Oyasumi Punpun

9/10
The story is simply Punpun and others facing hardships of the life and it gets really tense!
Punpun is a kindergarten student who has to face a crush, commitment and family issues just to start with.
At one point I wondered if Punpun is just a cursed character (who has only bad things happening to him) but still many of the incidents and memories feel just too real, I guess that's what makes the book great, it's too real sometimes.
It really portrays accurately how loneliness is, how much meaningless life can be. And just really makes me appreciate my friends, family and life.

**Spoilers ahead**

The ending was just alright for me, I know meeting Aiko again and the mirroring brought whole lot of meaning but still I would have preferred less poetic ending.

In first half the way time skips just kept happening as Punpun started feeling disconnected was the most scary part.
The backstories often revealed people's motives and finding out those twists was crazy, like what really had happened between Punpun's father and mother, whole Punpun's Uncle's backstory.

I really liked how atmosphere was built to further communicate the feelings,how it almost always rained was Punpun was at worst, then the rainbow when Sachi gives him hope, the whole one volume where Punpun just turns into a pyramid etc.

I didn't understand some of the side characters being in the story, like the whole Pegasus and group thing. I would rather not have preferred them in such detail. May be I would have liked more on Aiko since she had whole lot of significance at the end or even Sachi.

+The characters
+All the dark feelings and demons
+Artwork and symbolism
-Overly pessimistic?

All said, may be it's little too dark for me to be read again. Still I will like to read it again when life passes me by.

Literally perfect in every way possible. It's gonna fuck you up like nothing has never fucked you up before. You'll connect with it in the strangest emotional way. The events may have never happened to you but for whatever reason you will relate to them so heavily.
Honestly, this is a must read for literally anyone.

Oyasumi Punpun is an all-time favorite of mine. It has everything I love in a manga: gorgeous art, a good sense of humor, and a sense subtlety that leaves it up to a bit of interpretation. It's definitely worth a read, and I would recommend it to just about everyone.
Story: 8.5/10
The story is conventional on the surface: a coming-of-age story about a kid that never quite fits in. However, it's quite a bit more complex than that. It follows the lives of many different characters, from Punpun to his friends to his family members. All the interlocking stories are engrossing and thought-provoking.
However, it does lag a bit at times. Maybe this is because I marathoned it, but I felt that there were some dry periods jammed into the normally intense narrative. Despite this, the pacing is good overall.
Another thing I must commend the manga on is its effortless transition in tone. Because it follows Punpun's life from his grade school days into adulthood, the tone naturally goes from almost off-puttingly innocent to something darker and more cerebral. The change is well-paced and scarcely noticeable while you're in it.
Art: 10/10
Fantastic, obviously. It's beautifully detailed with an innovative style. The art is one of the main things that attracted me to the manga.
Characters: 10/10
All the characters are well-rounded and developed. Even ones that seem bland and unlikable at first are given dimension and charm (Punpun's mother comes to mind). None of the characters are "typical"; they all have their finer points and their flaws, their good intentions and their ulterior motives. It definitely stands out from other stories -- manga or otherwise -- in this regard.
Enjoyment: 10/10
I busted through twelve volumes in two days, if that gives you any idea of how much I enjoyed it.
My only caveat is that the story is heavy, especially in later chapters; I wouldn't recommend reading it if you've had a rough week, as it will bring you down further.
Overall: 10/10

Everyone and their grandmother is in love with the story of Punpun, okay? Hell, the cult following it has is larger than that of the illuminate itself. Even I was a sucker for it, tempted with the promise of nice slice of life story telling. And true to those words, we follow Punpun throughout his awkward, miserable-at-times, somewhat humorous life. It took my second time reading through it all to become interested and fully invested, as so many are, but on a whim I wound up binge reading it and having my head and heart filled with an influx of various emotions. Goodnight Punpun is more than just a coming of age manga, it takes the shitty things life may throw at individuals growing up, and then it boosts them tenfold. Highly captivating, with surprisingly charming characters coupled with phenomenal story telling, you won't want to put it away when you start it.

