This is one of those stories you tend to read over and over again just so you could make more sense out of it and no matter how many times you read it, you find something different about it, something you never noticed was right there. That is the beauty of Nijigahara Holograph, and the gift which comes from the genius mind of Inio Asano, the creator of the beautiful manga, Solanin.
It's funny how the name, Rainbow Field Holograph, is somewhat of a contrast to the theme of the manga. Where the title gives the reader the feeling that the manga will be full of
...
rainbows & marshmallows, the reality is much the opposite.
The manga starts with surrealistic, yet existent images; these images, spread across different panels and different pages, representing some pivotal moment in each character's life, are made up of factors affecting their present and future which in-turn are affected by their worn-out, conflicted, and secretive pasts. Try not to get confused as these confusing images may not seem related but, for your information, it is these images which prove as pieces to a jigsaw puzzle; once they end, they give rise to the start of a story which is, actually, the beginning of the end rather than the actual beginning.
Then, when the reader realizes that the story has followed into another story (one spanning over 10 years) – a story within stories (more like stories within a story) – this one more deep than the rest, and the rest even deeper when thought about later, the reader gets even more entangled in the web that is Nijigahara Holograph. Moreover, the general theme of the manga would be life itself – dark, dreary, without hope, selfish humans, humans taking without feeling. I came to face such horrors while reading this that I read this manga over three times with some kind of perverse incredulity about the fact that I live in the same world these people do. It's just bizarre how we tend to live under the same sky with such different people inhabiting it, with us, side-by-side, without us even ever knowing the tragedies facing them or what sort of mind-sets these people have – we will never know unless we come face-to-face with them ourselves – and I pray we never do.
The major aspect of the story is the butterflies, which may or may not make sense even when you have reached the end or you have managed to read the manga a couple of times. Apparently, after I did some research, Asano's Nijigahara Holograph is mostly based upon Taoism. There is an excerpt from one of the chapters' panel from Chuang Tszu's techings. It says, "Once upon a time, I, (personal name of Chuang Tzu), dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chou. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man. Between a man and a butterfly there is necessarily a distinction." In my opinion, this manga revolves around a complex attitude towards life, in general. It has nothing to do with Religion or one's (or the characters') Beliefs. It is how things are and how things must be. Maybe Life, the life we are living, is not real. Maybe what we think is real, is just the trick of the mind. Maybe Reality is coexistent with the things which aren't real.
Whatever the case is, the butterflies signify the arrival of something important, a calamity, a revelation; whatever it is, it will change the flow of things, resulting in how things should have been in the first place.
These butterflies are associated with a character, a little girl. Every event that takes place in the story is irrevocably linked to her. We can say that she is the pinnacle, as well as the pedestal, on which the story is based on and on whom it ascends, and ends, with the help of.
When I start reading a manga, the art will be the first thing I'll notice. For me, good art matters a lot even if I don't like the story all that much. However, there have been times when I found the story rather more appealing than the art itself. Nijigahara Holograph, on the other hand, is one manga whose art actually portrays the story rather than being unidentifiably individualistic to it.
I just love this manga – not only does it capture the reality of life, it captures its essence and the art ascertains the fact that the reader establishes a strong connection to the story through it. The art is beautiful; it captivates the attention even if it does not wish to seek it. The details are a visual orgasm of things left behind for us to recall and reflect upon, to be curious about and to simply (un)acknowledge, to fear over and to be disgusted with.
The way things are drawn, it's difficult to conceive the beauty of things; what is most amazing is how every single object in the storyline (living or otherwise) has a personality. The magnitude of complexity of detail is astounding; focus is a MUST. Emotions are drawn vividly, without mercy, making the reader digest fully the nature of what is being read. Personally, I think the mangaka has paid complete attention to how the things are supposed to be drawn rather than what; my view is that he has fixated himself upon nature, overall. How nature effects all reasons of outcome.
All in all, the art is inconspicuously remarkable. The expressions are instantaneous and it's as if it is not a manga being read but a film with moving pictures; watching as the scene changes oh-so-smoothly.
