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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Pacing wasn't perfect with this one but all of the stuff with Punpun was still enough to smash me right in the stomach.
I like how the series is progressing! we learn more about punpun's uncle, yuichi, in this volume, which I enjoyed a lot. the story around him does get dark but it was nice to know more about what's going on in his head. the story with punpun was less interesting in my opinion, but it got more intriguing towards the end and I did like hearing more about his relationship to aiko. I can definitely see how the series is going to get progressively more depressing, as this volume did have some more intense depression/suicide themes. however, it was sort of hopefully depressing at times and I liked that a lot.
if you liked the first volume, you'll like this one.
if you liked the first volume, you'll like this one.
Goodnight Punpun gets even darker in volume 2.
This time we focus on Punpun's uncle for a good portion. First we deal with a time skip and Punpun hoping a classmate fails so he can get back his girl...if he ever really had her. Then the uncle storyline which is def the stronger part of the volume, focuses on the past of the uncle and why he's just so fucked up. It's really disturbing and even more heartbroken in the end.
There's another time skip and I'm wondering which dark take we'll take next. All of these people need help.
This time we focus on Punpun's uncle for a good portion. First we deal with a time skip and Punpun hoping a classmate fails so he can get back his girl...if he ever really had her. Then the uncle storyline which is def the stronger part of the volume, focuses on the past of the uncle and why he's just so fucked up. It's really disturbing and even more heartbroken in the end.
There's another time skip and I'm wondering which dark take we'll take next. All of these people need help.
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Volume 1 of "Goodnight Punpun" didn’t prepare me for this.
Punpun & fam are still weird triangle birds living in a “realistic” manga world. Punpun’s inner dialog still stands out in its own white-text-on-plain-black panels, and he and his friends’ imaginary gods & buddies still pop up to comment on goings-on. It’s still funny and wacky.
In this volume, though, Punpun's childhood anxieties have graduated to full-fledged depression. Punpun spends most of his time despising himself for ghosting his crush at the end of Vol. 1.
When he's not at school, Punpun despises himself in a big, suburban house he shares with his mom and uncle. Punpun’s Mom and her brother (Punpun’s uncle, Yuichi) are chronically depressed: they joke about their dead-end jobs. Punpun's mom drinks a lot. Everyone seems stuck in a rut, and then Yuichi and Punpun's love lives reignite: Punpun through the weird device of a badminton rivalry, and Yuichi through a chance meeting.
This thing is funny, surreal and somehow also a realistic portrait of complex trauma. Consequently, it's got some troubling stuff: statutory rape, emotional abuse, and some weird stereotypes of sexually manipulative women. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about the book's themes, but it's beautiful and strange and I'm glad I read it.
Punpun & fam are still weird triangle birds living in a “realistic” manga world. Punpun’s inner dialog still stands out in its own white-text-on-plain-black panels, and he and his friends’ imaginary gods & buddies still pop up to comment on goings-on. It’s still funny and wacky.
In this volume, though, Punpun's childhood anxieties have graduated to full-fledged depression. Punpun spends most of his time despising himself for ghosting his crush at the end of Vol. 1.
When he's not at school, Punpun despises himself in a big, suburban house he shares with his mom and uncle. Punpun’s Mom and her brother (Punpun’s uncle, Yuichi) are chronically depressed: they joke about their dead-end jobs. Punpun's mom drinks a lot. Everyone seems stuck in a rut, and then Yuichi and Punpun's love lives reignite: Punpun through the weird device of a badminton rivalry, and Yuichi through a chance meeting.
This thing is funny, surreal and somehow also a realistic portrait of complex trauma. Consequently, it's got some troubling stuff: statutory rape, emotional abuse, and some weird stereotypes of sexually manipulative women. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about the book's themes, but it's beautiful and strange and I'm glad I read it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - GOOD
Yuichi is such an insufferable prick, so even if he hadn't been a pedophile I'd still have hated him and all his self inflicted torment. I know the entire cast of characters are terrible, deprived, unfortunate people, but Yuichi manages to make being a piece of shit boring, he's just pretentious in all his wallowing.
Anyway, that scene with Aiko and Punpun in the gymnasium stands was so well done, with just a returning clasp of the hands we can feel the darkening codependency begin to ooze.
This manga is so weird. Very existential but surprisingly I didn't find it that depressing. The only thing I had a real issue with was how was used as a plot device when there are better situations that could have been used without the same ick factor. And then the fact that is just not great. The actual parts that deal with Punpun and what's going on in his life were a less...problematic view of love though there's still kind of a toxic relationship dynamic going on there.
I don't know, maybe I'm not deep enough to get it and therefore some things just come off as bad to me. Either way, I'm still interested in this series but if things continue to be troublesome I might drop it. The writing is really fun though, the art is trippy and well done, and the time skipping that's been happening makes for a very interesting narrative time-wise.
Spoiler
a full blown adult falling 'in love' with a minor that was then shown to be the minor's ~devious plan~ all alongSpoiler
another younger woman is what 'saves' him, at least for a bitI don't know, maybe I'm not deep enough to get it and therefore some things just come off as bad to me. Either way, I'm still interested in this series but if things continue to be troublesome I might drop it. The writing is really fun though, the art is trippy and well done, and the time skipping that's been happening makes for a very interesting narrative time-wise.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes