Oyasumi Punpun

What can I say, this manga series is just a masterpiece. The story had me captivated right from the very first panel. From the main character's relatable feelings, to the haunting depiction of what suffering is truly feels like. It makes the reader feel as if we were in pun pun's shoes. Let's also not forget the various side characters that contributed to the story in their own ways and at times made me forget that the main character was even pun pun! Additionally, the series also humoured me at times, placing a big smile on my face due to the character's funny and witty nature! A good mixture of both emotions and humour. This is a series I would highly suggest you read if you enjoy the addressment of psychological and emotional issues coupled alongside humorously drawn characters. A true masterpiece of a manga series.

I feel like I was reading a book rather than a manga. Oyasumi Punpun is one of the things I've read that changed my way of looking at the world and reality. At the beginning I knew that I wouldn't enjoy reading this, but I was mistaken. I enjoyed it a lot. Although it was a little bit slow, but I genuinely wished there were more chapters. Back to the days when I was still reading Oyasumi Punpun, I used to read it every time I can't sleep. One more chapter, I always tell myself. But I was never truthful. That's how I much loved it.

The art was classic; and just by looking at it I knew very well it was Asano Inio's work. It was beautifully realistic and as for Punpun's character design, I must say it was a great metaphor to picture him as a bird (and a triangle, a pyramid, a horned-creature as well).

Asano is a genius, a maestro. The plot was so amazing that I have exactly no words to put it. Sometimes it was puzzling and weird, but that's what makes it very, very enjoyable.

I must say, it was quite disturbing. Some pictures are abstract and a little bit disturbing. Especially that 'God'. I always feel uneasy when I see him. Besides, the theme is so dark.

Punpun is a complex character. I don't understand him very much, but he has a pretty good character development. Although I'm not very fond of him, I think he's okay.

Seki and Shimzu's relationship is what matters to me the most. They care about each other so much, why don't they get more scenes and appreciation? I'm kind of confused though...did Shimizu die?

I also love Sachi and Punpun's relationship. Sachi really cares about Punpun, although she might be a little bit harsh at times. I really wished Sachi had more time to appear!

Long story short, Oyasumi Punpun is a must-read.

one of,if not the greatest works by Inio Asano, this is one of those mangas you just have to read once in your life, the art style is eye-catching since it's so different from other manga styles, and the story itself is outstanding. without spoiling, i will say punpun is a character you can at least see a bit little of yourself in him. but i will say you begin to hate him over time as he grows up and the person he turns out to be.

each of the characters is extremely well written, they are like actual people and not like the simple no flaws characters you can find in some mangas, they each all have flaws to them and act human, dwelling on mistakes from the past, doing things for oneself and saying you're doing it for somebody else, and thinking about murdering some random person.

and each panel is so beautifully illustrated i found myself more in awe with each chapter.

my review will not do this manga any justice it deserves, just go read the first chapter, you'll get hooked immediately because of the characters, art, and story.

I enjoyed reading Goodnight PunPun. This is because the characters are unique and believable. Each character is striking and a lot of the time slightly unusual in some way. Each character that has some relevance has an interesting way of unfolding and showing more of themselves as time goes on. This especially shows with the character you are with the most PunPun. You get to see a kid with no defining identity break because of that; which causes him to do more rash thing because he finds that he doesn't matter. The only problem I can think of is the manga is very adult with many depictions of nudity, violence, and more. However if you don't have a problem with this I believe you should be able to enjoy the beautifully drawn manga.

*This review will follow the american viz media reprint omnibus forms of "Oyasumi Punpun" Note: i have not read the series prior to the release of the vizmedia releases and i would like to personally thank Viz Media for not only presenting me and other fans of this medium with such a wonderful series but also giving it to us in the form of a "Viz Signature" release.*



Punpun is a story that really takes you for a ride through the life of someone who isnt sure about what path to take when entering society as an adult. as the years go by the normal tragedy of human life starts and begins taking its toll on punpun as a human. the story being filled with moments of both sad and happiness blending together to making the experience for this manga really hard for some and really too close to home for others. This however DOES NOT effect the story or how anyone can take in the series.


Following the release through vizmedia picking up each volume each month it was released is honestly IN MY OPINION how the story should be digested; in order to truly understand what each chapter means to the reader. Although there is no reason to not want to purchase this series and read it all in one day i do suggest you take your time when reading punpun. Prior to reading the manga i had only known of its name and was very happy to have purchased it when it came out being filled with anticipation. For the low enjoyment score it was mainly because of how "close to home" the manga can be at times and really turns on your cognitive thinking. Without punpun bringing up depression, sadism and even sexual frustration how can one reader who engulfs themselves into this medium actually relate? Thoughts of suicide, and the harshness of the real world beyond the manga for the reader this manga is a troublesome read on a personal level but nothing in terms of presentation.


