28 January 2014

Good-bye Punpun

Here it is, folks. Say good night and good-bye to Punpun, which draws to an end after 13 volumes. I believe there are some slight dialogue differences and minor changes including one double-page spread in the tankoban release compared to the magazine version, so even if you've read the raws already, it might be interesting to take a look at the release. Now, incoming OPINIONS, so if you couldn't care less about that, I'll give you the dl links here:   Mega;   Sendspace  (another reminder that I do have a mega now where you can download almost everything I've worked on)

Goodnight Punpun is a project I've spent almost 4 and a half years on, and scanlating it has definitely been a memorable experience. To be frank, I don't think I was ready to tackle it when I did. I was still quite new to translating, and I had never debinded nor scanned manga myself before. The lack of experience clearly shows in v2-5 through the poor scans, typesetting, awkward phrasing, and even some name mix-ups such as Yagura/Yaguchi (I will release re-done scanlations of v2-5 once I finish up Joe this year). Still, it wasn't such a big deal back then since the fanbase was too small to care. There was a time when I could post a new Punpun chapter on /a/ and get 0 replies. Since then, it's grown to be the most popular manga I've translated, which is evident from the number of times people have asked me when the next release is, no matter how many times I try to make it clear on my blog about release dates. Though I've always gotten each volume done within about 2 weeks of getting the raws, it clearly wasn't quick enough for many people, and I've even received some hate for "laziness" in not blitzing out releases from the magazine raws. Far from being exasperated by these responses, I've come to realize that Asano Inio's done something quite special with Punpun to attract such a devoted readership.

So what is it about Punpun that's engrossed so many people? It's not without its flaws, after all. I mean, there was quite a radical shift in tone from v3, almost as if Asano changed his mind about the kind of story he wanted to tell. There was some aimless meandering, especially with regards to the cult side-plot, which left me wondering what was even the point. Also, Asano still tends to overdo it with the black boxes with white text that jarringly interrupts the narrative. And the main character isn't even properly drawn! He's just a doodle! ...But these ordinarily detracting aspects seem to work in favour of Goodnight Punpun. The radical shift in tone from dark comedy to just dark tragedy merely accompanied the narrative shift to the adult Yuuichi, and by the time it switches back, Punpun's childhood is over, and he's forced to face life's harsh realities. Meanwhile, Punpun being drawn basically as a doodle paradoxically allows for more creative expressiveness, as exemplified by his pyramid-head or devil-head forms. Their lack of facial features also functions like a blank slate to give room for the reader to project his own imagination on Punpun's emotional state. Even the black box dialogues actually work for Punpun, deprived of actual dialogue bubbles, who has his otherworldly form complemented by these black boxes which further serves to place a distance between him and those around him.

But minor complaints aside, I think the manga's both greatest strength and weakness is the central character Punpun. From what I've seen, people seem to largely fall into two camps. One side, as exemplified by Saibara Rieko and her humorous comments in v4 of Jinsei Garyoku Taiketsu, sees Punpun as the overly-dramatic, woe-is-me youngster-douchebag who's too much of a coward to take real control of his life. The other side is those who can actually empathize with Punpun, usually through similarity of personality and/or experiences, and can understand why Punpun often makes things so hard on himself. If you're in the former camp, I doubt you could have stuck around long enough to finish this manga. But if you've got a little Punpun and God inside you, as I certainly do, this is a story that's likely to stick with you for a long time.

