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Oyasumi Punpun
Goodnight Punpun
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Alternative Titles

Japanese: おやすみプンプン

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 13

Chapters: 147

Status: Finished

Published: Mar 15, 2007 to Nov 2, 2013

Genres: Drama, Slice of Life

Theme: Psychological

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Big Comic Spirits

Authors: Asano, Inio (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 9.01¹ (scored by 184,443 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #10²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #8

Members: 446,610

Favorites: 52,705

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 249 / 275

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Previous - More Reviews

Jan 7, 2015

killjoi97

Recommended

one word describes this manga REAL, Asano Inio has always made manga that had realistic emotion and stories of hardship BUT this manga is far beyond that, with great art style and characters one cant help but keep reading. At first glance it looks like some kid manga right? WRONG this manga is one of the most emotionally intense/depressing manga I've ever read. And this why i use the word REAL the story is not sugar coated there are no happy endings just like REAL life thats what this manga accomplishes the feeling of being able to relate to that characters on such a high ...

May 12, 2020

yushuf

Not Recommended

Goodnight punpun didn't really resonate with me but the underlying problem I have with this manga is that it's just incredibly boring. Despite binging this in a single day, after like chapter 40 I was trudging through it because I wanted to see what happened. Many times throughout reading this I contemplated just skipping to the last chapter.

The Pegasus story is very boring, punpun's self pity is repeated way too much, and the other side characters I frankly couldn't care less about. The manga really only gets interesting at the end.

Reading this manga was a wasted 8 hours of my life and I definitely don't ...

Jan 18, 2019

bricolo101

Not Recommended

oyasumi punpun is a manga that started very well and ended very badly, you see, in the first half of the manga the misfortunes that happened to people were plausible, but
the manga in its second half becomes extremely depressive and edgy from one moment to another, yes, other animes like evangelion are also depressive, but at least in evangelion the misfortunes that happened to shinji were justified, in this manga misfortunes happen to people simply because yes. this manga is dark just for being it, it is not subtle, and the misfortunes that happen to people from the second half are unreal 4/10 (not to ...

Jun 17, 2015

buymepocky

Recommended

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 ...

Jul 19, 2019

arthuno

Recommended

Inio Asano's masterpiece made me think about my whole life during a whole year. This probably happened because I saw a lot of my actions and thoughts in the manga characters, so I kinda attached to them, mainly to Punpun.

It's interesting how this manga makes you reflect on every specific point of your trajectory, from your childhood to your present moment. All this attached to the depressing story of the main character Onodera Punpun, which resembles the lives of many real people.

Certainly, one of the most interesting parts for me in the work is the construction of the destructive love between Punpun and Aiko, ...

Oct 31, 2021

Muzhai

Not Recommended

I thought all the dialogue was insufferable. The characters all spout philosophical bullshit and feel like every single one is a mouthpiece for Asano himself. None of them feel like they actually are interacting with other human beings but just ranting into the void not even caring if it ever even bounces off of anyone that cares. The storylines with the dumb cult, and Seki and what's-his-butt feel like a total waste of time that stretch the manga out to double the length it has any business being and even the main story with Punpun feels like it drags more than it needed to. The ...

Nov 19, 2013

orenjizero

Recommended

After completing this manga, I almost don't know what to say. There are not many stories with so much emotion and darkness thrown into it. The progression of Punpun comes on gradually but yet, almost feels like it hits you like a truck. Inio Asano gives a great deal of depth to the main character, something of which is not common to be seen. You get to see the lives of innocent children progressing onward to the often complicated and quite depressing trials of adulthood.

I will say all the negative things I can about it now, which isn't much. This manga is no walk ...

