Gon

/manga/31470/gon

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When I was a kid, I loved "Man vs Wild". The fact that this retired army man is challenging nature by doing the most caveman shit I've ever seen fascinated me (Though it was extremely hard to take a meal after watching that show lol). This manga reminded me of that show, except instead of the Bear, we're watching a force of nature in motion, Gon.

The entire manga consists of no dialogue, not even the reaction sound effects. It entirely depends on the artwork to portray the story.
Sometimes, it's better to do than to say. We can talk about many things, even explain them but in course of development or understanding, it's what we do that matters the most than what we say. This is something we see throughout the manga and the lack of dialogue or words just portrays it all the more powerful.

The story takes place in various locations and throughout the journey, Gon meets other animals where sometimes Gon befriends them, accepting their lifestyle, which gives the reader a window to see the ecosystem of these wild creatures. Or sometimes, animals themselves accompany on Gon's journey. And meet their end, harsh or bittersweet. And sometimes, Gon faces the wild. No matter the obstacle, Gon challenges them. Gon is unstoppable, who only eats, sleeps, and moves on, a force of nature that's meant to live in the wild; a harsh, unforgiving yet mesmerizing place. And the manga doesn't hold back any punches to portray the harsh reality of the wild. In nature, there's no place for the weak. You have to be strong or be eaten by the strong.

Action, generally in Manga form, is a bit hard to visualize. I remember reading some action scenes in "DOGS: Bullets and Carnage" and being lost at certain moments, it was hard to follow along. The action sequences in "Gon", however, are very clear. The solid artwork really captures every small detail of Gon's action in every fight, which will pull you into Gon's struggle to win at whatever it is trying to achieve; fighting a bear, trying to fly, or climbing Mt. Everest. Gon really like adventures.

Gon is a chibi dragon and quite an iconic character who you have probably seen in Tekken games. Gon can be quite hard to understand as a character. There are times when Gon shows no mercy and quite literally be a villain, who just oppresses others with his thick skull out of spite or for Gon's own needs. And other times, he helps other animals. Gon's moral compass is purely driven by instinct. If Gon doesn't like to see a pack of defenseless wolf cubs getting attacked, Gon will fight for them. If Gon wants to make a large wooden bed at the center of a pond, it doesn't care if the pond is occupied by other animals, Gon destroys their homes and drives the animals away, just to make his own lodge and nap peacefully.
The only thing we know for sure is that Gon only does what it wants; Eat, Sleep, and Travel (and kick some animal ass, every now & then) and all we can do is accompany it on its fun journey, marvel at nature, connect through the occasional human emotion it shows, and most importantly, move on and see what's on the other side of the world.
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Conclusion
I don't think many people will enjoy this manga. Despite the amazing artwork, it barely holds that 70% score. There's no overall plot, hook, or anything you would see in a general adventure work.

It's just the adventures of a small, strong but mysterious dragon, embracing whatever the wild has to offer.

If that sounds intriguing enough, then give this manga a try.