Highlights
- Oyasumi Punpun isn't just sad, it's an honest portrayal of real issues in a unique way that's worth checking out.
- Mujina Into the Deep offers a more direct story with combat and action, still exploring deep themes like media manipulation.
- Fans of Punpun may enjoy similar series like Sugar Candy Bullets, My Solo Exchange Diary, and I Sold My Life for ¥10,000 Per Year.
There are slice-of-life dramas, and then there’s Oyasumi Punpun. Written by Inio Asano, the manga follows a young boy called Punpun Onodera through different stages in his life, from elementary school to his early 20s. While he and his family are ordinary people, the manga portrays them as birds as he deals with depression, love, and his domestic struggles. As strange as it can get, it’s a serious story that goes into some heavy places.
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Oyasumi Punpun doesn’t aim to be deliberately sad, but Asano didn’t want to make it a ‘feel-good’ tale either. It’s simply a relatable comic about real issues done in a curious way that makes it worth checking out. But are there any other manga comics that follow Oyasumi Punpun’s tone? Well, yes. Otherwise, this would be a short article. Here are some other series fans should check out.
Updated May 12, 2024 by David Heath: It's been a year since Inio Asano began publishing Mujina Into the Deep and, like his classic piece Oyasumi Punpun, there was more to it than a hitgirl roaming Tokyo in search of her targets. Comparatively, it's more direct as its different plot branches tie back into its main story, and it has more combat and action. Nonetheless, it still involves themes like how the media manipulates those who consume it, and how cruel and rough life can be.
Yet Punpun covered the latter in a more tender, emotional way, which might be why it's still one of MyAnimeList's most loved strips, with a score of 9.01. Mujina is still well worth reading, but if fans miss that cutting, slice-of-life style, they may prefer the entries here. This list has been updated with some extra details, some formatting tweaks, and more of the best manga like Oyasumi Punpun.
1 Sugar Candy Bullets Can't Pierce Anything: A Lollypop Or a Bullet
For Readers Who Fancy A Little Whimsy In Their Punpun
- Written by Kazuki Sakuraba.
- Illustrated by Iqura Sugimoto.
- 2 Volumes, 13 Chapters.
- Fan Translations only.
Based on Kazuki Sakuraba's original light novel, A Lollypop Or A Bullet shares Punpun's depressed lead character, rural setting, broken home, and feelings of isolation and depression. Except instead of using artistic license to express its darkness like Punpun, it uses it to add some whimsy, as the cold and withdrawn Nagisa bumps into transfer student Mokuzu.
She's the daughter of a popular singer and thus became popular herself. But she insists on befriending Nagisa, the one student who didn't care about her. It's because she claims she's a mermaid, and that she has to befriend Nagisa before the storm comes, or she'll drift back into the sea and turn into foam like in the Hans Christian Andersen story. As odd as that sounds, it becomes the equivalent of Punpun's bird heads: a plot device to get the two to express their hopes, dreams, and frustrations as they bond together.
2 My Solo Exchange Diary
Punpun from a Real Perspective
- Written and Illustrated by Kabi Nagata.
- 2 Volumes, 27 Chapters.
- Available in English via Seven Seas Entertainment.
Punpun's dark, depressing story struck a chord with some readers because they could relate to the character's situation. There are a lot of people out there in similar situations to the bird-headed boy, and likely feel just as trapped as he does. Some of them even wrote their own manga directly from their perspective, like Kabi Nagata's work. Best known for making My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, her manga memoirs continued with its sequel, My Solo Exchange Diary.
It details how, frustrated by feeling left behind in life, she built up enough courage to move out into her own place, only to struggle with living alone. Her struggles aren't helped by her love life (or lack thereof) and her distant relationship with her mother. It has Punpun's social isolation, depression, and rough family life, with the edge that it's about a real person dealing with these issues and more. As such, as heavy as Punpun gets, this might make My Solo Exchange Diary more raw and personal for some.
