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20-something Meiko Otani is restless, living day to day with a job she hates and an unemployed boyfriend who'd rather be playing in a band. Like others her age, she struggles to find her place in the world and a purpose in life, so in an attempt to make a fresh start, she makes the decision to quit her job. Together with her friends, Meiko will embark on a journey of self discovery to find what will truly make her happy.
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Jiro YAMADA | heart unheart |
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Kato KENICHI | heart unheart |
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Meiko INOUE | heart unheart |
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Naruo TANEDA | heart unheart |
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Ai KOTANI | heart unheart |
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Ian is a young man from Australia who has never had an easy life; his mother is an alcoholic who can’t stand the sight of him and his father doesn’t give him the time of day. The only person to care about him is his older sister Kylie, but the pair has been separated with only the promise that when Ian fulfils his goal, they will be reunited. One day he meets a writer named Jim who takes an interest in Ian’s troubled life and decides to write a novel about him. With a life that’s far from simple, will his story have a happy ending?
Both series, Solanin and Not Simple, contain drama and come packed into 1 solid volume for manga buyers out there. These are the only mangas to have ever made me get tears in my eyes.
Solanin and not simple are emotional seinen manga about characters in their 20s whose lives are far from perfect. Highly recommended.
Though the stories are somewhat different, both not simple and Solanin have a similar vibe to them. They're both very well-written tales about young people going through a difficult time in their lives. If you like one, then I'd highly recommend the other.
Life is never predictable, but we can always try to emerge from hardships with hope or acceptance. While Yuriko and others struggle with the reality of becoming an adult, others, such as Kasukabe, must try to balance their work and family life. And though Tae has been lost since her mother died, Hozumi will learn what it truly means to live.
Well of course if you liked either Solanin or What A Wonderful World you would like the other, they have the same mangaka after all. Beyond the inherent similarities in art style and general mood, the first vignette of WAWW essentially was Solanin in miniature, and there were quite a few others that also gave me super-strong deja-vu. Not in a bad way, of course.
Two very moving, seinen titles that will invoke melancholic feelings from anyone who is past the age of 20 and experienced what it's like to grow up.
Same artists and author Inio Asano, the stories are great but the characters are going to grab you and keep you in. Wonderful, unique and completely original concepts on life.
A young girl has learned to fly, moving from place to place and meeting interesting things. First she observes a bird and chats with it, after which she communicates with a solemn tree that is rooted in the ground, unable to have the freedom that she has found. But ultimately, the girl will have to return from whence she came...
While 100 Days Dream is a quick one shot and Solanin is 2 full volumes, I felt the same feeling after reading both of these - Solanin to a much greater extent. Both are about trying to reach one's full potential and experiencing life, with plenty of bittersweet moments to go around.
Two coming-of-age tales for people in their twenties. The casts of Baka and Gogh and Solanin want nothing to do with meaningless and mundane office life, so instead set out on their own, despite financial and personal difficulties, to figure out what they really want out of life. Bands figure in heavily in both tales.
Ciguatera is named after an illness caused by a toxin that bioaccumulates in fish. Solanin is probably not named after solanine, a poison found in various nightshade plants, BUT if it were, it would be pretty apt.
Sorry about that. Anyway, both of these seinen slice-of-life manga capture a bit of the toxic ennui endemic to everyday life. But among all these depressing portions, utter joy is mixed in, and all sorts of other life experiences. If you liked the tone, pacing, and how the subject mattter was handled in one, definitely check out the other.
