⛓️
My favorite manga I’ve ever read. Last summer I pulled an all-nighter and binged the entire thing in one go. Such a brutal read. Love exists in many forms and the way the manga explores this concept is so so stellar. Definitely a big inspo for me and a must read in my eyes. Whether you like shonen or not, it's undeniably great.
Aug 9, 2023
Related Recs
Funny as hell and also a devastating greek tragedy. All Denji wants is to be loved. Yet, all the people he cares about either try to kill him or he has to watch them die. Amazing writing and illustration.
Mar 11, 2024
This is a 12 volume manga by Inio Asano. I'm not a big manga reader & consider myself highly selective. This was one of the best & most beautiful series I've ever read. A love letter to imageboard culture alongside exploration of diverse human responses to horrific circumstances that can't be understood even as they happen to you and those you love. Sympathy, empathy, pity. Aliens and teen girls trying to cope.
I believe it's getting an anime adaptation soon, which I hope will be well done and impactful. I don't know, it just really stuck with me.
Sep 11, 2024
(long and personal review incoming)
This manga is my favorite piece of media ever, I've read it three times and it never fails to send me into a severe bout of depression
I couldn't really summarize the story well but if I had to I'd say it's about the dysfunctional lives of different people as they grow up and the cruelty and reality of the modern world
It's extremely realist and the events in the story can leave you with a sense of meaninglessness
Despite the cynical, nihilistic nature of this manga there's bits of dry humor and little moments of hope here and there that carry you through
While a lot of the backgrounds are CG, the art is amazing nonetheless and the character design in particular stands out
I relate to how the main character Punpun is outwardly cynical but internally emotional, how he was once praised for his aspirations and now feels apathetic towards everything
I think his character speaks a lot to modern society and dysfunctional families
I particularly love how his comical bird-like design prevents readers from truly relating or sympathizing with him for having a human appearance, creating a metaphor for his alienation and isolation from others throughout the story
The main "love interest" Aiko is a great example of a girl who struggles with relationships, family, and the modern world
I relate to her obsessiveness and her desire for unconditional love
The cult her mother participates in (and forces on her) caused me to question my own family's heavily controlling religious beliefs (mormonism), so personally—even though I experienced a horrible year-long existential crisis for it—I am incredibly grateful towards the author for "waking me up" and inspiring me to leave those beliefs and practices behind
I think my favorite thing about this manga is how it's truly morally grey; all of the characters suffer in their circumstances but it doesn't excuse their lifestyles or actions
Ultimately, this story inspired me to actually care about my life and try to be better in spite of the suffering of myself and others
TLDR: Amazing manga that will ruin your life and leave you to choose what kind of person you want to be afterwards
10/10
May 20, 2025
Top Recs from @james-ivy
🥪
It used to be chopped cheese but I had one the other night and it made me feel ill for some reason. I’ve graduated to a spicy chicken cutlet on a roll with lettuce, tomato, chipotle mayo & banana peppers.
Aug 9, 2023
🎮
Me and my friend Luke from Wavedash played a lot of Pokemon Nuzlocke runs in the green room on tour. A Nuzlocke run is essentially just a custom ruleset intended to make the pokemon game series harder. You can alter the code of your game file, using a ROM hack on your computer, and you can make it so every single encounter with a pokemon is completely randomized. So you might be just starting the run leaving littleroot town or whatever and you might see a Rayquaza or something as one of the first pokemon you encounter. Every pokemon is randomized so even like other trainer battles you have no idea what you’re up against. And there’s a bunch of house rules that you follow while playing so like whenever your pokemon faints in battle, you can’t use them anymore so they’re essentially dead for good hahaha. Super good way to pass the time.
Aug 9, 2023
🎵
My mom used to always shit on Billy Joel when I was little if he was playing on the radio. I think it was just a thing where all the mom’s in the area I grew up in New Jersey stanned Billy Joel and my mom, in a reactionary sort of way, was like “fuuuck that music.” But I'm going through a phase right now where I'm listening to a lot of pop rock from the late 70’s and early 80’s and was listening to “The Stranger” and it clicked so hard for me. I think Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) is like a near-perfect song.
Aug 9, 2023