Gon is a fascinatingly constructed tale. It's almost entirely episodic with each chapter starting with Gon ending up in a different location and getting up to all kinds of shenanigans. Over the course of the manga, we visit all kinds of biomes - European mountains and forests, African savannah, barren deserts, snow-covered artic wastelands, the Amazon rainforest and many more. What is really captivating is how realistically life in nature is depicted, with all the creatures partaking in their usual activities. That is, until Gon gets involved. Then, this Animal Planet documentary quickly transforms into Tom and Jerry-esque slapstick mayhem. I didn't expect to laugh as often as I did while reading this, but it cracked me up on multiple occasions. Beyond the absurd skits, there are many dramatic moments and there is more than enough tention in every chapter to keep things interesting. Gon himself is a more nuanced character than one would expect and there are tons of pleasant surprises along the way.
Obviously, the art is the main focal point of Gon and it is truly a feast for the eyes. All of the art is stunningly beautiful and superbly detailed, while also being very energetic, dynamic and clearly readable. All of the backgrounds are breathtakingly picturesque. All the animals are drawn in an almost flawlessly photorealistic manner and juxtaposing Gon's very cartoony appearance serves to greatly accentuate the absurdity of the events depicted. It's amazing how expressive the art is too. Without ever fully anthropomorphizing them, all the animals have superbly expressive faces that help sell the story and showcase emotions without any words needed. Some of them are also downright hilarious.
The most appealing thing about this manga is of course it's lack of words and that to me perfectly showcases the power of comics as a storytelling method. Tanaka's art is so perfectly expressive and fluid that despite the lack of dialogue, not a single time is it unclear what is happening. The emotions of the characters are perfectly clear and the action is flowing and epic. A manga like this is a celebration of human imagination and how a story full of rapid motion, vibrant colour and dynamic action can be fully expressed through nothing but black and white artwork. And magnificent artwork at that.
Alright, I've rambled on long enough. Point is, Gon is incredibly unique. I can't think of any other manga this focused on wild animals just existing in their natural habitat, without a single human every appearing. I can't think of any other manga that is so fluent and easy to enjoy without ever needing words. I can't think of any other manga so confident in its art, that it lets it do all the talking. Truly, Gon is a one-of-a-kind experience and one of the finest works in the manga sphere. It's even quite short and thanks to its lack of dialogue, it goes fully beyond any borders and language barriers. Do yourself a favour and give it a read!
