Moyasimon: The grossest educational campus comedy manga I've ever read?

Moyasimon (pronounced Moyashimon) is probably the grossest manga I have ever read.  And I've read Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service.  And Berserk.  This series is a whole new kind of educational grossness, the likes of which I honestly never thought we'd see here in the U.S.  Lucky us. :)  

Moyasimon is the story of a boy who can see bacteria and his adventures at agricultural college.  (Those little "stars" on the cover are actually bacteria.)  Aside from being totally gross enough to make me stop reading for weeks twice (the seagull thing is just nauseating beyond description), there are lots of reasons to love it.

It's funny.  Weird, snort inducing, dark, often sophomoric humor funny.

"So you're saying alcohol is basically just yeast poop."
"With fermentation, we prefer the term 'product,' rather than poop." 

I can see why.

It's educational.  (And funny.)  Where else will you hear such impassioned dialogue revolving around stomach upset?

"If milk made him sick, isn't yogurt just kicking him while he's down?" 
"What do you mean, girl? Don't talk about lactic acid bacteria that way." 
"Get back here, you stubborn oaf.  Listen to a digression from us lactic acid bacteria. When you humans are born, you come out with a coating made from us. We are inside your body, and we protect you from other germs to make you grow up healthy. We don't actually support and adjust your intestines directly. We're just trying to support our brethren that are already living inside you. If not for your sake! It's for our people! Eat! Eat! Eat, damn you! Help us save our people!"

I, for one, have been inspired to eat more yogurt lately.

It's bizarre.  They encounter this sake store owner who is constantly surrounded by clouds of adoring germs when he leaves his store.

"That should be impossible. Can a man truly be 'loved by germs'? That's silly."
"This, coming from a guy who can see them with the naked eye? Come on."
"Okay, fine. You got me there."

It's fascinating.  I'm learning a lot from it (some things I never, ever, ever wanted to know, but still.)

"The influenza virus goes straight through your standard facemask."
"R- really? But everyone else always wears them."
"The mask doesn't protect against viruses. All it does is slow them down, because they don't like the humidity of your breath trapped in the mask. Plus, the air just goes right in from the sides."

Its author is amusingly neurotic.  Ah, the little notes on the margins are great!

"We don't know if you're actually out there or not. Please send word of your existence." - the author to American readers in the margin notes

We're here!

It's adorable.

"I wish I could get some original cell phone straps made in America, too." - the author

So do I!  I saw the anime a couple years back, and those germs are just too darned cute.  When I went to visit my sister in Japan, the merchandizing boom for this stuff was still pretty big, and I got a few adorable critters to take back home with me.  They also make great stickers.  And if anyone asks, you can say with a smile that your cute plushie is botulism, and you'll know, after reading this series, exactly how much of this substance it would take to kill everyone in the world.

It's gross.  I have learned more about fermented foods than I ever cared to know.  For all that, I still don't know what to think about the fact that once upon a time, someone had to put this in their mouth to discover that it didn't kill them.  Why?  I just want to know why.  But I also really just don't want to know . . .  It's not all food-related yuckiness.  Moyasimon tries to hit the full spectrum of ick.

"We have the ability to stop them before they take root on your skin."
"Even the nasty germs that are left around your anus after you release your bowels only last a short time before we eradicate them."
"Well, this discussion turned gross pretty quick."
"Some people think germs are gross, period."
"What? Now that's just silly!"
"Well, if they want gross, will give it to 'em! Get a load of this.  About half of human feces is made of the corpses of the germs that live in your intestines."

Thanks, guys.  Maybe someday I'll win on Jeopardy with that one . . .  Reward DelRey for really coming out of left field with this one by giving it a try.

Have you read any of this series?  Your impressions?  Most gross-out moments?  Learn anything surprising?