Apr 2, 2015

HanHen

Recommended

~~~ 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 ...

Feb 2, 2014

kawaiiivan

Recommended

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 ...

Nov 15, 2014

CareBear69

Recommended

Preliminary (65/147 chp)

As I have dropped this series when completing chater 65, I don't think it I will be able to write a decent review as of now. The reason for the drop is the deep emotional impact and scars it has left me with.
However let me remind you that this one of the most unique mangas out there. This is a must read for everyone and anyone.

Oyasumi Punpun (Goodnight Punpun) can be described as a best selling book when comparing it to Harry potter, however it is in a form of a manga and targets a specific audience. This manga describes REALITY by introducing the main ... character called punpun. We are following the story by his view of reality. Although there some chapters in the story that will describe the life of the other characters. The author try's to deal with all day issues concerning individual human beings such as Redemption, Jealousy, Sex, Anger. The author really try's to keep the story to the point of realism that it increases the depth of our view of the world while moving the plot by raising the bar very very very high.

Another subject this manga tackles perfectly is the art. I am always left speechless as I turn each page. The amount of detail is incredible and incomparable to any manga I have read. If you start reading this manga you will see the segnifigence this mangaka try's to potray by the way each scene is drawn and perfectly executed. The characters such as his family ie The father and mother seems to us to be drawn by a 10 year old and the reason is due to the PunPun's attachment to them. It tells us he doens't care about those types of people who he engages with daily. However this adds weight to the overall story and gives significant effect to later development in the story.

The characters are another great peice that adds flavour to the overall effect this manga is trying to produce. The rate of development of these characters are consirded in great depth that keeps drawing the reader ever closer to PunPun's world. However as a reader I would say I have very different opinions about each and every character introduced in the manga. This is due to their extreme difference in behaviour and personalitys. You will like some or you will hate some but your views will change as the story progresses further.

Overal this is a must read story but beware of the effects it will leave you with in every single chapter. The amount of emotional unbalance that this has provided me with gave me pain and sorrow and maybe this due to me having a weak heart. However if you have the guts please be my guest to go on a roller coaster of life changing experiences. If I say to my self that I have enjoyed the manga up till now? The answer I would say be DEFNETILY YES.

I am deeply sorry that I could not write a serious review as I just cant complete this masterpeice of manga. I hope you enjoyed this short and thoughtfull review.
Thank You

Jul 31, 2015

trianglehead

Recommended

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.

Nov 24, 2019

ShamefulDisplay

Mixed Feelings

After reading the manga, I'm left unsatisfied by the ending and confused by the dark, violent tonal shift the plot suddenly took around its final third part. I would not suggest people read this unless they are looking to be left feeling frustrated and empty inside, since it's not written very well.

The story contains quite a bit of side plots, with one especially appearing too frequently, and dragging on way too long. It regularly sacrifices believability for shock value, even though it attempts to make statements about the real world through the events that happen. This especially began to weigh down the manga after ...

Jun 7, 2023

Derl88

Not Recommended

Preliminary (30/147 chp)

I'm glad this work means a lot to a lot of different people, especially those with depression, but it just wasn't for me. As someone whose gone through some similar experiences and has major mental illness issues myself it felt very jarring to see experiences like mine written so pretentiously to the point it felt unrelatable to me. Abuse comes in many forms so I can only speak for myself and the others I've talked to but how far the manga goes and the tone it gives felt like a parody of what me and the people close to me have gone through. I had ...

May 31, 2015

DemianHaki

Recommended

Punpun can probably be regarded as the magnum opus of troubled genius Asano Inio and, for anyone who has read previous works by Asano, it offers everything and more that readers have come to like about his works.

Punpun tells the coming-of-age story of a young man who grows up in a world in which things don't play out as most of young people would hope, whether it's in school, at home with the family or at work. Interestingly, "PunPun" isn't a simple, comfortable story of how you only have to overcome one big crisis before the eventual happy end. No. "Punpun" offers hard-hitting (and occasionally ... depressing) social and psychological realism in the life of a young person who is constantly caught between the youthful dreams of love, success, stability and the everyday struggles in trying to achieve this.

What is particularly brilliant about this series is that the characters are clearly the product of their surroundings and not just some generic character stereotypes. You will quickly realise that a character who has been affected by certain childhood experiences or other personal issues will not simply be able to make the same autonomous or wise decisions that other, more fortunate people will make. Instead, the story shows how personal experiences clearly provide a certain psychological baggage that people carry around with them and which will affect their feelings, decisions, behaviour and outcomes in both their private and professional relationships. The characters often find it difficult to escape their past and quite often the past will be repeated over generations, unless a person manages to reflect and break the cycle.