This manga may be popular among the MAL community but it is NOT for everyone.


Beautiful art by Inio Asano, prior to reading this series i had picked up a girl on the shore and the art is comparably breathtaking. Really captures the emotion of each character within each page, really making for an impactful series to be printed as a Viz Signature. Good quality on physical medium, the text is never an issue to read, and it seems like no corners are cut.


*This last paragraph is about the final volume quality of the viz media release*


The last volume however is a white volume, my problem with that is if your hands become sweaty you may notice alot more damage in terms of physical condition on the cover. the size of the "omnibus" here too is also kinda strange since it might not really fit on a shelf like the other books do. however it will not take away from the fact that it is presented beautifully and therefore deserving a price reduction because of lack of pages. Spine damage is also something anyone who purchases the volumes should be aware of, the larger volumes tend to flex well into place but the smaller volume manages to feel easier to destroy so becareful with your manga!

When you see someone put a Masterpiece on a title, you assume to yourself that just can't be; for 10/10 implies something is perfect, but as we all know nothing in this world is perfect.... But it can damn-well be close. And since nothing in the world can't be perfect, why does such a rating exist? Well, for this very reason.

Oyasumi Punpun (or, Goodnight Punpun) is the perfect example of this; the story kept me drawn in the entire time, and while the character's themselves are often depicted as comical with their really silly faces, it doesn't take away from the amount of sad and darkness this manga brings.

DO NOT BE FOOLED by Punpun's appearance, or those around him. Reading this manga for the first time I read the first 9 chapters and nearly gave up. I didn't understand why Punpun is depicted as a bird, or why everyone's face is so silly. I'd be lying if I told you I had the intelligence to deconstruct why Inio Asano depicts his characters like he does, but I can tell you that it doesn't effect the story at all. If you like real, sad, depressing and dark coming of age, slice of life stories... Then Goodnight Punpun is for you.

There really wasn't anywhere in this manga that was slow, or boring for me. I can maybe think of a few chapters, which is why I don't rate the story a 10, but rather a 9.8. For those that don't know, I round my score's up/down to determine a true rating, and I believe Punpun's true rating is a Masterpiece.

Final ratings:

Story - 9.8
Art - 10
Characters - 9.7
Enjoyment - 9.9
Overall - 10

Wooow what a rollercoaster of emotion this manga is!
First of all: it's not for everyone. If you want a story that makes you feel happy, makes you feel better, than this manga is not for you.
It's not a 10 because of his perfect storytelling (which is perfect indeed) nor for the beautifully written characters, this manga earns a ten also because it is not only a manga, is something more, something taht makes you reflect upon life, it's truly a masterpiece. It's a 10 as a manga, it's also more as a piece of art.
Don't be put off by it's weirdness, the first volume is the weirdest one to read because you have to get it, but than this weird manga becomes suddenly reality itself.
This manga makes you reflect upon yourself, upon life. Rarely a piece of media can show us how real life really is, and what can happen if you go down a dark path, this is reality, this is hard, depressing, but also heartwarming in a sesne. After reading Oyasumi Pun Pun you feel like you understend life better, you can learn from Pun Pun's mistakes in order not to repeat them yourself.
Amazing story
Amazing art style
Beautifully written character
You maybe won't enjoy it, but sure you will like and appreciate it

There will be not be many spoilers ahead; I haven't even finished the manga yet, but I really wanted to say something per se.

TL;DR
It's a great manga with confusing storyline but has developing characters and an astonishing art style, exploring maturity through a clueless boy's mind.

Throughout reading, my heart was pumping. This whole manga itself was quite unsettling and kept me on the edge, as an unknowing reader that was only trying to sympathize and translate its confusing content into our own experiences.

Punpun is an extremely interesting character. Its caricature is of a bird, seems to just be a blank canvas for the reader to draw its emotions and expression onto, though on some panels, he displays fear, uneasiness, etc. He idolizes and constantly reminds himself of sex and Aiko, which in turn divulges strange behavior on the main character's part.

Seeing the world from Punpun's eyes, you don't have a clue to what is going on, as the protagonist himself is walking on a disoriented path that seems to lead to a crude form of maturity.

All, I mean all characters have a psycho — no, not the right word, but has a ominous intention behind their actions. Let's see, there's a character that constantly lies for entertainment, and a character that just seems to make use of manipulation by threatening to kill you. There's basically an open playground for nutjobs to interact with one another.

One peculiar thing about the storyline; it seems to be all over the place. Though it portrays our lives itself, which is a chaos of different enactments happening at the same time, but in this manga, it seems to either be attacking you with an important storyline or beating around the bush just to show the character's development. I know that some elements of the manga need to be sacrificed for a greater cause, but it was a bit absurd reading some parts.