The character design is explicitly subliminal; meaning that every character's personality has been described to the last detail without having to spell it out. It's simply amazing how the reader can grasp the entire persona of the character's, even how unstable it may seem. Every character is unique, having their own problems, their own dilemmas, and their very own secrets kept away from prying eyes & ears.
Suzuki Amahiko is a disturbed individual with disparaging views of those around him, hating the world for being so unfair; he rarely tries to connect with the people he's with, and refrains from having any ties with them; he has always been shunned from society, moving from one place to another with parents who he knows aren't really his, and attempting suicide more than once. Then comes the girl who seems to be at the centre of it all, Kimura Arie; ever since the manga starts, I have thought of her to have lost all innocence from the day she achieved ethereal beauty; I sympathize for her – all she ever wanted was something everyone desires, having it all go against her in ways which would extract profanities from the reader's mouth; the life she has led would be the cruelest, and most unsettling of all. Komatsuzaki is an aggressive character who acts in unpredictable ways and whose actions have a veritable significance. Sakaki is the trio's homeroom teacher for whom Suzuki has somewhat mature feelings for; she injured one eye in an 'accident' which fits yet another puzzle of the story. There are a few more 'main' characters whose roles are noteworthy in themselves.
I must applaud Asano on how he achieved such character depth within a mere manga spanning almost 300 pages.
At the end of the day, this manga needs concentration in every single way. It teaches every reader something new, something different – what I learned, or got, from it, would be unlike some other reader's life-lesson learned. For me, it indulges in the credence that everyone has a role in life to play and that everyone plays a vital part in someone else's role. People living interrelated lives, having complicated mindsets, yet existing in a clandestine past, and living a lie – this is what Nijigahara Holograph is. Funny enough, it is a whirlwind of feelings with characters that have none.
 Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Rainbow Field Holograph Japanese: 虹ヶ原ホログラフ More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 1
Chapters: 15
Status: Finished
Published: Nov 12, 2003 to Dec 10, 2005
Genre:
Drama
Theme:
Psychological
Serialization:
Quick Japan Authors:
Asano, Inio (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #28242 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #343
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Feb 25, 2010
This is one of those stories you tend to read over and over again just so you could make more sense out of it and no matter how many times you read it, you find something different about it, something you never noticed was right there. That is the beauty of Nijigahara Holograph, and the gift which comes from the genius mind of Inio Asano, the creator of the beautiful manga, Solanin.
It's funny how the name, Rainbow Field Holograph, is somewhat of a contrast to the theme of the manga. Where the title gives the reader the feeling that the manga will be full of ... 
Aug 22, 2008
Nijigahara Holograph is a Seinen, Psychological, Mystery, Drama that will take anyone brave enough to read it, on a mind-trip. This is quite the experimental manga, as it delves into a realm that hasn’t been entered before, so you can expect to become lost in the intricate plot.
One of the trickiest things to explain, about Nijigahara Holograph, is the story & plot because it is hard enough to comprehend, let alone articulate it in words. The manga is like a montage of the lives of different people, who are all interconnected in some way. There are numerous themes but the ones most prominent are on ... 
Mar 31, 2018
This analysis will cover specific details about Nijigahara Holograph, meaning: if you have not read the manga, it would be advisable to abstain from reading this review to avoid spoiling vital information.
A critical work to be familiar with while reading Nijigahara Holograph is the book of Zhuangzi (considered a foundational text of Daoism), by Master Zhuang. One of the key concepts that is taught through this work is the idea of spontaneity, and how we should eschew from artificial distinctions (i.e. good versus evil, beauty versus ugliness, and usefulness versus uselessness). In creating these dichotomies, we remove ourselves from the natural flow of ... 
May 31, 2015
Remember when you read great pieces of literature in school and then spent two weeks analysing the different themes, motives and subplots of the work?
