No worries about late replies, we're all busy. Like how late I am with mine, lol. Sorry bout that.
I see you've rated Goodnight Punpun a 9. I'm thrilled I could help.
That's a great observation of Punpun in his "Takashi" persona. I didn't get the feeling that Punpun felt bad when he had sex with her, but rather looked stoic about it. Although I could be wrong though, I haven't read the manga in 2 years.
I'm glad you realize that more now. Self-awareness does not absolve anyone of anything but it's a step in the right direction to see what is right and wrong about certain situations, whether it's inside a fictional narrative or not. It's not a stretch to actually say that about the rape scene, even though it's necessary for Punpun's development, Asano could have actually hoped that the readers would be more aware of male sexual abuse victims.
I think the Poop God has to do something with Punpun's personality disorder (something I'll mention later on), but I can't really remember anything more about that. Yeah, Shimizu is one of the weaker characters. He's more like a damsel in distress Seki has to save than anything else. But in a way, that's kind of the point. Instead of having Kou's own character arc, he's and Seki's are tied together. Kou is still immature, and couldn't even fully comprehend the things he is experiencing, and only Seki could understand his situation.
I understand how the supernatural aspect of Punpun can be unrealistic, but for Goodnight Punpun's world-building, it falls to a comfortable standard of the narrative's realism. The fantasy aspect is not heavy magic, but more like supernatural/biblical-esque events. Punpun is not set in the real world. It may be on Earth, but on a different reality, so I believe it's realistic.
Re-reading volumes 9-10, I sort of see that volume as the part where Punpun should have given up on himself. Not reminiscent of how he lost his humanity after murdering Aiko's mom, but as a means to start over as a new person. In "that night Punpun died," Punpun was having a dissociative episode, and he saw himself as less of a person compared to Takashi (his neighbor) who he considered at the time to be the world's main character. When Punpun said that he wanted Takashi to lick every part of his body probably means something else, where he wants to embody everything Takashi is because of how disgusted he is with himself. Punpun still had hope then but exhibited degrading optimism, and hearing his neighbors have sex while having that dissociative episode was the trigger to kill his old self. However, he met Aiko, who was at the time not influenced by Punpun's nihilistic character. Punpun's mind was reminded of who he really was after reminiscing about his and Aiko's childhood. Aiko was pulling him back from the grave, in a sense. I think that meant that at first, Aiko was the one who was supposed to influence Punpun, but ended up getting influenced by Punpun in the end.
As for Punpun's depression, I think he had all the right to feel that way. While his childhood did not bear the same weight as Aiko's, they are similar in the way that their depression was yielded by household conflict. The difference is that the foundation of Aiko's depression was constant sadness and loneliness, while Punpun's was most likely yielded through contempt and hatred. Punpun was raped by his aunt, didn't have the healthiest relationship with his mom, struggled with his relationship with Sachi, and couldn't maintain strong friendships. Aiko's depression is stronger than Punpun's. That's why she was able to kill herself and Punpun couldn't (The claim is reinforced by statistics that the male population is much more likely to be successful with suicide). But Punpun doesn't only have depression, he is hinted to have a borderline personality disorder and psychopathic tendencies. So it may seem that Punpun is more depressed than Aiko, but Punpun's inner monologues suggest other mental problems than just depression. That, and the fact that we get to see more inside Punpun's brain compared to Aiko.
Sorry for the late reply, I've been busy with school the whole day.
That's understandable. Goodnight Punpun isn't a perfect manga. Objectively, I would score it a 9, but I'm emotionally attached to it enough to treat it with bias and make it a 10. What I loved most about Goodnight Punpun is its characters. Not the characters as people, but the way they are written. Punpun, after all, is a character-driven narrative.
Among other things, Goodnight Punpun portrays the deconstruction of each character; psychologically, emotionally, and mentally. Each character has their own struggles, and their personality revolves around said struggles. This may seem unrealistic in the way that we see their characters share the same depressed and nihilistic personality, but it actually makes sense that we see them that way. We are, after all, seeing the story and character deconstruction from an omniscient reader's perspective. Each character still exhibits realistic reactions, human conventions expected by society, and maturity. We just can't help but see each person as a character whose only trait is being depressed since that's the point of the character depictions.
Punpun is very well-written. The foundation of his character depicts the gradual loss of a person’s purity for each damning situation he experiences. Both common societal problems to traumatic experiences. His appearance also shows his gradual downfall; depicted as a simple bird that symbolizes his aloofness from society; depicted as a pyramid to represent the love triangle between him, Aiko, and Sachi; and how his appearance in the later arcs gradually becomes more and more like a monster represents how he is slowly but surely losing his humanity. Each experience builds up to the moment where Punpun kills Aiko’s mother; the moment Punpun lost his humanity. That murder was the trigger for Punpun losing faith in himself, human society, and the world as a whole to the point where he wanted the world to end. And Aiko has no one to turn to besides Punpun and was influenced by him (even though her character was already going in the same direction as Punpun’s). Punpun and Aiko’s moments together are the apotheosis of nihilism. They placed no label on their relationship, they know that their relationship is toxic and would end in one way or another. But still stayed together, engaging in multiple crimes and meaningless sex before Aiko commits suicide. Their character arcs are an amazing portrayal of tragedy. I apologize if I’m focusing too much on these two characters, but one half of a full picture. I want you to note that the nihilism aspect of their characters is really important because this sets up the juxtaposition between them and the other characters.
