Oyasumi Punpun: Sweet Dreams, Little Bird

Oyasumi Punpun is one of those series that I started off reading without having a gist of what the tidbits were about. It started off with a growing admiration toward numerous beautiful mangacaps illustrated by the author, Inio Asano (also previously known for his work ‘Solanin’) that often appeared on my Tumbl dash. Little did I know that it would eventually lead me to a wild ride of bottomless EMOTIONAL ground.

The story follows Punpun, the main protagonist described in a form of cartoonish bird, and how he went through his life phases starting from childhood to adultery. Punpun’s striking caricatured look surely wasn’t depicted without further intention, and this point becomes clearer in later chapters where the tiny little ‘bird’ gradually evolves into something only one’s deepest part of soul could perceive.

Everything was told in a systematical manner so it’s pretty much easy to follow. I couldn’t help but to have it juxtaposed with other popular coming-of-age themed titles like Catcher in The Rye or Huckleberry Finn. Punpun used to see the world just like any other child his age would, until a series of events forcefully struck his state and left the door leading to route of innocence forever shut. Dysfunctional family, betrayal, bizarre cult, sexual frustrations, up to bits of religious aspects got rounded up into one big extraordinary slice of life. I gotta applaud Asano for coming up with realistic and amazingly detailed illustrations (if not the best) that successfully lured his readers into such melancholy atmosphere. Of course, it’s heavily supported by the raw and sincere emotions expressed by each character that revolves around Punpun's life. Both elements fit the whole frame decently, making it an unforgettable work of art.

In the middle of the ride I couldn’t help but to question: what’s the take-away? It’s like the series brings us into a loop of spiraling darkness without any spark waiting to greet us at the end of the tunnel. It’s brutally complex yet relatable, almost like a toxic that we can’t put down no matter how threatening it is. Then throughout the progress, Punpun shows that past is the anchor that remains dragging on people’s life and it’s difficult to swim above the ocean when the temptation to give in to the bottom ground still has yet to fade away. No one ever walks the easy path and life lessons will always occur until the very last day, which is simply how Oyasumi Punpun presents itself to people who share the same bond of distress. There was also a slight moment where I was wondering how did the author manage to keep going despite of severe issues being depicted here and there because really, at the end it's almost feel like going through an entire lowkey autobiography.

The manga  doesn't radiate a 'preachy' vibe in general yet the content's majority is fairly relatable that i'm being stripped down to my most honest sense of self acceptance. At the end I get reminded that world will always be rotating even at certain times where I want everything to simply explode and vanish. Jump into the book if you're mentally ready for it because it's beyond surreal that it's actually so real.