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.

If I were to describe the overall story of Oyasumi Punpun, I would describe it as being a disturbing & pessimistic work, with a hyper focus on nihilism. I personally enjoyed reading this manga. It was definitely hard to read at times, I took many breaks, but in the end I found it very cathartic and "enjoyable". Enjoyable not in the traditional sense of course.

The Mangaka focuses on heavy themes such as abuse, depression, sexuality, suicide, and nihilism. The mangaka depicts these themes in a brutal and oddly beautiful way, without romanticizing these heavy themes.

I encourage people to give this manga a try, if you don't mind pessimistic works with heavy and very real themes. I would not recommend binging this series if you are sensitive to disturbing material. Instead, I would recommend reading this book at your own pace and take breaks if you need too.

Overall 10/10

It was a deep tale, with a lot of depth, despite the main character being drawn as a ghost bird. The art was fantastically detailed.

This was a very long story, but I think the length of it helped me as a reader, feel the passage of time that was bearing down on the main character.

Through Punpun's life as a child, you smile and enjoy his simplistic and trusting views on the world, and come to understand the progression of his personality and what makes him into an adult. I loved it. It was an excellent story, with fully fleshed out supporting characters.

My only negative comment, was that at times when the story switched from one character's view to another, the transition was not clear and I would be a bit confused. This only happened three or four times, and was not deal breaker.

This manga is disturbing, disgusting, frightening, disheartening, and beautiful. To anybody who thinks it's about a cute lil bird, the manga has nothing to do with birds. This may be the most bittersweet work ever made, emphasis on bitter. This will make you feel emotion, and thats who I think this manga is for. For the people in a rut, the people who are numb, let this manga take you on one fucked up ride, and hopefully you'll come out on the other side better for it.

On another note, I listened to 808s And Heartbreaks among other things while reading, and Streetlights came on during a particularly sad part, so now I tear up whenever I hear it, its like a trigger. Thanks Punpun.

With regards to an adaptation, I don't think it should be touched unless they really want to go all in, if they made it right it would be easy top 10 material, but I doubt it'll happen.

Hello, degenerate weeb.

Thoughts of how to approach earnestly encapsulating my experience reading Punpun here digestibly while attempting to mostly accurately express the profundity which I consider myself fortunate enough to have experienced during my time snuggled up on all those unsure nights in the summer of 2020 (which is of course, currently continuing to unfold as quite the multitudinously extraordinary year) flipping through little paper pages with the weight of the world inked all over...well, I suppose there're limitless ways I could go about trying to explain my understanding of the essence and perceived value of this series.

~~~~

I'll get right to the point and keep it as succinct as I know how to- all of Goodnight Punpun's explosively expressive art, raw characterization, thoughtful panelling, appearance of powerful humor laced with morbidity behind unexpected corners, sometimes beautifully erratic and other times meditatively focused narrative flow, intimately human writing and deft inclusion/placement of thematic tones during moments when the whole world just..stopped...made me feel exquisitely alive. When the content of this manga met with 28 years of considerably impressionistic colors swirling around in this head of mine, burstingly rife with all sorts of particularities which've formed the initiative to write this assessment, I'd encountered realizations and subsequent periods of reflection which illuminated various nuanced developments comprising my perspectives on certain things.

~~~

The warmest words I can provide to represent my admiration for what Inio Asano created here at this very moment are that his work both humbly and loudly awoke parts of me which served to remind that 'growing up' is a continuous privilege of being human until the very day our ephemerally fleeting time is extinguished.

~~

This world contains so very much unspeakably profound beauty, and humanity is done for~

i still love the fuck out of this manga, even if chapters 100-147 were basically torture to read with how sad it was.

this is hands down my favorite manga. i didn’t think anything could top tokyo ghoul, but this certainly did.

i’m glad i found out about this manga from a friend of mine of animelist, i probably would’ve never read it if it wasn’t for him.

i’ve spent so many late nights reading this (like i am rn) and i’m glad i did so. thank you so much Inio Asano for making this. i’ve never been able to relate to something so much before in my life.