What makes "PunPun" worth reading?

a) It is incredibly refreshing to read a story that is different than your average Hollywood coming-of-age story, where all you have to do is "follow your dream" and "you just have to believe in yourself" and "everything going to be fine". "PunPun" tells the story of those who struggle to fulfill the "standard plan" for happiness that is so commonly advertised in modern media. It tells the story of those with a broken past and hidden wounds who nonetheless live their lives among everybody else, just trying to get by and trying to get better.
In doing so, the story can be depressing when we realise that, in reality, life is not just sunshine, lollipos and rainbows and that for many, their struggles don't always guarantee success or happiness. All the tragic personal stories and existences you hear in the media or see on the street? Well, they also had a childhood and went to school in the past, but somewhere along the way they ended up where they are now. And they certainly didn't want to be there.
By painting such a realistic and sometimes depressing picture of personal struggle,however, "PunPun" also provides the basis for developing a great amount of compassion. For the characters in the book, for similar people in real life...and possibly for ourselves. Yes, life isn't always nice, but by accepting that, we also realize the possibility that this is somewhat normal. It isn't just "us". It isn't just a matter of personal failure. And it certainly isn't the end. Because no matter how bad things get, "Punpun" also shows that, in the end, people still have the power to make their own decisions. No matter how strong the influences of our past and our current environment are, we still make our own decision. And so, there is a silver lining in all of this. A realization that, even though life may play out very differently than we would have hoped or expected, there is always a chance to build a life with whatever is available right now!

b) "Punpun" offers the reader the possibility to put themselves in the shoes of the title character. The young man is portrayed as a cartoon bird whenever he is in full view, but in other sequences we clearly know that the character is not really supposed to be a bird. Instead, we often see the real human body whenever the protagonist's face is out of frame. Hence, the "bird" character can be regarded as a placeholder. Instead of showing us a human character who looks a certain way, the author gives us a creature that is so simply drawn and featureless that we are free to imagine ourselves in his place or any other person. Quite an ingenious idea, I'd say.

c) As always with Asano, the art is just breathtaking. The cityscapes are my personal favourite, especially since he manages to create so much atmosphere in every scene. Reading his books always feels like watching a arthouse movie. Just incredible.

So, long story short, read it! But choose a time where you can afford to sink in to the story and its depth. This isn't something you read casually with your morning coffee. This deserves more attention.

Mar 11, 2024

Bonzana

Recommended

English/USA:
Oyasumi Punpun is the purest portrait of how our subconscious is so powerful within us, making it necessary to struggle daily to escape the intrusive thoughts and sensations that destroy the concept of morals and ethics that society has built. And even in the face of all this, he shows us how trapped we are and how giving ourselves the freedom to be ourselves too late can lead to consequences and after-effects on our journey through life.

Furthermore, its way of showing the true face of human beings through narcissistic and selfish characters, gives us the sensation of a cruel, completely bizarre and non-standard world, when ...

Feb 15, 2014

beastboy

Recommended

This review might contain character spoilers. It's impossible to review Punpun without mentioning some changes in tone that might somehow spoil the fun of finding it out for yourself. Be warned.

Supporting character Sashi wanted to write a manga that was not about escaping real life, but about learning how to fight it. This is such story.

If there was one flaw to this manga was the overbearing darkness that enveloped it. There was never a sense that all was well and would end well. It kept you on edge the whole read. There are plenty of manga and books I've read fearing a the ... back cover showed up when I next flipped the next page. This one I just wished it would end already so I would be released of the tension.

That said, this manga combines magnificent characters with magnificent storytelling. You're always feeling what Punpun is feeling. You won't particularly like Punpun, in fact, you'll probably grow to hate him. But the mangaka somehow forces you to feel his pain.

That said, even if you won't LIKE Punpun, you'll probably identify with some aspect of him, in fact, saying you don't identify at all with Punpun would be quite conceited. He's like a younger version of Nobuyuki's Kurosawa, he's just an average teenager, leaving a troubled life. His life IS troubled. But in the end, is own faults are what sends him a downwards spiral. It's his the choice to ignore his childhood dream. It's his is choice to leave a common and mediocre life. And we recent him for it. Want him to change. To chase his dreams. But then we remember we're just like Punpun. We all had weird childhood dreams. I wanted to be an medic astronaut that also played soccer. And most of us think they were stupid and childish.

My initial reaction to this manga was 'wtf most pretentious piece of shit I've ever read,' but in the end, every bit of pretentious symbolism fits like a glove. Some dialogue comes out as beautiful preaching you could post on your facebook status, but it's okay. This is that kind of story.

