Kani ni Sasowarete
An Invitation from a Crab

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"An Invitation from a Crab" (KaniSaso) is a thought experiment on whether you can find meaning, or simply distraction, in the most average of places. The manga follows an episodic approach, trailing after our lead character as they allow themself to explore the smaller parts of life, giving us a glimpse into the possibilities that we so often ignore.

This manga isn't particularly great, and if you're an avid reader of series with long winding tales then this certainly doesn't contain that. Instead, the enjoyment of KaniSaso is in making you go "huh, I didn't think of it like that". Indeed, some of the best content ... of KaniSaso is found outside of the paneling, hidden in the musings of Panpanya between chapters about random things that have this exact effect.

Thinking about life and paintings and games and animation in terms of pixels and details and molecules. It doesn't need to be important, or weird, or fascinating. It's just another way to look at things.

KaniSaso isn't challenging and doesn't ask much from the reader. If you're happy to come along for the ride and let Panpanya take the wheel for half an hour, there's plenty of fun to be had in KaniSaso.

Panpanya's Kani ni Sasowarete, An Invitation by a Crab in English, is a short manga or essentially a book comprising of 18 chapters in total. It follows a high school aged protagonist of indeterminate gender. Each chapter in the book(?) is seemingly random in the sense that none of them are exactly related: do not seem to follow a linear storyline. The manga basically disregards any and all conventions so it's a tough task assigning a genre to it. Since it disregards conventions other manga (or anime) pertains to, the basis of comparison is taken away; therefore it's pretty hard to score it (which I ... did anyway). Every second chapter there's an excerpt from the author; although they're unrelated to the story in the manga, they help understand the themes of it.

In short, An Invitation champions the thoughts that pops up spontaneously in your daily routine, and you're incapable of retaining them later on — testament to their insignificance. In every chapter the protagonist is introduced to some vague, ambiguous situation pertaining to these thoughts. What really seals the deal is how surreal these situations play out, and just how absurd the solutions are (if any). Albeit the fact that the only real takeaway from the manga is to appreciate the trivial things around us, it still holds up as an enjoyable, memorable experience solely because of how it's presented. The transient humor in the manga for example, due to clever illustrations and simple dialogues, is presented in a way that doesn't get lost on you.

So do I recommend this really short, Avant Garde, indie masterpiece? YES.

Most thoughts have an easily discernible meaning and purpose to them, but sometimes you'll have a strange thought with an unknowable origin that will probably be forgotten just as easily as it was created.

Invitation from a crab is a collection and exploration of these thoughts. The stories in this book are nonsensical and confusing, but ultimately interesting.

I find it hard to review something like this in a conventional way. Most manga I can come up with a score based on feeling and be confident in it but this isn't your normal manga. I can't score it conventionally because the product isn't made conventionally. The most ... I can do is score it vaguely and say what kind of person I think would enjoy this so-o.

I would say this book is for those with an interest in works that aren't bound by conventional wisdom. It is for those that aren't afraid to buy a book because it looked interesting. It is for those that have gotten bored of your usual manga fare. I hope those that are reading this can determine whether or not this is for you by what I have said. Have a good day.