10/10 manga, it absolutely hurt to read though.

Goodnight Punpun by Inio Asano
Long-Winded Review #4 [XXL Edition]

Introduction:
Oyasumi Punpun, or Goodnight Punpun in English, is Inio Asano's magnum opus. This is his ultimate masterpiece, and easily one of the best manga of all time. Hands down my absolute favorite. It's hard to review this without spoilers, or at the very least setting expectations. Expectations are important in a book like this, since so much of it subverts or utterly destroys genre conventions. As such, I am entirely avoiding spoilers, but a lot of what I'll say will definitely set expectations. This is a seinen manga like no other; it's a psychological slice-of-life story that eventually turns into a drama, with romance, comedy, and horror elements. Honestly, putting it into any box is a disservice to the uniqueness of this manga.

Series Overview:
The series takes us from when Punpun is in elementary school all the way up to his early 20s, from an innocent and hopeful child to a cynical and depressed adult. The story focuses on Punpun's life for the most part but also follows various side characters, many of which are his elementary school friends, so we get to see how they grow up. Occasionally, new characters will be introduced that will be pivotal to the story, or otherwise used to highlight or contrast aspects of the manga. However, each character has depth, they have their own story and journey, and they stand on their own.

Punpun Himself:
I know I need to address this, as I'm sure most people coming into this manga are curious. I think it's better to interpret it yourself, but I will try to give you a spoiler-free overview. Punpun himself is depicted as a 2-dimensional bird thing, and his appearance changes over the course of the story, but all the characters in the manga see him as a normal human. Only we, the reader, see him in his various forms. What these various forms mean is up to your interpretation, although there are official explanations out there if you so desire. Mostly but not exclusively, it is done to reflect Punpun's current state of mind, and to allow the reader to better relate or project onto the character. It might be an odd preposition to relate better to a bird thing than a human, but it's an ingenious gimmick that just works. There are other reasons for this, but I'll leave it up to you to find out. For most of the series, Punpun does not talk, or at least he doesn't have speech bubbles. He is implied to talk, as other characters will talk and reply to him, but for the most part it is left up to the reader to infer what he says and how he acts based on the narration, the context, and his body language. A lot of times, his actions and reactions are deliberately exaggerated, as are some of the other characters; this is something Asano does in a lot of his manga for various reasons, one of them being comic relief, but it is up to you whether or not to take these things at face value. Just remember that what we see and what the characters see are not always the same, but it really depends on your interpretation.

Writing, Characters, and Story:
For the most part, this manga reads like a first-person narrative even though technically it is not. It is almost autobiographical in nature if not for the focus shifts into other characters' lives and perspectives. Asano places such immaculate care into his wording and dialogue. It is evocative, emotional, and philosophical. It can also be funny, disturbing, crass, or surreal.

In the elementary school years, Asano perfectly captures the innocence of childhood and the hopes and fears of growing up. It felt extremely nostalgic to me, and even reminded me of things about my own childhood that I had long forgotten. In the middle school years, we start seeing characters mature and realize that the world is not what they envisioned, that adults are not the perfect people they thought they were, and that love and puberty are confusing. In the high school years, Asano perfectly captures the angst and confusion of those years, from self-discovery to the pressures of the nearing adulthood to the sexual urges prevalent in those years. In the post-high school years, Asano explores darker themes, such as existentialism, depression, trauma, and one's place in the world; as well as relationships, sex, and work.

The beauty of having followed these characters throughout all of these years is that we can see how they've become the adults that they are, and how their childhood, upbringing, relationships, and adversity affect them even now. Asano is a master at seeding things very early on that pay off much later on in the story, even small details that are easily missed. Seemingly irrelevant characters may show up later, events from a decade back might have significance later, symbolism set up in the beginning might play a part throughout the story or become clearer later on. There is an elliptical or cyclical nature to Asano's stories and this one is no different. Everything ties together neatly.

