Talk about manga usually revolves around Japanese style superheroes, mythological beings and mecha robots (okay, some of you dirty devils would also think about those disturbing porn). These genres have become so entrenched in manga culture that a title like Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku is like a breath of fresh air to the medium.
The title, also known as UTK, is written by Kenji Hamaoka. Roughly translated, the title means “the steel-reinforced concrete family of Urayasu.” This manga tells the story of the lives and various adventures that happen to a bunch of children from elementary school as well as their families.
UTK is one of the best drawn mangas to come in a while. The attention to detail in the comicbook is worthy of attention. It really shows that the people working on it do it with love. The characters are also people that you will come to love and admire. Just like everyday people, the slow unfolding of each person’s character may take time but what you have invested in it pays off in the long run. One bad thing though is that since the stories are very entrenched in contemporary Japanese culture it may be quite hard, if not impossible, to see an English translation of this wonderful manga. But then stranger things have happened. Hopefully, UTK does get a translation deal because this is the kind of manga that more people should read.