Asano Inio's Solanin captures people in a pivotal moment in their lives. The early twenties. That awful precipitous moment of our lives when we are suddenly hit by pangs of self-doubt and uncertainty about our future, our path in life, all the more pangy because we've already been forced to study subjects we may or may not give a shit about and passed college and university and have been pushed into the wide world so there's no going back.
But there is going sideways. Speaking of sideways, Asano's stories feature elements that are so out of left-field it prevents his manga from falling
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 Alternative TitlesJapanese: ソラニン More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 2
Chapters: 28
Status: Finished
Published: Jun 30, 2005 to Apr 6, 2006
Demographic:
Seinen
Serialization:
Young Sunday (Weekly) Authors:
Asano, Inio (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #4322 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #105
Members: 126,140
Favorites: 5,694 Resources | Reviews
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Aug 27, 2009
Stories you can relate to on a personal level are some of the most powerful ones you’ll encounter, but sometimes, they can be a bit hard to swallow if they hit too close to home.
STORY - Solanin is about the quarter-life crisis: your quarter-life crisis, my quarter-life crisis. After graduating college, Meiko finds herself working as an “office lady.” The hours and pay are decent, but she doesn’t feel any connection towards what she does, her coworkers, or her boss. So she quits. How many other graduates find themselves wanting to do the same not long after starting their first job? We leave high school ... 
Apr 8, 2015
Stretched across the spectrum of time and addressed repeatedly within timeless works comes a subject matter that is ladled with dissonance and admiration by all those who touch it.
And why shouldn’t it? The topic is us, as us: us as our everyday selves beneath the apathetic masks that we adorn; us as our forgotten selves tethering above the riddles of societal norms; us as our unfulfilled selves stuck between a monochromatic world we can’t color and the world we want to stain with the hues we keep locked in our hearts. We as a collective society are frequently hindered by the very ‘norms’ we instill—an absurdity ... 
Jan 22, 2015
"What now?" is the dilemma some fresh graduates experience. On the surface, the issue seems extremely trivial and somewhat privileged. The graduates who experience this must have the luxury to hesitate and question the world around them instead of just plunging headfirst into the cool and foreboding waters of society to make ends meet and survive. Which, I acknowledge, is fair criticism. However, that does not invalidate the legitimacy and emotions felt by those graduates. There is actual meat to what they contemplate over. It is a question of meaning. And it's a personal question. Feeling trapped in a dead end situation because the path
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Jul 28, 2014
Under the guise of postmodern human life lays an undisputed mystery, searching for a straight answer to living a good life. This mystery would be the purpose one has to endure to escape adolescent life and try to cultivate under harsh conditions of the financial needs of surviving in the adult world. Do I stick with the status quo and live a stable life with hardly any trouble despite the boredom that goes with it? Or try to luck out by giving a big middle finger to it and indulge me in a lifestyle that will practically make life difficult but will make my experiences
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Apr 9, 2013
Having read the 11 volumes of Oyasumi Punpun (by the same author), which I'd easily rate as a 9/10 or 10/10 personally, I decided to read this manga. Unfortunately I found myself disappointed.
Starting out, there wasn't really much in particular that hooked me into story, except for maybe the fact that the main character is somewhat cutely drawn. Regardless, having some awareness that something dramatic will occur later on during the story, I read on with an open mind. Ultimately though, I was disappointed by the twist. Though the short two-volume format doesn't help matters, apart from the heroine, I feel that the characters were not ... 
Apr 27, 2015
When I finished my senior year of high school and began my freshman year of college, it hit me that I was on the threshold of the so-called "real world" and I was plagued by anxiety over the fact that I knew not what the future would have in store for me. To this day, that anxiety still haunts me and I don't think it'll ever truly leave me. At the same time, Inio Asano's Solanin managed to put me at ease (for the most part) when it comes down to my uncertain future. In the past, I've come across many works that were empathetic
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Jun 22, 2009
One of my favorite mangas ever! Asano effectively captures the true emotion and thoughts of modern young adults. He tells it like it is without adding any "Hollywood" glamor or unrealistic plot characteristics. The characters are sincere and believable, and the reader can fully sympathize with them. Being intricately weaved throughout the characters' memories and thought, Solanin focuses much on the restlessness of youth and what happens to get there.
Asano also pays close attention to detail, making the art very exceptional. The character design is unique; each of them has their own physical, realistic depiction very different from the huge eyes and spiked hair typical ... 
Jul 27, 2019 Mixed Feelings Funny 
Slice of life is a genre that I'd consider to be inherently flawed when not having an additional element added to have it stand out from the crowd; for example, Planetes having the interesting premise and execution of slice of life elements in futuristic sci-fi or Haibane Renmei being slice of life in a fantasy setting with a philosophical focus. When not given a unique and specific focus to tie events together and allow it to stand out from the crowd, however, it causes a slice of life to not have much to make one interested or invested in it.
Solanin is an example of such ... 
