Oyasumi Punpun

Manga review

Long, lonely lanes

are all I see

while I walk home

to Punpun.

I open the manga,

flip the pages,

see familiar faces

stare into my soul.

The air is stiffening,

oh, so is my heart,

as Punpun lies in his tub

pondering over existence.

Had I been the mangaka,

I'd've colored him blue.

He'd be soaring heights

without the aid of the sky.

I fell asleep

trying to connect

the stars of a constellation

that he loves.

I heard him whisper,

"What's the point?"

Or was it the echo

of my own screams?

How I wish

he was real.

I'd have a twin.

Everyone would.

'cause Punpun is me.

Punpun is you.

Punpun is every single one of us

in our rawest forms.

Oyasumi, Punpun.

 

Oyasumi Punpun is a manga written and illustrated by Inio Asano covering themes like depression, loneliness, and the absurdity of life.