Solanin

This manga is a slice of life masterpiece. Touching people in the heart, and how could it not? The story is very realistic and there are a lot of things that can be learned from the story. After reading it twice, I have been able to engage the story in a more meaningful manner. It was very very touching in my own eyes and it made me appreciate the life I live today.

My suggestion would be to do the same: take time in reading and appreciate this beautiful work, and reread it if you must. Stories like these aren't as known and appreciated, so I hope you suggest this to people so that they would be able to take part in reading this work.

"I realized it one day. The lyrics I struggled to create are only made up so I would have something to sing. Nothing genuine can come out of these flat and boring and ambiguous lives we're living, out of faking your worries for the sake of it".

The works of Asano Inio are very often different on the uptake of life and society and this was no exception.On the surface, this is a story about a couple in their twenties who are in the midst of self exploration.Some things happen and then the story takes a slightly different route.It is a relatively short manga with only 2 volumes(28 chapters in total) but I think that it was never meant to be long.

The feelings of anxiety,uncertainty,mediocrity,hopelessness etc. which plagues the minds of the younger people nowadays is more or less perfectly displayed through the various panels of the manga.The central theme of the manga is linked to music though it does not drag it down to the ground.

The characters themselves are flawed which makes them realistic to their cores.The monologues in the story are nicely written and at various points add to the melancholic atmosphere.

The art is unique and supplements the manga very well.Some panels are very beautifully drawn.Inclusion of some photos in the later chapters and tuning them to be in sync with the style of the manga was also a nice effort.

Well I can't say that I didn't enjoyed Solanin but it left me with some uneasy feelings.On the whole it was a nice experience and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read some slice of life done in a slightly different way.

SS Review – Solanin
(Short and Sour)

This is a story about a struggling band and the relationship between the band members, with it mostly centering on the lives of the lead singer and his girlfriend.

Like I said the manga focuses on the relationships of the band members and how they cope with a certain incident. They formed their band in their school days and the name of the manga shares the same name as a song they made. Unfortunately I haven’t got much else to say regarding the story and characters as this is a short manga and I don’t want to spoil any of the character interactions. This is a drama at heart.

Art’s pretty good, has a unique look to it I guess. I enjoyed the short manga it play’s out like a drama in my opinion, if you are wondering if this is anything like Beck, no…no it’s not. It’s okay though.

7/10

I decided to read on behalf of Oyasumi Punpun, like most of people; I expected something and got what I wanted, maybe even a little more.
Solanin portrays a simple everyday life, the life of a girl who has finished her studies and is in her life now, a complicated time, full of uncertainty and wow, I'm going through it too! It is simple, but it shows this simplicity in a pleasant and melancholy way at the same time, just like Punpun; where you have the admiration of what you have, of life, of an afternoon, of music, of heaven and of company; but it also shows our thoughts, how the characters are dealing with something, from jobs to relationships.

The art is beautiful, personally I love Asano-san's traits, as they are pleasant, simple and "cute" in a way, the details of a room, where each item has its importance, its meaning; the details of a character, that his shoe has a story, a reason, that his hair expresses personality, what is happening; the features, of which they are rich in feeling; all this accompanied by an incredible story, with common and deep dialogues, that make you think about what you’re doing in your life and that’s okay, this is how it is and you have to keep following, doing your best to enjoy the little ones things, being able to survive thinking about getting well and discussing it with people close to you, who worry and go through or went through it too.

It is incredible, even though it is not very impactful, it is an incredible development of the simple, of ordinary life.

Honestly man, the Meiko character relates to any of us when we graduate from college directly going into the big bad world. We always tend to ask ourselves a series of questions such as "what company will accept me? if I put myself out there?", "where do I see myself in 5 years time?", or "Do I see myself being in a similar career position to what I studied in college/university? ". I felt Asano did a pretty good job at seeing what goes through young people's minds when it comes to knowing how to look after themselves in later life. It's always a huge step to go out into the world of work and leaving your parents home for the first time.

Anyways let's get into talking more about the manga shall we? Lol

I really felt the Meiko character was pretty mature with how things go for her. She doesn't seem to be the type of person who stays in the same workplace, she's more of a social butterfly and knows herself on how she feels about things when going forward with her life. I think her and Naruo did the right thing to separate because they just seemed two different people who had their own way of living. That can happen and I really applaud realism in this man!

