Nijigahara Holograph

This analysis will cover specific details about Nijigahara Holograph, meaning: if you have not read the manga, it would be advisable to abstain from reading this review to avoid spoiling vital information. A critical work to be familiar with while reading Nijigahara Holograph is the book of Zhuangzi (considered a foundational text of Daoism), by Master Zhuang. One of the key concepts that is taught through this work is the idea of spontaneity, and how we should eschew from artificial distinctions (i.e. good versus evil, beauty versus ugliness, and usefulness versus uselessness). In creating these dichotomies, we remove ourselves from the natural flow ofthe universe — which, obviously, existed long before human cognition — thus, diminishing our chances of achieving ultimate happiness. In essence, like the “butterflies that have been pulled apart by fate,” we, as humans, have deliberately pulled ourselves apart as a species, neglecting the features that make us “one.” The ubiquity of physical and mental anguish in Nijigahara Holograph accurately reflects the adversities of the real world. It reminds us of the iniquitous thoughts/tendencies that reside within all of us, waiting to be provoked with the necessary force. Unlike typical manga, Asano’s artwork immerses the reader into the cold reality of his fictional world, instilling palatable trepidation that is not easily consummated within the medium. We, as a public, hear about egregious stories in the news every day, but through some psychological mechanism within ourselves, we tend to overlook these abhorrent behaviors to maintain our own perceived happiness in this indifferent existence. Through his keen understanding of the human condition, Asano forces the reader to confront these abominable dilemmas without prior warning, clarifying the odious nature of the human species. Primal emotions (lust, anger, jealousy) serve as the impetus for much of the turmoil for our protagonists, reminding us, impertinently, how rudimentary we truly are. The non-linear story, along with the constant transition between past and present events gives us insight into the relationship between time and reality. We tend to believe in the thermodynamic principle of the arrow of time, in which all events assume a “one-way direction” or “asymmetry” of time. But this, ostensibly, pertains to the known physical world, how does this scientific theory apply to entities of unknown mass or origin? I am speaking, of course, about human thoughts and dreams. Accept it or not, we view the world through the prism of our own experiences. We then use said experiences to construct a view of the world that we deem to be “real.” Since the concept of human thought and dreams are malleable entities, they have the ability to distort the perception of time itself. Establishing a reality that is indistinguishable from what we call the “real world,” obfuscating certain events, and giving us the opportunity to access them through our unconscious will; however, most dream-like events, are seldom pleasant. Perhaps the rigors of our ancestors having to survive in the wild for thousands of years imbued a biological tendency for us to remain in a perpetual state of fear, always reminding ourselves of the harshness of this existence. This may be why our minds latch onto the negative experiences of our lives to produce nightmares that haunt us time and time again. Similar to the physical scars Kyoko obscured through plastic surgery, the mental scars of each character cannot be forgotten, for as long as they possess the memories, the anxiety remains. Unlike prosaic manga characters, these psychological hindrances obstruct their forward progression, trapping them into a cyclical torture of the mind. The resulting physical catharsis is not desirable, nor justified; however, it is genuine to the human condition. The prototypical protagonist/antagonist paradigm that is pervasive in the manga industry, does not apply to this work. Asano, most likely, wanted the reader to take a Daoist perspective to the character’s actions, understanding how artificial distinctions (like Narumi’s “ugliness”) clear the path towards cruel insults, limiting our potential of becoming one as a species. Each character portrays a certain level of malevolence, and it is not our job to find endearing qualities about them — giving “justification” for their actions — rather, we must understand how fragile their rationality is under complex situations. Take Kyoko Sakaki, for example, she exhibits a, seemingly, well-ground character with a calm demeanor and lax personality. On the day of her divorce, however, she confesses to a malignant emotional strain from her past efforts in thwarting a man from raping one of her students (resulting in a forfeiture of her own eye). Due to the inattentiveness of her soon to be divorced husband, Kyoko, placidly, threatens to kill him and the children. This gender dichotomy, in which a woman is prohibited from expressing rage — or else, she is viewed as being recalcitrant — and a man is permitted to feel angry, as evidenced by the bruises on the children’s arms, captures a pressing issue social issue that, along with subservient marriages, leads to a significant amount of depression and suicide. Furthermore, it hinders one’s ability to maintain a sense of presence, as Kyoko laments her past “careless actions,” she overlooks her role as a mother, and the future repercussions it will have on her children. On the surface, it seems absurd to compare her actions to say, Amahiko’s foster mother, but the omission of a parent’s compassion can be just as damaging as direct insults. Speaking of blatant child abuse, Amahiko Suzuki, a socially withdrawn adolescent, experiences his maltreatment through verbal attacks from his uncaring foster mother. This frail family dynamic leaves Amahiko feeling depressed, and emotionally ill-equipped to cultivate strong bonds with his fellow classmates. In fact, he considers his botched suicide attempt — jumping off the roof at his old school — as the antithesis of a “clean break.” This hearken’s back to the spontaneity of life, and how through our constant attempts to manipulate the world around us, we distance ourselves from the natural flow of things. This does not imply that a predetermined purpose exists, but rather, as Asano put it: “every human being has their role in life.” But to fulfill that role, it is crucial to liberate oneself from past events, past arbitrary prejudices, and past the illusory divide we create through our incessant need to categorize things (consciously or unconsciously). Only then can we filter through the “bad” experiences of our lives to identify the “good” opportunities that lie in front of us — in Amahiko’s case, Narumi’s openness to friendship. Nothing is spelled out in clear or unambiguous terms, yet the journey endeavored by those who seek to clarify the hidden “meanings” behind the mangaka’s intent, will undoubtedly be rewarded with enhanced mental acuity. Enjoy.