3 I Sold My Life For ¥10,000 Per Year
Lead Broken By Life Learns How Worthwhile It Can Be
- Written by Miaki Sugaru.
- Illustrated by Shoichi Taguchi.
- 3 Volumes, 18 Chapters.
- Fan Translations only. Light Novel version is available in English via Yen Press.
Based on the light novel Three Days of Happiness, which was based on the original 2chan web novel, I Sold My Life for ¥10,000 Per Year's premise is exactly what the title suggests. Left destitute, Kusunoki is told by an old man that there's a store that takes payment in the form of time, health, and lifespan. Skeptical at first, he gives it a try and finds its shopkeeper, Miyagi, who reveals his life is worth a comparatively meager ¥300,000 (approximately $1,925).
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Broken and desperate, he sells his remaining time on earth at ¥10,000 (approx $64) per year, leaving him with just three months left to live. For that remaining time, he'll be watched over by Miyagi, who moves in next door to his apartment. Like Punpun, Kusunoki had led a bitter life, only he's old enough to realize its torments and try to run it out ASAP to end his suffering. But it aims for its warmer moments, as Kusunoki discovers the value of life goes beyond its monetary worth.
4 The Climber
Mountain Climber Uses His Hobby to Process His Neuroses
- Written by Shinichi Sakamoto and Yoshiro Nabeda from Jiro Nitta's original novel.
- Illustrated by Shinichi Sakamoto.
- 17 Volumes, 170 Chapters.
- Fan Translations only. Available in Italian via Edizioni BD.
The Climber, created by Shinichi Sakamoto and Yoshiro Nabeda, is a little different from the other entries on this list. Like Junji Ito's No Longer Human, it's an adaptation of Jiro Nitta's 1973 two-part novel of the same name. Yet it's more grounded than that work, or any of the other entries on this list. There's no magic, visions, phenomena, love triangles, or the like. Just solid, human drama.
It details the life of Buntaro Mori as he goes from starting a mountain climbing club in high school to becoming a world-class professional climber. It's everything in between that makes it special, as Mori uses climbing to deal with his loneliness and depression. Just as "God" leads Punpun down a dark path, Mori's neuroses drive him towards trying to reach the top of K2, the hardest mountain in the world to climb. 1–4 people per year die in their attempts to conquer it, so Mori has his work cut out for him.
5 Blood On The Tracks
It Turns Punpun's Domestic Drama Into A Domestic Nightmare
- Written and Illustrated by Shūzō Oshimi.
- 17 Volumes, 153 Chapters.
- Available in English via Kodansha USA.
After Shūzō Oshimi finished Flowers of Evil and other cheery-sounding works like Happiness and Inside Mari, he started work on a piece that YouTube media critic John 'Super Eyepatch Wolf' famously described as "The Manga That Breaks People". Like Punpun, Blood on the Tracks shows how ugly and dark things can be in a family. Except it doesn't use allegorical images like Punpun's birds, as its people can be disturbing enough as they are.
Seiichi Osabe lived a normal life until his family went on a hiking trip. His clingy mother Seiko always tries to keep him safe, but when his cousin Shigeru almost knocks him off a cliff edge as a joke, she snaps. She saves Shigeru from slipping, only to deliberately push him off the edge, with Seiichi as the only witness. He survives, albeit in a comatose state. As he slowly rouses from it, and Seiko slowly devolves into a personality disorder, Seiichi is left trapped between looking out for his mother and wanting to escape her manipulative clutches.
6 Arigatou
Punpun's Premise As A Dark Ecchi Comedy
- Written and Illustrated by Naoki Yamamoto.
- 4 Volumes, 47 Chapters.
- Fan Translations only.
As great as Blood on the Tracks is, fans might find Arigatou much closer to Oyasumi Punpun's tone. On paper, it's about Ichiro Suzuki trying to revive his role as head of his family and help them overcome their hardships. In practice, it's a dark comedy that shows how the Suzukis keep failing and making things worse for themselves.
