In a world of increasing international tensions, all countries are vulnerable to espionage and infiltration by rival powers. For Japan, what if the last line of defense was food and popular culture?

Just to pull the curtain back on the production of this column for a second, I go through the press releases for at least a dozen or so serializations every week to find something worth talking about. Most are pretty run of the mill, but every now and again, you come across a premise so crazy that it can’t help pique your interest. That was the case for Ange the Good Agent: a new series by Yoshiie Gouda that follows the titular character as she raises a daughter in modern day Japan with the idea of one day making her a political puppet for her home country.

Considering that tensions between Japan and its neighbors are at an all time high right now, especially China and North Korea, the mere fact that a story like this made it off the cutting room floor is surprising to say the least. Making matters worse is the fact that Ange’s home country is depicted as lying on the border between China and Russia, signaling that it is a clear stand-in for these real life issues. Foreign interference in Japanese politics itself has been an issue for decades, with the most recent controversy coming in the close relationship between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the South Korean Unification Church.

Even so, the diffusion of these real life issues in the story reveals an interesting aspect of modern day Japanese imperialism. Despite her mission to take over the country, Ange finds herself falling in love with it more and more every day… most especially because of the abundance of delicious food. If this hilarious reflection of Japanese popular media’s obsession with gourmet wasn’t eye rolling enough, then the leader of Ange’s home country is also said to be obsessed with Japanese cuisine and popular culture.

Whether or not this can prevent Ange the Good Agent from courting major controversy remains to be seen. Other manga have definitely been cancelled for less, but there is a certain kind of black humor to be found in Gouda’s frank depiction of spy work. In a hilarious twist, Ange’s daughter is fully on board with the infiltration plan, proudly declaring her intention to work in a central government agency to gain support before pivoting to politics and taking over the reins of power on the walk back from cram school.

More than anything, Yoshiie Gouda really should know better. He made his professional debut all the way back in 1983 and even won the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize in 2013, so it's not like he doesn’t have enough experience to predict the reaction to his latest idea. Then again, with a track record like that… who cares?

Chapter One Club is a weekly column that aims to spotlight the latest in new series and one-shots from across a wide variety of different demographics and publications.