Chichi to Hige-Gorilla to Watashi

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tl;dr: A mostly lighthearted 4koma that has just enough depth that it makes it disappointing that it isn't better fleshed out. 

This manga was a pretty light hearted 4koma with a bit of depth to it. The premise in terms of background is pretty sad, but it doesn’t dwell on it too much, focusing moreso on where things would go from there. The general feel of the manga is the standard feeling you get from a lot of manga that feature an adult and a kid with them both going through growth, though the difference here would be that it seems to focus on a number of characters just ... as much as said two. Obviously, this includes Kouji, but the highlight was actually a different character that also ended up getting close to both Souichi and Michiru, and who actually stole the show in terms of being the most amusing character in the manga as well. The relationship between Kouji with Souichi and Michiru actually wasn’t really focused on much at all. I think that may well have been a symptom of my issue with this manga. There are a lot of relationships and such, but none of them really get as fleshed out as they feel like they deserve to, including the one previously mentioned as the highlight, which while done better than the others, still didn’t feel like it was done as well as it deserved to be. It is kind of hard to do well at that in a 4koma format, to be fair and the length might have been an issue here, but it can be done, and this didn't really pull it off. Furthermore, while this does have the heartwarming flare of showing little kids just being little kids, beyond that everything felt kind of shallow. It touches on some deeper topics like how the children of single parents are pitied but don’t want to be, or what exactly it means to move on from a loved one’s death, but it felt pretty superficial. Once again, this might be unfair considering it’s a 4koma which aren’t really known for having such elements as their strength, but the plot was just good enough that the lack of there being more made it overall feel kind of lacking. The comedy was decent enough throughout. The art wasn’t very good. 

td:dr on bottom

This manga sits among some of my favorite because it accomplished everything you would expect it to, and more.

The story focuses on Michiru and her new household consisting of her father and uncle coming to be more like a family after her mother passes away. I say that it focuses on Michiru, but it honestly focuses on the stories of all three members of this household. The story deals with the themes of romance, family, moving on from loss, the importance of thinking of others and oneself to name just a few. And even though the manga tackles all these different themes, ... it never gets lost in it's main message of the importance of relationships. The relationships are key throughout this entire manga, and it's a joy to see each one of them grow. I did find that the story slowed down at a few points, especially with certain characters, but I believe that these were necessary to show more about each character and the relationships they have.

Tonally, this manga keeps it lighthearted for the most part with its soft humor, yet it is not afraid to hit you with other ones too. Every so often it will throw a wrench in everything and make you understand the sadness that the characters feel under all the happiness, or it will make you sit with a grin when you see a relationship progressing to the next phase. Yet in all of this it never comes off as abrupt or unwarranted. It just feels real. In daily life people can experiences the small joys of being with the ones they love, yet still feel the undertones of sadness, love or uncertainty.

Character-wise, all of the mains are pretty lovable, and the secondary cast all have their own quirky personalities that make them a treat too. Each of the main characters (and also side characters) go through their own arcs of change, and each of them are left in a different place by the end from where they started. Each faces their own personal struggles that feels very real to the point where I could see people that I know going through very similar situations.
The one gripe that I do have to say here is that the author did introduce a few characters that got very little development or have very little relationship with the main cast, which was puzzling. It was as if they were meant to be expanded upon more, but the author ran out of time. That being said, it's a minor problem that doesn't take away from the story at large.

The art style fits the overall tone of the manga well, so there's not much more to say about it

Overall i really loved this manga. It didn't always move forward toward the goal it set, but every pitstop it took let me enjoy the characters as they were. There were times that I wanted to tear up from the reality the characters had to face, times where I would chuckle at the antics they got themselves in and times where I just wanted to cheer on my favorite couple. Everything it does it does so well its crazy. Such a wild ride of a story definitely deserves to have more people talking about it

tl:dr- sweet story about a family filled with laughs, tears and love. Get ready to be hit by feelings you wouldn't expect from a 4-koma.

Dad, The Bearded Gorilla, and I is a true example of a manga that does well at what it sets out to do - a very pleasant slice of life/ comedy that works to immerse the reader into the lives of the characters at hand. Yet at the same time this manga delves upon the fundamentals of human emotion with a soft touch that I have rarely seen in anything else I have read or watched - a manga that finds the light comedy hidden within the fairly uneventful lives of the characters as a way of showcasing human relationships and emotion.