Contrary to the downfall of Punpun and Aiko, you’ll notice that other integral characters such as Midori, Yuuichi, Seki, and Sachi had their redemption. This is represented due to Pegasus, who is considered to be the hero of the story while Punpun is the villain. Punpun is the embodiment of nihilism while Pegasus represents hope. Not once may these two characters have shared a scene, but they are directly connected.
You’ll notice that Goodnight Punpun falls within the supernatural genre. An overarching story is the battle of Pegasus and Punpun’s ideals. Punpun wants the world to end, and that desire is the force that actually would have ended the world. On the other hand, Pegasus wants to save the world knowing that it will end. The battle is portrayed in an obscure way, so many people are turned off by the Good Vibrations arc, but I still think it's well-written. Although the pacing could have been a lot better.
To summarize. Punpun is the villain of the overall story, while Pegasus is the hero. Punpun represents nihilism and Pegasus represents hope. This coincides with the deconstruction of characters. In a way, Punpun was the embodiment of nihilism, the embodiment which Aiko turned to because she couldn’t find another way. And Pegasus gave hope to the characters that had a connection to him in any way shape or form which lead to their redemption or healing stage; Yuiichi and Midori living together, Sachi having her child, Seki and his redemption arc, etc... Punpun failed suicide which many readers think ruins his whole character arc, but is depicted as a bird again in the ending shows that he is slowly gaining his humanity back, meaning he has to deal with carrying the guilt, regret, and responsibility of the damage he caused throughout his life, which is proper punishment. I understood this better thanks to a conversation with a friend of mine.
I hope that I managed to properly explain why I think Goodnight Punpun is a “masterpiece.” I’m constantly sleep-deprived because I’m about to graduate and focusing a lot on my studies so I’m not that confident in my articulation at the moment. If you’re still confused you can ask me questions and I’ll be happy to answer them. Also, thanks for saying you liked my reviews.
For LoTGH I'd recommend watching the anime first, then if you liked it you can read the novel sometimes later as a revisit of the story. For /zero, I've enjoyed the novel more, but the anime has very nice visuals, so it's up to you. Probably also start with watching the anime.
I was going to warn you to not start Fate with /zero, but I see you've already seen UBW, so you're good to go there.
All Comments (6) Comments
I see you've rated Goodnight Punpun a 9. I'm thrilled I could help.
That's a great observation of Punpun in his "Takashi" persona. I didn't get the feeling that Punpun felt bad when he had sex with her, but rather looked stoic about it. Although I could be wrong though, I haven't read the manga in 2 years.
I'm glad you realize that more now. Self-awareness does not absolve anyone of anything but it's a step in the right direction to see what is right and wrong about certain situations, whether it's inside a fictional narrative or not. It's not a stretch to actually say that about the rape scene, even though it's necessary for Punpun's development, Asano could have actually hoped that the readers would be more aware of male sexual abuse victims.
I understand how the supernatural aspect of Punpun can be unrealistic, but for Goodnight Punpun's world-building, it falls to a comfortable standard of the narrative's realism. The fantasy aspect is not heavy magic, but more like supernatural/biblical-esque events. Punpun is not set in the real world. It may be on Earth, but on a different reality, so I believe it's realistic.
Re-reading volumes 9-10, I sort of see that volume as the part where Punpun should have given up on himself. Not reminiscent of how he lost his humanity after murdering Aiko's mom, but as a means to start over as a new person. In "that night Punpun died," Punpun was having a dissociative episode, and he saw himself as less of a person compared to Takashi (his neighbor) who he considered at the time to be the world's main character. When Punpun said that he wanted Takashi to lick every part of his body probably means something else, where he wants to embody everything Takashi is because of how disgusted he is with himself. Punpun still had hope then but exhibited degrading optimism, and hearing his neighbors have sex while having that dissociative episode was the trigger to kill his old self. However, he met Aiko, who was at the time not influenced by Punpun's nihilistic character. Punpun's mind was reminded of who he really was after reminiscing about his and Aiko's childhood. Aiko was pulling him back from the grave, in a sense. I think that meant that at first, Aiko was the one who was supposed to influence Punpun, but ended up getting influenced by Punpun in the end.
