Before We Begin
The second of three manga publishers for Di GI Charat.
And this time out it's the publisher that has abit of a dysfunctional side.
Studio Ironcat. Formerly the Studio known as Studio Ironcat, then IC Entertainment.
Sometime ago this Studio experienced it's own "exodus" of talent similar to what happened to CrossGen and IMAGE, and for the exact same reasons from what I read of it... money.
Of course that in itself is a long discussion and not a really interesting one, but sufficient to say Studio Ironcat is NOT one of the five major powerhouses of English translated manga... that is a designation for other studios.

Whether or not they are still around is something else though.
I don't follow their releases religiously so I lost track of their progress.
For the record, however, I'm pretty certain they're no more. Especially in light of how they lost a few of their popular titles like MegaTokyo to rivals (in this case Dark Horse).
I am going to review MegaTokyo GN 1 (since it's up as a prize in the monthly quizzicals) but that falls into the "Ameri-manga" category so I'll have to plan a week around just that topic if I can.

Whether or not Studio Ironcat is around? Well, that's a moot point I guess since I'm not reviewing their stuff past this point (unless there‘s demand for more reviews).
Sure, they may still be around... maybe.

Champion Cup Theater
Ah. Short sketch comedy formatting with some having several "parts" to certain sketches.
Basically a year in the life of the cast, in an entirely different format than you might have seen with VIZ's Di Gi Charat books.
So what is the difference? Between VIZ's books which have many creators doing short manga stories and this book with one creator doing over a year's worth of short insert work?
The difference is in the content.
This book has a lot more Japanese cultural references and flavoring than VIZs book, which is probably it's one major saving grace if you think about it.

Of course if you're a long term fan of the genre you probably know abit about certain Japanese holidays... the top of course being "Golden Week" which has probably been mentioned quite abit in both Anime and Manga over the years. That's a given holiday that you probably heard of at least once (and they talk about it in this book too so you're going to hear about it again).

But did you know about, say, Culture Day? How about Black Day? You know about Valentine's Day but did you know about it's Japanese "sequel" White Day?

Okay. Holidays are one thing but what about customs, traditions and strange facts?
How about the "second button" custom? Know if you've been (or will be in the near future) poisoned to death that you'll be in good company... well, because certain big people died that way?
There's more... and yes there's more disturbing stuff like that whole poisoning thing... but that's just a taste of the true merit of this book in terms of why you should buy it.
It's funny... but you also will learn something.

Oh, and there's little things about the series too like skits used to promote an Anime special that showed on TV, or the fact that there is a Di Gi Charat TCG (Trading Card Game) that you might not have heard of.

For a small thin book (about the thickness of a credit card sized camera or a thin cell phone) you're actually getting something worthwhile here.

In content. However my one problem with the title is the "accent".
Since when did Digiko talk so weirdly? And why is Rabi En Rose speaking like she's a "valley girl"?
I like the content and all the extras but the way they speak is just too much.
For example...

Rabi En Rose - "Like, hi----! Rabi-En-Rose here to ask you all if your feeling, like, fulla pep an' stuff?
You haven't, like, caught - SPRING FEVER - an' junk, have you?"

Digiko - "So, Usada... since when's a po' chick like you got th' cheddah to spend at a festival >nyo?<"

Luckily it can be mostly ignored, and isn't as thick in some places as it is in others.

Ok. Breakdown time.

Di Gi Charat Breakdown the 1st
What's Hot?
Second verse same as the first... with a difference.
Besides it's usual wicked little humor it also scores kudo points for being so rich in cultural references and so forth that just gives you lots to absorb as your being entertained.
That is probably the one saving grace that makes this worth searching for -- it has something in it besides just humor otherwise I'd just send you to either VIZ or Broccoli International's books.

What's Not?
Alright, since when did Digiko and company talk so oddly?
Somehow (unless this is all Koge Donbo's doing) someone decided that Digiko needed to talk "hip", Puchiko needed to talk odd (when she talked at all which is sad since she doesn't stand out in this like she does in VIZ's graphic novels), and Rabe En Rose needed to speak in Valley Girl speak! And don't get me started with Piyoko! It's not natural, I tell you! Not at all!

Moments to Remember?
Once again the humor and the fun stand out as the most memorable thing about this title.
The rivalry between Digiko and Rabe En Rose, the interactions, the humor, the skits. I like it all.
But more than that there is, of course, the content that gives you abit of insight into Japanese culture and so forth with holidays, traditions, quirks, and maybe even a cooking lesson to expand your knowledge!

Alright, not exactly a cooking lesson but you'll learn abit about Yami Nabe and O-kabe for starters... and no, Yami Nabe is not the name for Yugi Motou‘s hairstyle.

What to Ignore?
Uh -- I know! The nerve wracking, nails on chalkboard style of dialect which is just no good.
Please ignore it if you can... and you can since it's not an overwhelming thing (to the point that it drives the rating of this book down kind of overwhelming).
I don't know who thought this would work (this dialect thing) but it didn't work. At least not for me.

Overall?
I like it for several reasons, BUT I have issues with some parts of it.
It's a good read, but the "accent" everyone speaks in is nerve wrecking to say the least.
Humor with bite and great skits make it a nice read, and the cultural content is a plus too.
In the end the pluses outweigh the minuses and it ends up being a good solid read.
I don't know if you can get ahold of it, but if you can you should try to. It's good.
Now all I need to do is read Broccoli International's version so that I'd be able to say more of it, but for now I have to say that this is the only version of Di Gi Charat that I had issues with.
Hopefully my third review (Broccoli International style) changes my mind!