The synopsis written on ... this page doesn't really get into the depths of the story. This manga is about how the death of one beloved person can have a profound affect on the lives of many characters. Souichi, one of our three main characters, becomes a widower after his wife Miyuki tragically dies in a car crash. His brother Kouji, a bearded freelance web desginer and work at home man, is brought in to help Souichi take care of his young daughter Michiru. This triggers a jovial relationship between an uncle and niece that serves to be the driving force of the manga itself - an important piece to the relationships developed throughout the series, and also a key for Souichi to move on from the tragedy. What erupts from a tragic event is a multitude of heartwarming and fun stories. Hidden within these comedic sequences are small, but seemingly everlasting moments of sadness and turmoil. The moments where Souichi's happiness is shattered by memories of his late wife really throws a wrench int my throat, as the jovial atmosphere of the manga changes abruptly and I am reminded that Souichi is truly suffering on the inside.

And this is what the manga does to you. A likeable and realistic cast paired up with fairly relatable stories really makes it hard not to put ourselves in the situations at hand. While the emotions of frustration and sadness running through each character is never described outright for the sake of keeping the atmosphere peaceful, for me it was impossible not to have a clear view of the makeup of the character's emotions due to this forged connection.

The true key within this manga is the dynamic love-hate relationship that Kouji forges with Michiru. They act as a happy point (can't think of anything on the spot to describe this) in every chapter, a way of keeping the premise story in line. The dark mood of the premise is completely washed away the moment the two met, and their comedic conversations and interactions really keep the emotions (either dark or soapy) from getting too out of hand. Furthermore, the relationship really acts as a way for Souichi to keep his personality from changing due to the affects of the tragedy. Michiru's happiness and the active household (due to the presence of the bearded Gorilla Kouji) acts as a foothold for him to move on.

*/ Small Spoilers up ahead choose to skip if you want
A really important piece of the manga that truly makes it special is the complexity of the relationship between Souichi and Hiwa (a younger coworker under Souichi) that I honestly find hard to ignore when discussing this manga. What starts as an innocent connection between the two that mirrors Souichi and his wife's first meeting develops into a complicated relationship involving several characters and plotlines. While Michiru and Kouji act as the foothold to keep Souichi's emotions in check, Souichi's interactions with Hiwa truly act as encouragement for Souichi to move forward with his life. While the fact is that both are fully fledged adults, the innocence within this relationship isn't something to be scoffed at for being unrealistic. Instead, it brings out how broken and misplaced both characters are -- Hiwa being inexperienced, not with being in a relationship as she has experience in that regard, but the feeling of liking someone earnestly. Souichi being unable to accept the death of his wife as a reality he must face. Their interactions work to overwrite their bad experiences and memories that deter them at the start of the story.
At the same time, both characters know, but realistically can't acknowledge each other's feelings due to their circumstances. Hiwa recognizes that Souichi's wife is still prevalent in his life with the presence of Michiru, and in addition to this, she feels that it was unfair for her to like Souichi when her best friend Yurika tried so hard to win Souichi's affection. Her inability to act upon these feelings sends mixed signals to Souichi, who is conflicted by Miyuki and her death. Souichi realizes that if he accepts his own feelings, he is accepting that he is moving on, or 'overwriting' his memories of his late wife. Due to how much of an impact Miyuki had on his life, he does not want to let go of the cherished memories that he had built with Miyuki. These feelings act as a final hurdle, an unavoidable and half-impossible one for Souichi to jump over. This situation not only works as a subtle way of fleshing out both characters, it also brings out the best of others involved such as coworkers Hino and Yurika, who try in their own ways to help both move on while conflicted themselves with their own relationships with the characters.

*/ //end spoilers

Sadaji Koike's art remains simplistic and almost cartoony throughout the entire manga. Only in some occurrences do are the characters drawn in detail, usually to express some emotion or action. However, the art really works to create various themes used to drive the story. What I (and also some reddit users on r/manga) seemed to have noticed is the fact that snow, and winter itself, starts off as a symbol for grief and sadness (Miyuki's death in the winter), and gradually becomes a season of fun for every character. Scenes of sadness and isolation often have empty or a very basic environment drawn, with limited or no dialogue. These scenes are placed at the beginning of chapters so that rather than seeing most of the details of what led up to a scene the reader is shown the results. Koike does this to dedicate more screen-time for us to see how Souichi reacts and grows from sadness rather than how sadness is evoked within him.

Yet this manga keeps it simple. The complexity that I described really isn't the focus of the story. I went into depth because I had a lot to say. "Chichi no Hige-Gorilla to Watashi" sets out to entertain and not really to delve too deeply into the characters. The story is sincere with this direction, and its only voluntary for you to really go deep into thinking about the plotline and characters. Sometimes heartwarming, sometimes 'feels invoking', and almost often will make you chuckle, "Chichi no Hige-Gorilla to Watashi" is a very enjoyable and fast read for anyone searching for a lighthearted and comedic story.

Big thanks to Meraki scans for translating this manga!
(its still ongoing tho and updates r slow cause translations caught up with raws Q.Q)