The art style; for the sake of putting it in, is just very off-putting, yet it draws attention, like it wants to ever so desperately want to convey the emotion the author is trying to put in.
And it worked, what can I say? It was an amazing experience.

Yeah, obviously, this manga isn't on the realistic side, unless you live in a neighborhood filled with semi-psychopaths communicating with one another.

This review contains spoilers!!!!

Oyasumi punpun is one of those manga i hesitated a lot before deciding to finally finish up as the first 15 chapters gave me the feeling this manga has good chances to be a complete failure. The reason behind this is the huge amount of nihilistic and pessimistic elements Ino Asano was putting in almost every page and the random use of symbolism and escapism. I usualy don't have problems with the use of such elements in the story, nihilism is an important theme in '' monster'' and escapism is present in ''vinland saga'' and i have both of them in my top 5. But to have every character drawn in a creepy way, all time doing weird and random stuff isn't a good way to portray a meaningless world especialy since the manga is meant to be a realistic depiction of life. Using random symbolism so often doesn't make the story any deep, and continuously making references to escapism doesnt count as a valid critisism. So the result after 15 chapters is that i was unable to say what oyasumi punpun is about, and i couldn't understand how Ino Asano's mind was working. I literally felt it was the work of a drunk person drawing random shit and writing whatever comes to his mind. So i was intending to drop this manga as i felt i have no connection to it. But the high rate was bothering me and i thought maybe i was missing the point of the series, maybe there is a meaning to what i couldn't understand, maybe the story is yet to be explored and maybe the the mangaka will explain why is he using all theses nihilistic elements and escapism references. So what has changed now that i have finished the manga???

Well, i was simply disapointed. The story was still the same, just random events and non connected arcs. I did like some parts of the manga where the writing was good, for example, yuuichi's arc was good in terms of characterisation and character development, but his story didn't have any impact whatsoever on the other characters. It was an isolated story that didn't give any addition to the plot. And the same thing can be said about the other stories. Seki and shimizu had their own story, punpun and aiko had their separate adventure, punpun and sachi's relationship didn't impact the others, punpun and yuuichi, punpun and his father, punpun and his mother... And of course the cult has his own story. All the stories were disconected or at the best have very limited links. This may be done deliberatly by the mangaka to portray some kind of distancing in japan's society, but this can't reflect the reality as it is unimaginable that all these characters stories aren't connected while punpun is almost every time a part of a relationship. The consequence of this choice is that there was no real plot going on, and the current events are independant of prior ones, and so it's easy to forget what happened in the previous part especialy with a terrible monotony in the rythme which i'll discuss in the next paragraph.

The rythme of this series is one of its biggest issues. You barely notice that there is something progressing, it' s not due to a slow pacing , but rather to a terrible monotony in the writing. The rythme is the same almost throughout the whole series that you can't tell where is the buildup and where is the climax. This again might be intentional, in order to describe the boring life of japan, but to maintain this rythme the whole time was exhausting. Worst than this, the monotony isn't only concerning the rythme, but also what happening to the characters: the same idea is always being repeated, two characters will end up having sex after a random succession of events. It is as if the mangaka doesn't have any other ideas to progress the story other than relying on sexual desir. We've seen this over and over that it became predictible even in the most hopless situations.

The characters in this manga are a bunch of mentaly sick people. Every character is a psychopath or at least having something wrong with his mind. There is literally no sane character that could be described as a normal person, even midori who seemed like a normal sane girl ended up unjustifiably riding punpun's dick when he was still in high school.
This weird way of portraying the characters made it impossible for the me to understand any of them. You can't know what a character could be thinking or what he will do except that he or she could at any moment be having sex with someone. This will lead me to talk about what drives these characters and to what extent the managka explained that.

Well, Asano Ino never explained what truely drives the characters and what pushes them to take an act, all he has done is describing what they were doing or showing their weird psyche reaction especialy in punpun's case. But what he was showing was hardly realistic as he usualy uses some meaningless symbolism that he never tried to explain. So the result was that the characters felt unrealistic although they are meant to reflect what society is like.

Now talking about the themes of oyasumi punpun, Asano Ino should be praised for tackling some topics concidered as taboos. He really had the guts to talk about sex, crime, suicide, marginalization, bullying.... But the major themes of his manga was the boredom and meaninglessness of human life. But how did he approach these topics??
What the mangaka did is describing a society where theses themes are presents: throughout all this work he addopted a descriptive method to talk about social and psychological problems without reaching their depth, i mean without talking about the causes of these problems and trying to find some solutions. This descriptive method is reflected by his work art, the way he draws the panels is similar to camera shots, as if he was taking photos from real life. The art style is simply amazing, obviously the best part of the series, but even this best part has problems related to the story telling and the descriptive method i've just talked about : eventhough the art is gorgeous, it wasn't a backup to the story, as the sceneries were often independent to the dialogues. There was also an overuse of pannels describing the space that were irrelevant to what is happening.

