This was amazing. If you want to know how amazing it is, just look at the effort gone into deciphering the plot. You wouldn't do that if it wasn't worth it.

It is a sad story, but not a sad ending.... it is an ambiguous ending. Interpret it as you choose.
I recommend Hikari no Machi, aka City of Light, also by Asano Inio. I started reading city of light without knowing that, though.

... Last updated on April 25th, 2010, 3:52pm

Personally, I found it enlightening to read NH again after conducting a little independent research on Zhuangzi, the Taoist philosopher responsible for the butterfly quote Sakaki reads to her students in the manga. NH borrows many of its themes from Taoism, including its juxtaposition of universality and relative duality; its wariness of society and social dogma; and its non-linear depiction of time. Like Taoism, NH seems vaguely nihilistic, which may be why some readers dislike it. Though I am not a fan of Asano Inio’s society-breeds-suffering mantra, everything in NH is thematically relevant. No frame is wasted, and no excess is indulged. Such restraint is unusual in a medium that thrives on overkill, but I found Asano’s unflinching portrayal of disillusionment and hope to be quite poignant. Petty human concerns pale in comparison to the glowing butterflies, which may well be Asano’s inspired depiction of the Tao. His art renders nature both beautiful and frightening. It’s a selective reader indeed who can call his approach violence against women when females are among his aggressors and the victimization shown is neither discriminate nor glorified. The complaint that NH's length is inadequate given the manga’s scope and the characterization necessary to engage the reader is valid, though I disagree. The point, I think, is that the meaning of Asano's work is ineffable, and our interpretation is bound by our own subjectivity. If we wanted to be objective and Taoist to boot, we could argue that NH is neither good nor bad; it simply is.

... Last updated on July 4th, 2009, 5:41pm

I started reading the first few chapter absentmindedly, but at some point the story really caught my attention that I had to flip back to the previous pages to actually get my mind on the manga, and it pays off.
It's not everyone's piece of cake. The story is told in a very unique way but once you grabbed it you will find the experience quite worthwhile.
Remind me of the movie "28 grams", however the flow of the manga is much calmer.
I don't quite get Suzuki's end, so I think I will come back to it later to see if something opening up. It's one of those manga that sometimes when you re-read it, something else that you didn't get previously pop up.
Great reality art, I especially love the background and the butterfly field scenery.

That's the thing about this manga. It isn't a reasonable plot with any real distinction. It is as it is, a story that fabricates a world with intricate characters through connection that are not to be compared with the real world. So in that sense, this is an excellent story of time, emotion, and id.

But otherwise, it's not something you gain from. You aren't given anything from the story itself (like the conclusion of a romance, the solving of a mystery, or anything material or spiritual.) If you do get something out of this story, then it works out for you.

Truly needs to be read with a clear and concise state of mind. I'll need to reread this sometime later.

very strange, it's best if you read it if your head is really clear - if i was reading this yesterday i would probably be really pissed. but this is pretty interesting, its one of those things that has an ending that your content with, specially since this doesnt have a really straightforward plot - but it is a good read tho

Out of the 500+ odd titles I have read, this is the only one that has actually deserved a natural 10.

Nijigahara Holograph is a brilliantly told, but thoroughly unconventional story. The plot is sliced up the way it is in an effort to give a stronger connection to the character's mindset, which makes it more convoluted, but that's an intended effect. The characters themselves are having difficulty comprehending their lives, and the storytelling is designed to reflect that. It comes full circle flawlessly and actually resolves all the conflicts if you're willing to stop and think for a bit. What makes Nijigahara a mature story isn't the graphic nature of the content, but the resolution and meaning derived from it.

That said, it probably isn't a story for everyone. While I find it technically unparalleled and visually stunning, a person just looking to relax would probably find this irritating (though visually interesting.) Additionally, a lot of the symbolism is very distinctly Japanese in nature, and foreigners without a knowledge of it are going to have an even more difficult time comprehending the storyline, which I think has been causing a few problems here. If you don't like stories that make you sit down and sort your way through, you will not like this and frankly you shouldn't even be bothering to pick up this work in the first place.

I hate to mention this here, but CuthienSilmeriel's post bothers me a bit. You basically just said "short stories are bad because they are short and I can't connect to them." It's fine if you prefer something longer, but please don't attempt to make an objective judgment with that kind of criteria.

I hate this manga... too much violence toward women. Read this stuff too much make you become a sicko, losing hope, look at the world with the darken color glasses. Give me a break already! Have they ever try to look at the world from different angle 3/10 well for the art work, that is all to it!

... Last updated on February 15th, 2009, 5:15am

its quite a thing to grip and it fool me several time... (asshole ><
but once you get mid way and the end it explain a lot but some loose end that drive me to read it again.. but no i will leave it is as my first impression!

Read this in one sitting so while it started confusing things became much clearer by the end and I avoided back-tracking this way. While I agree that the themes and plot certainly make you think and the story is open to intepretation which makes it a good discussion topic I can't say this is the best I've ever read. The main problem is that it's so short I fail to have any kind of connection with the characters and consequently don't really care what happens to them. A fantastic idea but you remain an outsider ti the story rather than actually getting immersed in it.

... Last updated on November 10th, 2008, 9:29am

Maybe you need to read it in one go to not get confused by the lack of chronological order.
I don't feel like writing a long comment.

So, art's great. Beautifully realistic. Great backrounds. Perfect even.
The story. I must say, to make up something like that is really quite amazing. Written in such a way, that doesn't confuse you (time-order wise).
Everything else is creazy. Messed up characters that are greatly done.

The ending, the last page, was hard for me to understand. Got it though, with the help of fellow reader^^(thanks).
Really good.
*wants to kick the low-score commenters but is too sleepy*