Daidai wa, Hantoumei ni Nidone suru

From reading the first chapter, one can already what to expect from the manga. It’s full of bizarre scenarios that make you feel like you’re within a weird hallucination. I was quite hesitant to continue reading since it’s really hard to comprehend what is going on in it. I gave the succeeding chapters a shot and realized it isn’t as random as it seem. To what it’s trying to offer, it’s meant to exaggerate things to the ridiculous which hints at portraying satire on the typical slice-of-life setting. The eccentricities can be given meaning. In some scenarios, it serves as a manifestation of a character’s personalitywhich is symbolic in a way. In other scenarios, it is simply an ordinary thing that is given an interesting twist. There are insane situations that just appear out of nowhere and it’s a surprising delight that it’s given a lighthearted feel even though they are usually elements that promote a darker serious mood. The various stories present balance between the two, thus they always end in a positive note. The atmosphere of the manga is quite refreshing even though it’s being trippy most of the time. It attempts to make it all seem natural and nothing out of the ordinary and succeeds with its simplistic execution. It doesn’t go for the shock factor, it goes for the fact that there are weird things that happen and there’s no real reason to be alarmed. If this manga has a theme, then probably it would be “Make the extraordinary ordinary.” Normally, majority of slice-of-life titles deal with the opposite which makes for a good subversion. It makes one reflect “What makes something exciting and not mundane?” that really plays on your perspective. Overall, it’s a weird yet fascinating work that is rewarding for those who have an affinity for experimental works.