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The comic arguably popularized l33t to the mainstream of the Internet.
Megatokyo follows the story of two Americans, Piro and Largo (mostly not based on the real-life Piro and Largo), who wind up in Tokyo, Japan after an incident at Eł. Much of the early humour is based on video game humor and inside jokes, as well as culture-clash issues, although the style has changed somewhat over time and now features aspects from a great number of different anime and manga archetypes: whilst Largo fights off the threats from zombie hordes via his Beowulf cluster, with an angelic Boo (a hamster of Baldur's Gate fame) trying to moderate his somewhat excessive behaviour, Piro's life has become similar to a dating-sim, with Seraphim (modelled on the author's girlfriend, and now wife) chastising him from upon his shoulder for his incidental run-ins with young women. Also residing in the house is Ping, a confused robotic PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 PS2 ( Japanese: 2) is Sony's second video game console, after the PlayStation. Its development was announced in April 1999, and it was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000. It was released in the United States on 26 October 2000. accessory capable of becoming someone's dream girlfriend - or throwing buses if enraged.
All strips are available free of charge from megatokyo.com as well as in the books published by Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is an American comic book publisher, one of the largest "independent" publishers behind dominant publishers Marvel Comics and DC Comics. It was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson. Its logo is a black chess piece, the knight, shaped like with BooksEnthsiast.com and BooksEnthsiast.com. (At one point I.C. Entertainment (formerly IronCat) produced a book collecting the strips now included in Volume One. However due to a breakdown in talks between Megatokyo and I.C. Entertainment, Dark Horse Comics is now publishing the collections.)
Megatokyo has been subject to substantial -- some claim unwarranted -- criticism. Some of this criticism no doubt stems from Megatokyo's lasting popularity, but there has been much legitimate critical discourse as well. Some critics dislike Megatokyo's artwork, which has changed over the years from a traditional American four panel comic strip to a page-per-strip graphic novel in the manga form. Critics also dislike its storytelling style, which moves extremely slowly, with a large supporting cast (and little exposition or on-site aids for keeping them straight) and, allegedly, no clear direction for the plot. This perception is perhaps exaggerated by the often erratic schedule of updates and filler art days the strip has featured in the past, making the slow pace seem even slower.
Megatokyo's supporters feel the more sophisticated storytelling and slow pace constitute an artistic vision on Fred Gallagher's part, citing source material including anime, manga, and the various Japanese dating sims that Gallagher has chosen to emulate and, in some cases, satirize. Further, while Megatokyo's style has changed from the four-panel form to a mangaesque one, that seems to have been a natural artistic evolution in Gallagher's style -- and if it has been criticized by some, it has been embraced by many others.
Artistically, Megatokyo is often lauded for its intricate pencilwork (the strip is done entirely in grayscale, without either digital or physical 'inking,' giving it a more nuanced appearance) and inspired, almost ethereal character design. Gallagher has been criticized for a perceived uniformity of appearance among his characters, particularly his female characters' faces, though this often is overstated, particularly given the care taken in costuming choices, hair and other design elements, and the noted "big eyes, small mouth" style of some manga which Gallagher is clearly emulating.
Many critics argue that Megatokyo was better when Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston co-wrote it. In those early days, the strip was known for a frenetic sense of humor, with a greater emphasis on slapstick, video game humor and per-strip punchlines. In the years since Caston left, Megatokyo has evolved into a far more story-oriented piece, with humor more an element of the whole than the main point.
Finally, some critics complain that the fictional Japan in Megatokyo does not resemble real-life Japan, the author having spent only a few weeks actually living there. Supporters counter that Megatokyo is meant to recreate the worlds of anime and manga, not to provide perfectly realistic depictions.