Sekai no Owari to Yoakemae

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

Random Quote:
"Life...Life isn't so bad. If you keep living, you will someday find something good. And maybe that's no consolation...because I think there are plenty of bad things in the world. But...I am sure happiness and kindness are hiding somewhere right nearby. If nothing else, morning comes same for everyone. It's up to you what you'll make from that."

Review:
So, why should one read vignettes about random people? I think maybe because one can relate them with real life, the stories depicted in this manga are not about happy endings, or some special people. It's about life, life of normal people, and these people ... resonate with you, their insecurities might be your insecurities, their life crisis might resemble yours. It might even be like seeing your life unfold in those pages. Asano Inio, targets people of all ages and sex, of different walks of life in these short stories of his, and the best part is that they are depicted beautifully. After these stories you feel compelled to think about the things you've done in your life until now, In some way, aren't you like those manga characters, hollow, incomplete and looking for something, anything to hold on to, that'll give meaning to life, aren't we all the same? This manga forces you, to face reality, and somehow after reading these stories, I became a wee bit more pragmatic, and a bit more closer to myself.

Coming to grips with the harsh realities one faces in adolescence, the insecurity of one's place and purpose in the world, the realization of one's true self, and the impact that society can have on a person: these are all realistic obstacles and troubles that humans face every day.

Rather than one overarching story plot, the story divides itself into multiple short stories with different characters and their own array of problems. Overall, most of the stories are well done as each handles the situation in their own way, whether there was a good result in the end or not. The 4th chapter is ... the one story that I believe is handled the best as story and characters are seen from the viewpoints of three different characters, and one can see the true impact of how one has effected the other character and their thoughts process as a whole, rather than the preconception one character might have had on another. Some of the chapters however would benefit from having more attention as some of the characters didn't feel as well developed as they could have been (most notably, chapter 5).

To those who may have read Asano's other works, then it may be no surprise for you that the art is very detailed and quite beautiful with the attention that is put into the characters and the backgrounds. This is even true for the bizarre facial expressions that are common through the manga, which can add a comedic effect even when misfortune is happening to an individual.

If you're fine without a work having an overarching plot and if you a manga that can hit close to home with others, than I'd greatly recommend this. If you want something similar that's a bit lighter, check out Solanin, but if you want a work that's a bit more cynical with a darker plot, check out Oyasumi Punpun.

Inio Asano is absolutely brilliant! It boggles my mind why people that I know haven't read his works. After finishing "Nijigahara Holograph", upon recommendation from a fellow MAL user Ultimalord, I was absolutely impressed at the level of depth and characterization in the very few chapters. "Sekai no Owari to Yoake Mae" delivers this same quality with ease.

Story: 9

Sekai is a collection of stories that alone are mere glimpses into individual lives. There is a harshness to each of these fragments that deliver home a very dark reality. All of these fragments are tied together by a plethora of thematic strings, but in short ... it's an unbiased, unforgiven look into life. I grew accustomed to witnessing blindly idealistic worlds formed happily in other Manga that having such a mirrored example of reality was shocking. These characters were breathing in the air of life from the hand of their creator, and some questioning why or what was the point of living at all. The thing that makes this story so brilliant ,much like Asano's other works, is that one can take away so much from it. With such a wide array of ideals, aspects of humanity, and questions posed on the page before the reader; it leads them to self discovery. The ability to reflect upon what you read, to think. Any work that can do that in such an interesting way is truly something wonderful.

Art: 9

The striking resemblance to reality comes partially to the credit of the art. Once again I am impressed at how Asano draws his characters, and the situations that they come into. Although I wouldn't say its outstanding, great sums it up incredibly well.

Character: 8

The characters in Sekai are strikingly human. No one is perfect, everyone is messed up in some way. Some have lost sight of reality, others gave up on the world, and some are just trying to do one of the few rights us humans have in this world: the right to live. The only deduction that I have is not necessarily a bad thing. Since Asano made such a point to provide such a wide array of characters and stories, we obviously don't spend to much time on one specific set of characters. So we don't get to know everything about them, but even then Asano gives the reader Gods view of these people. We peer into a moment in their lives (sometimes even their pasts) and learn tons about who they are as humans. I just thought it was something to address, but still Characterization is handled very well.