Where Asano really succeeds in this manga is the way he depicts his characters, their relationships, and their situations so realistically. Asano is subtle; he never tells you how to feel about characters and events, he will simply put it out there and you will have to interpret how to feel about it. We are never told to feel bad for the characters, or relate to the characters, or feel disgust for the characters. It is never that simple. These characters are not strictly meant to be likable, they are meant to be real. We are shown their affability and their demons, and it is up to us to figure out if we can relate, feel disgusted, feel pity, feel adoration, or all of the above. Unlike a lot of media where it is obvious or heavy-handed what the creator is trying to make us feel, Goodnight Punpun is subtle, it is never black and white. You might think a character is likable one page and then disgusting in another, or you might initially despise a character and then grow to empathize with them. Human beings are complex like that, and we all have demons we try to hide from others, or even from ourselves. It is important to accept the good and the bad in ourselves and in others.

This is a heavy, heady, and sometimes depressing manga. It depicts life as it is, with all the darkness, all the happiness, all the pain, all the dullness, all the trauma. Unlike most manga, it is not meant to be an escape from reality or wish-fulfillment, it is meant to BE reality. Ultimately, it's up to you what message you get from this, but I guarantee that it will stick with you in one way or another.

Art:
Inio Asano's art is simply breathtaking. With the exception of Punpun and his family, everything is depicted with extreme detail and realism. It is a deliberate contrast for which the meaning is up to your interpretation. Characters are given a lot of thought, with varied clothes that change every day, houses and rooms with extremely detailed backgrounds and possessions, and mannerisms that reflect their personalities.

As is usual with Asano's art, his absolute forte lies in his facial expressions. They are incredibly expressive, evoking absolute sorrow, joy, endearment, pity, fear, disgust, boredom. Where they shine, however, is in their subtlety. Some of his expressions have a Mona Lisa quality to them, where you can't tell if the characters are happy or sad, as if the characters themselves are conflicted about how to feel. Oftentimes, Asano will only leave you with a character making a cryptic expression with no explanation of how they might be feeling, and it is up to you to infer how they might be feeling based on context. I always complain about media forsaking the old adage of "show, don't tell" and it's very refreshing to be see Asano allowing us to make up our own mind instead of feeding us forceful sentiments.

Another thing that is a constant in Asano's manga are his incredibly detailed backgrounds. He uses a mix of hand drawn and digitally processed backgrounds. Small piece of trivia: he literally goes around taking pictures of various settings to use in his manga (that's also how he finds styles and clothes for his characters to wear). That's partly why his backgrounds and set-pieces look so realistic. It really helps this story feel more grounded, immersive, and realistic. It's important to have a good sense of setting in a story like this, especially when the story moves from one place to another. It is imperative because certain locations hold a lot of significance in the story, so they need to be memorable. This also goes back to my previous point about the way that Punpun is depicted in contrast to the rest of the world, and it helps the reader know that this story is as real as it gets despite a seemingly unrealistic main character, which brings me to my next point about the art...

The way that Asano chose to depict Punpun is brilliant. Apart from the narrative benefits I already mentioned (and the ones I didn't mention to avoid spoiling too much), Punpun's constantly evolving design offers many artistic benefits. It allows Asano to constantly play with Punpun's design depending on his mood, mental health, age, and body language. His expressions are often depicted either very exaggerated or very subtle, leaving the reader to interpret how his actual human self might look like to the other characters. Sometimes Punpun will be depicted with more human features, like hands, clothes, a full body, and other details. Throughout the series, Punpun goes through several different forms, some of which are spins on the iconic bird design, some that look more human, some that look flat out bizarre, and some where his face is exchanged for grotesque aberrations. This really helps Asano show the readers the mood or state of mind that Punpun is in, since for the most part Punpun can be somewhat cryptic with his thoughts and feelings. This can also be used to great comedic effect, much like the way Asano will sometimes have his other characters act and pose in eccentric and over the top ways, which helps lighten the mood in an otherwise dark and serious story.