Well, if there is one manga that deserves to be explored in such detail after the first reading, it is probably this one. Let's get the obvious parts out of the way. This is an Asano manga and, as such, it offers the common elements of coming-of-age drama, existential anxiety and depression, hard-hitting social and psychological realism and the overall ugly side of human nature. The unique aspect of this particular work is the amount of supernatural and philosophical elements who play a ... 
Sep 8, 2013
Psychological manga fascinate me. The stories are usually told in a way that makes you have to go back and think about what you just read. Nijigahara Holograph is one of those stories. You can't just skim through this kind of story and take away it's entire meaning. Even if you read this manga several times, parts of it would still not fully make sense. And that's the beauty of it. Not everything in life always makes sense.
To give a summary of the plot of Nijigahara Holograph would be an impossible feat, maybe even for the mangaka, Asano Inio (known for several works including Oyasumi ... 
Aug 31, 2015
Asano Inio's works are known for the mature, realistic and character driven stories, that ranges from slice of life to psychological horror stories. Nijigahara Holograph is one of Asano's published works, but where to begin this manga? The story narrated was difficult to follow, and after reading it for a second time, it still wasn't clear what its ultimate purpose was.
The story of Nijigahara Holograph revolves around the lives of Suzuki, a troubled boy; Komatsuzaki, an unpredictable bully whose trauma causes him to act in inexplicable way. Arakawa, who is in love with Komatsuzaki. A daughter in coma, a mother who committed suicide. Together with ... 
Dec 31, 2017
Overall Opinion: I got nothing out of it.
Story: 2/10. Was there a story? Not sure I noticed it. A bunch of violent things happen TO people or BECAUSE of people. They brood about it. For the first 20 pages, I was so confused I was starting to think that the pages had been connected in the wrong order by mistake. I didn't get much clarity as I progressed to the end. Characters: 3/10. Completely unlikable, can't relate to any, can't understand the motivations of any, most behave in unrealistic ways. 85% of the ... 
Aug 24, 2009
I don't want to rate this because I still don't understand 20% of it but I've finally thrown away my idea that manga is only or people that are obsessed with manga. It has a few themes in common with far too many other stories from the same medium but for some reason was much more enjoyable (if you could call it enjoyable, it is most certainly not pleasant), perhaps because usually this kind of themed story is done in the form of a fantasy or one big metaphor whereas this story uses fantasy and metaphor only to tie things together. Characters that
...
Sep 13, 2009
Enigmatic, suggestive, disquieting… They are some of the adjectives with which we can describe to this work of the young mangaka Inio Asano. The plot is constructed in a kaleidoscopic way around several solitary young people whom they load on his backs with the weight of hard experiences of the past.
Nijigahara is a common place for the main characters, a place where actions that will change their lives take place, wich is shown with flashbacks and flashforwards This manga is an analysis of the questions of childhood and adolescence, but, insted of giving answers, new riddles are shown, that, next to other situations it caused that ... 
Aug 6, 2018
Nijigahara holograph (虹 ヶ 原 ホ ロ グ ラ フ) is the second major work of Asano Inio. Written almost simultaneously with What a wonderful world!, this means that the two works are inevitably linked to each other. We are not talking about a similarity of literary genre or in the method of writing, but of that thread that unites all the works of every great author, each of them is a piece of the puzzle of the writer’s thought. Indeed Nijigahara holograph can be considered the twin work of What a wonderful world! but, unlike the latter, it explores the most obscure corners of
...
Jul 20, 2017
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 ... 
Jul 19, 2014
Eleven years ago Arie Kimura, a young girl bullied by her classmates, fell down a well. As a result of her injuries she has been in a coma ever since. She told a story about a monster that lived in a tunnel along the Nijigahara embankment that would bring the world to an end, which terrified the other children. Arie’s accident is only one small part of an ongoing pattern of fear and violence. It isn’t a pleasant memory for anyone involved. Her friends, classmates, teachers, and family members have continued living their lives, but even more than a decade later they still can’t escape
...
