After being recommended this manga countless times online, one day I finally decided to take the plunge and delve deep into the manga. It started as a story I had hope for but quickly devolved into a manga lacking realism for me personally and consistency.

Before I begin there are huge merits to this manga namely the art and the depiction of Punpun through this art but it did not stop there, the illustrations were meticulously detailed and expressive and fully captured the emotions and experiences of the characters in a way that felt raw and genuine to me. However, as impressive the art was for me personally it was not enough to keep me invested in the narrative and overlook some of the shortcomings the manga highlighted through its characterisation which I will explore more deeper into the review. This art was genuinely impressive and really drove my initial hope for the series, it's a shame I was not able to see all of it as unfortunately, I was unable to remain invested in the story.

"Goodnight Punpun" is a manga that follows the life of a young boy named as he grows up in a dysfunctional family and navigates through the trials and tribulations of growing up and finding his place in the world. The mangaka Inio Asano did a great job of structuring this story and showing the characters feelings and motivations through art although he has been praised countlessly for unique storytelling and complex characters. I personally did not feel the same way and my experience was not as positive as many other users of the site.

The best way to express my feelings about the manga would be to dissect an early plot point in the manga which I felt jarred my entire experience with the work. This being Yaguchi's plotline in the manga. He is introduced as a the typical popular boy in Punpun's class. But his character went so much deeper when an incident occurs and he struggles between Aiko and his friend Punpun as they are both in love with Aiko. This surface level popularity and the way he carries himself could be far from the truth as he grapples between the love of Aiko and supposedly his friend Punpun. This comes to sort of a head when he injures his leg and continues pushing through to play badminton and he reveals these insecurities explaining his fear of inadequacy and pressure to live up to expectations. I felt like this was done wonderfully by the author but as we keep on with the story it takes very different turns. This arc was important as it set up the broader themes for the manga and he is set up as almost the antithesis as Punpun as they deal with similar situations in the manga. Punpun's character, with his deeply introspective nature and struggles, may start to feel less grounded in reality compared to Yaguchi's more externally focused arc. Although subverting readers expectations is welcomed here I feel like me and many other readers found it increasingly difficult to relate to Punpun's character as the story progressed.
The main three criticisms I have with this major building arc would be the following:

Abrupt Conclusion - I understand that this is not Yaguchi's story, however he is a genuinely integral part to the story Asano is trying to tell we do not get a satisfying conclusion in the slightest with him being absent from the rest of the story to the conclusion. Maybe continuing that contrast even muted to the end of the story could have given me personally less of a feeling that something was missing when I put the manga down for the last time.

Exploration of feelings - Although Yaguchi’s insecurities are hinted at they are not explored almost at all it really gave his character and this arc a superficial feeling going forward feeling as if he was just a device to force the plot forward //I do want to note this is a really opinionated point and I know not many will agree but for how I took the story I do feel that 'superficial' was the best way to describe it for me.

Connection with Main Narrative - As a whole besides the contrast Yaguchi's rivalry with Punpun did not serve the rest of the story well and was quite jarring as it really did not make his character feel essential to the overall plot after the brief contrast. I understand Yaguchi would not serve the story the mangaka was trying to tell but to have him leave and never to return did disappoint me.

I personally found Yaguchi to be the most likable character. He demonstrated unwavering loyalty to his friend and girlfriend, all while striving to earn a scholarship. In contrast, Aiko appeared unconcerned with the welfare of those around her, fixated solely on Punpun. But to have Yaguchi, the character I was invested in at that point, disappear from the story entirely left me disappointed and disengaged.

I really did not see the appeal in enjoy the other characters' inevitable spiral into self-destruction for another hundred chapters and this frustration peaked when Midori raped Punpun. The characters were entirely unrelatable, and it seemed as if they were only capable of devolving into worse versions of themselves.

Personally compared to almost every other manga in the top 20 I do feel like this is a low point, however I do understand the merits this manga could have to help some people but I would not recommend it myself.