Pico-Pico Shounen
Pico-Pico Boy

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After completing Pico-Pico Shounen in one sitting, I can't help but not only reminisce of my own childhood but also feel a sort of pseudo nostalgia for the video game-filled childhood that Oshikiri Rensuke so honestly writes about in this manga.

These memoirs consist of various stories from various points in Oshikiri's youth. Video games stand at the forefront of these stores - from first loves, his struggles with school, to important life lessons. The amount of detail and commentary on the specific games and consoles he played during these times combined with how he relates every aspect of his life to these games demonstrates ... just how obsessed Oshikiri was and still is with games, and just how much they mean to him.

The artwork is unrefined, but it is, dare I say, incredibly endearing and works very well with the story. Oshikiri's childhood was a mess where he did nothing but focus on his own interests at the cost of his social status, grades, and at times self-esteem, but Oshikiri himself says that he doesn't ever regret the choices he made. There is an awkwardness in his drawings, sure, but it's exactly this lack of caring for appearances that really brings out the candid honesty in Oshikiri's stories.

Pico-Pico Shounen is just dripping in passion. Even if you can't relate to being addicted to vidya as a kid, this manga recounts a childhood that is still very human and relatable to adults who find themselves reminiscing about the simpler and carefree points of their lives. If you can look past the crude artwork, you will see this manga for what it really is: soulful.