I eat coming of age narratives set in urban environments like candy. Even so, solanin was a particularly great one, with well-drawn characters and immaculately designed settings. Gave me echoes of Box Office Poison. Definitely will be rereading this one. ( )

130000

Too character-driven for my taste but, objectively, this is cute, engaging and well-structured. ( )

This is the best slice of life I have ever read. It was so realistic in the way it presented the characters and life in general. All the characters reminded me of people I have met before and I have seen them go through similar situations.
The art is also great and distinctive. I liked it a lot. It looks simple but so detailed at the same time.

This is a must read for everyone in their early 20s. They will probably be able to relate with the characters and the situations and maybe find answers to the inumerous questions that pop up in our minds at this age. It is a story about finding your way in life and the best one I’ve read of the genre.

I couldn’t have read this manga at a better time in my life. I'm looking forward to read more works by Inio Asano. I think I might have found another favorite mangaka.

Edit: I am cursed to be like this main character and I feel like I will keep rereading this again and again when I need to figure out what to do with my life. There is no real answer. The answer will depend on the reader and the character they relate the most at different points in time I guess. ( )

This manga is about a young office assistant and her aspiring rock musician boyfriend. They struggle with their mundane lives in the bustling city of Tokyo. For the boy, music gives life meaning; for the girl, the boy's aspirations give her life meaning as she has no aspirations of her own.

The plot is a bit of a mess with its confusing flashbacks and iffy comic relief. In the end, though, it's a wise and emotional story about young people trying to find their way. The climax is a beautifully drawn concert of joy and pain both on the stage and in the audience.

After reading the book, I watched the live-action film adaptation for free on YouTube. While it has good music, it's as messy as the book and its direction lacks energy. ( )

"I have no idea what to do with myself. And while I wait for my epiphany, I feel the toxins collecting in my body. But I'm still young and dissatisfied. Constantly disgruntled by society and adults. I'm just your average office worker in Tokyo" (7).

I've read this previously in an online scanned format, but it looks so much nicer in print. The story is of an emerging adult couple in Tokyo -- Meiko works part-time in an office, and Taneda does graphic design freelance, and plays with a college band. The story follows ups and downs in their relationship as they each try to figure out what they want out of life, what they are doing now, and how to get from one to the other. It's all drawn so lovely, and resonates so with the emerging adult longing for purpose and something more than just the daily grind. ( )

This is honestly one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read. ( )

This quiet slice of life manga took me by surprise. After reading the powerful, painful Goodnight Punpun, this was a refreshing blast of elegant joy. There was a great deal of painstaking effort put into it, but unlike the tortured characters in the pages of his so-called masterpiece Punpun, the characters shine in subtle ways here. They are quietly funny, and very subtly sad. When tragedy hits they do not slit their wrists, they try to force themselves forward like real human beings, like trying to walk through a self-constructed wall. This work of art renewed my confidence in this author. Where flaws were inherently built into some of his other works, they were conspicuously absent from this minimalist masterpiece. Music plays a central role in the story, and the way it runs through the lives of the characters is touching. The motivations of the characters are all well-defined, and none of them are doing things randomly. Some of them are trying things out but they are not acting in unrealistic ways. I think this is the most realistic work of Asano. When you are tired of the bleakness and depression of Punpun come to Solanin to be rejuvenated. ( )

Solanin is an interesting story about a couple, who were flummoxed in life. They had no goals or direction. The male in the relationship, Taneda, works as an illustrator for a press company. The female in the relationship, Meiko, works in an Office though she is unhappy with her career. Taneda meets some of his old band mates and Taneda. His band is called Rotti. Meiko also quits her job to dedicate herself to the band, and Taneda dedicates his time to write for a new song. Taneda and Meiko are uncertain of the decision but follow through nonetheless. The band mates feel they need promotion. I enjoyed this book, although I don't think it was quit and enjoyable as "Goodnight Punpun" (another book by the same author, Inio Asano), it was still really good. Like most of Asano's works, it didn't feel over complicated or exaggerated like most manga. It felt like I was reading a non-fiction story. Not to mention the art was some of the best from Asano, the beautiful story reflects the beautiful art. This is yet another masterpiece from Inio Asano ( )

It took a little while for Solanin to grow on me. Initially, the story, the characters, and the art felt a little too juvenile for my taste. By the end, I'd still agree there were certainly a few immature elements to the novel, but for the most part, Solanin is surprisingly mature.