So, going back to the descriptive approach, Asano Ino managed to describe a world of complete boredom, a world where there is only suffering and depression, but he stopped here, he didn't analyse what causes this suffering and how can human beings potentially overcome this situation. No, actually he did give an answer to the second part of this problematic (the solution part) : his answer is there is no solution, people can't escape the boredom of life, they can only live in suffering or depression. But how did he come to this conclusion?? Well simply he didn't come to any conclusion as this was the hypothesis that constructed the manga, it's a conviction that he forced into the story, the same way he forced the idea that '' god doesn't exist'' without saying why or how he or his characters figured it out. He also forced the idea that escapism is bad, without even trying to explain why. Asano Ino' s nihilistic view of the world was forced upon the reader without even tackling the philosophical problematic of the meaninglessness of life. maybe he thought that describing a society where the characters either suffer or escape the suffering by believing in gods or any other potential existence, is sufficient to demonstrate that life is meaningless, but he was completely wrong as his proof is the thesis itself.

I'm not against the idea that life could really be meaningless, or that what is left for humanity is either suffering or boredom, but what pissed me off is the abscence of any type of argumentation to proove this idea. Philosophers have already discussed this topic and those who agreed on this idea have some solid arguments. But the mangaka never tried to explain this. So the result was that what all the manga was about is describing a distopian society that doesn't reflect the real life, because in reality there are some people who live in happiness, because events are not only the result of coincidences as Asano is trying to portray. Escapism isn't necessarily bad because it can lead to a better life or to happiness even if it's just an illusion. The problem with this manga is that it was a one sided aproach, you can't talk about suffering without talking about happiness, you can't portray a world of complete depression neglecting the possiblity that some one is living in happiness.

The last thing i will discuss in this review before the conclusion is the ending. OMG this was one of the worst ends i've ever seen. From the moment punpun and aiko killed aiko's mother, the manga went downhill. That scene were they killed the woman was one of the worst plot twists i've witnessed, it was random, meaningless and forced. The writer was so desprate to make the characters fall into depression that he started forcing meaningless twists with no sense of realism: first punpun fixed the injury of aiko who has been stabbed by her mother, then we are going to ignore punpun's stabbed leg, aiko randomly gouged out punpun's left eye because he only needs one eye to see only her, they randomly had sex in the woods while the police is looking for them as if their survival doesn't matter... And then randomly aiko committed suicide while just before she said she doesnt want to die. This sequence of events is the most laughable and stupid one i've ever seen, and to finish the shit the last chapter will be about a character irrelevant to the plot, a charcter you haven't seen since more than 50 chapters, and the idea of this final chapter is that all that awaits humanity is depression, as if it's new in the manga!!! the writer symbolically ended up the manga with a scene similar to that '' love at first sight scene'' in the begining of the series, implicitly meaning that there will be the same mistakes, and that humanity couldn't escape her fate. This ending was is an insult to anyone who values himself as person who thinks, if the mangaka was planning this end from the begining then he didn't need 147 chapter to come to this bullshit, 40 chapters will be sufficient to force upon the reader his pessimistic view of the world, and to be honest chapter 70 is the summary of all this manga and would be enough to convey Asano's messages, he really didn't need all those characters in the story and he could have writen the cult's ridiculous story in a one shot.

All in all, oyasumi punpun was a failure for me, a failure because it could have been handled better, a failure because it had a lot of potentiel to be great. There was some moments i really liked, there was some really good parts especialyYuiichi's arc, there was a character called Sachi that had potentiel to be a great character, but the mangaka didn't know how to end her story. The art work was amazing, but overall this wasn't an enjoyable read except from some parts, as all it lefts you with is a meaninglessness depression. There is no depth or substance to the story whatsoever as it only describes the dystopian situation of total depression. I read manga an watch anime to learn something new, to see a better world and to have great moments including sad an depressing moments, but this manga didn't help me discover anything new in life, as it's a 147 chapters description of Schopenhauer's pessimisme, if only it had a philosophical approach, my normal and ordinary life is way better than the life Asano Ino portrayed in his work, i can't recall it had some great moments that left me impressed, there wasn't not even what can be called sad moments as it was depression all the time. i couldn't understand the characters and thus couldn't connect with them and finally i didn't feel bad for those who died. However, i do understand the popularity of this series and i even can accept its high rate because there is a lot of people who can relate to this manga, and to be honest this is the type of manga that can only be good if you are able to relate to it. So for those who can connect with such kind of manga, this can be a fantastic read for them. For those who have experienced so much depression and live in a negative atmosphere, Oyasumi punpun can be a mirror to their life and thus they can find is great, but for those who value their existence and lives, for those who seek enjoyment and knowledge from reading manga, this is not a work i would recommend, because it won't add anything good to your life except that it will remind you, ironicly, to value more your existence.

