Junwaidan

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A curious piece this. First off, don't be too scared by the seemingly very 18+ appearance of this manga. Surprisingly enough, it is not very sexual at all, and mainly revolves around relationships, with sex being used mainly as a tool rather than as an end in and of itself.

The stories told DO leave you thinking. They are well-paced, have interesting premises and are written pretty well in my opinion. For the most part, all of them revolve around how to find the right relationship and whether its even possible.

Many of the stories go about this in pretty interesting ways, so it is definitely worth ... a read in my opinion.


However, to not be too rosy, I will say that the art is pretty bland. The big limiter on my enjoyment however, is how realistic most of these stories really are. It kind of hurts that society both here, and I imagine especially in Japan, has devolved to the point where the things the characters think are actually things that real people think to themselves sometimes.

Oh well. That may just be me.

In general I can highly recommend checking this out. It does get slightly explicit, but it's really nothing compared to your average fantasy shounen. The real 18+ here is the content. You just won't get it as a kid I think.

Whoa, some of these chapters swept me way more than I expected to. I admit the cover and summary of 'Junwaidan' made me think I'm in for a fun, but cheap-ish rowdy series.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

This manga is episodic in nature and despite some of the stories focusing on people at the younger stages of their lives, it's very adult. Adult in a sentimentally painful, realistic, and very, very sobering way. It doesn't condone the behavior of its characters (most chapters being based on true stories submitted to the mangaka); it rather explores them in a captivating way.

I've read very few series ... that could contain this realism and genuine feeling within a single chapter without seeming too short/unfinished.

In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the series transcends the usual manga storytelling methods. It rather ventures into short prose territory - intimate, emotional, and with a gentle hint of wisdom about the things we have to sometimes sacrifice. I found myself and some of my romantic experiences in several of these chapters and could 100% resonate with the characters depicted.

I would disagree with the reviewer before me. I don't think the art is bland. I think the art is purposefully more realistic and not overly flowery or majestic. It's a more mature, streamlined take on the art of manga. And I'm glad about that, as I think the stylistic choice fits the story narratives and messages very well.

A solid 9/10 out of me. I read the series is on hiatus and I'm very sad about this fact, as 'Junwaidan' delivers a special kind of atmosphere. As I said, there's a heavy dose of realism here - keep that in mind. A lot of bittersweetness to be found within the chapters.

Oh, and there are Youtube videos (much like scripts/screenplays) that tie well into the manga series. I advise you take a look at them, just search the manga name in Japanese and they'll pop up. I'm actually surprised this isn't bigger overseas, as both the series and the videos are decently popular within Japan.