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Goodnight Punpun by Inio Asano is a mess, and that's what I love about it.

The world is what you make of it, at times it can seem beautiful and full of joy, while it can also be a place of hopelessness and pain, it all depends on human perspective. Asano's portrayal of the world through Punpun's eyes is one of despair and longing, which can fool the reader into having endless sympathy for him, as it seems as if nothing can go right in his world, while this is the case for the first few volumes, as the story progresses, it is Punpun's own will ... that leads him down a path of pain and self-destruction.

The opening arcs of the series, leading up to Punpun's high school years, are arguably the only parts where the reader can unequivocally feel bad for Punpun, as having abusive and alcoholic parents greatly affects a child's life, and lacking love from the ones who are supposed to give it to you creates a feeling of emptiness, these feelings made Punpun drift apart from Aiko in middle school and kept him from ever truly loving his mother, even after she passes. These moments are supposed to garner the reader's sympathy, which is incredibly fair, but as the story progresses, it becomes harder and harder to feel bad for Punpun.

The first scene where Punpun's own actions are the cause of his suffering is when he frantically attempts to get Kachi to like him during their date, where his efforts fall flat, with Kachi labeling him as a narcissist, which is correct, as Punpun seems to believe he is entitled and deserves something he cannot have, which is shown immediately after as he tries to kiss her. Moving on to his early adult life, Punpun continues to allow for the existence of his own emptiness, as he lets everything around him, even the small things such as the couple next door affect him, leading him down a path of self-destruction which his shown through his increasingly distant behavior towards Sachi, and his downright predatory behavior when he first sees Aiko again, which is coupled with his created lies, which only seems to deepen his emotional hole.

Punpun's obsession with Aiko and inability to move on from her during his juvenile years is the root cause of his self-destruction, as reuniting with her and eventually attempting to start a life with her completely ruins himself, after going on the run after killing Aiko's mother, Punpun and Aiko's relationship immediately begins to deteriorate, leading to Aiko's suicide and Punpun's later attempt at his own life. While it may seem as if everything has gone wrong in Punpun's life to the reader, it is a mix of horrible circumstances and Punpun's poor judgment and decision-making as his downfall.

Punpun's story, which is one of tragedy, stems from his own self-wallowing, which only creates his own pit of despair which only grows throughout the story, making it incredibly difficult to feel bad for him throughout his adult life despite his harsh upbringing, creating an ongoing conflict within the reader's mind, this is the result of Asano's storytelling method, with Punpun's inner thoughts being constantly expressed along with his actions.

The constant conflict within the reader's mind that comes as a result of reading this manga truly expresses that the world is what people make of it, making Goodnight Punpun a tough, but mentally strengthening read.

Decent manga, unfortunate that it got axed.

A weird crossover between Mad Max and something you’d see on Food Network doesn’t seem like it would go well but it did. This series could’ve evolved into something bigger, as it had an interesting post-apocalyptic setting, two likable main characters, and an interesting cast of antagonists, but I guess we’ll never know.

As far as the story goes, it was great until its cancellation. The dynamic between Gordon, the ex-general turned food truck owner, and Arisa, the escaped military asset was very good up until the finale, where it transformed from more of a father-daughter relationship to a romantic ... one, which feels even weirder considering the fact that Gordon is a late-middle aged man, and Arisa being no older than 21 with an even younger level of maturity. Their final moment together, being gunned down by the army sent after them, felt incredibly rushed, and the two of them embracing considering that they had confessed around one chapter earlier made things weirder. Despite all this, the ending with Gordon’s former subordinates opening a food truck in their name was a nice touch which salvaged a poorly executed ending.

Aside from the ending being rushed and the somewhat-tarnished dynamic between the two main characters, the only other complaint that I have was the excessive amount of fanservice, almost every chapter had Gordon working on something only for him to turn around to see Arisa wearing nothing, followed by Gordon telling her to put something on.

Overall: The first 80% of this manga is pretty good, and if it was never cancelled, it could have been even better.

(Contains spoilers)

Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War (TYBW) is an example of what happens when an animation studio decides to take its time to produce something.

It isn't hard to figure out that the main reason why the original Bleach anime died was due to the high filler amount, and overall horrible pacing (with the exception of the Fullbring Arc.)

TYBW is produced so none of the bullshit that fans dealt with in the original Bleach is present. Every moment, from the opening sequence with Ichigo and his friends defeating the hordes of hollows to the introduction of the Wanderreich and Yhwach, ensures that the viewer is ... captivated. The almost immediate invasion of the soul society and the quick near-decimation of the Gotei 13 followed by the revelations regarding Unohana and Zaraki, the introduction of Squad Zero, and the truth behind Ichigo's family and zanpakuto provides an element of shock that wasn't present in the series since Aizen's betrayal.

The best part of what was mentioned above was that everything that happened occurred in the span of 13 episodes, with most individual fights lasting no longer than one episode, as well as setting shifts to locations that don't completely bore the viewer. All of this is made better by the quality of the animation, as every scene appears to be well-animated.

Bleach: TYBW, with its phenomenal pacing, captivating action, and slick animation, is the perfect way to revive a series that was overshadowed by the greater success of its main competitors (Naruto and One Piece) and the best part is, this cour is only the beginning.

(Contains minor spoilers for the ending of Tokyo Revengers)

I saw that there aren't any reviews for this manga. So I figured I'd write one.

Desert Eagle is written by Ken Wakui, the same author as Tokyo Revengers, with Desert Eagle being written a few years before. After reading this, it's clear that Wakui was testing his ability to write manga centered around delinquents, as Desert Eagle is much shorter and has a much more linear plot than Tokyo Revengers. The main character, Ichigo, is not super fleshed out, but he is fairly likable. As far as the plot goes, it did seem a little bit rushed, ... as each arc felt way too quick, and certain characters needed to be better developed, but the plot was still enjoyable, and unlike Tokyo Revengers, the ending was well done and wrapped up the loose ends.

Overall: While simpler than Tokyo Revengers, Desert Eagle still allows the reader to enjoy the violence and criminal setting of delinquent manga. Would recommend if you liked Tokyo Revengers in any capacity.