Oyasumi Punpun is Hurting for You
Oyasumi Punpun│© Shogakukan
In a moment in time where he’s hit absolute rock bottom; struggling with the daily challenges that life throws at him, depression taking over once again, and a shot at true happiness, in vain, once more, Punpun was just fine again today.
Spoilers for Oyasumi Punpun in this article.
That is the story of Oyasumi Punpun by Asano Inio. It follows a boy named Punpun who’s childhood we get to see, all the way through to adulthood. But Punpun isn’t your usual happy-go-lucky MC. He suffers from extreme despair and finds living a regular life unbearable. Promising the love of his life; Aiko, he’d always love her and nobody else.
If it weren’t for the people around him forcing themselves onto Punpun, his search for happiness, and him following his intrusive thoughts at times, Punpun would simply rot away in his one-room apartment. His dissatisfaction, sorrow, anger and aching heart would eat away at him. Besides his promise with Aiko, Punpun has nothing much going for him and lives his life as a hollow shell of himself. Luckily, in the end, he does receive closure. Or does he?
Oyasumi Punpun│© Shogakukan
An Emotional Outlet
Oyasumi Punpun was written with the goal of forming an emotional outlet for Asano. He identifies with Punpun to the extent where his ego is unable to integrate into society. Asano and Punpun both see the world in black and white, whilst you are forced to see it in gray in order to lead a normal life. The author was also fearful of becoming a victim of murder, or becoming a murderer himself. The latter being more of an accidental murder that could happen to anyone acting out of self-defense, for example.
In Oyasumi Punpun, Asano depicts the scenarios and intrusive thoughts he hides in his heart, as he would imagine them playing out if he were to act upon them. Wanting to cure his existential malaise, he produced the story in the first place.
Oyasumi Punpun│© Shogakukan
Punpun’s Multi-Purpose Design
The reason behind Punpun’s initial bird-like design is to fool the readers into thinking Oyasumi Punpun would be a light hearted story with a cute MC, and then to disappoint them, making everything as melancholic and sometimes as dramatic yet realistic as possible.
Without a face to link to Punpun, it’s up to the reader to imagine what he looks like and what expressions he makes in every shot. The story is easy to uniquely interpret in this way, which is exactly what Asano hoped to achieve, saying it’d be boring if everyone thought of the story and its ending in the same way. Punpun’s face being obstructed also makes it easier to place you - the reader - in Punpun’s shoes or relate to his experiences.
Relating to Punpun
This is exactly the reason why readers love the story of Oyasumi Punpun; they find it extremely relatable. Punpun is a coming-of-age story depicting events that happen in the daily life of basically everyone. A lot of people can, sadly, relate to the toxic household Punpun lives in, their parents getting divorced, having low spirits and no motivation for anything, being manipulated, and so much more. It's Punpun’s thoughts and actions during these various scenarios that also feel relatable.
We should be concerned that this is the case. Everyone is sad, deep within. We often bottle these emotions up, and many of us are left in the dark, deeply scarred by them. Whilst the ultimate state of the world cannot be fixed, and things from the past cannot be undone, a story like Oyasumi Punpun acts as a moment to reflect upon it all. It invites the reader to open their heart up and face their sadness, so that it can be thought about and offer some comfort.
Oyasumi Punpun│© Shogakukan
Happiness on the Horizon
Whilst Punpun ends on a grim note, with Punpun still locked inside of himself, he offers the readers more closure. And who is to say that this moment won’t come for Punpun? Life is unpredictable, and an insanely wild and terrifying roller coaster. But in my personal opinion, despite Punpun wishing otherwise, I’m glad Asano gave him the worst possible ending in which he is forced to keep on living.
A person is never satisfied, and there will always be something missing, somewhere. It is perfectly visible in Punpun’s experience, when, after all those chapters and all those years, Punpun finds out he is still unhappy even after getting Aiko back.
Oyasumi Punpun│© Shogakukan
Punpun’s Message to Readers
Even if the manga has ended and Punpun is still fighting the mightiest war with himself, life is only beginning for him. As long as he keeps on going, there will be more chances for him to get what he wants. He just has to act upon them. And the same goes for you too. If you ever struggle with doing so yourself, loved ones around will help you. So it’s important to keep seeking, dream after dream, day-in-day-out.
The main thing to, thus, take away from Oyasumi Punpun is that no matter how dark it gets, you should never quit. Keep on walking and eventually, as long as it may take, there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Even when that light fades and you enter another, that tunnel is also meant to come to an end. And so life goes on.
Good night, Punpun.
Oyasumi Punpun│© Shogakukan
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