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Description
Witness the titular Punpun - who is depicted as a tiny, caricatured bird in an otherwise normal human setting - as he copes with his dysfunctional family and friends, his love interest, his oncoming adolescence and his hyperactive mind.
I was attracted by the drawing style and the high grades. I did not manage to finish volume 5, but I believe 1000 read pages of this manga entitle me to leave a review, cause I doubt it's gonna get any better.
This is a manga you go into it thinking there's some hidden message there, it's 80% made of monologues, and talking to yourself (or God, same thing) unavoidably leads to philosophy, knowing one's self better and all that stuff you do when you have too much free time on your hands and your mind is too rested.
This manga reminds me of the time when I finished school and didn't have a job, living with my parents and wasting time 24/7. Oh, the thoughts and ideas that went through my head. If someone read my journal, they'd have me committed to a mental institution.
So we have these characters, some young, some old, but all lacking, destroyed inside. Absolutely no one in this manga is happy. But I pushed through thinking there's still something to learn from it. People meet people, form relations, hope and love, take chances or cower away, laugh and cry. Live.
But the characters in this manga are all suicidal pathetic losers you wouldn't wanna know in real life. Liars and cheaters, lifeless selfish people. There is no point to their pain and struggles, only to fill more chapters. In volume 5, I truly believe the mangaka ran out of ideas with that direction.
In the end, my complain is, the mangaka fails to make the reader identify with any of the characters, just because they're so vile. I'm a depressive, dark and nihilistic guy, and I'm telling you these characters are not real. You can read about a caricatured bird and feel it exists and thinks, but Punpun and the people around him read like a cheap soap opera with long boring useless pseudo-philosophy thrown everywhere. You inevitably get bored by the suicidal ranting, and I became really worried about the mangaka that managed to maintain this for 13 volumes without cutting his wrists.
This is not a good manga in any way. I liked the cute girls/women's styles, though you eventually realize they could all be relatives because they look the same, with that round face. There's some soft core porn once a volume, so that's that. I'm not even sure why I'm rating it as high as a 4.
...so much so that I had to stop reading before the end. Over many chapters I had come to identify with little Punpun to an amazing degree—a tribute to the excellent storytelling and characterization, and I started to see tragedy and/or loss for him on the horizon, so I bailed.
The thing that's hard to accept in some excellent seinen manga like this is that lots of people have a dark view of the human condition, coupled with amazing storytelling ability, so they can really make you realize that their dark view COULD be right. We are not used to seeing that view represented in manga, which is mainly light, fun stuff, so when it's done really well it totally shakes us up. Anyway, it did that to me (or was on the way to doing so when I bailed). My advice is read the whole thing if you can. Don't be a wuss like me.
It might not be for everyone, but this manga was able to move me in a way no other series has ever done, until now. It did not feel cheap or melodramatic, most of the characters felt genuine and empathetic which made the drama and tragedy all the more poignant. The ending is the most depressing one I have seen anywhere, in its execution, made worse by an almost complete lack of catharsis - which could be felt by some as being a fault of this series, but to me it's just keeping with the story's tone. There are also some elements that might feel nonsensical, like the Good Vibrations side-story that reminded me a bit of 20th Century Boys, which seems more like a distraction, but nothing really feels out of place. I would go as far to say that this is the best manga I've ever read, but I wouldn't casually recommend it to everyone, especially people of the more sensitive kind.
In general I like stories on the darker side, and this was but I really couldn't get myself to read to the end. The characters sometimes scared me but the main point which puts me off is probably the art, it's not bad but isn't the type I prefer and I also didn't like the symbolic portrayal of MC, couldn't really take him seriously like that. I also didn't find it particularly interesting enough to want to read more. I think this is something I'd put off for now and read later in life when I can hopefully appreciate it more.
Its difficult cruel and unusual but if u can stomach it it will give u an experience i encountered very few times Its gripping and unforgiving Try it and have fun
The one thing that spoils all the fun(?) in Punpun is the self-righteousness with which Asano Inio presents his own opinions to the reader, especially through the mouth of Sachi. He is aware of doing it since in the manga Sachi's editor reprimand her for doing that, but he still can't hold back and keeps flapping his gums all over the series. I actually don't hate most of Asano's opinions, but I do think he could use a little more skepticism and doubt instead of being so sure of what he says. Especially because in the end he can't really come up with any concrete alternative to what he criticizes, and Punpun's acceptance of the state of things in the ending while not being bad per se is not really that much of a solution neither.
I read this series after seeing it mentioned several times on tumblr as being a wonderfully depressing but realistic series. I agree that it's depressing and realistic, but imo, it's over-hyped. I was expecting something refreshing, but instead got the feeling that this was similar to other seinen manga I had read before. For the most part, the story was also predictable too. Also, while the characters are realistic (with all their flaws and whatnot), I found myself eyerolling and irritated at most of the characters. If there was more Seki and Shimizu scenes in the story (or a better conclusion for them like the other characters had), I'd be happier with how the story went. (lol and more Komatsu) Overall, the series would be great if you haven't read anything similar.
It's just not for everyone. I read about 40 chapters and couldn't connect with anyone. I didn't like any of the characters nor did I want to wallow in sadness over the cruelty of normal life. I even found myself irritated at a lot of the characters, especially Punpun. If you were suffering like me through the first few chapters, don't bother.
I really loved this story. As i just finished to read it, my heart is still pounding. I could really relate to the story and to Punpun and i was following the unfolding closer that i ever did for a manga. Some parts were crushingly sad toward the end and yet, there was still warmth among the sorrow, or at least hope was never to far from the characters even when they seemed to throw themselves in despair. I love the honesty of Asano in his stories. I'm glad he wrote it. I'm glad i read it.
Stranded deep in a cave with only the faintest of light at the end. That is how I felt after finishing Goodnight Punpun. Despite depicting the protagonist as a penguin doodle, Asano manages to create one of the most tragic stories I've ever experienced. Although the early chapters are often funny the tone quickly changes to tragedy as Punpun deals with a plethora of issues that most people can relate to. Fighting off depression and accepting yourself, choosing between a romanticized past or living for the hope of a brighter future. These are just some of the themes that are covered in Goodnight Punpun. Punpun himself is quite the polarizing little penguin, which is to be expected of a character who's tormented with so many negative traits, but In the end I still cared for him. Goodnight Punpun is a journey of laughter, anguish, love and hate. It is dark in here and the light is faint in the end, but it's a light nonetheless.
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