I have read manga for about fifteen years for now, but earlier it would have been hard to answer to that big question "What is your favourite?". My fave manga has changed several times. From Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou to Garasu no Kamen to 20th Century Boys to JoJo no Kimyouna no Bouken to PLUTO. For a while, PLUTO was my "absolute" favourite... but then I found about Oyasumi Punpun by Asano Inio.
First of all, the manga has a a funny name: "Goodnight Punpun". Punpun sounds like a cute mascot character in some shoujo. Coincidentally he is drawn as a caricature bird-like character, but let me tell you people, there is NOTHING cute about Punpun.
Because Punpun is a human, and in human there is darkness. And then there is the darkness of everyday life. Punpun is me and you are Punpun. And that makes Oyasumi Punpun the scariest, most emotionally gripping and saddest manga of all time.
When you were a kid, you had a crush in school, you had dreams, you had family, you had friends. So had Punpun. But when we grow up, those thing soften change. Your crush moves away, your dreams become unattainable, your family suffers and breaks up. Your friends... just disappear. And with that comes darkness. Especially if you have a hyperactive mind like Punpun.
And then there is sex. There is a lots of sex in Punpun, but it's not "ecchi", it's nothing "cute", it is sex in its most natural form, carnal lust. Without sex Punpun would be quite bland, because sex is darkness and life is sex. Asano makes a strong point there.
In a nutshell, Punpun is about life. It has its good parts, but also lots of bad things happen. I simply adore Asano's art, he draws flawlessly. I don't often care about artwork in manga but Punpun is absolutely beautiful manga.
And the translation of Punpun is SUPERB.
Every volume makes me cry a little - and that, if anything, is a proof about manga that is something more. Read it, hate it. Love it.
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