The last thing I want to touch on is the ending. I can imagine the general reception to it being... lukewarm? Maybe even depressing? Personally, I think it's uplifting. As happy as an ending a story of this kind can get. Both Punpun and Yuuichi are social misfits. For them, the act of living is like an outsider passively staring in at the world through a window. Even when they form relationships, there's always a window, a barrier that prevents them from feeling like they're an active participant of that very relationship instead of a passive receiver. Their self-consciousness only makes them feel more out of place, and to be "normal" couldn't be any more unnatural. But what really is "normal" anyways? I think that's a key question this manga brings up, which is asked to readers at both the beginning and the end of the story. Many of the characters are seemingly normal but they're only putting up a facade, while other characters are usually normal, and yet they exhibit very abnormal behaviours under stress. It's a question that almost all the central characters wonder, from Seki to Sachi to even Harumi, despite his lack of page-time. Punpun and Yuuichi, in particular, both sink further and further into depression when agonizing over how abnormal and consequently worthless they are, which leads them to embrace their deviancy momentarily. But to fail, be rejected, hurt, angry, or upset are all just a normal part of the human experience and not necessarily something unique that they've been unfairly burdened with. By the story's end, both of them have learned not to fuss over what "normal" is and merely take things one step at a time, which brings them relief and hope as defined in their own way. I feel that what Asano's trying to tell any introverts or those suffering from depression who may be reading his story is to not let your self-consciousness agonize over how far you've deviated from normalcy, and to just take things one small step at a time. You may not achieve the idealized happiness that society imposes, nor even the lofty dreams you've once imagined for yourself, but it will lead to a better future than the present prison.

Of course, these are merely my interpretations and I can only speak for myself. So instead of the usual thank-you comments, I would quite appreciate hearing what you thought about the series as a whole or about its ending.

P.S. Thank you Entropy-Scans and Mangascreener for originally starting this project, as well as the generous anonymous who provided me with scans from v6-13. Lastly, a thank you to gar expert, for dumping the first few chapters so many years ago on /a/ and introducing me to Punpun.

Download:
Goodnight Punpun v13:   Mega;   Sendspace

83 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've been reading your translations of Oyasumi Punpun for a long time now, and I cannot wait to finish it today. I can't believe how long it's been, and yet, it's finally coming to an end. Thanks for all the hard work, Hox. <3

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats, Hox, and thank you! It's been quite a ride. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you Hox. Time to shed some tears again with Punpun.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the ride Hox, thanks for the ride...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Man I'm SO grateful for your work and your dedication I cried when I saw the news!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh yes, it's done. Thanks Hox! Another masterpiece is complete.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you very much for all of your hard work!

    ReplyDelete
  9. From IRAQ with love .... thanx HOX

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you based Hox

    ReplyDelete
  11. Damn. I was hoping for a reread in time for the release. I don't think my heart could take it. I'll have to reread it another time. These past years, watching Punpun, watching him grow. It really hurt, I'm not sure I'm ready for the end.

    ReplyDelete
  12. thank you very much ! This manga was a great read for me, i am grateful for it

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks, really.
    Aoi Pen then?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you so much for your wonderful work, Hox!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I just finished reading it.

    Thank you for everything Hox. A satisfactory ending for me.

    Again, thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for all u translated allowing people from everywhere to discover this manga (I'm from France).
    Well, in my case I happened to discover it in stores actually, seeing Asano as the author led to instant buy and then I followed the whole thing thanks to you.

    It is Asano's biggest work, his final achievement, to me I don't see how it could make another story that much... significant.
    I almost cried while reading this last volume.
    Asano, with Takehiko Inoue, is and will stay my favourite mangaka ever. Good Night Punpun is a must read and I think u completely caught what it is about

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks for your hard work, Hox.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I cannot even begin to describe how much this book influenced my perspective, and it's all thanks to your work. I'm truly grateful, Hox. If you ever need anything, send me an e-mail or something. (I believe that's the only way I could repay the efforts, as weird as it sounds.)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh right, about my interpretation... The element that struck me the most about the whole manga is how realistic it manages to stay throughout the whole story, and how well it portraits the human condition. So it goes without saying that I'm totally satisfied with the ending. It's not like I wished for it, like nobody wishes for misery in their lives, but it sure feels coherent.

    If I had to try and explain in a few lines what the deal's all about: Oyasumi Punpun is a realistic tale about people who are conflicted between two world views. The first one is about ideals, fate, dreams, how unique they are and the importance of their irreplaceable role; the second one is about reality, ridiculous relations of cause and effect, boredom, the fact that the universe is not centered about humans and that they are not in any way unique since, as they grow up, they can tell where things are going: people are born, they have dreams, they innocently think they matter, deal with social interactions like everyone ever did, slowly discover things about the grown-ups' world and get disappointed at how it is once they become adults, only to watch other kids going through the same cycle after them. And all this while they keep hoping something will change, never giving up their values on how harsh and nonsensical reality can be.

    I'm still not sure about what the author's final message is all about. I'll have to think about it a little more. I think I'll draw my conclusions once I read it again from the beginning.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks Hox! From start to finish you've done a fabulous job. Too bad there wasn't a live thread for it this time (or did I miss it?). Looking forward to releases of the other projects you're doing

    ReplyDelete
  21. Such a glorious yet sad day this is. Thanks for bringing Punpun to all of unworthy followers; you are great. As much as I'd like to go on and on about your and Asano's greatness, I have a volume to read!
    Thanks so much for all the great releases!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Slight typo on page 121. "It was very quite here."

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication over the years Hox. I've read so many incredible manga over the years thanks to your efforts, and you were one of the people who inspired me to get into scanlation myself. And even though he won't read this, a huge thank you to Asano Inio all the other people who worked on Punpun over the years, I feel so lucky I got to experience such a magnificent work.

    ReplyDelete
  24. THANK YOU SO MUCH HOX YOU WONDERFUL PERSON.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks Hox. As good a story as any. Those final pages read like a nightmare scenario for a typical protag, but were a more positive outcome for punpun than I'd dared hope for. Thanks again man

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thanks a lot Hox. What a happy coincidence that I decided to check your site today just since my whole manga set arrived today from Amazon JP as well.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thank you Hox, great job.

    ReplyDelete
  28. It's been a long ride...
    Thank you for giving us the opportunity of enjoying this manga.
    I'm ... somewhat satisfied with the ending, I think. Sure, I didn't like at all the way the author kept us on the border of our seats about what was happening with Punpun and kept throwing side-story to us, but at least we did get a somewhat conclusive ending.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Thanks Hox, you're legend

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!.. you're super awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thank you Hox, you are awesome ;_;

    ReplyDelete
  32. Thank you so much Hox.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Chiming in with my thanks on your entire endeavor. I've been following your Punpun releases since your translation of earlier volumes all the way up until this finale. Heck, we've even shared discourse over this among other things (coughOnePiececough) on /a/ over the years. It still feels a little surreal that both the manga is complete from both Asano's end and that of your own journey in scanlating it. I am grateful from the bottom of my being for your hard work, time, and dedication to this project.

    While Oyasumi Punpun didn't, as some others state, change my perspective on things, I was still moved by the plight of the characters and the world they lived in. I'm still not sold on the cult storyline but am also glad for its being there as the other events happening in parallel were that much more heartfelt. To me, the ending just felt "right"... but at the same time I would have probably said the very same thing if we had Punpun lying dead in a ditch somewhere while the world continued to soldier on around his decaying corpse. Aiko's ultimate destination in the story upset me deeply. In fact, the entire post-murder set of events between her and our titular main character were extremely difficult to read for numerous reasons. I didn't know what I expected and/or wanted to happen between the two but I feel that many other readers were very much in the same boat as myself. If anything, Oyasumi Punpun helped solidify the concept that the world is built on ramifications of actions and that we're all the byproducts of everything around us. Didn't mean to make this postmortem too lengthy so if you've made it this far, you're a trooper.

    I'm curious. Who was your favorite character throughout the entire story?

    As an aside, I'm a mangaholic, so I've had the pleasure of reading most of your other releases and I plan to do so for the foreseeable future. Again, thanks for all that!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thank you Hox. This manga has affected me deeply. It's an important piece in my life now and I thank you for your hard work. You're a real trooper.

    ReplyDelete
  35. It's not an exaggeration to say this manga changed my life. Thanks for the hard work you put into making it available for all of us.

    ReplyDelete
  36. You're the best Hox-chan! Going to reread from Volume 1 and then finish this off. Can't believe we're actually here.

