Reviews

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.