This happened to my buddy eric.














Why is it making me write more lol. Inio Asano is a genius. He’s created a slice of life like no other, that really gets into the nitty-gritty bits of life. He’s not afraid to show the realities of life in this work, truly complimented by his outstanding artwork. I heavily enjoyed this read, but do NOT read if you’re down bad. It won’t help lol. Dnjwjwjjakwksklwlalwkwkkwkrjfjfjhfjejajwkkakwkskakk Characters are amazing too ahehjsjajdhsjkakdklskfjdhaijfj i didn’t actually wanna write a full review i just wanted to make a meme sjhehskakjdjdjakfn how long does this have to beeeeeeee jajajsjjsjsjjdjfjdnns

Oyasumi Punpun is a great manga, however the manga have some issues that can bother manny people. And in this review i'll try show you these issues if you are looking for things that can bother you in the reading please look this review.

Story-9
The story is about the life of Onodera Punpun since his 11 for his twenties and we see the boy growing with manny MANNY troubles with sad, depressed and astonish moments in the narrative.
The story have much dialogue what get the things a bit boring in some chapters if you are the kind of person whose don't like read very much it may annoy you, beside these issuens the story is GREAT the author makes you feel like Punpun in moments of depression and despair. Since the beginning the narrative is very realistic and don't saves resources of story-telling like sex or death if you are weak mind and easily disturbed please stay away if you don't mind for this juste enjoy and learn some life lessons.

Art-10
Combining with the story the art in this manga is wonderful and realistic, the city, the people and even Punpun(who have the simplest design in most part of story) are very well represented and some moments the art is surrealistics but its works perfectly.

Characters-8
The characters are very meh, Punpun is extremely well developed, but the others are simpler and do not have a GOOD time screen than it. Some characters look useless, they do not interest anyone and they do not develop the story, if those rotten apples do not show up most of the time, the manga could be so much better.

Enjoyment-9
The manga is very good you can appreciate every chapter. Even with some boring moments the art compensate(try find Punpun in random places ^^)

Overall-9
The manga is amazing and if you like depressing and more mature stories and still didn't read this manga stop what you are doing and go read. The manga is a good experience and you could even learn some things with that and think about your life.

This series teaches exactly what happens with every choice made by us from the beginning of life.

As a choice it can shake you, and do things we would never think we would do.

I have seen many people criticize Punpun for the evil he has done in the course of the final chapters. And in fact, this is what the series shows us, that being under pressure, many ideas in the head make you take some rather hasty action.

It is easy to talk when your life was a sea of ​​tranquility. Some people do not know what true despair is, using wrong words to mislead their sense of justice. I'm not saying that Punpun did wrong things, on the contrary, he did, and should pay, but we have to know the reasons why he did what he did, and then judge him.

That's what I shot in this series. Fantastic, showing how many emotions can be passed from childhood to the final moment.

Take my review with a grain of salt, because before "Oyasumi Punpun", I have never read a manga before. EVER! At the same time I don't think I'll ever read a manga like that or even similar.

I was doing a little research on Japanese pop culture and a strip of Punpun showed up and it caught my eye. I read a bit of what people where saying about it but I knew I was going to buy it and read it. The art was that good. One thing that everyone will tell you is that "Oyasumi Punpun" is not like any manga out there. Not reading any manga before was actually the reason why i was attracted to it in the first place.

Story: The story is a coming of age of a kid named Punpun. That's really all you need to know. It captures the struggles of being a kid like talking to girls, discovering sex, dealing with parents and society, and questioning your faith in god and religion. In that sense, the manga is so good in capturing the essence of these struggles. Punpun as a character rarely speaks and his design as a little bird (he's an actual kid in the world but he's portrayed like that for us readers) makes relating to him so much easier. With the few words or thoughts that Punpun communicates, you end up relating that emotion to your life and how you dealt with such situation growing up. Also, the writer Inio Asano does a great job in capturing the depth of these emotions to a point where it made me tear up or laugh out sometimes. Some people would relate to it more than others and that is why people's opinions about it are so polarized.

Art: I can't judge the art since I cannot compare it to any other manga since I never ready any. I am sure there are great ones out there. So on its own "Oyasumi Punpun" is beautiful to look at. The best part for me though was Punpun's character design. If you do a little research on the character you will see many portrayals on how he's drawn, and that is part of its charm. Punpun goes through a lot of phases and that affects how we see him. He starts off as a little ghost like bird and grows up to become a human body/bird head, which some times becomes a pyramid or an alien head... I know it's hard to explain but all that played a great part for me in understanding the depth of the emotions that Punpun had and the thoughts he had in his little head.