    ReplyDelete
  37. ganbatte hocks-kun

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thank you so much for your translation Hox. This is one of my favorite works in any medium ever. Without you, I don't think I would have ever read this manga and with that, had the feeling of... empathy, connectedness, that punpun has brought me. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  39. i have to say, much of what transpired in the finale went according to my predictions. i didn't expect aiko's story to end that way, but when it's all said and done, it was for the best and handled well.

    i was always a bit confused at the fanbase's fervent pairing of aiko and punpun as a legitimate romantic couple, since she seemed to represent overwhelmingly negative aspects of the human psyche in this gatsby-esque obsession over recapturing the past and a past love that tends to lead to tragedy, depression, and stunted emotional growth. nanjou sachi always seemed to represent the opposing path of growing into an adult that could face the harshness of reality with courage and manage somehow. there was a legitimate lump in my throat when aiko reappeared in punpun's life leading the finale, but the story seemed to foreshadow that maybe somehow punpun would still be able to take the right path, although the murder plot ended in such a perfunctory manner i can't say it was everything i'd hoped for, the finale was satisfying without being cataclysmic.

    the cult subplot and understated ending aside, the manga was one of the absolute best comics i've read and a revolution in manga as an artistic storytelling medium. personally, the tonal shifts worked well with the material, since it accurately depicted the tonal shifts during those time periods in life: childhood seems confusing, slightly fantastic and mysterious, and often frightening; teenage years are full of brooding; being a twentysomething comes with introspection and finding a place for yourself, etc. the protagonist's visual shifts mirrored that theme as well since the way you view yourself changes at different points in your life. thank you for translating it, it's definitely a series i plan to re-read immediately, which is uncommon for me with manga.

    i do wish we got something more concrete with seki and shimizu, though! is shimizu dead? does he really have amnesia? story qualms aside, asano ino truly crafted something beautiful, compelling, heart-breaking, funny, and unlike any other manga and for that punpun deserves a ton of praise and celebration.

    ReplyDelete
  40. It's been a good ride, Hox. Between this, Joe, and Zero, you're definitely one of the best scanlators around, and I hope you stick with it for quite a while longer.

    ReplyDelete
  41. The Mr. Punpun's wild ride finally ends. It's been fun, thanks so much for all you hard work, Hox!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Only the part about Punpun's childhood was good. Afterwards it became terribly repetitive. An inferior clone of Asano's previous works, now with more pessimism and navel-gazing. I hope he didn't run out of ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Thanks a lot Hox,
    goodnight Punpun ;_;

    ReplyDelete
  44. I'm actually one of the people in the former camp. But I fell in love with Punpun, since the first book. I remember curiously waiting for the 2nd volume. I start to read it precisely because the main character's a doodle. Along the ride to hell, I really wished that Punpun & Aiko somehow got a happy ending. Well, I'm satisfied with the manga as a whole, this ride is full of emotions and I'll definitely reread it when I have the time ;_;
    Well, goodnight Punpun

    and thank you Hox

    ReplyDelete
  45. I don't think I'm ready for this... I'll come back when I'm done reading.
    Thank you so much for sharing this series with us!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Thank you Hox for your many years of work. Sadly we couldn't spend Christmas together this year because of the release schedule, but I have enjoyed your past live /a/ translations.

    ReplyDelete
  47. If anyone's wondering, here's the magazine that seems to have his latest work. Hopefully someone gets it.

    http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=NEOBK-1603996

    ReplyDelete
  48. I don't know why no one mentions one of the most glaring themes in this manga - the idea of hope. When the gang sees the sky during Tanabata, they glorify reality and make wishes and far fetched dreams. They hope for a better future but by the end of the manga, Punpun's dreams are crushed. He loses everything, he has nothing to protect anymore, so he renounces hope and reverts back to being a nobody. Even though him not killing himself is a reason many people see it as a happy ending, there is no doubt sadness in the way the author expresses loss of hope in this manga.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. While I can say Asano has painted a rather depressing way of loss of childhood innocence, I wholeheartedly disagree that Goodnight Punpun is a nihilistic story about the loss of hope.