I wish it didn't force so many bad things to happen. This manga wouldn't lose anything if Punpun's life was just a little bit happier, and I, as a reader, wouldn't feel as if I just went in a 10 hour long emotional roller-coster. Some of the later happenings just felt unnecessary. And the same message could be covered with happier turns in the story. But then, trve art is dark and angsty. That's what cost this manga the perfect 10 in enjoyment.

In the end, this manga is but a reminder that our life is our own. And depends on our actions more than anything else. Blaming others, or life itself for every bad thing that happens to us might make us feel better, but it won't make anything better. In the end it's up to us to change our lives. To make them better. But it is okay to ask for help.

Jun 6, 2020

defunctmaluser

Recommended

10 years ago, I was a freshman in high school. Looking back at that point in my life as an adult is quite surreal to say the least. My own memories of the time have become hazier with each passing day and yet looking back at old social media accounts that almost completely archived that entire experience brings back so many memories that are both vividly clear and horribly fractured. What's worse is that my memories of college, a time that was so recent in my life, is starting to become fractured and hazy too as I become more wrapped up in the humdrum of ...

Sep 3, 2021

dbmemesupreme

Not Recommended

I went into this with high hopes for a brutal and bleak masterpiece. I do not understand how this is so highly rated. Usually, after "feel-good" is crossed from the list and "depressing" is added, there is, at the very least, some relatability or profound message. The artistic appeal of this story seems like such a waste. The character design, symbolism, and intense narratives are absolutely trampled by an unpleasant and unrelatable set of characters. The only people that stick around for this kind of story are typically die-hard pretentious readers that insist your palette is unrefined for not appreciating such a masterful depiction of ...

Mar 20, 2022

Huskkay

Not Recommended

PLOT
The narrative is lacking any type of substance. Time jumps and separated arcs made everything feel detached from each other. Especially the earlier sections and middle part fell into oblivion. You could read the beginning and immediately jump to the final act without losing anything of great value. Just read a few selected middle chapters if you want to get the whole idea behind the story. The climax was fine and I actually felt some sort of entertainment reading the last few chapters but it was like seeing a shiny pebble in a pile of mud. Overall, the narrative was lacking cohesion and any sort ... of meaningful progression.

Reading through the manga, you soon realize what the mangaka presents to the reader and what his message is, but it is just too forceful and monotonous.
Throughout the bulk of the manga, I was the goose and Asano Inio was forcefully stuffing his worldview and philosophies down my throat. If you agree with them, good on you, you might even enjoy it, but I couldn't handle it after reading the same opinions over and over again. The perpetual depressive outlook on life and onslaught of horrible events was simply too tiring, a bit more tact and variety could have added so much more enjoyment. Everyone gets it, life can be unfair, harsh and brutal. Some get dealt the most terrible hands and others seem to have all the luck in the world. You don't have to remind the reader of this fact at every turn.

CHARACTERS
Maybe the weakest link in Punpun. Not a single character left any sort of impression, be it either good or bad. Mostly because all of them were rather similar and their personalities boiled down to one or two traits. Every one of them was either depressed, annoying, an unbelievable asshole, sexually pent-up or a combination of every bad personality trait in existence.
If I had to name characters, that were somewhat tolerable, it was Sachi and the uncle. Yet, Sachi was constantly rambling and a pretty boring character in general, while the uncle got ruined with another forced "tragic" backstory.
I get it, the author wanted to tell a story about how horrible everyone and everything is, but a few uplifting characters would have been nice and provided a much-needed diversity.

Let's talk about Punpun himself for a moment. First of all, the gimmick of him being drawn as a bird and switching appearances according to his mental state was a refreshing idea. That sums up all the good stuff I have to say about him. Punpun did not feel like a genuine character, more like a plot device and medium, the author could present his opinions through. Punpun is not supposed to be a likeable character, but his constant downward-spiraling development and him always making the bad choice at every chance, got tiresome real quick. You could literally see the checklist of every terrible thing that could happen in life and the author just worked his way through it with the help of Punpun.

The last thing I want to mention is the non-stop cheap philosophical dialogue. Like someone broke a sewage pipe and couldn't manage to plug it up. It never added anything productive or inspiring to the conversations and felt like a drag to read.

ART
One of the very few positives of Oyasumi Punpun. The art is imaginative, detailed and guides the reader easily through the chapters. That being said, humans are either hit or miss. Their expressions are exaggerated a lot, you could even call them distorted. It made me think of them as caricatures and they left a weird aftertaste.

OVERALL OPINION
Oyasumi Punpun is not the worst manga I have ever read, but it did not have many good parts either. Besides the art, every other aspect was lacking and disappointing. Reading through it felt like crawling through mud because of the neverending stream of tragic plot points and uninspired philosophical dialogue. The manga was lacking any type of freshness and kept a monotonous depressive outlook on life throughout the whole story. Needless to say, it did not leave any sort of memorable impression.

Apr 17, 2015

lockaholic

Recommended

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 ...

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