REVIEW: OYASUMI PUNPUN

I like to think that my consistent accumulation of manga series added to my read list would lead me to find gems among the cliches and the terrible plot line and cheesy characters. While, I didn't stumble on this series on my own, I am both entirely blessed and cursed that I can include this in my memory bank. Oyasumi Punpun (Goodnight Punpun) created by Inio Asano is truly an unforgettable piece of work.

Oyasumi Punpun is a story that follows Punpun Onodera from his childhood--starting with his father's arrest after he assaulted Punpun's mother that landed her in the hospital--and the events thereafter as he lives with his uncle, meets his first love Aiko, and consequently continues down the path towards adulthood. While Punpun throughout the majority of the series is drawn as a cute and cartoonish bird in contrast to the detailed and realistic nature of other characters and settings, Oyasumi Punpun is most definitely not a cutesy story, nor is it a typical coming of age one either, unless all coming of age stories detailed depression, addiction, graphic physical and sexual violence and even much darker themes that add to the stories twist in the end. Atypical or not, the series is a masterpiece. Despite its incredibly dark and violent nature, the simple themes come out ringing clear, with a much greater impact than perhaps other pieces of literature would. I think the greatest lesson I got from this series is not to project your ideals on a person, don't make them a symbol of your redemption or as your savior. They, just like you, are human with their own issues and problems and idealizing them will only be a dangerous effort.

While reading the series, I have never felt myself enter such a rollercoaster of emotion before and attach to myself to a character to the point where I feel so disappointed in his actions when there is clearly a better way out. While Punpun fumbles and stumbles through several obstacles, we cheer him on and only plummet with him as he makes the wrong decisions time and time again and face the overlapping consequences of it all. We really go on a journey with Punpun, until the very bitter end. The series not only attracts its audience with the protagonist himself, but with the other characters in the series that surround Punpun. We learn of their circumstances and their backgrounds. Each character while originally idolized in Punpun's eyes is broken down behind the scenes, away from Punpun's eyes. We see the realistic side to them, broken down without the facade and see how problematic they really are. 

Inio Asano's work is a literary masterpiece in both storytelling and illustration. The gritty, but also surreal world that Punpun and his family and friends live in emphasizes the situations that they have to live through. The quality never fails from chapter to chapter, book to book. Such beautiful artwork makes you hope that there is some shred of light in the ruthless world that the characters seemed to be thrown in. You hope just as you hope for the best for Punpun. Sadly, it isn't that simple. 

Sadly, I'll never recover.