Lastly, I need to address the highly graphic nature of this manga. This series is not for the easily offended or the faint of heart. Much like other Asano works, there are themes of domestic abuse, murder, suicide, and rape. As such, there are several instances of very graphic sex and violence. Some might say it's used for shock value, and they might be right to some extent, but to dismiss it as just that is short-sighted. These scenes, much like the extremely realistic writing and art style, are meant to show just how fucked up real life can get. And how do you really do these topics justice without showing them in their most realistic and ugly form? It is meant to be disturbing, it is meant to be shocking. These scenes are meant to really sell just how appalling humans can be, just how harrowing life can be, and how these things are happening to real people in the real world. These scenes can be hard to look at, so avoid this book if you don't think you can handle it.

Closing Words:
All in all, this is an absolute masterpiece. I know I've said this about every Inio Asano manga I've read thus far, but what can I say? He just gets it in a way that no other writer I have experienced in any medium does. Goodnight Punpun is easily his best work and it will stick with me forever. I have never cried so many times during a story as I have while reading this, and I am not usually one to cry very much at all. This is just a very cathartic series; it helped me unpack my past, act in the present, think about the future I had been dreading, make peace with my demons, and accept reality in all its brutality and beauty. It can be a tough read, it can be really disturbing, it can be very depressing, but at the end of the day the message of the story is not an inherently negative one but a refreshingly real one. Thus far, this is the only piece of media to have ever caused me to make actual changes in my life for which I have already seen results for. If that isn't a masterpiece, I don't know what is.

why is it that you see words like "dark" "gritty" "horrific" describing this manga when it is a superbly articulate description of a teenager's life and emotions? The first word that describes this aptly should be "real." And the fact that our intuition spits out words like "dark" I think reflects on how much romanticized versions of fantasy we're shown every day.

One thing I can't call this manga is completely original. It reminded me very much of welcome to the NHK and Arigatou in its early stories of dysfunctional family, cult, commentary on Japanese culture/society. The character introductions in punpun was almost cliche disappointingly with the divorced family and moody protagonist. However, the author shine light into more fresh ventures of the human psyche through other characters and also does a great job overtime showing the thoughts of the MC: by far the strongest aspect of oyasumi punpun is the detailed way he develops and explains punpun's psyche. It is a challenging task to be articulate enough to portray a person's thought to the readers without making it seem pointless and boring but he succeeds. For example, there is a chapter dedicated to punpun describing a mundane day that really hits home. It is truly a depressing manga in that it begins to unravel in your head and show you that, there are indeed lots of reasons to want to be isolated and depressed in this world. And that's the beauty of this manga: it doesn't just put "depression" on a pedestal and throw out sad pictures and demand readers to feel stuff. It focuses first on being relatable, which then makes a powerful connection with the reader. Not to be egotistical, but I think a more perceptive mind can relate on a visceral level of how punpun thinks, and there are so many quotables in punpun's inner dialogue you can't help but be impressed.

I do have some issues. First, I didn't care for the subplot that gets introduced. Its introduction was intriguing but it stays relatively stagnant in its development and ultimately comes to a conclusion which I felt was un-earned. Also, the latter of the story gets a little bit hyper-realistic in a NHK-ish way or the first half of arigatou-way that I was somewhat thrown off by, especially because the author does such a great job mostly in keeping the story grounded. To me, I wouldn't call it a cheap shot, but it felt like more convenient ways to raise drama and resolve the plot which I wasn't a fan of. With that said, I'll admit I probably will never be able to fully appreciate everything the mangaka tried to do here.