Characters: Like any story, you will like some character more than others. I personally loved Punpun's main story and his uncle Yuuichi. Some side characters are fun and amazing in shaping the world of the manga but some were so boring to me that i would flip so fast just to get them over with. Thankfully they are not very central to the main plot.

Enjoyment: Wow what a ride. It will really depend on what you enjoy. Oyasumi Punpun" is very VERY dark. The story is very heavy and discusses heavy themes like depression, suicide, divorce, domestic violence among many others. It's not fun in the general meaning of fun, but i did enjoy it so much. For some people it would be a depressing ride, but for me it made me think and reflect on my personal experiences. For example, on the topic of relationships, all have good sides and bad sides and even extreme sad sides too and "Oyasumi Punpun" captures such mess with ease. The portrayal of these topics is so universal that at many points I felt really shocked on how we are humans share the same basic feelings and think about them in the same way, that for someone like me could relate so deeply to a manga that was conceived in Japan. Don't get me wrong, on a basic level we all do relate. but what shocked me is that some of the ideas and emotions in "Oyasumi Punpun" were so deep and personal that I thought I might get lost at first. Though it astonished me how close our experiences are.

OVERALL: I must stress on two things: 1- Punpun is like nothing I have every read before. 2- It is NOT for everyone. So in the end my real advice is to either "go get all the volumes NOW" or "stay the hell away from it".

Before i read Oyasumi Punpun i heard that it was a very sad manga, but something different. Therefore i was constantly reading that it was something not made for everyone but i had to give it a chance. I then gave it a chance and said to myself "this can't be that sad".

And how wrong i was...

Oyasumi Punpun makes an incredible balance between being nostalgic, sad and beautiful (or gorgeus). It's not just something that you would say "Hey something similar happened to me once!", is something that if you feel familiar with any of the situations or the way that the characters think, be prepared for the worst.

I don't want to say too much because i don't want to make this so long and bad to read, but you should definitely give it a try if you're looking for something different than the usual Shonen or even Seinen that it's on the magazines these days. But be prepared, this is not for everyone and it has it's very brutal and crude moments.

So when everything goes fine, be prepared get mouth opened and your feelings crushed.

With all of that i give it a 10. An easy 10 for me.

my friend told me to read this manga because he said its weird (basically he just seen a meme and this manga just happen to be on it) and ask me tor read it. tbh ive never really read a manga before but after i read 5 or 6 chapter, im hooked into it. at first i thought punpun was a real bird and the story basically will be just about a nonsense weirdness and stuff. i've never been so wrong. (and i looked up in the wikipedia that the genre was drama, i was expecting thriller or fantasy tbh)

so the main character is punpun, and what we would see is how he grow up from a mere child to an adult in his early 20's. what would we also see is the personality of punpun who would eventually led to sort of things that basically just happen because of his decision. as the story progress the mangaka interpretation of punpun changes too based on his personality which i found unique.

basically, i loved this manga and how it tells me you have to grow some backbone sometimes but not too tall or large because it could rip you form the inside. apart from that, the art is beautifully drawn, and again the fact that punpun is a bird doesnt bothered me as he blend with the beautifully drawn other character just perfectly.

perhaps what i dont like is just how depressing the story is and punpun itself, and to make it worse its all punpun fault. he is a depressed character surrounded by a less-depressed character. but all in all they all depressed. but the problem is punpun is too weak to stand up even that for his own sake and when he do, well..

most of all i love the story its like riding a rollercoaster of emotion up until the end. but as i read the last chapter, i really want something more. for some reason im not satisfied, but on the other side i like it just the way it is.

in conclusion its a superb story, in a weird way that you would enjoy it.

10/10 really. would read something like this again.

Inio Asano is simply the best, someone so absolutely talented that even those that do not care for manga are doing themselves a disservice in not read this man works. He rises so far above his contemporaries that its almost as if they don't even exist on the same plane as him. In the same way that I feel that those that fail to read Alan Moore have missed out on something integral in storytelling, Punpun succeeds in being a quintessential part of a young persons journey to adult. At its Thematic core they're is a vulnerableness that is directly and painfully expressed, especially that heart breaking realization that the life and girl and things you always imagined making you happy are simply illusions that you have built into monolithic lies. Goodnight Punpun so carefully creates these narratives of abuse and struggle, depression and even some slight critiques of society without ever losing the pain of growing up. The rise and fall of Punpun is logical and rooted in tragedy staying palatable and directly painful. The only unfortunate distinction and one that has seemed to be overcome, was that because of the abstract way of showing Punpun, many people may underestimate or downright reject this manga, even though it is the closest thing I've seen in manga to perfection.

