The Melancholy of Asano Inio

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The Melancholy of Asano Inio

Postby blkmage » Sat Oct 09, 2010 9:16 pm

Asano Inio writes about people. That is to say, he does not write about magic Asian wizards or the deeds of men, but he writes about real people. Real peoples' lives aren't very exciting. Of course, that doesn't mean it's easy either. And the worst part? Everyone else is going through the same thing as well.

Asano Inio understands this, though, which is why he's able to write some compelling stories about the melancholy of your average person living life aimlessly. Of course, since he's a manga-ka, he's not all talk either. He's got a distinct style to his characters, which are instantly recognizable, but he also has some amazingly detailed spreads and backgrounds.

So what has he done?

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We start off with What a Wonderful World, his first work. It's a series of short stories with the characters and events extremely loosely connected. It involves people of all sorts: kids, teens, college students, adults. My favourite little detail about WaWW is the transitional panels in between each chapter. But yes, there is an overarching theme that you may need a second reading to get the finer details of.

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After that, we have Nijigahara Holograph, a psychological horror story with a strange fixation on butterflies. Just like WaWW, there are a few plot threads, but the connections are a lot deeper and heavier in this story. This one is a lot darker; you'd probably want to be a little older to read this. It's definitely Higurashi-class horror. This one, you'll definitely need a few readings to take it in and understand.

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Solanin is probably his most famous work. It's also his most accessible. While the previous two series had some strange supernatural stuff thrown in, Solanin is fairly down to earth. It's about some recent graduates who sort of fell into jobs and now aren't sure what to do with themselves and the dreams they had when they were still students. This one hit me hard like 5 Centimeters per Second.

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Oyasumi Punpun is his most recent and longest work. It's about a regular boy, Punpun. Except that he and his immediate family appear to us, the readers, as a caricaturized bird thing. Otherwise, he acts and thinks exactly like a normal kid would. Oyasumi Punpun is about his growing up. I can't mention enough how brilliant the fact that Punpun is abstracted like this is. Believe me when I say that it doesn't take any emotional impact away from his circumstances at all.

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I don't know if you've noticed, but Asano Inio is my favourite manga-ka. Besides his art being absolutely gorgeous, he has a knack for writing realistic characters and conveying their emotions. Just like real life, his stuff runs the gamut, from adorable or amusing to cripplingly depressing. And on both ends of the spectrum, the scary thing is that all of these stories are completely possible and believable.

If you're new to his works, I'd definitely recommend going through Solanin first and then WaWW, since they're waaaaay more accessible than his other stuff. After that, you should have enough of a grasp on his style to be able to go through his other (just as awesome) works. Also, Solanin and What a Wonderful World are the only works of his that are available in English for purchase.
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Postby TheSubtleDoctor » Sun Oct 10, 2010 12:08 am

That is some of the highest quality manga art I have ever seen.

I will have to check out Solanin now.
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Postby Atria35 » Sun Oct 10, 2010 4:51 am

WooT! You're doing this for manga?! Blkmage, you're awesome!

I actualy haven't read any of this dude's work, but I do have it on my to-read list- I'm dying to read Oyasumi, Punpun, and Solanin is a must-read for anyone. I hadn't heard of Nijigahara Holograph, but now that I have, it's for sure on my to-read list- I'm a huge horror manga fan!
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Postby Mr. Hat'n'Clogs » Sun Oct 10, 2010 12:38 pm

I was thinking about this before, too, but I haven't read enough manga to really do any mangaka besides Hiromu Arakawa. Maybe I could do her since I think you've only read FMA.

Solanin is the only work of his I've completed, though I've read the first chapters of Nijigahara Holograph and Punpun, though I guess I'll put Holograph on hold until I get a bit older. Solanin is really awesome, the art in it is something I'll just go look at, without actually reading the book. Your emotions will be on a roller coaster as you go through it, and it's bittersweet without being overly depressing.

So at Amazon you get Solanin for pretty cheap, two volumes for twelve bucks is a pretty sweet deal.
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Postby blkmage » Sun Oct 10, 2010 2:13 pm

I wasn't planning on doing a whole manga thing, sorry; it's gonna be just Asano Inio because I really like him and I think he's worth introducing to people and is criminally under-read.
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Postby Atria35 » Sun Oct 10, 2010 3:10 pm

Ah, well. Still is a cool idea- maybe people could do it in conjunction with the Manga of the Month thing- someone does a mangaka they're into.
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Postby steenajack » Sun Oct 10, 2010 3:22 pm

Huh, these look interesting. Could someone tell me the content of What a Wonderful World and Solanin.
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Postby Mr. Hat'n'Clogs » Sun Oct 10, 2010 4:50 pm

I haven't read WAWW, but Solanin is pretty heavy on content. Language is strong and throughout, not quite Blade of the Immortal levels but a step above FMA. Characters talk about and have sex several times, though not shown, and there's some brief, nonfanservice nudity. As blkmage said, there's some pretty heavy themes too, and there's blood when someone gets hurt.
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