This 2007 manga serial by Inio Asano seems like a simple story about a middle-school boy growing up in Japan. But we find that using symbolic simplicity together with the detailed, weird world of adults, Asano has been described as the voice of his generation.

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• Goodnight PunPun, Volume 1

Additional Resources:

• INIO ASANO INTERVIEW — “REALITY IS TOUGH, SO READ THIS MANGA ABOUT CUTE GIRLS AND FEEL BETTER”
• The disaffected world of Inio Asano
• GOODNIGHT PUNPUN Is A Horrifying Glance In The Mirror
• Preview: Inio Asano’s Goodnight Punpun is an ode to life’s awkwardness
• ‘GOODNIGHT PUNPUN’ IS THE STRANGEST MANGA OF THE YEAR (AND ONE OF THE BEST)
• Saying Goodbye to Childhood in Goodnight Punpun
• Interview: Goodnight Punpun Creator Inio Asano