Remember when you read great pieces of literature in school and then spent two weeks analysing the different themes, motives and subplots of the work? Well, if there is one manga that deserves to be explored in such detail after the first reading, it is probably this one. Let's get the obvious parts out of the way. This is an Asano manga and, as such, it offers the common elements of coming-of-age drama, existential anxiety and depression, hard-hitting social and psychological realism and the overall ugly side of human nature. The unique aspect of this particular work is the amount of supernatural and philosophical elements who play adecisive part throughout the story and which often blur the boundary between reality and imagination. I found this work really enjoyable on a literary level, especially since I had never read a manga of such depth. Don't get me wrong, I have read many mature and "serious" manga, but this manga had more levels to it than any manga I have previously read. The downside of this is that, maybe, it can be difficult sometimes to grasp the story during the first reading. I found myself focussing on the obvious parts of the story during the first go and I accepted that there were some elements that I didn't fully understand yet. In this regard, I often thought of a temporary interpretation of what some things could possibly mean. I assume that many readers will find it equally difficult to understand everything in this book right away and this is why I mentioned studying literature in school in the beginning of this review: Having read the book, I actually went on the internet and looked up sites where other readers had discussed and analysed this book in depth, offering both a summary of story in all its complexity, listing all the themes and motives and putting them in their historical, cultural and philosophical context. I had never done this before with any other manga. I simply hadn't felt the need to do so. But, as a result, this detailled interpretation of the book offered a whole nother level of enjoyment and appreciation for this work.

Psychological manga fascinate me. The stories are usually told in a way that makes you have to go back and think about what you just read. Nijigahara Holograph is one of those stories. You can't just skim through this kind of story and take away it's entire meaning. Even if you read this manga several times, parts of it would still not fully make sense. And that's the beauty of it. Not everything in life always makes sense. To give a summary of the plot of Nijigahara Holograph would be an impossible feat, maybe even for the mangaka, Asano Inio (known for several works including OyasumiPunpun). The story of this manga often flips between a 10 year time gap sometimes making it a little difficult to follow. It centers around a group of people in a rural area of Japan. A swarm of butterflies as well as extreme heat has caused problems for some people while others see a slightly different meaning to the butterflies that seem to glow even at night. 10 years in the past, it centers around a fifth grade class, their families, and teachers. In both times, murder, sex, violence, depression, and boredom are abound. The story hides many facts from the reader and slowly pieces together the connections between people, who people really are and their pasts, and gradually builds a dark, psychological tale that questions why God would even make humans the way they are. The art helps accentuate the psychological aspects of the manga. Often panels will be just black backgrounds with white writing which I think helps establish a sense of separation and loneliness for whoever's thoughts the words belong to. The characters are drawn very well, but the author often chooses to display them in an ugly way. The author focuses on the negative aspects of humanity from lust to greed to despair and uses the art to perfectly follow the emotions and feelings being displayed. This is actually a heavily character driven story. The interactions between the characters and with themselves are given top priority and slowly broadened as the story progresses. The characters mostly remain a mystery even at the end. There are many great twists involving the characters and their relationships, and I never saw any of them coming ahead of time. There is no one main character and instead the author switches around between characters in order to put the pieces of the story together. Suzuzki, a boy who tried to commit suicide at his old school but failed and now intentionally separates himself from others, and Komatsuzaki, a bully who drastically changes his personality after taking crossing the line with his friends, are two of the most important ones. The story tends to be split between the two of them and all of the other characters connect to one or both of them. This is a great psychological manga which I highly recommend as long as you don't mind depressing or open-ended stories. It's difficult to really understand it as a whole, but that's not what the story was trying to do anyway. It really makes you question humanity, God, and why God would make humans the way they are.

Overall Opinion: I got nothing out of it. Story: 2/10. Was there a story? Not sure I noticed it. A bunch of violent things happen TO people or BECAUSE of people. They brood about it. For the first 20 pages, I was so confused I was starting to think that the pages had been connected in the wrong order by mistake. I didn't get much clarity as I progressed to the end. Characters: 3/10. Completely unlikable, can't relate to any, can't understand the motivations of any, most behave in unrealistic ways. 85% of thetime, any given character is just somber and brooding, regardless of what is happening around them. Themes: 3/10. Violence when you're young tends to screw you up when you are older too, I guess? (Not exactly groundbreaking.) Butterflies are pretty? Ending made some attempt at being deep, but it was lost on me. You could say 'depression' is a theme, but when every single character in your story is depressed with no contrast to other states of mind, it's not really a theme anymore, just business as usual. Art: 7/10. Not the best by any stretch, but pretty darn good. There were a couple of really memorable panels, like one panel with a bunch of kids poking their heads over some kind of open sewer grate. The view from below almost makes them look like a puzzle piece--not sure if it was intentional, but it was great. Some good stuff with lighting. Characters look pretty good.