As for Punpun's depression, I think he had all the right to feel that way. While his childhood did not bear the same weight as Aiko's, they are similar in the way that their depression was yielded by household conflict. The difference is that the foundation of Aiko's depression was constant sadness and loneliness, while Punpun's was most likely yielded through contempt and hatred. Punpun was raped by his aunt, didn't have the healthiest relationship with his mom, struggled with his relationship with Sachi, and couldn't maintain strong friendships. Aiko's depression is stronger than Punpun's. That's why she was able to kill herself and Punpun couldn't (The claim is reinforced by statistics that the male population is much more likely to be successful with suicide). But Punpun doesn't only have depression, he is hinted to have a borderline personality disorder and psychopathic tendencies. So it may seem that Punpun is more depressed than Aiko, but Punpun's inner monologues suggest other mental problems than just depression. That, and the fact that we get to see more inside Punpun's brain compared to Aiko.
Thanks for the kind words.
That's understandable. Goodnight Punpun isn't a perfect manga. Objectively, I would score it a 9, but I'm emotionally attached to it enough to treat it with bias and make it a 10. What I loved most about Goodnight Punpun is its characters. Not the characters as people, but the way they are written. Punpun, after all, is a character-driven narrative.
Among other things, Goodnight Punpun portrays the deconstruction of each character; psychologically, emotionally, and mentally. Each character has their own struggles, and their personality revolves around said struggles. This may seem unrealistic in the way that we see their characters share the same depressed and nihilistic personality, but it actually makes sense that we see them that way. We are, after all, seeing the story and character deconstruction from an omniscient reader's perspective. Each character still exhibits realistic reactions, human conventions expected by society, and maturity. We just can't help but see each person as a character whose only trait is being depressed since that's the point of the character depictions.
Punpun is very well-written. The foundation of his character depicts the gradual loss of a person’s purity for each damning situation he experiences. Both common societal problems to traumatic experiences. His appearance also shows his gradual downfall; depicted as a simple bird that symbolizes his aloofness from society; depicted as a pyramid to represent the love triangle between him, Aiko, and Sachi; and how his appearance in the later arcs gradually becomes more and more like a monster represents how he is slowly but surely losing his humanity. Each experience builds up to the moment where Punpun kills Aiko’s mother; the moment Punpun lost his humanity. That murder was the trigger for Punpun losing faith in himself, human society, and the world as a whole to the point where he wanted the world to end. And Aiko has no one to turn to besides Punpun and was influenced by him (even though her character was already going in the same direction as Punpun’s). Punpun and Aiko’s moments together are the apotheosis of nihilism. They placed no label on their relationship, they know that their relationship is toxic and would end in one way or another. But still stayed together, engaging in multiple crimes and meaningless sex before Aiko commits suicide. Their character arcs are an amazing portrayal of tragedy. I apologize if I’m focusing too much on these two characters, but one half of a full picture. I want you to note that the nihilism aspect of their characters is really important because this sets up the juxtaposition between them and the other characters.
Contrary to the downfall of Punpun and Aiko, you’ll notice that other integral characters such as Midori, Yuuichi, Seki, and Sachi had their redemption. This is represented due to Pegasus, who is considered to be the hero of the story while Punpun is the villain. Punpun is the embodiment of nihilism while Pegasus represents hope. Not once may these two characters have shared a scene, but they are directly connected.
You’ll notice that Goodnight Punpun falls within the supernatural genre. An overarching story is the battle of Pegasus and Punpun’s ideals. Punpun wants the world to end, and that desire is the force that actually would have ended the world. On the other hand, Pegasus wants to save the world knowing that it will end. The battle is portrayed in an obscure way, so many people are turned off by the Good Vibrations arc, but I still think it's well-written. Although the pacing could have been a lot better.
To summarize. Punpun is the villain of the overall story, while Pegasus is the hero. Punpun represents nihilism and Pegasus represents hope. This coincides with the deconstruction of characters. In a way, Punpun was the embodiment of nihilism, the embodiment which Aiko turned to because she couldn’t find another way. And Pegasus gave hope to the characters that had a connection to him in any way shape or form which lead to their redemption or healing stage; Yuiichi and Midori living together, Sachi having her child, Seki and his redemption arc, etc... Punpun failed suicide which many readers think ruins his whole character arc, but is depicted as a bird again in the ending shows that he is slowly gaining his humanity back, meaning he has to deal with carrying the guilt, regret, and responsibility of the damage he caused throughout his life, which is proper punishment. I understood this better thanks to a conversation with a friend of mine.
I hope that I managed to properly explain why I think Goodnight Punpun is a “masterpiece.” I’m constantly sleep-deprived because I’m about to graduate and focusing a lot on my studies so I’m not that confident in my articulation at the moment. If you’re still confused you can ask me questions and I’ll be happy to answer them. Also, thanks for saying you liked my reviews.
I was going to warn you to not start Fate with /zero, but I see you've already seen UBW, so you're good to go there.