Bleak, pessimistic, uncharismatic...
Oyasumi Punpun shows the world through a dark lens, grotesque murky darkness blots out the entire world. Desperation, violence, and desire run rampant frequently painting the world as dark as one could realistically view it. With characters often finding/putting themselves in the worst possible scenarios. Spread throughout the long stretches of cold cruelty are small breaks of softness, of growth, evolution, passion. I'm sure it's no accident that those breaks serve as the best points of the series, those moments of fragile humanity are the reward of suffering through the stretches of darkness that the story presents.

The story of Oyasumi Punpun follows a number of different characters with little physicality tying them together, instead using metaphors and symbolism to draw connections between each other more often than not. Its a very mature way of telling a story where certain things can be easily missed if the reader isn't really thinking about what's being said as well as what is being shown. The structure of the story is impeccable, from the way every panel is drawn to how it sets up for each climactic moment within the story based on a single detail 80 chapters ago, giving you hints as to how things will twist, while still keeping you guessing for exactly how it will go down. 9/10

The art fits the story perfectly giving it an eerie and an extremely uncanny feeling, I don't know if the story was made to fit the art or vice versa, but it is a match made in heaven. The level of detail in some of the panels is crazy making some beautiful artwork while still capturing the expression and feeling that the story demands. Sometimes characters can be shown with extremely goofy or unrealistic expressions and personally it felt too jarring at times bringing me out of the moment. With that being said I can understand that those still add to the uncanny feelings that the story relies on so I can just kinda blot them out of my mind for the most part as they aren't too frequent. 10/10

Characters. While the other characters are good, Onodera is really the star of the show here being the most interesting, while changing a number of times shedding out of his skin, not always for the better, he is a product of his environment and the world he lives in, and those are not very good places. The way he is depicted, from the way he's drawn to how the author expresses his emotions to the reader is all unique without feeling cheap and corny. Looking at a deeper level Punpun is clearly well thought out being multifaceted with any number of different emotions he goes through at different points in the story and its really hard to put him down as one type of character or put him in a box, he's just too complex of a person for that. And that's really the best way to talk about the characters in Oyasumi Punpun, they feel human, its easy to understand why they do things after going through their life story, like real people. 9/10

I don't know how many people can say they "enjoyed" reading Oyasumi Punpun. So instead I decided to look at it as how motivated was I to go to the next chapter, to continue the story. For some reason throughout my whole read I felt something was missing, it was so draining to continue reading through sometimes and I was just, kind of bored, I wasn't feeling anything, I didn't care to see what happens next. I typically cry at any number of things when reading or watching anime so the fact that I was just going through this feeling bored... was a weird experience for me. Its hard for me to quantify why I just couldn't feel anything when reading, was the world just so dark that I couldn't give a damn, were the characters decisions so far from what I accept as right that I don't care, something intangible was just missing and for whatever the reason, I just wasn't interested in going to the next chapter for a large portion of my read. 6/10

Overall Oyasumi Punpun is a great story told through the eyes of excellent characters with brilliant art direction. It is one of, if not the, best executed coming of age/slice of life story I have read. It is dark, filthy, disgusting, and vile, if things such as rape, bullying, suicide, etc. etc. put you off, don't read, however, if those things don't bother you or for gods sake interest you, give it a read, it is a very unique series. 9/10

My god what a story. Oysaumi Punpun has impacted me in ways I didn't think it would. This is a masterpiece. Very rarely do I find stories where the relatable feelings doesn't come off cringe or forced. Feelings are displayed in a subtle yet very direct way. It's quite unexplainable. I fell in love with this manga in two days and finished it. Whoever is reading this, I hope I can influence you to read this classic story.

Story: The story follows Punpun and the hardships that he faces. This includes depression, self-deprecation, first love, heartbreak, sexual frustration and many other things. I personally can relate to all of these and still suffer from a few of these hardships. With that being said I felt as if Inio portrayed all these feelings through Punpun's thoughts. You often hear Punpun's thoughts as he is not very outspoken due to his feelings. This occurs because of the fate that I feel he was destined. Punpun is really just stuck in a cycle that will never end through the majority of the story. Story also follows other characters that are and were in Punpun's life, but they are mainly included to help take a break from Punpun. Not to say they don't matter, because later in the story these characters play a big part. I don't want to spoil anything at all so I will just leave it there. The story is a modern masterpiece of storytelling.

Art: I'm not very picky when it comes to art, but I did notice the art improve throughout the story. There are beautiful background drops and I loved the way the author chose to draw Punpun especially through his mood swings. It might be a bit confusing, but it all comes full circle just trust me.