Enjoyment: 10

What else but the highest could I give this. Specially when my own enjoyment comes into play. Enjoyment isn't really best word for this tho. It's more of an appreciation for the work itself. Any thing from any medium that can make me sit down and reevaluate my life is truly something outstanding.

Overall: 9.0

A journey into humanity, "Sekai no Owari to Yoake Mae" is something that should be read. I would recommend this in a heart beat, just so you can go along for the ride. It's something truly special, and one of my favorites by a long shot. Asano you continue to impress me. As always thanks for reading.

Before Dawn and the End of the World is one of the first published works of Inio Asano. Much like his other early works (City of Light, What a Wonderful World), this story is told through a series of connected vignettes, some consisting of a single chapter and others a few, all with a common theme. The theme should come as no surprise to anyone who's ever read Asano. Put simply, it's nostalgia. That, however, does not do it justice. This is an intimate study of the overactive dreams we all have as children, our naive worldviews, our hope and optimism, our vibrant spirit of ... life... and how we lose sight of those things in adulthood. It's a story about remembering what it is that each of us lives for, reclaiming that old spark, and reconciling it with the harsh present of adulthood.

Personal, emotional turmoil has a way of rearing its hideous and unpleasant head at the worst times. Just whenever one believes to have conquered an insecurity, gain a true understanding of self, or have found peace with someone, it falls apart or is demolished by something unforeseen. Situations like these have been utilized in manga many times before, but it seems that there is an abundance of duds that fail to capture the feelings and/or tell it an engaging fashion. Fortunately, not every manga must fall under that disappointing and dismaying category. "Before Dawn and the End of the World" is a great collection of ... short stories that enclose interesting characters, pleasant artwork, and emotional resonance; all of which come together and work in powerful cohesion.

There are many characters that are shown that all vary in: age, personality, gender, and general cause of distress. They all are people who share in common the fact that they are all trying to cope with their problems. There is much sadness and tribulation in the world, and much is showcased in this manga. Conclusions to the stories are realistic in how they aren't always gleeful or happy. Heartbreak, angst, or identity crisis, they are all displayed well through the characters. Honestly, the only major flaw is not that their problems are uninteresting, but that sometimes they aren't as developed as they should be. Some work in a satisfying way with the short amount of pages they last for, but others are definitely hindered by the limited length. Fortunately, there are only a few lackluster stories, and they don't put much of a damper on the overall manga.

The artwork is well-made. The manga consists mostly of neatly drawn lines, but is not afraid to get messy or rough if necessary. Overall, the artwork is not hurried or mediocre. For example, the backgrounds are detailed and are impressively realistic. They contain many urban locations, so the detail enhances the realistic and contemporary feel the manga strives for. Character designs are more minimal and are not as refined but still pleasing. Younger female characters somewhat resemble Chica Umino's (Honey and Clover) character art, but they are not massively reminiscent, whilst maintaining Asano's unique artistic touch. Of course, many of the characters have Asano's lovely trapezoid-like eyes that he features in all of his works. The facial expressions they all show are gratifying and convey their feelings well.

Inio Asano might have made other manga that I value just somewhat more than this one, but this one surely still manages to be absorbing and profound on its own. "Before Dawn and the End of the World" is what an accumulation of dramatic slice-of-life short stories should be like. Emotionally-involving stories that encapsulate certain feelings, be them negative or positive, and tell them in an interesting way that makes it easy to relate to. This component, along with the quality artwork, make this a solid and unforgettable manga.

Eight Pleasing, Satisfying, and Loving Kisses out of Ten.

After Oyasumi Punpun this might be my favorite Inio Asano work. This is a collection of One-shots and each one of them could easily be a story. Not sure if he developed some of these into later works but every time I finished one of them it left me wanting more. Inio Asano is a master at creating very emotional and human characters that not only feel real but also relatable. His works tend to be on the sadder side but it feels so real and human that you don't want to stop reading. Combining that with his beautiful and very distinguishable art style, it ... makes the experience very immersive and you just don't want to leave.

Highly recommend.

