Review by Frank Plowright
This volume jumps forward two years with Punpun at an age where he’s about to enter high school. The opening chapters are filled with stunning art of crowded school scenes, every character defined in detail, except of course Punpun, who remains an outsider figure drawn as a simple bird. His Uncle Yuichi has disappeared, but Yuichi’s girlfriend Midori remains a family friend.
Happiness has been at a premium to date, yet in Goodnight Punpun 2 Midori was the indomitable beating heart, cheerful in the face of Yuichi’s resolute self-destruction and convinced she could cure his depression by setting him on the right path. It worked, but only for a while, and now she’s also deeply unhappy with her emotions bouncing off Punpun, which leads to what seems an appalling mistake. That’s actually a mild interpretation. Inio Asano might reward Punpun by drawing his bird avatar with greater definition, but it’s a shocking development dragging Midori definitively down from her pedestal.
More so than in previous volumes Asano also spotlights Punpun’s friends Seki and Shimzu, equally unfortunate, and given possibly life-changing decisions to make, and Punpun’s mother, who comes to dominate proceedings. She’s making the mistake that many do of believing momentary comfort and satisfaction is something more significant, and at the same time feeding Punpun’s alienation. Anyone who’s followed the series from the beginning knows her story isn’t going to be any more positive than others we see, and so it proves.
Underscoring everything when the focus shifts back to him is Punpun’s inability to communicate. It leads to an incredibly moving scene at an art gallery where he’s able to pour out his heart on paper, yet not be honest with the girl he’s accompanied there. It’s followed by some terrible behaviour as for all of Punpun’s sensitivities, Asano also accurately captures the teenage boy’s desperation for sex. Sex and violence are preoccupations, partially because Punpun’s now reached an age when his hormones are zipping all over the place and resentments fester, partially because many featured characters lack boundaries, and definitely due to a trip into the past. However, the emotional complexity also increases, from characters pondering the mysteries of the universe to pouring out their soul to virtual strangers. It’s constantly thought-provoking and constantly prodding the ethical concerns of readers, as the cast may be both delusional and inappropriate, but narrative honesty renders them compelling.
Right at the end, when everything seems to be winding down, Asano drops a stunning revelation regarding the banal letters Punpun receives from his estranged father. It’s a brilliant piece of storytelling that may slip past readers. As has been the case from the start, Asano leaps forward another two years to preface Goodnight Punpun 4 with more tragedy.
