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A manga that feels like a short meditation.

What a wonderful surprise this story was. It may seem astounding to say this about a manga that features 18 chapters about a man talking walks outside, but I think this is a masterpiece, provided that you judge it for what it is and not compare it to mangas that simply don't belong in the same genre.

This isn't a story driven by characters, conflicts or big events. It is purely atmospheric & impressionistic, offering a lovely and soothing portrait of the simple, everday life of an ordinary, yet quite content business man. In this regard, the manga ... does not only provide a wonderfully diverse and realistic insight into the life in a Japanese town, but also highlights the value of the little things, the ordinary things, the uneventful things that can contribute to a happy life. While some might find the idea of such a life boring, I cannot help to feel a little envious of the protagonist.

I'm sure I will re-read this manga many times in the future, simply to soak in the atmosphere and to imagine myself being in the protagonist's place, quite relaxed and content.

Remember when you read great pieces of literature in school and then spent two weeks analysing the different themes, motives and subplots of the work?

Well, if there is one manga that deserves to be explored in such detail after the first reading, it is probably this one.

Let's get the obvious parts out of the way. This is an Asano manga and, as such, it offers the common elements of coming-of-age drama, existential anxiety and depression, hard-hitting social and psychological realism and the overall ugly side of human nature.
The unique aspect of this particular work is the amount of supernatural and philosophical elements who play a ... decisive part throughout the story and which often blur the boundary between reality and imagination.

I found this work really enjoyable on a literary level, especially since I had never read a manga of such depth. Don't get me wrong, I have read many mature and "serious" manga, but this manga had more levels to it than any manga I have previously read.
The downside of this is that, maybe, it can be difficult sometimes to grasp the story during the first reading. I found myself focussing on the obvious parts of the story during the first go and I accepted that there were some elements that I didn't fully understand yet. In this regard, I often thought of a temporary interpretation of what some things could possibly mean. I assume that many readers will find it equally difficult to understand everything in this book right away and this is why I mentioned studying literature in school in the beginning of this review: Having read the book, I actually went on the internet and looked up sites where other readers had discussed and analysed this book in depth, offering both a summary of story in all its complexity, listing all the themes and motives and putting them in their historical, cultural and philosophical context. I had never done this before with any other manga. I simply hadn't felt the need to do so. But, as a result, this detailled interpretation of the book offered a whole nother level of enjoyment and appreciation for this work.

Punpun can probably be regarded as the magnum opus of troubled genius Asano Inio and, for anyone who has read previous works by Asano, it offers everything and more that readers have come to like about his works.

Punpun tells the coming-of-age story of a young man who grows up in a world in which things don't play out as most of young people would hope, whether it's in school, at home with the family or at work. Interestingly, "PunPun" isn't a simple, comfortable story of how you only have to overcome one big crisis before the eventual happy end. No. "Punpun" offers hard-hitting (and occasionally ... depressing) social and psychological realism in the life of a young person who is constantly caught between the youthful dreams of love, success, stability and the everyday struggles in trying to achieve this.

What is particularly brilliant about this series is that the characters are clearly the product of their surroundings and not just some generic character stereotypes. You will quickly realise that a character who has been affected by certain childhood experiences or other personal issues will not simply be able to make the same autonomous or wise decisions that other, more fortunate people will make. Instead, the story shows how personal experiences clearly provide a certain psychological baggage that people carry around with them and which will affect their feelings, decisions, behaviour and outcomes in both their private and professional relationships. The characters often find it difficult to escape their past and quite often the past will be repeated over generations, unless a person manages to reflect and break the cycle.

What makes "PunPun" worth reading?

a) It is incredibly refreshing to read a story that is different than your average Hollywood coming-of-age story, where all you have to do is "follow your dream" and "you just have to believe in yourself" and "everything going to be fine". "PunPun" tells the story of those who struggle to fulfill the "standard plan" for happiness that is so commonly advertised in modern media. It tells the story of those with a broken past and hidden wounds who nonetheless live their lives among everybody else, just trying to get by and trying to get better.
In doing so, the story can be depressing when we realise that, in reality, life is not just sunshine, lollipos and rainbows and that for many, their struggles don't always guarantee success or happiness. All the tragic personal stories and existences you hear in the media or see on the street? Well, they also had a childhood and went to school in the past, but somewhere along the way they ended up where they are now. And they certainly didn't want to be there.
By painting such a realistic and sometimes depressing picture of personal struggle,however, "PunPun" also provides the basis for developing a great amount of compassion. For the characters in the book, for similar people in real life...and possibly for ourselves. Yes, life isn't always nice, but by accepting that, we also realize the possibility that this is somewhat normal. It isn't just "us". It isn't just a matter of personal failure. And it certainly isn't the end. Because no matter how bad things get, "Punpun" also shows that, in the end, people still have the power to make their own decisions. No matter how strong the influences of our past and our current environment are, we still make our own decision. And so, there is a silver lining in all of this. A realization that, even though life may play out very differently than we would have hoped or expected, there is always a chance to build a life with whatever is available right now!

b) "Punpun" offers the reader the possibility to put themselves in the shoes of the title character. The young man is portrayed as a cartoon bird whenever he is in full view, but in other sequences we clearly know that the character is not really supposed to be a bird. Instead, we often see the real human body whenever the protagonist's face is out of frame. Hence, the "bird" character can be regarded as a placeholder. Instead of showing us a human character who looks a certain way, the author gives us a creature that is so simply drawn and featureless that we are free to imagine ourselves in his place or any other person. Quite an ingenious idea, I'd say.

c) As always with Asano, the art is just breathtaking. The cityscapes are my personal favourite, especially since he manages to create so much atmosphere in every scene. Reading his books always feels like watching a arthouse movie. Just incredible.

So, long story short, read it! But choose a time where you can afford to sink in to the story and its depth. This isn't something you read casually with your morning coffee. This deserves more attention.