But ultimately, in terms of the entertainment, it's there. And the art? mesmerizing. In my head, the style is like a mix between Ito Junji and Sui Ishida. It's one of those manga that shows you that drawing really is a strategic technique. Where you place the dialogue bubbles, what scenes you choose to draw, what aspects of the character you choose to mess with--it's all important to create manga as an art and to be able to show that to novices is quite admirable. Personally, I also liked the style because it resembles (especially background art) normal Japanese people and setting which helps in grounding the story.There is a glaring gimmick in this manga but the mangaka does justify it for they still emote powerfully and uses it to demonstrate meaningful states of mind especially towards the latter.

I am glad I read this. It's a manga that doesn't PRETEND to be deep and serious with BUZZ WORDS and situations like alienation, depressions, loneliness, love, hate. It actually IS and goes into the surface in most of the time. There are definietly some food-for-though quotables here and one of the very very few manga that I visit again to really think about what the author meant. Like I said, if anything, I think the psychological journey of the protagonist is great.

A beautiful and heartbreaking masterpiece. If you like sappy storylines and happy endings, you probably won't like this manga; Punpun is painfully cynical. But what this manga lacks in optimism it makes up for with amazing writing and beautiful art work.

Story: 9/10

The story of Oyasumi Punpun is pretty plain and straight forward. You follow the titular character, Punpun, depicted as a crudely drawn bird, as he grows up. Nothing too revolutionary.Though the story begins as a happy go lucky comedy, it descends into a much darker drama as it progresses. The use of this transition brilliantly represents PunPun's change from a carefree child into a deeply troubled adult.

Art: 10/10

The art in Punpun is simply gorgeous and unlike any other manga I've read before. Each one of the character have distinctly different features. Punpun and his family are drawn to appear as birds; while this may put some people off, it creates a beautiful contrast between Punpun and many of the dark backgrounds which surround him. Supporting characters are drawn with intricate detail, and no one person looks the same.

Characters: 10/10

What makes the characters in this manga great is not that they are likable; its that they're realistically written. No character is perfect, and rarely will you come across someone who is purely evil. The main character, Punpun, is someone you start off rooting for completely. An underdog of sorts, coming from a broken home and having painfully low self esteem. However, as you read on, you find Punpun making choices that make you question how you could've liked him in the first place. Without going into much detail, this is pretty much the case for a vast majority of the cast. Characters you started out loving will disgust you, and you'll sympathize with characters you originally could not stand. No one is flat or one noted, and each of the characters is developed thoroughly.

Enjoyment: 10/10

There's not much I can say other than I absolutely loved this manga from start to finish (even though it left me dead inside). I laughed, I cried, I repeated that cycle multiple times, and I loved every minute of it. It's charm is totally irresistible

Overall 10/10

I cannot recommend this manga enough.Though it may not be a gripping action or thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, it is, nonetheless complete masterpiece. This manga will change your outlook on life.

If i could describe this manga in 3 words, it would be Edgy Miserable Sex. And i love every single minute of it.

I came in the manga completely blind, expecting some kind of surreal symbolism and avant-garde piece of story that i would need to wrap my head around analysing every detail to understand(like Serial Experiment Lain). What i got was something entirely opposite. This manga was real, very real, disturbingly real. It wasn't just a story. Punpun was an experience, a profoundly human experience.

Oyasumi Punpun is , by far, the best story i've ever experienced in any medium(anime, movie, manga, etc).

(I had written a review for this previously, but I feel that I did not do this series justice. This is my second attempt).

Oyasumi Punpun is, without a doubt, one of the most compelling manga I have ever read, and one of only a handful I would say are seminal masterpieces in the medium. I initially read it based on a recommendation from a friend. The unique design of the main character and initial parts of the series led me to believe that this series was just a fun slice-of-life story about a quirky japanese boy...which is technically accurate, but to reduce it to that would be underselling this manga a great deal.

