I started watching Devils on the Doorstep ages ago, but never finished. I get the feeling such a story could be adapted into an IDW Transformers story because the tone reminds me of MTMTE.

Yeah, it has a light-hearted, even comedic start, but has an ugly and brutal end that hit you hard (especially for those have or know about the cultural/historical background of WWII china)

MTMTE has this kind wrapping up serious topics with appropriate amount of comedy element approach, especially when the plot is politic-related.