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Ichiro is enthusiastic yet embarrassing and ineffectual. His wife is an alcoholic recluse, and his daughters range from rebellious (Takako) to unresponsive (Akiko). It plays out like a gross-out laughfest at first, with art that borders on being more than R-rated. However, the story and characters come together after the first few chapters, as its psychological elements become more apparent. The Suzukis may be broken, but they're not the only ones with issues.
7 My Broken Mariko
Like Punpun, It Uses A Mix Of Crude & High-Class Art To Tell A Sad Story
- Written and Illustrated by Waka Hirako.
- 1 Volume, 5 Chapters.
- Available in English via Yen Press.
My Broken Mariko is unique as it started as a webcomic on Comic Bridge, which was pulled together into a single volume for release by Kadokawa and Yen Press. The jōsei genre, which is aimed at young women rather than its younger equivalent shojo, is no stranger to dark, sad stories. Hirako's work just stands out because it feels rawer than its competition.
The story follows Shiino, a girl grieving the death of her best friend Mariko. Driven to fulfill her last wishes, she steals her ashes from her abusive father and heads towards the ocean to scatter them. It sounds simple enough, though she finds herself plagued by memories and thoughts of her 'broken' friend. The manga is an honest portrayal of what grief does to a person and how they handle it, mixing lovely art with crude sketches to capture the shifting emotions a la Punpun.
8 No Longer Human
A Classic Story Of Anxiety & Dissociation Brought To Life By A Horror Manga Legend
- Written and Illustrated by Junji Ito, based on Osamu Dazai's original novel.
- 3 Volumes, 24 Chapters.
- Available in English via Viz Media.
Oyasumi Punpun isn't strictly horror, though it frequently has off-putting scenes that can be hard to stomach. If it was openly part of the genre, it would likely resemble No Longer Human. Based on the novel of the same name by Osamu Dazai, it tells the story of Ōba Yōzō, a troubled man who puts up a façade of friendliness because he can't connect with others. It covers Ōba's life through his notebooks, as he recounts how those around him end up suffering terrible fates.
This includes the novelist Dazai himself, as it has extra scenes of the author getting permission from Ōba to write his story, followed by Ōba recounting Dazai's death. If the art looks familiar, that's because it's by famous horror manga artist Junji Ito, who brings every skin-crawling, unnerving moment of the novel to life. It's not the only adaptation of Dazai's novel (see Usamaru Furuya's version), but it is one of the best.
9 Scum's Wish
An Asano-esque Tale Of Broken People In A Bad Romance
- Written and Illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari.
- 9 Volumes, 60 Chapters.
- Available in English via Yen Press.
Scum's Wish is a similar tale of broken homes and broken hearts. It just has a more romantic angle to things. Originally published in Big Gangan, the manga was about high school students Hanabi and Mugi. They each have a crush on their teachers, Narumi and Akane, but the two tutors love each other instead. So, Hanabi and Mugi make a pact to form a fake relationship to fill the void in their hearts.
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They agree to end things amicably if either of their teachers ends up falling for them. So long as they avoid actually falling in love with each other. The manga was acclaimed enough to receive equally popular anime and live-action TV drama adaptations as well, which captured the story's tense atmosphere quite well. If this premise sounds familiar to some Punpun fans, that's because Asano did a similar one of his own.
10 A Girl On The Shore
A Tale Of Broken People In A Bad Romance By Asano Himself
- Written and Illustrated by Inio Asano.
- 2 Volumes, 20 Chapters.
- Available in English via Vertical Inc.
Punpun wasn’t Asano’s only series. He also made A Girl on the Shore for Manga Erotics F. If that name didn’t give the game away, this series goes into some racy territory. However, just as Asano made Punpun to avoid ‘feel good’ stories, A Girl on the Shore wasn’t made just to titillate the reader. It’s a serious coming-of-age tale that faces the sexual side of things honestly and realistically. In other words, it’s more awkward, messy, and difficult than a fantasy comic.
