mr. Money has an abusive mother, and Polaris is crippled by shyness when she is not dressed as a

Gothic Lolita is a subculture from Japan that is highly influenced by Victorian clothing and styles from the Rococo period. A very distinctive property of Lolita fashion is the aesthetic of cuteness. This clothing subculture can be categorized into three ...

. They deal with their problems through helping each other.

Release

''X-Day'' was written and illustrated by

in response to the

. It was serialized in the monthly manga magazine ''

'', beginning in the April 2002 issue, released on March 6, 2002, and concluding in the December 2002 issue, released on November 6, 2002. Its nine chapters were collected into two volumes published by

under the Princess Comics imprint; an unrelated short story, "The Last Supper", was also included in the second volume.

Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed J ...

licensed the series for an English-language release in North America, publishing both volumes in 2003; the company closed its North American publishing division in 2011. The series was also licensed in Germany by Tokyopop Germany and in France by

Asuka Asuka may refer to: People * Asuka (name), a list of people * Asuka (wrestler), professional wrestler * Asuka (wrestler, born 1998), professional wrestler also known as Veny outside of Japan Places In Japan * , an area in Yamato Province (now ...

Reception

In '' Manga: The Complete Guide'', writer

Shaenon K. Garrity Shaenon K. Garrity is a webcomic creator and science-fiction author best known for her webcomics ''Narbonic'' and '' Skin Horse''. She collaborated with various artists to write webcomics for the Modern Tales-family of webcomic subscription serv ...

praised ''X-Day'' for its accurate depiction of "the power and fragility of online connections", noting that the series' "moments of beauty and keen observation ... have earned it a devoted fan base in Japan." However, Garrity felt that the first volume is stronger than the second volume, "in which more predictably -manga relationship clichés rear their pretty heads."

References

External links

Official website
at

(defunct; link via the

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

) * {{DEFAULTSORT:X-Day (Manga) 2002 manga Akita Shoten manga Drama anime and manga Romance anime and manga Setona Mizushiro Shōjo manga Tokyopop titles

Plot

Release

Reception

References

Further reading

External links