Oyaji

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One word:Epic. Not too much character development aside from Oyaji, but what did you expect, its only 25 chapters. Its a great short story, realistic, telling us about the real world, the filth, the worker class people and their everyday struggle to survive. A man who deply loves his family and who would do anything for them, a kindhearted man, that looks like a bear. And with a backround not so healthy, wet, he managed to become a real family man and protector. 10\10 overall, if someone wants to read a heartwarming story, not romantic shit, but realistic hard life, its it worth spending ... 2 hours of your life reading this manga.

"You will not understand until you are a parent yourself." -Every parent on Earth

That phrase has been around since the dawn of parenting. If you are not a parent or guardian, then it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE for you to fully appreciate the man known as Oyaji (No, having a pet doesn't count. Seriously.) At first glance, you would think, "Oh, this is just another family drama. Nothing new." or "Oh, this is about a badass, manly man." You are very, VERY wrong. This is NOT about how badass you can be. It is NOT a soap opera. This is an artistic portrayal of EVERY loving ... parent in the world. This is the feeling we all share towards our kids. Oyaji is the embodiment of sacrifice. You will never understand parenting until you have learn to sacrifice for your child, whether it be time, energy or even blood.

This manga utilizes two ways to portray parenthood: The art and the story.
The art is the surface of what people will see and experience day by day. It represents the difficulties, the roughness, the ugliness of raising a child. I once saw countless people berating the author's art style, but perhaps it was the author's intention. Oyaji isn't presented to charm you with flowery art, but lay down bare the reality of life. Both the actions and emotions are exposed. You will see everything. The scrunched up face of a crying mother, the terror of a young man, the joy of a united family, the pride of a father. Hopefully the art doesn't deter you from reading this masterpiece. (Yeah, I said it. It's a masterpiece.) You would regret not reading this, especially if you're a parent or guardian.

Secondly, the story. The story is what we want in the long run. It's moving. It's powerful. It's inspiring. The author doesn't allow the father to be invincible, all knowing nor flawless. Every parent is just like Oyaji. We have flaws and fears. Our worries makes us vulnerable. We hide it and harden ourselves to ease the minds of our children. We all hope that someday, when our kids are old enough to face the world, maybe they can sit down at the table and listen to everything that we've suppressed to not only guide them, but to restore our sanity.

Oyaji is a tragic character. He endured hardships since he was born, but through these hardships, Oyaji, both in childhood and adulthood, have given us a few valuable lessons. My advice will not be the 'be all, end all.' The times will change. The world will change. I might give the wrong advice, my kids probably won't follow my words, or maybe they will be in a situation that I'm not familiar with. But no matter what, they must face their problems with courage. Oyaji has taught me that courage is timeless.

Unconditional love isn't full of kisses, sunshines and rainbows. Sometimes love means you punch someone in the face and wake them up from their delusions, so that they can learn to stand up and face their fears. Sometimes love can be harsh truths rather than comfort lies. Sometimes love means letting yourself become transparent, even just a little, to reach a new understanding. Sometimes love means you have to let go of your children's hands, while other times you chase after them with everything you've got.
Oyaji has taught me that people express love in many ways, but love will always be love.

Years ago, I read and appreciate Oyaji as a man. Now, I've read and respect him as a father.
Please give this a read. I guarantee you that Oyaji will guide you toward a meaningful life, just like the knuckles of his fists.

I expected a story of a strong man set in the '90s, where he'd fight against or along the yakuza.

Instead, we are presented a tale of a father that realizes his infinite love for his family, that tries to recover 16 years of absence in one day.
This is not a sequence of pages representing brutal violence. It's a redemption of a man, the realization of a father.

He lost everything, he was abused by his old man, he faced prison. So he grew up as a scar-faced bear sized giant. But after all, we discover his human side, his will to protect the weak and the ... will to sacrify himself to achieve that.
It's a humane and mundane story, that makes you smile, cheer, cry in only 3 volumes.