      Punpun did not lose everything, nor did he renounce hope. He did, however, renounce the false and deluded idea of hope that Aiko would bring meaning to his otherwise empty life, that she was the salvation to his existence. At the end of the manga, Punpun has realized that whether Aiko is alive or not, the world will continue spinning and so can he, and so he will strive to work hard and help those around him. That is not the resolve of a broken, hollow man with no hope.

      He merely wishes to be forgotten after he's dead because, as a natural introvert, he's never cared about being in the spotlight and being remembered by many people is of no value to him. If anything, to be remembered by others after one has died can be a source of grief, and grief is the last thing Punpun would want to cause for others. Helping people while he's alive and then just quietly fading away when his time comes is a peace and relief for him, like a painter who's happy with the mere act of painting and does not care about signing his name for recognition. This is why I see the ending as a happy one.

      Delete
    2. I don't see it as nihilistic, to be honest, more like bitter. I couldn't help but feel Punpun lost something when he killed his inner-self. Maybe he admitted he was too weak to be given any sort of task or purpose. I wouldn't use the word 'hope' personally, but the author uses it a lot. Sachi' s painting, The Milky Way illustrates her idea of hope. When she realizes she will never be with Seki, she renounces that idea. Pegasus's ensemble are on a full out war against hope, stating that if our galaxy and hope collide, it will be the end of the world. When Yuuichi is reunited with hope after his baby is born, he is reluctant to accept it. Perhaps he knows it will just pave way for more suffering? In volume 13, at least, that word finds it way everywhere.

      Delete
  49. What an insane ride. Thanks for your dedication through the years!

    ReplyDelete
  50. I would have loved an atogaki from the author. I wonder why he didn't put any last comments about his the manga being the last volume.
    Thanks to your translation i found Oyasumi Punpun and of course i have been purchasing the book since it is the only way to support the author.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Thank you very much for your hard work over the years. I haven't read the volume yet but I will soon.
    Re: "laziness". Ignore the idiots, haters are gonna hate. I prefer to wait 2 weeks or a month or whatever is needed in order to have the best scans on the market.

    ReplyDelete
  52. I thought it was happening on the 30th.

    I wish it turned out differently, I was sort of hoping for a fairytale ending that I knew wouldn't come. But I still loved the ending...I just got really attached to Punpun and Aiko throughout the story.

    Anyway, the basic theme is pretty obvious, and it's even stated a couple times. You reap what you sow. It's your responsibility. The life you live is of your own making, and you have to accept it for what it is. You can't just wallow in self pity.

    It's advice I have yet to take, really. Which is probably why I'm one of the people who identified with Punpun so heavily. Loving the character and hoping for a happy end even while I hated him for doing such horrible things.

    Asano did a fantastic job with this...although I have to admit...Oyasumi Punpun sort of put me off dramas and tragic anime. I just don't have the energy to take it anymore. For now, anyway.

    Anyway, thank you for the ride, Hox.

    ReplyDelete
  53. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have been able to suffer through Punpun, and through Punpun I discovered you and your impeccable taste in manga to translate.

    Thanks, Hox.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Thanks for the ride and journey.As we finally say goodnight to PunPun just wanted to thanks you greatly for the effort in this manga. It was thoroughly appreciated

    ReplyDelete
  55. I wonder if you can finish the translation of Kenrou Densetsu(http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=10246), just one volume to finish and it is about guns, military, dystopia and suffering.

    ReplyDelete
  56. And so Asano's ambitious passion project comes to a close. Beautiful, disturbing and deeply sad. And, even as I began to suspect it may have had a sombre ending, it finished, like all of Asano's other works (even the psychologically grim Nijigahara Holograph) with an uplifting sense of hope.

    I felt this volume really delivered. Like others, I was gutted by Aiko's fate, and I found chapter 145 absolutely heart-wrenching. Like others, I'm not sure about the whole cult thing - it could have been integrated better, surely - although I was intrigued by it at first.

