Love After World Domination is the superhero shounen romcom I didn’t know I needed. It hits all the right notes and manages to stay fresh with each chapter that releases.
I remember watching Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers back when I was just a little kid. I was so fascinated by it. The weird colorful getup these teens magically transformed into, the alien-like villains that looked like the stuff of nightmares, that floating mask that ordered the rangers on their objectives (that floating mask…), the couple bullies that had the cringiest dialogue, and that rollerblading scene from that movie with the “come on and take the free ride!!” and that purple goo that made monsters. Yea.. those rangers.
20 years later I went back and rewatched that VHS tape… my God was that Mech fight scene so bad, the 90s CGI is not like it is today. And the new dozens of series try to capture the essence of the past but… eh?
Rambling again! Damnit, anyway….
So I wrote about an anime called Super Hxeros, if you haven’t checked that out, my post rips it apart. It was a terrible take on romantic power rangers; hentai and super- heroes, why not? Nooo…. We won’t talk about it (which I just did). But you wanna hear about a manga that does it with style and charm and enjoyment, but most of all, does it right?
Look no further than Love after World Domination, Koi wa Sekai Seifuku no Ato de. It’s a relatively new manga by Wakamatsu, Takahiro and Hiroshi, Noda that started in 2019.
It’s the story of an alternative world where two factions fight for control over the world. One being Gelato, which is the side of justice and basically power rangers, and the other being Gekko, the evil organization and basically what anyone would consider the villain. The hero Red Gelato, Fudou, and his mortal enemy from Gekko, Nightmare Queen, Desumi, fall in love in what we’ll consider a forbidden romance.
Like Romeo and Julie, except that dramatic ending… Fudou comes from a family on the side of good and Desumi comes from a family on the side of evil. But the manga plays off the whole plot so comically that it seems self aware of what it is. Gekko knows that Gelato will win at the end of the day, but will continue to make absurd weapons of mass destruction and continue their attacks at public places like a park or amusement park. Gelato knows justice will prevail in the end, even though the winner and loser seem chosen at random. But the factions are really just the backdrop for this manga. So please don’t take it seriously.
The real stars of course are Desumi and Fudou, the two leaders on opposing sides of the battlefield. Both are likable characters with zero dating experience, having to juggle both their heroic/villain job and private relationship. I’ll dive deeper into their cluelessness later, but for now let’s take a look at who they are under those masks.
Fudou Aikawa is the strongest of the heroes of Gelato, as Red Gelato 1. Brawn and brains (if they involve muscle), Fudou has a heart of gold and would put his life on the line if duty calls for it. Don’t let his protein powder and bicep curling fool you, he’s a gentle guy with a kind heart. Not the brightest, he tries his best to overcome the constant silly conflict in his and Desumi’s crazy life. With Desumi by his side, his cluelessness about relationships leads him to seek help from his fellow heroes as well as try to impress his love in the best way he can, with the heart.
As for Desumi Magahara, she’s the strongest and most terrifying villain of the Gekko, as Nightmare Queen. Unintentionally voluptuous, she hides a sweet and kind girl behind a stone cold killer facade. While Fudou hides nothing in terms of his strength or persona, he helps Desumi realize that its ok for her to be more of herself rather than the wicked villain she’s always tried to be to impress those around her. With Fudou by her side, she tries for the first time to be more feminine and girly, and pour her heart out for the first time to him.
So Fudou and Desumi must keep their relationship a secret from everyone around them. We could assume they’d be fired and branded as traitors if word got out. So how do they do it? In some of the most comical ways of course!
I’ll be discussing snippets of scenes from the manga so minor spoiler warning. Really though this is the type of story you really can’t (shouldn’t) get spoiled by. Sure the story progresses, but it’s told in such a way that isn’t too serious or dramatic. It’s a romcom.
Take the beginning for example. The couple are discussing their third date during a conflict between factions when a Gelato soldier pops up to ask Red Gelato Fudou how his fight with Nightmare Queen is going. Immediately the couple hops up and locks hands in what would look like an intense fight scene. Fudou let’s Desumi win that battle, and she cryptically says her goodbyes to him.