Mar 8, 2024
La siguiente reseña está en Español e Inglés (traducida con el apoyo de DeepL)
La versión leída es la traducción al español por Milky Way Ediciones “La muerte de una inocente afectará a sus seres cercanos por el resto de sus vidas” es una sencilla sinopsis del segundo trabajo de Inio Asano. Usualmente descrito como un rompecabezas donde sólo la constante relectura nos brinda algo de claridad en entender qué ocurrió, por qué sucedió y qué terminó implicando para los involucrados. Es una estructura similar a su anterior obra, se diferencia en que no hay narrador único sino que es un grupo cerrado de personajes, cambiando de narrador ... 
Nov 14, 2015
Eleven years ago Arie Kimura, a young girl bullied by her classmates, fell down a well. As a result of her injuries she has been in a coma ever since. She told a story about a monster that lived in a tunnel along the Nijigahara embankment that would bring the world to an end, which terrified the other children. Arie’s accident is only one small part of an ongoing pattern of fear and violence. It isn’t a pleasant memory for anyone involved. Her friends, classmates, teachers, and family members have continued living their lives, but even more than a decade later they still can’t escape
...
Feb 19, 2014
First review.
The more I read the more I liked it. "Oh, that makes sense!". But I felt he could have done much more with the rape/sexual imagery. He teased a lot of things like the idea of pedophilia but he backed out. It felt to much like a copout every time he would put the boy/woman girl/man in a boner (sexual) situation and then....... nothing. I will most like never get most of the themes since most of it will end up unconfirmed but I felt the story was clear enough that i understood what was going on the whole way through reading it all in one ... 
Apr 17, 2018
If there's one overarching attitude in the world of media that irks me, it's the idea that something being less accessible somehow makes it more artistic. The back cover of the American edition of Nijihara Hologram calls the single-volume work "complex, challenging, and elliptical." Apparently, this is code for "pretentious, nonsensical, and over-complicated."
Now, be it far from me to be upset with a work for challenging its audience - I have no problem with having to think while I read - but there's a fine line between a work asking its readers to think and a work being so needlessly confusing you'd need a flowchart ... 
Jun 22, 2018
Nijigahara Holograph by Inio Asano
Long-Winded Review #2 [Sleep Deprivation Edition] Nijigahara Holograph is an absolute masterpiece. When a story makes you endlessly theorize and try to piece together all the symbolism, timelines, and subplots, you know it's a damn good one. Someone could write a book longer than this manga just analyzing it. It's that literately dense. This book is a puzzle, a maze, a dream, and a mosaic. It takes a lot of skill to put together a story such as this, and Inio Asano absolutely nails it. I'm sure some have criticized it for being confusing, but this is not meant to be ... 
Dec 3, 2016
Asano is formed with the kanji combination 浅野, where 浅 alone can mean shallow or shameful, and 野, plains, rustic or civil life. Inio is formed out by hiragana, so I don't really know if this is his real name (I searched for it and came up with nothing), but this is as far as my japanese knowledge go (with the internet's help).
Interesting enough, 浅 in combination with からぬ assumes a new meaning, of deep (of emotions or connections). Personally, I think his name sums up playfully not only Nijigahara, but all of his work. Well, most important: if you walk in this manga expecting to ...
May 2, 2014
"Nijigahara Holograph" really leave lots of lingering questions after reading the first time. The first read will get you a sense of characters recognition and then the second read will most likely help you understand the whole story. You'll need to read it three times to complete the timeline puzzle the author left.
The GOOD about this manga: - Once you've pieced all the scattered scene together, you will understand the story very well which takes about 3 read to to this. - The characters are very well developed and connecting them is what make the story interesting. The BAD about this manga: - All characters are sick ... 
Apr 7, 2012
"Butterfly Field" + Holograph.. is pretty much an interesting title for a manga like this one because it can be interpreted in different ways.. like how a butterfly molts from a caterpillar, and then adding the word "holograph" that has different meanings if your actually check it out in some online dictionary or something.
As the description stated.. it is somehow like the movie Donnie Darko with a mix of "The butterfly effect" converted into a manga but has a sicker twist in which everyone's lives are intertwined.. the story shows how humans are created to go with the flow out of each actions of the ... |