    In the end, I confess I only have a general impression of what Asano's overall thesis/message was. I simply forgot too much in the interim between chapters/volumes, so I'm looking forward to re-reading the manga in a more consistent fashion, although I might let it sit for a few years. I will, however, offer some cursory observations.

    For me, chief among the manga’s themes is the difficulty of revealing your “true self”, and the vulnerability inherent in doing so. Obviously, Punpun’s depiction as a caricatured bird (wingless, I might add), a pyramid, etc. represents, in a very basic sense, his alienation from his friends and peers. But notably, we come close to seeing him in human form whenever he’s on the verge of connecting with someone, that is, letting others in. We never glimpse more than a hand or the back of his end though because he’s so terrified of rejection should others see the real him. Arguably then, Punpun’s non-human depiction is also a literal manifestation of the façade or disguise he maintains to keep others at bay, lest he show too much. It’s only when he’s at the end of his rope, hospitalised and defenceless, that we see his adult face, which, ironically, is mostly bandaged up.

    Sachi was definitely introduced to function in counterpoint to Aiko, with both love-interests inhabiting two distinct and difficult to reconcile periods of Punpun's life. Aiko occupied a kind dreamy-eyed, transient innocence of childhood, while Sachi a disenchanting and pain-prone reality. Both of these "ideas", for lack of a better word, have their pros and cons but only one is really viable. Aiko, who in many ways never really grew up, thinks she and Punpun can find and lead happier lives by running away. Needless to say, she and Punpun find nothing of the sort; their lives fall apart, rather than improve. Sachi on the other hand accepts the reality of the life in all its day to day trials and pursues her dream despite the systems (namely, the manga industry) working against her. Ultimately, it's she who rescues Punpun, instructing him to wake up when he's on the brink of, yet again, taking easy refuge in slumber and dreams. Reality bites, but it’s still the only place where you can hope to attain any kind of genuine solace or happiness, however elusive and fleeting those things are.

    Overall, I was satisfied with the ending, and heartened to see it conclude on a predominantly positive note. Many thanks to Hox for picking this up and seeing it through to the end. Goodnight Punpun is something really special.

    ReplyDelete
  57. P.S. Does anyone know anything about Asano's manga "Ozunari-kun"? It was released in 2012 according to Baka Updates, but it seems there's virtually no other info about it out there. Given it's an Asano work I thought a scanlator would have picked it up by now, although based on the cover it definitely looks unconventional, with what appears to be the two main characters depicted in a fashion only slightly more human and realistic than Punpun.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Dear all,

    First of all, thank you so much for Punpun. Been reading it since MS, however not really follow and i dont even have all the volumes to go though. Its been a really long journey, thank you Hox.

    I have a question, sorrrrry but its really silly and clueless. Please bear with me.

    Did Aiko really die? I just cant wrap my head around it. Is her entire mountain death journey just a metaphor for a breakup?

    Maybe some part of me just cant accept whats happened to her. Just the though of it, that it was all real, is enough to drive me crazy. If it was real, how on earth could Punpun get away with it?

    (My brain and my heart, is utterly blown. Maybe i need to re-read every volume to "get it". But im worried - that by doing so will REALLY push me off the deep end...)

    ReplyDelete
  59. imo the whole love story is a struggle between dreams and reality, an idealistic idea of life that everyone creates in their early days that fades away as we grow old. Onodera is trying to hold on to his dreams (Aiko) till he finally let's go and accepts that facing reality is not that bad.
    Anyway it's an amazing manga and I'm really grateful that you gave us the chance to read it. Greetings from Catalonia Asano's lovers!

    ReplyDelete
  60. Hox..... I will never forget those feelings while getting teary eyed or crying at every chapter (not afraid to admit it xD).. Oyasumi Punpun... Thanks for letting me experience this rollercoaster of emotions...... Believe me.... It was a hell of a ride.
    Quote Edit

    ReplyDelete
  61. Thank you so much for scanlating oyasumi punpun. Really enjoyed this series. I'm def. going to properly go over the comments and this post soon. But really. Thank you so much :D.

