Arigatou

Pre-adult years take the pliability of the adolescent brain to form a cast iron organ that is efficient in carrying out repeated tasks, but ineffectual in navigating untrained ones. This reference is not so much a commentary on Takako and Akiko’s maturation — although, it could be interpreted as such — but on Ichirou’s rigid demeanor and unruly temperament.

Hardened by a demanding work schedule and what the reader can only imagine as a stringent upbringing, Ichirou is an exemplar of the common idiom, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Hence, his transference of corporate incentivization techniques does not coalesce with the sensibilities of the female cohort in the house. Yet this does not deter him from prodding into his daughters’ affairs to the point of imperiousness; causing Takako, the youngest daughter, to resent her father via verbal antagonism. And it is the catalyst of the tyrannical father — combined with the absent father/mother — that served as the impetus for all of the abhorrence that took place in this dysfunctional, family tale.

The downward spiral begins with Akikio, the eldest sister, being drugged and raped by an assemblage of various misfits and outcasts. The vile, self-anointed leader of this gang, Kakuma, not only violates the two sisters ad nauseam, but uses one of his cronies, Imada, to take numerous pictures for the purposes of blackmail. Naoki Yamamoto, the mangaka of Arigatou, did not write the character of Kakuma with the intention of having the reader empathize with him; to the contrary, Kakuma is a rotten individual that is loathsome and disgusting in every respect; however he, much like the other characters in Arigatou, is the product of two derelict parents who failed in providing a nurturing influence and a disciplinary regimen to prevent such abhorrent behavior. Of course, an over-abundance of discipline can lead to the Suzuki family state of affairs: where the eldest daughter becomes a paranoid shut-in, and the youngest daughter runs away from home. Despite the manifold of ongoing psychological disturbances, however, Arigatou is largely a character driven comedy via the ridiculous, carte blanche antics of Ichirou, as he desperately attempts to pull his ever diverging family back together.

Interestingly enough, the amalgamation of wacky comedy with intense psycho-social issues is largely a success. Primarily because the disturbing tone of the initial chapters makes the reader appalled — and even nauseated — from the abject depravity each page brings, but when the tone suddenly shifts (seemingly, from nowhere), it comes as such a shock that the viewer has no choice but to burst out of their silence with a hearty chortle. But what began as a clever ploy to subvert the reader’s expectations and to keep them off kilter, quickly became derivative humor that was redundant on more than one occasion. In its totality, though, the comedy was a nice addition that seamlessly added layers of depth to the Suzuki family that made them feel all the more relatable.

Much like the comedy, when the plot hit its high-water mark (in the early to middle chapters), it was absolute brilliance, but the nadir left the reader yearning for something more substantial. Also, the subtle clues of someone potentially dying, and the drastic shift in tone in the final chapters made the ending quizzically inexplicable. It is not as though “happy endings” should be shunned, but the “spirit” of the story was melancholic through and through; featuring detestable acts that ranged from forced-sex to crooked cults, and even an incident where a dude got his dick cut off. So, to have such a peaceful resolution to all the tumultuous behavior, evaded the dysphoric ending that many readers were expecting.

Despite the relatively harsh criticisms this review levied, Arigatou is an essential read that contains a handful of truly great moments that will knock your socks off (possibly the rest of your clothes, too). But a few glaring issues — especially the subpar-to-average art style — left Arigatou unworthy of attaining the status of “great.” Despite this, the impression it leaves on the psyche is quite profound and will make the reader reconsider their own interpersonal relationships with their own family.

And for that: thank you, Mr. Yamamoto!

Arigatou (4 Volumes/47 Chapters)

Essentially, Arigatou is a depiction of the deconstruction and harmonious breakdown of one particular Japanese family and how one man intends to revive his role as father. In order to protect his family from the many hardships that have befallen them. The author Yamamoto Naoki is a man who in essence, can in every form; portray the adverse effect of the human psyche in conjunction to the way certain actions and events make human beings feel.