While the story of Punpun's life is, indeed, initially rather comical and full of child-like wonder, you realize in retrospect that this is merely the natural result of it accurately portraying what it is like to be a child. As the story goes on and we see more of the people surrounding Punpun you begin to see the chilling darkness that surrounds most of the cast, who are troubled by a slew of mental problems common to most people who are just trying to get by. As the story goes on this cynicism grows more and more prominent, like a dark abyss beckoning you further and further in as you watch Punpun become increasingly damaged and lose much of the innocence he had as a child.

The story's characters are, indeed, perhaps the strongest part of Punpun. As far as manga go they are highly unusual. Most of them cannot really be called "good people", as they frequently display acts of pettiness, depravity and self-destruction. This is however, contrasted by their moments of selflessness, compassion, and love. The result is actually uncannily lifelike, as most people are extremely complex and do not easily fall into arbitrary categories of "good" or "bad". Through its characters, the story represents the darkest parts of humanity, the side of us that nobody wants to acknowledge.

Asano's compelling narrative is heavily aided by his impressive artistic skills. The choice to represent Punpun's family as crudely drawn cartoon birds was a stylistic decision, not borne or any lack of artistic skill. The designs are actually quite flexible, and frequently alter to show more realistic features during key moments, such as bulging eyes or twitching hands. The result is incredibly powerful and highly unnerving, showing an imagination and skill that is rarely seen in most comics.

Almost every single other character has a unique, distinctive design that immediately tells them apart from everyone else. Asano is not afraid to make his characters ugly, and in fact does so quite frequently. The attractive characters stand out all the more as a result of this, and it adds to the series' introspective, realistic tone.

The backgrounds are actually CGI, derived from actual photos. This is something Asano has been criticized for, but to me it does not really make a difference. Tools are just tools, and the result is incredibly stunning and adds to the series' mesh of realism and surrealism, so I have no complaints on that front.

In the end, what makes Punpun such a powerful, emotionally gripping story is that it is bursting with life from every pore. None of it feels trite or derivative, none of the characters fall into predictable molds or character archetypes, the story's events are hard to predict, and the themes of depression, isolation, despair, and nihilism are handled in a very mature, relatable fashion.

While the ambiguous moral standing of the characters and the series' emotionally oppressive tone means that it is not a work that can be enjoyed by everyone, it is still an extremely well-crafted manga that is worth a look. As someone who has struggled with clinical depression for years, I have never read something that portrayed the suffering of the human condition quite like Punpun does.

The greatest character study ever made.