    ReplyDelete
  62. So that's it, then. Thank you Hox, for one helluva ride. Visiting your site periodically to check for Punpun updates, always taking some other scanlations home to wait, became kind of a habit in the last few years. Future generations will be told how Asano and Hox brought the magic of good vibrations to the world in unison.

    As another one with a bit of Punpun in myself, i definitely empathized with him. Even though i just wanted to punch him in his stupid beak sometimes. Lot of times, actually. Same, minus the beak-punching, goes for most of the other characters. Seki, Sachi, Yuuichi, there must be something of them in any miserable person, i guess. And, of course, Aiko. Oh, poor Aiko. The most tragic character of the whole series and the reason i can't really go with 'uplifting' on that last volume. While Punpun, Yuuichi and the other troubled characters found sort of their place in life after struggling, Aiko never had that chance. The one person she trusted only saw her as a canvas to paint his own hopes and dreams on in the end, leading her down the drain in a matter of days and then leaving her on the side of the road to move on to greener pastures. I don't think i ever really believed in this ending happy or anything, but still, chapter 145 must be one of the saddest things i read throughout this series and i couldn't help but tear up. Heh, kinda pathetic, really.

    But that's life, i guess. The story of Punpun, i mean. And i really enjoyed reading through it, though more in a 'emotional rollercoaster' way of 'enjoy'. I wasn't sure of that radical shift in tone and i always kinda hoped we would return to the old tone as i really missed those small surreal 'wat' moments we got in the first volumes. But that was a different Punpun, after all, and it does make sense with respect to his development. I really need to read through all of this again in one go, i had already forgotten so much.

    Wonder where Asano will go from here. Well, i'll be sure to read it anyway as soon as something appears on the net. Hopefully another Hox release, though i'd understand if you would want to stay away from anything Asano for a while at least.

    Ah well, i just wanted to say thanks and now i feel stupid. Anyway, thanks again for that experience and goodnight, Punpun.

    ReplyDelete
  63. thank you, thank you, thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Thanks for the memories, Hox-sama.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Hox, thank you so much for your work. Asano clearly is a gifted writer and artist; it's those dissonant notes in punpun's life that resonate with some of mine. It feels so frustrating, pathetic, flawed and sometimes hopeful to read but above all it's human in the strongest since or the word. Thanks again Hox for bringing it to us.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Thank you.
    Let us hope for an English publication sometime soon.
    Thank you Hox.
    Good night Hox!

    ReplyDelete
  67. Thanks Hox, you're the best.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Thx for ur work,
    i can't even buy the v7 in hk now,
    but u translate all of it,
    i am really apperciate that.
    Forgive my poor english

    ReplyDelete
  69. Thank you for your work, man.

    Best wishes.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Thanks a lot for your work !

    ReplyDelete
  71. Thanks Hox, I have to say it, I'm not afraid to say that this manga changed my life and perspective of life, thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Thank you so much for translating this brilliant piece of work. You did an amazing job!

    ReplyDelete
  73. I shall endeavour to writing my opinions later this month of the next but, for the time being, I wanted to say thank you for starting, as well as continuing, the translation of Punpun. It really meant alot to me and others. Thanks, Hox.

    ReplyDelete
  74. You're awesome and I love you.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Hey man, just wanted to say how much I appreciate all your work on Punpun. I just found it this year and it's meant a lot to me over the last few months. Thank you, so much

    ReplyDelete
  76. Most Greatful>>>أكبر تقدير مني لك صديقي... أرفع لك القبعة

    ReplyDelete
  77. From Nigeria and Guyana. Thank you,
    I read a review of it but was finding it hard to download the Manga

    If it wasn't for your awesome work and links; I would have wasted my time making vain attempts in getting this


    From Nigeria and Guyana. thank you

    ReplyDelete
  78. Just wanted to say, your translations are FAR better than the official Viz version. I only read some of their release, but was extremely disappointed. If only your work was available in print form! Thank you so much for your hard work, and in giving this series the treatment it deserves.

    ReplyDelete