Ultimately, this is a great story about what it means to be a young adult, journeying from a future of certainty into the world of reality. These characters face anxieties they couldn't have imagined only a year or two earlier. For the most part, Asano's depiction is painfully realistic. The reader truly gets the sense that these characters have very limited options, and that what options they do have are narrowing drastically by the day.

Like most Japanese narratives I've encountered (mostly speaking of anime here), the story jumps around in time without explanation. I appreciate that the creators of these works trust their audience to figure things out. That said, Solanin's occasional jumps in time may be confusing for some readers.

Lastly, I thought the ending was bit too dry, but it was fitting for a novel about average twenty-somethings living out their average lives. Solanin does not end on that note that leaves you wanting more, but it leaves you with an understanding that is not easy to ignore. ( )

I really enjoyed this contemporary fiction new adult graphic novel about 20 somethings trying to make a living in Tokyo.

The illustration is very well done, very detailed, and easy to follow.

The story is engaging and entertaining; the characters are easy to relate to. This book really sucked me in and I read it in one sitting.

There is some very deep and meaningful conversation in here about life, coming of age, and the current state of society. The themes of this story involve chasing your dreams and how lonely people can be even in a big city.

Overall I really enjoyed this; everything about this book is well done. I would recommend to graphic novel fans who enjoy coming-of-age stories or new adult contemporary fiction. ( )

Lyric. ( )

I can't think of many people I know who would enjoy Solanin like I did. A Japanese manga coming of age story? Pretty esoteric. But really well done and, for me, engrossing.

This is a 400+ pager, but they fly by. We've got twenty somethings Meiko and her boyfriend Shigeo Naruo living together in Tokyo. She works at a boring office job, and he is the songwriter/vocalist/guitarist leader of an indie rock band that's looking for a break. Meiko longs to quit, and Naruo isn't sure what's the right next step for her and him. Their friends and bandmates all have their own quirks and aspirations. Meiko has talent of her own, and faces her own decisions between a job to pay the rent and expressing her creativity.

It all took me back to those post-college days, and I got caught up in the stories of Meiko, Naruo and the others trying to figure it out, amid gentle humor and romantic yearnings. This is a quality graphic novel for those who like this kind of storytelling. Four stars. ( )

In these latter days of its long strange national trip it almost seems like the classical menagerie of Japanese consumer lifestyles and rebel subcultures (bosozoku, takenokozoku, hip-hop triangle dancer, yankii, gyaru, ganguro/yamamba, surfer, "big sister style" aficionado, &c&c&c.) has given way to a new post-crash social typology of social dysfunction and prospectlessness: Haken no hinkaku looks at the travails of the office temp, Higashi no Eden spins a lightweight dream of "NEETs" ("not in education, employment, or training") and national renewal, and of course we could make similar observations on furiitaa ("freeters," the ones who hand out tissue paper at subway stations for rice ball money) and "grass-eating men" and "lifestyles of health and sustainability" folk and neofolk folk and hikikomori (shutins) and fuckin' otakus. This is a manga that feels old-fashioned but also real and not weirdly taxonomically hypertrophic for the way it reminds us that all these tribes really are is, you know, twentysomethings in a society hollowed out by the confluence of late capitalism and the remains of the hidebound society it has caused to melt into air.

Enough of my own taxonomic hypertrophy: this is a book about kids without prospects trying to have lives of beauty and not feel too demoralized and empty inside. They're all really nice and will break your heart from time to time. There's also blahy hijinx and plot twists twisting on cliches, and the first half is better than the second. But good enough that I'd watch the movie, surely. ( )

About as complex as a slice of life manga about a band can get. As a protagonist, Taneda really has a lot of charisma and passion, but after he just wasn't cut out to grow old and mediocre. His happy go lucky girlfriend Meiko quits her day job and tries to find herself. Sadly, she doesn't succeed until after her boyfriend's suicide. I'm not sure if Meiko is ever really the protagonist, but she has the ability to pick herself up and try again. The other band members are exactly what you'd expect and are little consolation for Meiko in her loneliness. When he was alive, Taneda wouldn't let Meiko see the song he was writing and so she never really listened to "Solanin" until the band's demo cd was sent back to her in a rejection letter after Taneda's death. Meiko decides to keep the band together and stands in for guitarist and singer even though she's never played before and is scared of the spotlight. Can Meiko put her life back together and learn to sing and play guitar in one month's time? A rallying cry to the reader to find what you loves and never stop chasing your dream. ( )

Really good post-university existentialism that leaves you feeling good despite angst and a somewhat open ending. I think almost every member of my age group has lived this graphic novel. The story is simple, the art gorgeous. At times it felt like a prettier, less gritty take on Ghost World.

