by Inio Asano

A highly realistic, philosophical, and explicitly dark manga about the life of a boy named Punpun - discovering one's self, searching the true essence of living, facing the existential crisis in life, questioning the existence of God, finding and solving the ever-puzzling LOVE, fighting against loneliness, realizing the importance of friends and family and acknowledging the struggles associated with them.

In short, D E P R E S S I O N

The story raises the question "What the hell am I doing here in this world?"

This manga just gave me depression.

However, aside from the pain it afflicted me, it nonetheless opened my eyes to some things of which I wasn't aware of before, it gave me lessons about life, and it made me ponder of how really am I living MY life.

It's brimmed with life philosophies, real melancholia, dark and, at times, distrubing events. It not only focuses on the main character, but it also touches a slice of the side characters' individual stories. The plot is well-developed and the topic of depression and its repercussions to the life of a person is skillfully and realistically portrayed. The characters are captivatingly fragile yet strong-willed, that despite all the bullshit that's happened, they always try to find a sliver of hope just to get through life (but one character succumbed, sadly). As for the art style, it is very unique and intricate of details.

Personal Rating: 10/10