One thing to note about this series is that though it's content is aimed at the more mature, it comes complete with a rather heavy comedic overtone that's meant to be taken in stride by the readers who indulge this literary work. At times some of the material can seem a bit nonsensical, droll even. However Naoki weaves every event nicely, leaving literary nothing left to be desired.

This series from the start felt more like one of those American gross out films that was meant to be taken as a Slice of life, dealing with a story archetype themed in the "coming of age". The story essentially starts off with young teenagers discussing female masturbation, so one could only imagine the material that follows.

In regards to sex, which is infact very apparent throughout this series. I just want to say that the sexual content was never the focal point of the series. The erotic aspect of this title came second to the series's underlying theme and overall message. That message was essentially; family and how many of us intend to either diverge and or remain within ones own family structure.

All of the characters were indeed wonderfully unique in their apparent roles; we have the cheeky and rebellious daughter Takako, the emotionally depraved and confused older daughter Akiko, the reclused and alcoholic mother figure, and the overprotecting yet embarrassing father figure Susuki-san.

Altogether I had alot of fun reading Arigatou for it humorous antics, depictions strickly for the more mature, and it's ever tangent versatility that can be perceived from so many opposing perspectives. I can now say I'm an avid fan of Naoki's artistic works, Arigatou was truly one of those rare gems in this literary genre we call manga.

Rating: 10/10

Introduction:
Hidden gem. Is the words I would use to describe Arigatou, and the fact that this manga is rated only a 7.04 completely contradicts it's level of quality. To note the beginning chapters of this manga shows graphic depictions of sexual assault, and will have you going "what the fuck am I even reading" at times. But that being said let's move on with the review.

Story: 10
Arigatou is truly an intelligent manga which both satires and criticises Japanese society and it's culture, in terms of traditional family values, business culture, criminal justice system, obedience and submissiveness instead of conflict, (looking past the problem so everyone can stay happy) and their effect on the family & vice versa. This leads to the core of the story which is about a father coming back to mend his dysfunctional family which he has neglected in pursuit of his work. The absurdity of the situations this family get into is weirdly hilarious, given how dark the series can get and surprisingly has somewhat of a heart warming ending.

Characters: 8
The characters are quite realistic in terms of their personality and actions and honestly are quite funny with how self aware they can be. My personal favourite character is the father, even though he is quite stubborn, ignorant and just not the most morally good person. He still cares for his family and truly wants to help, even if it's not necessarily the best way and believes strongly in traditional values that he has to be the man of the house and solve all problems himself, not relying on society to help him.

Art: 7
Honestly the art is nothing really special, but it looks alright I guess. The character expressions are funny at times.

Enjoyment:10
Nothing much to say more I really liked it lol.

Final Verdict: 10
This is a must read manga for anyone, I would say it's most comparable to oyasumi punpun but I like this manga much more. So I guess all I can say now is please don't be turned off by the low score, this manga is special. "arigatou" for reading my review.

Arigatou is unapologetically gounded, brave, and progressive.

First of all, I think the sex scenes turned some people off into giving lower ratings than it deserves. This resembles Welcome to the NHK in that it's a story of flawed protagonists. Imo, the first half is entertaining, but the second half is coherent. The first half suffers from forced plot driving with awkward conflicts and dialogues that seem ridiculous at first. But honestly, that was a huge part of the entertainment in reading it that kept me going.

The farther along you get into the 2nd half, the pieces add together that really humanize the characters and reflect the current social problems of Japan. The events then became less ludicrous (unfortunately less entertaining, but the balance needed to be there I guess).

Overall, the story handles humor surprisingly well. My favorite part of the story is consistency. People get way too narrow-minded in "character development" into thinking that characters must change to be compelling. This manga is a great example that shows that "character consistency," or the understanding of someone by seeing how consistently he/she sticks to the guiding principles in tough situations, is a powerful way to humanize fiction as well. This can seem foolish, goofy, powerful, etc. But it was hardly ever boring.

I personally liked the art style despite its age but I can understand if others don't.

In conclusion, not a revolutionary character study, but Arigatou is a mediocre premise executed very well.