It’s about Kōme Sato and Keisuke Isobe, two students who enter a loose relationship with each other. Keisuke likes Sato, but she doesn’t feel the same way. Not to begin with, anyway. Their feelings get more complicated when Sato finds photos of a girl on a beach on a spare SD card Isobe gave her. Now the two have to figure out where the two stand with each other, alongside dealing with issues like peer pressure, drugs, grief, and more.
11 Nijigahara Holograph
Asano's Pre-Punpun Tale Of Guilt & Attempted Murder
- Written and Illustrated by Inio Asano.
- 1 Volume, 15 Chapters.
- Available in English via Fantagraphics.
Before Asano worked on either Punpun or A Girl on the Shore, he created this psychological horror for QuickJapan in 2003. It has a non-linear narrative, so it skips between the past and the present. But the story overall focuses on Arie Kimura, a girl who goes around telling the locals a fairy tale about another girl who was sent by God to warn the village of a monster. They sacrifice her to appease the beast, but she just keeps getting reborn, while the monster gets bigger with each sacrifice it devours.
Arie’s classmates shove her into a well that's connected to the Nijigahara tunnel. She survives but is left comatose. Her classmates are left dealing with the guilt for their actions. The heavy burden it leaves on their consciences gets worse and worse until it dominates their lives. Some become brutal bullies, others neglectful parents, and others do worse deeds. All become monsters, just as Arie’s story said.
12 Homunculus
A Man Realizes His Flaws When He Gains The Ability To See Monsters
- Written and Illustrated by Hideo Yamamoto.
- 15 Volumes, 166 Chapters.
- Available in English via Seven Seas Entertainment.
Moving away from Asano, this horror story from Ichi the Killer creator Hideo Yamamoto isn’t as grounded as Punpun or Holograph. But it does involve the same combination of using fantasy to bring out a person’s true self. The manga is about Susumu Nakoshi, a homeless man living in his car. A strange man accosts him, looking for participants for a trepanation experiment (drilling holes in the skull). Susumu says no but changes his mind when his car is towed away, and he finds out the experiment will pay him enough money to get it back.
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He lets medical student Manabu Itō drill a hole in his skull, who thinks it'll give Susumu ESP abilities. At first, it seemed to have done nothing. But when Susumu covers his right eye, he sees ‘distortions’ in the place of people. Itō tells him they are homunculi, representations of a person’s subconscious. Susumu thinks he can use this to manipulate others, but he gets a part of their homunculus with each interaction. They may have flaws, but he might be the most flawed of all.
13 Girls’ Last Tour
Lighter Than Punpun, But Just As Honest
- Written and Illustrated by Tsukumizu.
- 6 Volumes, 47 Chapters.
- Available in English via Yen Press
Created by Tsukumizu for Kurage Bunch, Girls' Last Tour is a slice-of-life story set after the fall of civilization. Two girls called Chito and Yūri travel the ruined world in a Kettenkrad (a half-track motorbike) in search of food and supplies. They come across a range of different survivors on their travels, each trying to make their own way in life.
Like Ishii, a scientist trying to make an airplane to find other cities, or Kanazawa, who’s more interested in mapping out the city he and the girls live in. It’s almost the inverse of Asano’s work. Instead of taking a real setting and distorting it to make it rawer like Punpun, Girls’ Last Tour takes a harsh setting and eases it up to provide a more positive outlook. It doesn’t shy away from dire situations, but it gives the reader some hope.
14 Flowers Of Evil
A Dysfunctional Romance Tears People Apart Instead Of Punpun's Family Ties
- Written and Illustrated by Shūzō Oshimi.
- 11 Volumes, 58 Chapters.
- Available in English via Vertical Inc.
Shūzō Oshimi’s other top manga, Flowers of Evil, is perhaps better known for its odd rotoscoped anime adaptation. But the original comic is easier on the eyes with Oshimi's penmanship. Its tone is more akin to Asano’s A Girl on the Shore as it involves students dealing with the difficulties of love, relationships, and their dark sides.