Apr 20, 2018
Solanin poses questions I’m willing to bet most people above a certain age have asked themselves. The first is whether it is better to pursue an unlikely dream or to face reality and resign yourself to working 9 to 5 so that you can survive and enjoy your hobbies in your free time. This question becomes more difficult to answer when nothing drives you and you don’t know if there is anything you can be passionate about. The second is the question of when the right time is to leave your childhood behind and join the world as an adult, possibly giving up on unrealistic
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Oct 22, 2010
Inio Asano’s Solanin through Narratolgy; an academic understanding of the devices in the manga
Solanin’s story at it’s core is the clichéd, or perhaps universal, account of a group of friends uncertain about their future. The spectacular accomplishment in how the story sets out in achieving its purpose through the skillful use of narration techniques enables it to be a successful and acclaimed manga. In a Japanese context, manga are varied in genre and the artists and writers have a history of being able to create exceptional literary works through skilled artwork and narration. Inio Asano’s work of Solanin can be analyzed by identifying Aristotle’s key ... 
Jul 4, 2022
Solanin is a little window overlooking the uncertainty of life. A gentle whisper of that bitter sense of aimlessness that silently permeates everyday life, an ennui shared by all humans as they enjoy the tiny precious moments that link memories together.
The characters of Solanin quietly struggle to find their footing, a sense of purpose to keep them occupied as they timidly enter adulthood, with an honest realism that gives the story enough dramatic weight without being overhwelmingly negative, balanced by the uplifting solace offered by the genuine, believable moments of joy scattered throughout. It is a powerfully touching mood that gets significantly ruined by some ... 
Jun 10, 2015
Solanin by Asano Inio tells the story of a group of young people in their early twenties and their everyday life. Most of them have already graduated from college and are trying to handle the responsibilities of adulthood, but at the same time they still don't know what they should expect from life.
The main characters, Meiko and Taneda, make a great, but also really realistic couple. They have been together for around six years, so they know each other pretty well. Even after Meiko quit her office job because she didn't want to fall into a routine, Taneda supports ... 
Aug 20, 2014
Solanin is one great piece of work. It isn't your regular slice of life manga, not by any means. The story is not that original, but yet, really heart catching. The "cast" is composed of your regular teenagers, each one of them in that part of life where things start to get hard. The story is about them guys, struggling here. Did somebody ever claimed you had talent in anything? WELL NOPE. You're a regular person.
You'd like to become the greatest guitarist in the whole world? You'd like to become a famous lawyer? NOPE. Slap in your face. Everything is not neccesarily going to ... 
Sep 7, 2011
Inio Asano's Solanin struck such a chord with me. I had picked up the manga initially but forgot about it after a few days only to jump right back into it once I continued it. The best part about this manga is the fact that you feel it could be real - the characters, the settings, the situations, basically everything.
Other than that, the manga is easy on the eyes as all the drawings are crisp, clear and neat. It's a fast read too as the chapters are relatively short. Every once in a while, there is something that a character says, be it main ... 
Sep 2, 2024
Solanin tells an intimate story about the trials and tribulations of love, loss, and grief centered around people in their twenties who often slip between the cracks of society.
History: a very human story in the sense that it is very real. The protagonists have just finished high school and have to adjust to adult life, having to leave behind their childhood dreams, in this case, playing in a band, to earn a living as an old person. It is a well-structured story that is quick to read but that you enjoy a lot, also very beautiful in all aspects, with touches of humor, and at ... 
Oct 26, 2015
This is the story of Taneda and Meiko, two young guys who have a relationship. They have to confront with the life, and they search to understand what they want from this. But it isn't so simple...
Meiko hasn't talents or passions, and as many people, she hates own mediocre job, but she also haven't project for the future. Taneda instead has a great passion for the music, and he is a dreamer, but he hasn't the maturity to realize own dreams so also him do a job which isn't in line with own desires. Also the friends of the two lovers have similar problems, they have ... 
Nov 4, 2015
This manga is a slice of life masterpiece. Touching people in the heart, and how could it not? The story is very realistic and there are a lot of things that can be learned from the story. After reading it twice, I have been able to engage the story in a more meaningful manner. It was very very touching in my own eyes and it made me appreciate the life I live today.
My suggestion would be to do the same: take time in reading and appreciate this beautiful work, and reread it if you must. Stories like these aren't as known and appreciated, so I ... 
Feb 19, 2016
+This is a spoiler-free review+
Solanin is a manga by Inio Asano, who is widely known for his work in Oyasumi Punpun, so if you have already read that one you can have an idea of what to expect. Solanin is not a happy story, yet is not entirely depressing. I cried, yes, but I laughed as well. Just as life. On its basis, it tells a story about a young couple. They love each other, yet they feel heavily the pressure of what they are going to do with their lives. The manga revolves around them, their dramas, their friends and their families. The story is ... 
Mar 18, 2021
"Zero and zero got together and made infinity."
That quote in this manga was the perfect quote to represent these characters. It is not a story about any special or extra ordinary people, it's not one about rags to riches or people who started from the bottom and ended up at the top. It is just a simple down to earth story about a group of friends who just getting through life. It is a real feel to it that you can almost like I can relate to these characters. As for the setting is pretty simple and the overall plot is very simple. As ... |
