This is the first in a long time I've felt the need to write a review, and probably also the last. It's not technical by any means, every point I'll make is out of a personal perspective. Although I have to say, for this manga, I think that's the only fair way to judge it.

Oyasumi Punpun is one of those manga that only really works for you as a reader if you can relate to anything it's trying to say. Fortunately (or not), it's themes are pretty universal. You likely have had moments in life similar to those portrayed throught the story. Not just rough patches, but tests of your very will to live. When life hits you like a truck, unexpectedly and painfully, and you're left agonizing over something entirely out of your control. Or maybe you screw up something so bad you doubt things will ever go back to being fine. Oyasumi Punpun is not here to glorify these moments like some sort of emotional torture porn. Rather, it portrays these moments realistically, with as much complexity as a manga can manage. It's very human, to the point of being plain unconfortable to read. Yet I couldn't stop. The raw humanity portrayed by the characters brings out some kind of morbid curiosity to what comes next. And in the end, you leave each chapter knowing more about lives that, while not real, feel genuine enough to bring out emotions you likely haven't felt in a good while. And if you pay enough attention, somewhere along the journey, you might see yourself reflected in some of the pannels. I myself found comfort on the idea that someone, somewhere, was able to put into pannels the things I feel sometimes, and still, in the end, was able to say "It's alright".

This is not a pleasant read. But for every good reason. It's beautiful in it's ugliness (not talking about the art, that's top notch). And it communicates a lot by being really mundane most of the time. It shows you the past, present and future of people who don't really exist, but are certainly out there. Maybe one of them is you. Maybe your despairs are written in those pages. And maybe you'll be able to find some hope by looking in the mirror that is Oyasumi Punpun.

I'm glad to have read it now, and not any other time. Because "I'm happiest right now". Even though that's a lie.