La siguiente reseña está en Español e Inglés (traducida con el apoyo de DeepL)
La versión leída es la traducción al español por KOT7K perteneciente a "GoFansub"

Cuarta antología de Inio Asano, el título traducido es “El fin del mundo y Antes del amanecer”, son 11 capítulos en el que cada uno es una historia diferente, 4 relatos están directamente interconectados y en otros hay inferida una conexión aunque está más disposición de que lo considere así el lector. Las temáticas son varias, entre ellas tenemos la nostalgia, cotidianidad o amistad, sin embargo, hay una constante, sean los personajes adolescentes, jóvenes o adultos, y es sobre crecer.

Un ... adolescente a las puertas de la adultez mediante el contacto con el sexo opuesto, jóvenes aspirando a un sueño o dandose cuenta de que sin proponerselo están consiguiendo una vida común y corriente, o el adulto quien ya habiendo conseguido lo que “esperaba” de él, esposa, casa e hijos, se encuentra a sí mismo en un nuevo inicio. Diferentes personas con diversas edades y personalidades, se enfrentan a la encrucijada de qué hacemos con nuestro presente para corresponder al futuro.

Es inevitable que de evaluarlas individualmente consideremos una historia por encima del resto, sin embargo, contrario a cualquiera de sus anteriores antologías, no considero que ninguna sea “menor” a las otras. Es decir, a nivel semántico, hay una “mejor” pero no “peor”, no hay relato que entorpezca la consistencia, cada cual tiene una reflexión interesante por sí misma y que realiza eco sobre otras historias, y por eso, le considero la mejor antología de Asano hasta ese punto de su carrera.

No sólo hay una refinación en la narrativa individual para conseguir la general, está la forma en cómo sucede cada cual, las reflexiones provienen desde el personaje y sus vivencias en el momento, dándole el toque de naturalidad en vez de sermón o pretensión desde el autor. Como también la definición de cada personaje, hay una escala de grises en que al observar a fondo a una “mala persona” se develan sus problemas y conflictos, no justificación o redención, sólo consideración en que cada quien tiene una vida.

La mencionada historia interconectada es donde Ino mejor demuestra su aprendizaje, cada punto de vista aporta desde la consideración de su personaje para demostrar que aún un suceso cualquiera se construye desde la vivencia de diferentes personas, con sus conflictos y expectativas, aportando entre sí con el mero contacto.

También es generalizado el optimismo de Asano en cada capítulo, sin importar la situación en la que se encuentre, la esperanza de un futuro algo mejor es lo que siempre persiste. Porque aún en el fin del mundo, también es interesante la persistencia de un apocalipsis en sus trabajos, deberíamos esperar a que el próximo día sea mejor que el actual.

Si hay un elemento aparentemente disonante es el curioso primer capítulo, cada par de viñetas compone una minihistoria de todas las índoles imaginables, en el profundo de la noche la vida continúa para quienes estén despiertos. Es una excelente introducción a la composición que pese a deshacerse de los elementos sobrenaturales, explora su atmósfera de cotidianidad y convivencia.

La constante mejora en el dibujo de Asano está en el sentido del encuadre en los momentos determinantes de la narrativa, de amplios escenarios que amplifican las vivencias de los personajes, como también en las situaciones más cotidianas experimentando con ángulos y planos que no había utilizado, o delimitando el ritmo de diferentes maneras. En especial, me gusta cuando se entremezcla cotidianidad y sobrenatural en la misma viñeta, ya presente en sus anteriores trabajos, más por la esencia sobria de está antología destacan todavía más, la combinación de lo común con lo representativo.

Considero está antología su primer gran trabajo, todos los puntos que estuvo desarrollando hasta entonces llegaron al estado que aspiraba sea en narrativa, consistencia o dibujo. Es calificable, para cualquiera, que cada trabajo es sólo un paso hasta el próximo, y que seguramente los consecutivos puedan regresar a ideas y formas aquí presentadas, más eso ni disminuye el valor de su antología, al contrario, se volverá más notable por sí misma y para referencia de lo venidero

English

Fourth anthology by Inio Asano, the translated title is "The end of the world and Before dawn", there are 11 chapters in which each one is a different story, 4 stories are directly interconnected and in others there is an inferred connection although it is more up to the reader to consider it that way. The themes are varied, among them we have nostalgia, everyday life or friendship, however, there is a constant, whether the characters are teenagers, young people or adults, and it is about growing up.