SPOILERS AHEAD

I also liked in this manga is that one of the side character's Kotani said to Meiko after they split up " No matter how well you get along together, sometimes the smallest of cracks turn into a lethal abyss in time." So friggin true man, just because you got along together while in a relationship, it doesn't mean it's 100% . I could be wrong from my guess here but that's how I personally felt from what Kotani said to Meiko.

I highly recommend this to anyone going through life struggles, as well as worrying about the future! It's again, definitely relatable to any of us in what go through with of course, going through life itself!

The couple are both avoidant, and they have great needs for meaning, assertiveness and efficiency in their life. It's frustrating and sad for me that they have no outside help, nobody that can can provide any significant guidance.
Taneda is trying to take a lot of the responsibility for providing meaning but doesn't have high enough empathy or insight which ends up enabling Meiko's lack of accountability.
It's hard for any of the characters to be vulnerable with each other but they do take steps towards growth.
I was touched by several of the main characters' outbursts and moments of assertiveness (most relevant scene for me is when they talk to the producer about their record.)

"Zero and zero got together and made infinity."

That quote in this manga was the perfect quote to represent these characters. It is not a story about any special or extra ordinary people, it's not one about rags to riches or people who started from the bottom and ended up at the top. It is just a simple down to earth story about a group of friends who just getting through life. It is a real feel to it that you can almost like I can relate to these characters.

As for the setting is pretty simple and the overall plot is very simple. As we mainly focus on the relationship between the group of friends and the band. I don't want to spoil anything so I will do my best to make this spoiler free. And I wonder how I can convince you to pick this up and read it without spoiler.

If you enjoy slice of life and story and characters you can relate too. Story that is not about people who found a dream job and living up life and now is the greatest band of all time. If you just enjoy a simple group of friend who just enjoys life and live for the moment, for sure, it's worth reading!

It is the simple moments in life that sometimes we overlook. Those precious moments we share with others that we won't realized how precious until they are taken from us. It is about living a life without regret and enjoying it with those around you. However you see it, life is momentary and live your dream out. Even if others laugh at your dreams, they are your dream. Make the moments count as the manga is screaming out to enjoy life.

So please do pick this up if you haven't read this yet as I went into this blind and I am glad I did without knowing anything about it. I was moved by it as I don't often read manga at all if you noticed my manga list is pretty short...

As with the only one other Asano work I've read thus far ("A Girl by the Sea"), I'm left with one prevailing word amongst all others in this effort to say what I feel: "damn." Not "damn," as in a disappointed exclamation. Just an expression of my dumbfoundedness by breaking the dumbness.

Asano's "Solanin" leaves me with a bittersweet, yet bright look towards the future. I'm not a college-graduated 20-something, but I am a 19-year-old a year out of high school and struggling to find a way to move forward without sacrificing all of my happiness and emotional stability. Along with sharing this sentiment with our main girl, Meiko, I also share traits with our other main friends. With all of them, firs and foremost, is a love of music. I've been a musician since seventh grade, and I've been playing bass since I was 13, drums since 14, and guitar and singing (singing in the context of show choir and musicals at first) since 15. I understand more than most people how a love for music affects these young people in the primes of their lives, but are unable to move the way they'd like. I know the immense struggle of wanting to play my music for the world but not being able to.

Now, onto how I connected with characters on a person-by-person basis, I want to start with Rip, since he plays drums, which were - and are still - my first musical love. Rip works in his family's pharmacy just being a retail worker. He doesn't get anywhere else from there, and I know that feeling all too well, having worked in retail to the point of nearly breaking down emotionally. Next up, Kato(u?), who is the guy who is just stuck in school. This resonates with me on a level of "I don't want to move on. I'm most comfortable here, and change disrupts the balance." Much like Kato(u?), I have come to accept that change is a necessity, no matter how obnoxious it may be. Taneda is my wish to pursue what I love, but accept that it may not be feasible. He represents how I need to get over it and go, taking the happiness I can get along the way. "Are you really happy?" Finally, we get to our main girl, Meiko. Meiko represents another side of the same feeling that Taneda does. They serve as an excellent dynamic. Meiko wants to do something that she'll enjoy, but there's really nothing that does it for her. However, instead of taking it all in stride and finding her happiness as she may, she hesitates, holds back, and generally shies away from stepping too far out of her comfort zone until the final act of the manga.

Asano wrote an afterword, and it mentioned how just the people around you are the real heroes. No one needs to have a Stand or be capable of blowing holes through walls with a single punch to be a hero. Regular old Joe Everyman is a hero, just like you, dear reader, are.