Reading this is such a personal, human experience. I've never experienced the representation of emotions in such an incredibly realistic and believable way. Punpun is a harrowing view of just how horrendous people and life truly can be. Through this darkness however, it inspires real reflection and motivation. If it weren't for the off-putting medium, I think this would be one of the most celebrated pieces of art ever made. While I think it may be more compelling for sone, anyone can learn and grow from this and it's a must-read for anyone interested in the psychological genre.

~~~ My first review / No spoilers ~~~

      Oyasumi Punpun, soon after finishing, leveraged its masterpiece status in the world of manga. Considered one of the most depressing stories derived from Japan, in a way, there is controversy in my thoughts about the same classification. After all, Punpun see how one of the most sublime trajectories of Japanese art. And, in a way, I can not see sorrow [depression].

        With a protagonist who can not like the same, can also love it, and undoubtedly self-identify; Punpun is one of the most human characters - even if in a way, he's not human (it has no name and face!) - But that does not change anything. A brilliant point of Asano. That reminds me of Dostoevsky's work "Notes From the Underground". A character not rated, and that shows emotions about the world around them. What delights me, no doubt. Also, Aiko, the other protagonist, that makes any heart break purely. And Sachi, probably one of the most beloved characters. And other characters with stories even better than the Punpun - at certain points. Surrealism in this work is the key point is the large difference in a story, open spaces for interpretation on certain moments, thus creating a complex work, and showy contrast.

Most worthy of their current status [as one of the most worshiped works], Oyasumi Punpun, only increases in members [readers] ending the manga. Certainly will make hearts get thrilled.

~Good reading for those who have not read~

PunPun is one of those manga's that will appeal to some and be completely foreign to others. I caught some of the allegories and symbolism, but at the same time I felt there was a lot that just went completely over my head. Like the author was throwing paint on a canvas and saying it has a deeper meaning.

Let me first say if you aren't one for depressing coming of age stories, this series is not for you. Because this series is as long winded and depressing as they come. Sure, the beginning starts of really interesting, kid goes to elementary and makes friends. They go to explore an abandoned building and then skip off into the night. That part was enjoyable, everything past that just felt like 'wah my life sucks'.

You can sit there and say I'm too dumb to get the symbolism that may have been there. But a review merely a point of view from a different view, not the most popular one. Final verdict, read with caution, you may or may not like it.

A wise man once told me - "son, you better study hard or I'm going to beat the fuck out of you right here right now". And he did. When I was in middle school a cute girl I really liked went out with the most athletic rugby player who then smugly told me that she moans like a siren in bed. Pshh, asshole. In my college years I consistently woke up to the sounds of my room mate screaming "harder harder!". Sigh. Finally, in my twenties I realised that all those people were gone from my life and despite all they've unwittingly done to my psyche I started to feel rather lonely. That's 'Oyasumi Punpun' in a tangential nutshell.

But enough of my sentimental autobiography, let's cut to the chase.

The story follows Onodera Punpun and focuses on the struggles his mind experiences to comprehend exactly how humanity operates as he grows up from being a kid. I like the fact that this manga portrays life in its crudest form. We all remember the shit we've done as we grew up and we all have a few skeletons in our closet. Well think of 'Oyasumi Punpun' as a massive skeleton party. Drinks all around!

The cast is full of... people. Alcoholics, violent maniacs, horny sluts, smug loners, idiots, nutcases. And they all interact with each other. Why, you could mistake this work for being the 'local news' section of your town's newspaper. Friendships are formed and broken, relationships consummated and older bearded men run around the streets with their cocks out. And all you do as reader, is watch that world through the eyes of someone who doesn't understand it but is desperately trying to.

The artwork here is absolutely magnificent. I marvelled at Asano's (mangaka) skill at being able to adapt his style to fit the mood every single time. And while on that topic, the style coupled with the story will mostly make you feel depressed and surely reminisce of your younger years. So yes, the artwork is top notch. Every character also feels alive and vibrant, not only because of detail but because the artwork so conspicuously presents their emotions.

You probably won't enjoy this manga; that doesn't mean it's bad. Who the fuck likes waking up in the morning? But apparently it's good for you. Same here. 'Oyasumi Punpun' is an unbiased whole picture of life. We have but a single mind so our views are naturally biased and rational in nature to keep us sane and optimistic. Asano gives you the mind and experiences of every character in this manga, so everything appears without bias... factual... cold... depressing. And then we begin to see that sometimes life can be a lot more cruel than we thought.

One hell of ride this has been. Went so far down the memory lane I forgot where my home was. But don't we all have those moments sometimes?

10 points. A masterpiece.

First, yes, i'll explain the enjoyment mark.
You cannot enjoy punpun. This is against the human nature or just moral.
I hate oyasumi punpun, but, please, continue reading this review.
I hate it because i could relate to Punpun, because i could feel the feelings he was feeling, because it was too 'real' for me.
Punpun isn't just a simple manga, where you can give a mark and a normal review. Punpun is a personal experience and at a level far beyond what I'v ever read. In fact, I can't find any defect in Oyasumi Punpun, because it is too subjective. Yeah, the drawings are great and the art is beautiful, the story and the characters are realistic and appealing as fuck, but, as I saw myself slowly take the place of Punpun during my reading, i began to be scared, and then I saw the last "arc" (i don't even know if we can call it like that...). Really, Punpun has now a place in my head, and i can't take it off, I can't see my life the same way.
Punpun changed me. And I hope it will change you too.
Enjoy your reading, if you can. Good luck.