A teenager at the gates of adulthood through contact with the opposite sex, young people aspiring to a dream or realizing that without intending it they are getting an ordinary life, or the adult who has already achieved what society "expected" of him, wife, house and children, finds himself in a new beginning. Different people with different ages and personalities, face the crossroads of what we do with our present to correspond to the future.

It is inevitable that if we evaluate them individually we will consider one story above the rest, however, contrary to any of his previous anthologies, I do not consider any of them to be "lesser" than the others. That is, on a semantic level, there is a "better" but not a "worse" one, there is no story that hinders consistency, each one has an interesting reflection on its own and echoes other stories, and for that reason, I consider it Asano's best anthology to that point in his career.

Not only is there a refinement in the individual narrative to achieve the general one, there is the way in which each one happens, the reflections come from the character and his experiences in the moment, giving it the touch of naturalness instead of sermon or pretension from the author. As well as the definition of each character, there is a scale of grayscale in which to observe in depth a "bad person" reveals their problems and conflicts, no justification or redemption, only consideration that everyone has a life.

The aforementioned interconnected story is where Ino best demonstrates her learning, each point of view contributes from the consideration of her character to show that even a random event is built from the experience of different people, with their conflicts and expectations, contributing to each other with the mere contact.

Asano's optimism is also generalized in each chapter, regardless of the situation in which he finds himself, the hope for a better future is what always persists. Because even at the end of the world, it is also interesting the persistence of an apocalypse in his works, we should hope that the next day will be better than the current one.

If there is an apparently dissonant element it is the curious first chapter, each pair of vignettes composes a mini-story of every imaginable nature, in the depths of the night life goes on for those who are awake. It is an excellent introduction to the composition that despite getting rid of the supernatural elements, explores its atmosphere of everyday life and coexistence.

The constant improvement in Asano's drawing is in the sense of framing in the decisive moments of the narrative, of wide scenarios that amplify the experiences of the characters, as well as in the most everyday situations, experimenting with angles and shots that he had not used before, or delimiting the rhythm in different ways. I especially like when he mixes the everyday and the supernatural in the same vignette, already present in his previous works, but for the normal essence of this anthology, the combination of the common with the representative stands out even more.

I consider this anthology his first great work, all the points he was developing until then reached the state he aspired to be in narrative, consistency or drawing. It's qualifiable, for anyone, that each work is only a step until the next, and that surely the consecutive ones may return to ideas and forms presented here, but that does not diminish the value of his anthology, on the contrary, it will become more remarkable by itself and for reference of what is to come.

Before Dawn and the End of the World – Spoiler Free – Not Recommended

TLDR
Overall: 4/10

Disclaimer: due to the nature of this work – a collection of short stories –, my normal parameters of Story, Art, Characters and Enjoyment with a weighted average won’t be applied. Instead, a global overview will be offered.

This is one of Inio Asano’s take on short stories, and the verdict is quite easy: it just doesn’t work out.
Most stories, or the fragments that we have, are undeveloped. Inio Asano needs space to thoroughly develop his slices of life and his relatable and realistic characters: Before Dawn and the End of ... the World simply does not provide the conditions that he needs.
Probably with the exception of Tokyo and The End of the World (the last two stories), the rest are either too short to be of any value, incomprehensible, or become too inconsequential.
The idea behind this manga was to test out how short stories are able to depict small fragments of everyday life in a slice-of-life way, but it just doesn’t work. They are merely connected by a string of tragic events, but this alone is not enough to create a satisfactory anthology of short stories.
Asano’s art is always stellar, and Before Dawn and the End of the World is no exception. The shading is on point, and the scenarios and landscapes are beautiful to gaze upon; the character design is your typical Inio Asano style. The cadence of the panels isn’t always the best, as some stories are almost incomprehensible. This is very unusual for Asano, as his page cadence is (almost) always impeccable.
In the end, Before Dawn and the End of the World does not deserve to be remembered as one of Asano’s best works, or even a good work at that. It just doesn’t have the allure of his other works, and definitely the idea of short stories simply doesn’t work out for him. For all these reasons, it’s one of Asano’s weakest works and doesn’t deserve a recommendation; as there is no saving grace other than trying a different approach, it also doesn’t deserve a mixed feelings stamp.