Chichi to Hige-Gorilla to Watashi

tl;dr: A mostly lighthearted 4koma that has just enough depth that it makes it disappointing that it isn't better fleshed out. This manga was a pretty light hearted 4koma with a bit of depth to it. The premise in terms of background is pretty sad, but it doesn’t dwell on it too much, focusing moreso on where things would go from there. The general feel of the manga is the standard feeling you get from a lot of manga that feature an adult and a kid with them both going through growth, though the difference here would be that it seems to focus on a number of characters justas much as said two. Obviously, this includes Kouji, but the highlight was actually a different character that also ended up getting close to both Souichi and Michiru, and who actually stole the show in terms of being the most amusing character in the manga as well. The relationship between Kouji with Souichi and Michiru actually wasn’t really focused on much at all. I think that may well have been a symptom of my issue with this manga. There are a lot of relationships and such, but none of them really get as fleshed out as they feel like they deserve to, including the one previously mentioned as the highlight, which while done better than the others, still didn’t feel like it was done as well as it deserved to be. It is kind of hard to do well at that in a 4koma format, to be fair and the length might have been an issue here, but it can be done, and this didn't really pull it off. Furthermore, while this does have the heartwarming flare of showing little kids just being little kids, beyond that everything felt kind of shallow. It touches on some deeper topics like how the children of single parents are pitied but don’t want to be, or what exactly it means to move on from a loved one’s death, but it felt pretty superficial. Once again, this might be unfair considering it’s a 4koma which aren’t really known for having such elements as their strength, but the plot was just good enough that the lack of there being more made it overall feel kind of lacking. The comedy was decent enough throughout. The art wasn’t very good.

Chichi to Hige-Gorilla to Watashi was such a wholesome read! I'm gonna be short since this story doesn't have any complex plot development, BUT it doesn't make the story poor or bad. It's a kind of manga, that shows how it is important to move on and live your life in the present, not keeping tied up to your past. Even now, writing this small review I feel like crying because the topic of death is so hurtful to me, but with stories like this one I can feel gratitude to be given a chance to live, to gain memories over memories with different peopleand places. But not about me! You should read this manga simply due to: - relatable characters - peak humor - deep topics and easy explanation - heartfelt messages - happy ending This is exactly that ray of sunshine we need in the dark place. P.S. - I was in a reading slump, and it got me back.

Immediately after I finished reading it for the first time, I wanted to start all over again. I absolutely love this 4koma! A shoulder above the rest in terms of quality, humor, and character as the seemingly mundane day-to-day is made intriguing, entirely facilitated by the character writing. The star is the titled "Gorilla", who comes to terms with his relationship with his brother as a grounding force in his life. This is co-opted by his arc of maturing, and the relationship he develops with his niece. The two have a dynamic similar to bickering siblings, but eventually (even if she doesn't want to admitit) she most definitely cares about this "Mr. Gorilla." He heals from their presence by becoming dependable and finding clarity in his life. They heal from his presence as he is able to fill the void left by his brother's grief and reinvigorate his brother's love of his daughter. The sincerity of the characters adds greatly to the appeal. I would recommend this for anyone who appreciates slice of life, it is a MUST READ