Solanin is a beautiful opus detailing what I might refer to as "the aftermath of teenage angst," and how young people who aren't quite old yet deal with such an obnoxious set of feelings. I highly recommend this read to anyone who is alive or undead. These feels cannot go ignored.

I'm writing this from the perspective of a high schooler, and one who entered 9th grade this year. I bought this manga after hearing about it on this very site. Inio Asano is a highly acclaimed author, and it is extremely easy to see why.

First off, this manga is super easy to recommend to general comic book fan. The plot is down to earth, relatable, and most of all, engaging. Considering that this story came from Asano's mind during a period when he himself was in this very age bracket, just starting as a mangaka and making his mark in the underground market, this series comes off as a heartfelt calling to this very period of life. It is really hard to explain what makes this story really work...it just...does. Something about these struggles, a relationship, jobs, and just in general tragedy, that make this manga great.

On a final note, I particularly like how Asano handles the character Meiko. It takes a lot of effort and consideration to write from a different gender/perspective, and Asano can do it seamlessly, transitioning from character to character effortlessly. Oftentimes, writers put characters into blatant stereotypes, with masculine men and feminine women. Moe otaku and yaoi fujoshi. Meiko as a character has goals...and her relationship with Tanada is very authentic, and not overly forced. This series truly has multi-demographic appeal, as males and females can both enjoy this, something not many mangas can do without pulling out a certain audience.

Overall, this manga is near perfect. I don't mean to bandwagon but will do it anyways. Read this series!

"What now?" is the dilemma some fresh graduates experience. On the surface, the issue seems extremely trivial and somewhat privileged. The graduates who experience this must have the luxury to hesitate and question the world around them instead of just plunging headfirst into the cool and foreboding waters of society to make ends meet and survive. Which, I acknowledge, is fair criticism. However, that does not invalidate the legitimacy and emotions felt by those graduates. There is actual meat to what they contemplate over. It is a question of meaning. And it's a personal question. Feeling trapped in a dead end situation because the path you chose wasn't the one you were passionate about; it was the practical decision. How does one deal with that feeling? That's what Solanin is all about.

Enter the main character, Meiko. She's the girl who's looking for an answer. She's not happy with her job, her coworkers suck, and her boss hits on her in his spare time. The story starts in the critical moment when Meiko realizes that she needs to get out of her ditch, which she does. The problem is that living in a big city like Tokyo doesn't come cheap and this puts pressure on her boyfriend, Taneda, who hasn't really gotten into the habit of integrating himself with society yet.

That's because Taneda also suffers the same blues Meiko has except there's a sense that he's been ignoring it. He lives in a nebulous state where he's only working part-time and still jams with his college band. He's got one foot in the "real world" and another one in the past, reluctant of letting the easier times go. He has a hint of passion for music but isn't all too sure about himself, which is why things go topsy-turvy once Meiko breaks it to him that she quit her job. Now, it's a question of whether he goes for a stable job or risks it all on music.

It's a search for some faint trace of fulfillment in the face of such an unflinching world. Yet, this alone does not make Solanin good. That's just the set up; the heart of the story lies in the way it ticks. How the characters interact and speak with each other feel natural and real. There are enough quirks to differentiate when someone is talking to a friend or someone they're not too close to. There are moments when the dialogue is a bit too contemplative for casual talk, but it never comes off as out of place or pretentious. All their actions and conversations organically flow with their personalities.

The typical Asano visual flare is also there to spark enough absurdity and kookiness to give the manga some levity to balance out the overpowering rawness of the emotional scenes. In those scenes, the emotions rush and pulse feverishly without restraint as if to burst out in an explosion of anxiety, melancholy, and frustration. But then, the manga also knows how to step back to let you breathe and allow the heavier moments to sink in.

All of these factors give real depth and power to the endeavors and experiences of Meiko and Taneda. It allows the audience to relate, or at least empathize, with the struggles and heartaches in this manga. Whether or not Meiko and Taneda find an answer--whether or not any of us find an answer--we can find solace in the fact that these emotions and struggles are not artificially strung. They're real. The pain, the hardships, the loses, they all stand as evidence that we feel and our feelings are real. If anything, this manga gives us something genuine to anchor ourselves on.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a college student, a fresh grad, or a high school student, as long as you’re looking for meaning, give this manga a read. It doesn’t have the answer you’re looking for, but it’s going to be with you until you find it.