To make us all feel worse about our young unaccomplished lives, Inio Asano wrote and drew this at 24. ( )

This is a great story of a normal group, everyday of friends. They live their normal, boring lives and try to figure out what to do after college and seek the meaning of life. They're really just nobodies who blend into the backdrop of the city, but as the author suggests, often times it is the people in your everyday life who affect you the most, not celebrities like the characters sort of wish they might become by being in their band. It is definitely a "slice of life" tale. ( )

Why I read it: Good reviews. And hey, I'm a recently graduated working sort of crap job quarter-life-crisis 20something myself! The subject matter and moody look of it made me expect this read to be relatable but not particularly fun and possibly emotionally draining.

Pros: Hits a lot of the exact sorts of thoughts I and I know friends of mine have had at this time in our lives. Includes look at the characters' feelings not just with themselves and their jobs as I expected, but also on their romantic relationships (and mid long term relationship rather than just trying to find a mate!) as well. Focuses more on portraying what the characters are feeling and going through than giving an “answer” to people in this situation. Not afraid to have lighter moments.

Cons: Heavy on reflective inner monologues. Sure, I've thought a lot of those thoughts myself, but over the course of months and years. Having all that semi-ansty soul searching packed into one volume can get a bit trying, and also make the characters come off as wallowing in it. Speaking of wallowing, I'm already in/just starting to move out of this stage in my life myself, and it's not a particularly enjoyable or interesting one. I'm not thrilled to roll around in these feelings in my reading material as well. Not being given an “answer” is a relief on one hand but is sort of unsatisfying.

Conclusion: This read was pretty much just what I thought it would be. It's well done, impressive even, and it's nice to see the feelings of people going through this stage in their life represented. And much like that time in my life, now it's coming to a close it's not something I will look back on any time soon (or possibly ever) with great fondness, and I'd really rather just put it behind me and move on to something happier, thankyouverymuch. ( )

A very personal story about the questions that everyone goes through once they realize how "achieving your dream" isn't as simple or straightforward as most used to think when younger. ( )

I kind of didn't know what to think of Solanin when I started reading it. I had seen the great reviews and that it was highly recommended, but I kept putting off reading it. When I did start, it was hard to connect with the characters. It seemed odd, because here are people asking the same questions I've asked myself so many times, and even still ask myself. Or I think about these questions for the people in my life - are they happy? Is this what life is about? Will I be doing this job for the rest of my life? Is this what it means to be an adult? Is there something more?

So I'm not sure why it took me so long to click with these characters! Perhaps its because we don't know much about them until much further into the book - we just know their circumstances. Meiko is working in an office building and she hates her job. She's been out of college for awhile and is the "responsible" one in her relationship - her boyfriend Taneda works part-time as a graphic designer and talks about getting his band going full-time again, but he's pretty aimless. Or so it seems. They have the same group of friends from college, who also happen to be in Taneda's band, and they're all wondering about their place in life. Meiko surprises herself and her friends when she suddenly quits her job and decides to spend a year being free, hoping to discover something that sparks her passion. Quitting her job sets a series of events in motion, forcing each of the group to ask themselves about what's important to them and what are they willing to sacrifice to keep that thing going.

I don't know if I'm being very clear in my description... this book is about living. It's about choosing what to do with your life and following through. And it's about friendship. I really liked how Meiko's mother tells her and Taneda that life isn't always about taking the difficult path - that happiness is actually easier to find than you think. Once you get to know these characters, to understand them, you can really get immersed in the story. As the author explains, these aren't larger-than-life characters; they're meant to be real people that can easily fade into the background. And what happens to them is beautiful and sad and wonderful.

On a quick note, the artwork here is amazing. It's filled with detail but also simple. And the moments where the band is playing really evoke the passion and power you can feel when you're creating something. Towards the end of the book there's a performance and the way that the lighting works and the characters move and drip with sweat... it just shows the passion that they're seeking in life. ( )

Miserable in her office job, yet weighed under with the responsibility of supporting herself and her musician boyfriend, Solanin quits to live off of her savings...her actions spark a chain of events that lead to her life's calling, but not before losing what means most to her. ( )

4.25 ( )