I thought at first I was going to connect with this manga & it's going to express feelings or thoughts people in their mid-twenties have. It kind of did but not in the way or volume I was expecting, in order to make it worth reading or remembering.

It's basically a story about a bunch of 20 somethings going through life, taking important decisions, doing mistakes. f****** up their chances in life and trying again. Way too early in the story, it proved really boring and a drag to read & it continued like that until the end. There's nothing truly inspired or original to be honest and what it does, it doesn't do particularly well.

On another note, the character designs are absolute crap. The backgrounds are actual pictures that have had the usual manga art touch-up and there's not a single scene or panel that was memorable or aesthetically pleasing. Sad situation overall.

Thank god, Inio Asano moved on and draws tons better now.

... Last updated on February 27th, 2024, 12:29pm

The story is cute. It's slow and short and doesn't really do anything, but if you want an easy story with a bit of tragedy and the angst of becoming an adult, this one's for you. I wasn't very impressed otherwise.

Getting close to that quarter life crisis and this manga was very relatable in a bittersweet way. Equal parts uplifting and depressing haha

I'm happy to have read this story.
It doesn't make me feel like it's impossible to be happy because of how nothing in this story is extraordinary and I live through these stories..
It's like I got a glimpse of the life of these characters, and they were alive both before it and will continue on being alive after my view of it is over in the real world. Like some sort of a biography, but just in the sense how down-to-earth everything about Solanin is. It makes it so nice, makes it easy to consider that these perfect characters which don't actually exist actually can be found in real life.
Yeah.. I just wanna say I love it.

I agree with most of the positive things about this manga. I don't want to regurgitate them so I'll make it simple. The one thing I like most about this manga is that you can relate to the characters. Another is that art is different. I rather have characters with noses and other distinct facial features than the typical ones you see nowadays.

I could only give this an 8/10. I felt that it was a cop out when the author created that tragedy part of the manga because it wasn't realistic to me. It felt like the author just did it to move the plot forward. In the end, I still liked it. I'm now a fan and will read his other works.

... Last updated on October 12th, 2014, 9:45pm

It is a nice story about live, love, opportunities, loss and growth. Actually, there is not so much happening, but the things happening are told really beautifully and heartwarmingly.

If it wasn't for the distinctive drawing style, excessively demonstrating a fondness of freckles and snub noses while being very realistic and, in a word, close to excellent at that, you would not guess right away that this manga is from the guy who would make some heavy be-cynical-or-die (preferably both) everyday-people-turn-sicko shit like Oyasumi Punpun just a few years later (not saying the latter is bad; still haven't finished it...)

I rarely rate series a 10/10, much less write comments, but this one deserves special treatment because of how beautiful and poignant it is.
The characters are all very...normal. Nobody is rich or exceptionally beautiful. Sounds very boring, doesn't it? However, I think this is the driving point of this densely packed two-volume series. In your life, you're probably never going to meet someone like that, much less be that person. You might never achieve that childhood dream of yours, and before you know it, you're an adult forced into reality. I myself am in college and often wonder if working was all there was to life. This series both confirmed and renewed my views.

Solanin is a true “slice of life”, full of humor as well as tragedy to the point it evoked the full spectrum of human emotion that I am capable of. It's eloquently told in a dense two volume story where every panel feels important, and the expressive art captures the story's beauty immaculately. The nature of its story will appeal to those entering adulthood the most, but I recommend it to anyone who's ever felt unsure about their future or their place in the world. Solanin is volume for volume the most fulfilling manga I have ever read.

... Last updated on November 18th, 2014, 12:01am

I'm a cry-baby and saying it made me cry this might not mean much since it's not unusual for me to shed a tear or two while reading a comic book. However, Solanin really touched my soul. It doesn't try hard to be smart, interesting or touching - it just is this way. The sadness and beauty of it infect you and stay within your heart. With time it's natural to forget the details about plot and characters but not the emotions. It's perfect, really.

Yeap. This is where Asano Inio starts to shine. This is his style, this is his art. He's on his own ground. Although Solanin is nowhere near Asano Inio's masterpiece Oyasumi Punpun, it is definitely worth reading. Compared to SS or HnM, this is a more mature slice of life story containing the funny day-to-day happenings of a couple and their close friends. The major event of this manga: a girl quits her job. And that's it. This is the catalyst of other small, funny, cute, slice of life occurrences. In the middle of them are the two main villains who make these series so funny, sweet and random: Kato and Crack. If it wasn't for them, this manga would be pretty much boring and skippable.

This is a perfect place to start with Asano Inio. The art, the style, the characters. It's all there.

... Last updated on August 28th, 2011, 1:22pm