‘RAI RAI RAI’ is a Sci-Fi Comedy with Great Gooey Potential

With a provocative cover that pops due to its use of warning label yellow, dark-fitted black, and the broken innocence of a young woman holding a ram-like demon skull, one may be hesitant to pick up this sci-fi manga from Viz Media. But let me tell you, this story by Yoshiaki has a lot of potential, and could be the next big thing in manga due to its quirky comedy, interesting sci-fi-horror elements, and overall art design that makes the characters feel like they truly pop for a story about a girl in a world filled with alien threats.

Sumire Ichigaya is an eighteen year old woman who is trying to make ends meet in a world that has been ravaged by alien invaders. While the aliens have been defeated, Sumire still has to pay off the inherited debts from her absent father to pay off by working a dead end job as an “alien exterminator” for hire. Her everyday hopelessness feels incredibly relatable as she continues to navigate the monotony of everyday life. That is, until she wakes up and finds out that she’s been abducted by aliens. Now Sumire has a gigantic alien arm attached to her body that wields immense powers and an aggressive voice in her head telling her it will use her body to fulfill its simple wish for “death to all humans!” 

As alien creatures and corporate soldiers come for her from both sides, Surime must buckle up and take control of her life so she can keep humanity safe, her murderous alien parasite in check, and maintain her new job at a high-ranking alien exterminating company known as the Raiden Corporation, so she can finally pay off her family’s debt. 

Yoshiaki’s Rai Rai Rai is a fun sci-fi comedy and I’ll say that, for me at least, the cover is misleading. There is no real over-the-top fan service and the story pacing is pretty top notch. I think the originality of a post-alien war Earth is really intriguing and I enjoy the exploration of the two types of xenomorphic life that now resides and complicates the day to day life of Earth. We’ve got “space vermin” which are life forms that alter Earth’s biomes to make it more habitable for their alien existence, and the second species, “Space varmints,” who are rogue creatures that roam the planet and are a dangerous threat to human life as a whole. 

The truly alien designs that Yoshiaki brings to life to showcase these creatures are enjoyably funky and I’m excited to see what kind of biodiversity of the universe we will see in future volumes. I should also note that I thoroughly enjoy the dynamic of Sumire’s hard working purity and the ravenously destructive energy of the demonic alien that she names Duskin that she is now the host to. In a somewhat “deal with the devil,” Sumire and Duskin form a pact that he’ll fight for her and not kill humans; which he almost immediately tries to go back on.

As a side effect of this pact though, Sumire seemingly is able to now wear aliens in an almost
toku-style suit to use their abilities in combat. This comes to a complete shock to both Duskin and the Raiden Corporation and is the reason why the latter hires her to be an alien exterminator for them. What further surprises lay in front of Sumire and Duskin are currently left unknown, but I for one would be interested to learn about in future volumes. 

Personally, I think Rai Rai Rai Volume One is a Shōnen manga that holds great promise and could be a delightful read for fans of Power Rangers, Super Sentai and Marvel’s classic character of Venom. This manga has relatable characters, charming art style, comedic notes and of course exciting alien combat seem to be laying the groundwork for some really engaging storytelling potential! For those who want a new and fresh read these days, I feel that this would fit nicely upon your shelf.