Another time they’re interrupted, Desumi let’s Fudou win, and he’s forced to give his thoughts about defeating her to the press. Well the situation becomes hilarious when he starts to pour his real feelings into describing his interaction with Nightmare Queen.
There’s a time when Fudou infiltrates Gekko headquarters to destroy a weapon of mass destruction, and runs into Desumi along the way. They go to her dressing room (she’s the biggest star of Gekko after all) and a few times their moment alone together gets interrupted by her colleagues checking up on her, and each time she comically finds a place to hide him.
One time the couple decides they want to have a date at an amusement park. So as Nightmare Queen, Desumi decides to have Gekko attack the park so that Gelato will have to respond and show up, therefore meeting Red Gelato aka Fudou. Meeting her nemesis, she pulls out a map and he points to a ride to meet up at, away from the conflict and alone together.
Fudou and Desumi don’t always meet during battle, and there are times they spend together incognito, as in Fudou wears glasses and muscle shirt outside his red spandex suit and Desumi wears a lovely spring dress instead of her gothic evil bunny gear. Since all they really know is battle, they haven’t a clue what makes a relationship.
I won’t go into too much detail, but the couple share many firsts. They hold hands for the first time, have a first date for the first time, even study together one time. Together they figure out what makes a relationship work, and the reader can appreciate this. It’s played out comically and with sweetness.
There are several characters in Love After World Domination besides Fudou and Desumi. Most of them really don’t get too involved in the story besides making occasional appearances. So I’ll describe a few members from each organization.
From Team Gelato, first off we have the older sister-like yellow Gelato Misaki; she teases Fudou as well as gives him dating advice from time to time.
Haru is the newest member of the Gelato and serves as the pink… Gelato (almost wrote ranger); she’s the first to suspect Fudou of acting unusual (now that he’s in a relationship… with the enemy).
Big Gelato looks like your stereotypical professor who seems to serve as a leader and guidance to the team; he supports Fudou in his quest for love however he’s oblivious to who he’s dating. Hayato is… blue Gelato? He likes to hit on girls, especially Beast Queen, and that’s literally all I know about him. Lastly there’s Daigo the green Gelato; once Desumi’s mentor, he takes his job seriously.
From Team Gekko, first off we have Kiki the Beast Queen, the tanned tsundere who’s jealous of Desumi’s prestige and always wants to one-up her but can’t. She takes her role at Gekko seriously, but can’t match the Nightmare Queen’s skill. Instead, anger seems to be her power. Unfortunately a running gag is how… slender her figure is, compared to her curvy comrades; a common trope in manga. Honestly she’s a likable sort that adds some humor to the already slapstick comedy the manga is.
There’s also a literal talking Culverin Bear with a cannon on its back; apparently the best of the best at Gekko get the chance to be turned into a strong animal and become a commander. Can’t forget to mention the Supreme leader Bosslar, your stereotypical evil commander who makes the occasional brief appearance to talk with his underlings.
There’s also Kyouko the Tombstone Queen. She likes to hide behind her mask and isolate herself from the others, only opening up (quite literally) with the help of Desumi.
Ran Ran is another newer character that can shapeshift thanks to some tech she has, and there’s a few others probably not worth talking about just because they appear once or twice.
With only 20 chapters published since April, it feels like a lot of little events have happened since the manga started. Most of it plays out with humor and sweet moments and shouldn’t be taken too seriously when read. I’m having a great time reading it and it deserves a 9/10 so far. The plot is fun and different. The art is decent. The characters are unique and likable. And the story still has the potential to do much more.
Did you know there’s currently an airing anime adaptation?! It started airing in April 2022 and was made by studio Project No.9. I’ve only seen a few episodes and so far it’s staying fairly faithful to the manga. I have noticed it seems slightly more ecchi than I expected, and it also the side characters are getting a greater presence as well. I look forward to continuing reading this series and I hope you check it out as well if you haven’t!
When life is giving you trouble, remember to take a deep breath. I find myself holding my breath often and this contributes to stress and anxiety. Be like Desumi, breathe. Thanks for reading!