Characters: My god this is and the story is what makes this story what it is. Punpun as the main character makes you happy, sad, nervous and angry at different points. People tend to be frustrated with Punpun at certain points and yes they make me frustrated, but it's beautiful. That is what makes him human. That is what makes me human. That is what makes YOU human. We all feel this way about someone or in Punpun's mind, himself. He has desires that he is not proud, but we all have guilty thoughts and wants. Now moving on to Aiko the second main character, her story is truly heartbreaking. I will leave it there as I feel so strong about Aiko and her role in the story, and it really tears your heart apart. You can see the changes in how Punpun interacts with other women the way he would Aiko and you see him treat Aiko the way other women treat him. That alone in itself is depressing for a viewer to read. You see his relationship with Sachi and how that unfolds as well. She tries to rebuild Punpun which I think ends up as the worst case scenario for Punpun's future. Seki and Shimizu get wrapped up in everyday life and learn life's lessons along with dealing with a new cult being formed in the city. These characters along with his Uncle, Midori, Punpun's parents and many other characters are fleshed out all through 147 chapters. The characters without a doubt make this what this story is. You'll learn to love, hate and connect with these characters who seem to be real people when reading through this story.

Enjoyment: There is really nothing else to say. I laughed, I cried and was frustrated at points. Frustration as in wanting better for characters, but realizing why they made a certain choice and understanding. I completely enjoyed it as I finished it in just a few days.

Overall: I just think everyone should read this at a certain point. I relate with Punpun and learned some things along the journey. I more than likely will read again. Just perfect. Thanks for reading.

This story broke me into shambles.

For so long I've lived a depressing life, filled with a longing for reason to keep going. This manga illustrates that feeling flawlessly, the emotional damage and mental withdraws of wandering and looking for a reason to keep going.

Oyasumi Punpun is the embodiment of the human mental put perfectly into a story about some weird chicken-looking dude, who consistently doubts himself, hurts others, and wishes for a release from himself and the potential harm he could do to others. With the dynamics of every character intersecting eachother at the sweet spot of their stories, and an overlying story of the supernatural being told at the same time, this story delivers the raw, uncut feelings of those involved in the story with a strong sense of relation to the reader. No matter who you are, you can feel for and relate to one or multiple characters in Oyasumi Punpun.

It feels like this story seriously captured every personality you would meet in your day-to-day life, and heavily exaggerates them in a sense to make you feel stupid for even interacting with those sort of people or even being that sort of person. But at the same time offering redemption to each of them in their characters' own personal stories, no matter how treacherous the life they lived. It offers an overview of every person ever, their pain, their sorrows, their struggles, and offers a sense of closure to every single person who reads it. But still, a sense of emptiness after reading it.

I would never recommend this manga to anyone. It is beyond words how much this affects the human psyche.

10/10.

I set my enjoyment on this rating to 2/10 for "dreadful", because this was an egregious experience for me, and I hate myself for enjoying this.

There are piece of arts that shake you from the bottom of you heart, echo through body, and put you on knees, for better or for worse. For some of you, Oyasumi Punpun is definitely something like that.

When I read Oyasumi Punpun, the closest things that came to mind is these work from the naturalism movement : the author immerse a character into a "realist" situation, and "scientifically" describe all his resulting behavior and thoughts, with a detached point of view. The way the character is "animated", the realism of the landscape, the long thoughts of all the characters on their existential issues bind O.P. with this style.

O. P. is the story of an ordinary boy, although a bit shy and sensitive. You never see his face, but a very simple form representing him. You never see him talking, but only a "face" he's doing while he's supposedly doing so, and a whole panel reporting his says in direct or indirect speech, as an old silent film. This make it nearly impossible to put yourself in Punpun's shoes, and represents the character well : Punpun is a shadow, struggling to be heard, having trouble looking into the mirror, in a reality which seems to swallow him.

The main characters's thought are deeply described as they grow holder, loose contact between each other, struggle with their own issue, and wonder their place in society and goal in life. Let's be honest, this is clearly not a happy manga : the main theme traversing it is the impossibility for people, though they all have similar issue on they mind, to truly rely and understand each others, including themselves, leading to and everlasting feeling of loneliness. And don't except that problem to this solve.

This brings to the realism of the manga, which is something to be underlined. Life is hard, miracles are scarce and unexpected, friendship hard to maintain and people are not so oblivious about your past mischiefs. People are pathetic, deceitful, even if they act with good intentions, their will are limited and often act short-term. This realism is quite a bit weakened in the end, as it seems the authors are somehow eager to conclude, but the manga ends in agreement with itself in a series of acts which result logically from the past events.

To conclude, this manga is a very nice piece of art with a very good mental description of the main characters while most of them grow up from middle-school kids to "independent" adults. 2 pieces of advice, though : 1) Don't read it while you're depressed, as this manga continuously takes a toll on your mind; 2) Don't except this manga to be a cure : as strong as it may echo to your own life, the authors don't really answer to a particular question, but rather raise them. Have a nice read, though! ;)