I enjoyed it, but expected more since I jumped into it believing it was going to be a super deep and introspective story. The subplots didn't really lead to anything and by the end of the series they were still more interesting to me than whatever was happening with Punpun. At many points in the series I was just kept wondering the real reason why Punpun and every other character are depressed, but in the end it all just seemed like sadnes for the sake of sadness and making bad decisions for the sake of making them. I know in real life depression isn't really supposed to have a cause sometimes, but from a storytelling perspective having pretty much all of your cast being broken for no apparent reason doesn't really work for me.
Also, I know mangas aren't supposed to be realistic depictions of reality but I found some of the events and the way the unfold pretty dumb. On the bright side some of the manga's dialogues and reflections are interesting, nothing that hasn't ever been said, but interesting nonetheless and the artstyle is very original imo, I really like Punpun's character design through the manga.
I would recomend it, but don't expect this to be a life changing experience like some people say.

... Last updated on October 13th, 2021, 1:54pm

People really hyped this up as being "the most messed up manga" ever, and I don't think it fully struck a chord with me. My fear of the experience really caused me to miss out on lots of little details, and the true horror of it all doesn't come from one specific moment. It comes from watching a series of poor decision that keep getting worse and worse as you progress through the series. Some of the subplots don't really make sense and because the Punpuns are drawn as cartoons that interferes with who and what these folks are doing, which isn't a problem but something to note. It's not a satisfying read in the way that glimmers of hope just don't really seem to exist for Punpun and it definitely just feels sad to read certain parts.

I'll keep reading it since it's supposed to be good but I don't think the rating will go up.
Edit :Most overrated piece of garbage I've ever read.

I feel like when I watched "wonderful " movie (the one of the boy with a scarred face). The intentionality of the author is way too obvious and the story gets forced into the characters .

One of the many attempts of the author the separate himself from the pieces of work from his age would be the more or less vanguardistic (for the time) mix of drawing styles on the characters in manga (which was pretty common on other media outside manga ,even old-fashioned at the time) and overuse of exaggerated gestures,actions combined with sudden changes in the action (one second we're killing each other ,the next panel they're fu**) that are used but the author to distort and convey his views .He does manage to show us his (pretty egoistic) prejudice on society whilst boring me to death.

But it totally fails to display emotions outside vulgarity and mediocrity. For example the train of thought of the MC as a child is devoid of the many intrinsic emotions the depictions of children should display ,not that he lacks the intention but the trains of thought are totally wrong, they're shown as if the MC had external experience(not shown in the manga) that doesn't come from himself or of the floating face. whilst punching the reader in our face with impact-full scenes of mediocrity

All the characters act /think as a 25+ year old man from the start of his adult work-life to his premature despair, getting tired of work and his disgust of how the Japanese society works (at the same time thinking all the world works the same and forces that view upon us readers) . I didn't even have to guess the author's age of when he wrote it

... Last updated on May 31st, 2021, 4:34pm

I started reading this piece of art and I was amazed by how the drawings are realistic, beautiful and intricate. I had completed it in 3 days and it was an experience of a lifetime. Everything around me seemed so distant and meaningless and it took me like a month to get out of this psychology, it was that powerful. And I do not mean it in a bad way, I am really glad I read that manga and all the feelings and lessons will stay with me throughout my life. I think every person should experience this power of storytelling in a manga medium.

... Last updated on September 18th, 2019, 12:32pm

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