In some cases, a low rating doesn't mean I hate someone's work. There are some aspects to it that I believe could've worked better, and the writing is mostly at fault for failing to execute it well.

This is why I have mixed thoughts with literature that tries to be too deep. Literary theorists would ponder for days trying to interpret a work as if it's the map to some unexplored treasure. While that isn't necessarily all that bad, many would exalt it as being intricate and something far more special than a common, straightforward narrative. An impressive feat, if not spent too much on dilly-dallying.

After reading a few of Asano Inio's works, from Punpun to Sayonara Bye Bye, I've acknowledged his ability to write realistic stories that explore the darkness of human interaction, or tell heartwarming tales without glorifying anything. I've found myself as a follower, and I would look forward to be able to write stories like the man someday.

It seems that a mangaka like him would have some of his off-days, because Nijigahara Holograph may be one of his worst works yet.

Not to say that I didn't enjoy it, I really did. I picked up on the context clues, pieced the timelines together, and in a sense even understood the metaphors. I just don't see why it had to be so convoluted.

Asano has showed that with out-of-place narratives he can achieve an effect even if it's just a one-shot. Himawari, for example, is a really interesting story with clues placed in the panels, and it's fine. It has a consistent following with it's themes and managed to make the story impactful for just a few pages. Holograph didn't need to extend that long. It was unnecessary to work on a theme such as it had and make it as painstakingly difficult to pick up; it would have just worked the same way.

Arguably, the characters are some of the most unrealistic of Asano's works by far. Static characters aren't bad, but all the characters felt like they're just the same people coated with a few quirks but have the same core evil. Almost everyone has sex at some point and it just becomes so off-putting.

For the few beginning chapters, Nijigahara Holograph had a promising premise with Asano's trademark cynical writing. But in the end, you're just presented with a plethora of ideas that aren't really the deepest things in the world, and I bet you could get as much from it as you would in an hour-long lecture of Philosophy.