Published 2026-03-11
tag(s): #reviews #books
After my first break up, I read Paulo Coelho's Veronika Decides to Die. The book had a
profound effect on me, and then I went on a Coelho binge with my mom. We read like 5 or 6 of
his books in maybe a couple months.
A few years later, I started re-reading it. I found it boring, trite, even empty. I didn't
make it very far into it. The only reason I can tell you what it is about today, is because I
read the synopsis in Wikipedia just now when looking up the English title.
The point of this paragraph is that nothing your read, watch, or listen to happens in a
vacuum. The moment in your life, your age, where you live[1], everything
makes a difference.
When my niece recommended Goodnight Punpun (the same niece that pointed
me to After the rain) she
spoke very highly of it. And after reading it, I could see how it would influence me if I read
it when I was anywhere between 16 and 25. Or so.
I mean, while I was going through it, there were scenes and character thoughts were I drew
parallels to my own life.[2]. So it was making me reflect.
After
finishing it, about a month ago, I thought Wow! That was good! Interesting story!
and
that was it. Yet... I felt like waiting before writing a review, for no reason I could
explain.
And it is a good thing I did wait. Since then, little tidbits of the manga keep coming back
to me. I find myself revisiting dialogues and how they affected later parts of the
story.
Punpun and his story keep simmering in my head. I guess it did hit me more than I thought
initially.
I am pretty sure that when I re-read Punpun in a few years, the experience will be similar to "Cien AƱos de Soledad", a book in which I keep finding "new experiences" every time I revisit it. I look forward to it!
Will this be your first Japanese comic? There are a few character choices that make more sense
if you have been exposed to these stories before.
If you can't stomach stories with sad or violent moments, I would skip this one.
Do you think the idea that a number characters being drawn as birds is off-putting, or
silly? Feel free to skip.
Now, if you you feel like getting on an emotional roller-coaster...
If you enjoy "life stories" that cover many years of character's lives...
If you are open to a book that makes you feel like putting it down once in a while, because
you hate certain character choices, or what they are thinking...
...then you should read this manga. It is totally worth it.
You still have time to close the tab... :)
There's a lot of little details through the comic to reflect on. For example, Punpun felt he
never loved his mother, yet he had a picture of her in his bedroom a few years later. Did he
make peace with her, after she was gone? Or is it yet another symptom of how much Punpun does
what he thinks he is supposed to do, rather than expressing his true feelings? I am still
undecided on that.
And that is just one panel in a single page.
The cast of characters around Punpun is as interesting as it is frustrating. Whether it is
friends or family, almost none of them are just good or bad. They change, and not
necessarily grow. For example Punpun's father, when he reappears near the end, you can't
really say he is a better person than before. He is doing better, but did he grow,
emotionally?
Yuichi, was a really supportive figure when Punpun was little, and then a mess of a person. Or
was he always a mess, but Punpun couldn't see it because he was just a kid?
And this goes on and on for almost everyone in the cast. I think his landlord, Shishido, is
the only person that is good-good. And he is constantly taken advantage of...if we believe his
abusive daughter.
Sachi was probably my favorite character, for too many reasons to write.
Even though I am nothing like her, I feel that I understand her thinking and feelings the
best
I read some comments online about the Pegasus story being a drag. While it wasn't my favorite
part, it was necessary to expand on Seki's and Shimizu's bond, and growth.
The contrast between them is maybe a bit on the nose, but it is interesting how at certain
times you feel sad for one or the other.
Yes, the rape chapter was rough. In particular because I could see it coming from a mile away,
how Midori was using Punpun as an emotional clutch.
The worst part? I think I've been on both sides of that fence in my life. Being "used"
by someone as support, and vice-versa. Never with outcomes as traumatic, luckily.
Aiko's suicide was another moment that was building up for a few chapters, and the tension was
destroying me. It was clear that the runaway situation she and Punpun where in was not going
to have a happy ending, but I never expected it to close the way it did.
And while Punpun's reaction to it surprised me at first, it made complete sense later...let's
talk a bit about that.
Where to being with Aiko?
First of all, I identified immediately with Punpun's idealization of her
(for very
obvious reasons, I used to idealize couples when I was younger, been there done
that).
Yet the moment she demanded Punpun's total dedication, even as a little kid, I had a knot in
my stomach. It reminded me of a relationship way back, with someone that was also experiencing
a difficult home situation. We were both too immature, so things went down as you would
expect.
Then comes their time together. Another case where I experienced something eerily close:
idealizing someone for some time, and then getting together. It is really hard, once you put
someone in a pedestal, to build a safe and healthy relationship of equals.
But even if you are hurting while on it, when things finally end, you have with big void
inside. The (misguided) idea that "you could have done more".
Toxic relationships are addictive, until you heal and grow enough to recognize them as such
and to build better ones.
So the way Punpun was in denial of Aiko's death, and his feeling of abandonment afterwards,
made sense after some more thought. Even if their bond was extremely unhealthy, accepting that
their time together was terrible was even more painful.
A common theme of the manga are fake-deep relationships. Bonds that give the appearance,
because the people involved need them to, to be deep.
But they are actually just a cover for sadness, anger, whatever. There are very few moments of
Punpun really opening up to someone.
Maybe that's why I liked Sachi so much. Not only was she aware of the ways in which she was
messed up, but also she was trying to do better? to really connect with those around her?
(Maybe when I re-read the comic in the future, I come to the conclusion that I was just
idealizing her character š¤£ who knows)
There's a ton more of parallels between things I experienced and whatever happened in this
manga. The common trend is that my own life experiences were (relief!!!) milder than
the stuff in the comic.
Some of those things are very personal (even more than what I already shared), so all I will
say on that is: thank heavens for therapy.
I will give it a couple years before I revisit Goodnight Punpun, and I am looking forward to it.