Takao Kasuga gives into temptation and steals the underwear of his crush Nanako Saeki, only to be caught in the act by his classmate Sawa Nakamura. She blackmails him into a ‘contract,’ forming an odd form of relationship that continues even when he becomes Saeki’s boyfriend. This arrangement only gets more complicated as the three students wrestle with their feelings for each other and deal with the consequences of their actions.
15 20th Century Boys
If Punpun's God Ended Up Going Beyond Punpun's Mind
- Written and Illustrated by Naoki Urasawa.
- 22 Volumes, 249 Chapters.
- Available in English via Viz Media.
20th Century Boys was a big deal when it originally came out. Soon after it ended in 2007, it received a trilogy of live-action films, all released between August 2008 and August 2009. It was about four boys in 1969 who set up their own secret base, celebrating their friendship with their custom gang logo, and their own fantasy story called ‘The Book of Prophecy’ about them joining forces to save the world.
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Then 30 years later, after they’ve all grown up, they discover the book’s events have started coming true. The grown-up gang discovers a plot to spread a virus throughout cities across Japan. Luckily, a new political party can provide a vaccine for it. They’re led by a figure called Friend, who wears a mask with the boys’ old logo on the front. Who is he really? What connection does he have to the boys? And how are the events from their Book of Prophecy becoming real? Give it a read to find out.
16 Boy’s Abyss
If Punpun's Life Became A Literal Curse
- Written and Illustrated by Ryō Minenami.
- 16+ Volumes, 160+ Chapters.
- Available in English via Viz Media.
Boy’s Abyss might be more familiar ground for Punpun fans, as it's also about an isolated young man from a broken home. Made for Weekly Young Jump, it follows Reiji Kurose, who wants to leave his small, rural town, but feels trapped there by his family. His brother is burnt out on studying for exams, his grandmother is succumbing to dementia, and his mother is working herself ragged to hold everyone together.
When he meets Nagi, a former pop idol, the two make a pact to end their troubles for good by leaping into the ‘Lover’s Abyss’ outside town. Their attempt fails when Reiji’s teacher, Yuri, saves him. That sounds happy enough, except from then on, everyone connected to Reiji finds their lives spiraling out of control and toward the Abyss. Only Reiji’s childhood friend Gen has some hope of breaking the cycle, but there's no guarantee he'll break free from Reji's web of bad luck.
17 Not Simple
Punpun As A Bitter Family Mystery Story
- Written and Illustrated by Natsume Ono.
- 1 Volume, 14 Chapters.
- Available in English via Viz Media.
Out of all the suggestions on this list, Not Simple from the webcomic magazine Cosmic Seed is perhaps the most like Punpun. Like Asano’s work, it’s a slice-of-life drama that follows a young boy and his dysfunctional family. Though, unlike Punpun, it throws in a mystery and tells a harsher tale.
It’s a non-linear story about a man called Ian. His friend Jim writes a novel called ‘Not Simple’ based on Ian’s life, detailing how he grew up with an abusive mother, an absent father, and a sister who went missing. He endures physical and other forms of abuse and other hardships as he goes looking for his sister and ends up learning more than he bargained for.
18 Annarasumanara
A Happier, More Magical Take On Punpun
- Written and Illustrated by Il-Kwon Ha.
- 3 Volumes, 27 Chapters.
- Available in English via LINE Webtoon.
Better known as The Sound of Magic via its Netflix adaptation, Annarasumanara throws in a little more whimsy than Punpun and its stark counterparts. It's perhaps more like Girls' Last Tour in that, among its harsh realities and thought-provoking philosophy on life, Annarasumanara still finds some time for some genuine light and happiness in the darkness.
Without her parents or any decent income, Yoon Ah-Ee's life is spent studying, working, and looking after her little sister. Like her friend Na Il-Deung, she believes work and education are the only ways to make a decent living. Then she meets the mysterious Lee Eul, who's either a magician capable of real magic or a bum trapped in his childish dreams. It all depends on what people believe, and after Ah-Ee sees him in action, there may be something to magic after all.
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