Sunny, Vol. 1

Sunny #1

by Taiyo Matsumoto, Michael Arias (Translator)

The latest manga masterpiece from the Eisner Award-winning creator of Tekkonkinkreet.

What is Sunny? Sunny is a car. Sunny is a car you take on a drive with your mind. It takes you to the place of your dreams.

Sunny is the story of beating the odds, in the ways that count. It’s the brand-new masterwork from Eisner Award-winner Taiyo Matsumoto, one of Japan’s most innovative and acclaimed manga artists.

Translated by Tekkonkinkreet film director Michael Arias!

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Japan, Graphic Novels Comics, Seinen

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2011

About the author

See also: 松本大洋 and 松本 大洋

Although Taiyo Matsumoto desired a career as a professional soccerplayer at first, he eventually chose an artistic profession. He gained his first success through the Comic Open contest, held by the magazine Comic Morning, which allowed him to make his professional debut. He started out with 'Straight', a comic about basketball players. Sports remain his main influence in his next comic, 'Zéro', a story about a boxer.

In 1993 Matsumoto started the 'Tekkonkinkurito' trilogy in Big Spirits magazine, which was even adapted to a theatre play. He continued his comics exploits with several short stories for the Comic Aré magazine, which are collected in the book 'Nihon no Kyodai'. Again for Big Spirits, Taiyo Matsumoto started the series 'Ping Pong' in 1996. 'Number Five' followed in 2001, published by Shogakukan.

Source: Lambiek website bio .

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What is Sunny? Sunny is a car. Sunny is a car you take on a drive with your mind. It takes you to the place of your dreams"--From the publisher synopsis

I had just read Sensei Matsumoto's Tokyo These Days, and liked it very much for it's very intimate and sweet and somewhat melancholy tone, and recalled that I had not finished his Sunny, this six volume series about an orphanage, the children who live in it, and the beat-up old Nissan Sunny 1200 which provides a trio of boys with a means of escape from their bleak everyday lives. Same: Intimate, sweet, melancholy.

Ihave worked as a psychiatric aide in group homes, and two of my sones are now in their late twenties also in similar homes, so I can relate to such places. The staff in this series also plays a role I could relate to. I was at a group home with my son just yesterday, talking to the staff! Set in seventies Japan, episodic, jumping lightly from kid to kid, a loose order, capturing the somewhat chaotic atmosphere, the loneliness, the dysfunction in these kids' lives but also their (often) support for each other.

The art stands out, also kind of loose, informal, down to earth. It's subtle, evocative, sort of whimsical, lovely in its way, poetic at its best.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Taiyo Matsumoto's prior works, Tekkon Kinkreet and GoGo Monster, Sunny focuses on children who exist in a world that is straddles the line between fantasy and reality.

Once again, the kids in Sunny are spunky, sad, pensive, shy, and eccentric children who are, one way or another, abandoned, or misunderstood by adults. But unlike Tekkon Kinkreet, which is more manic and energetic, and GoGo Monster, which is more dark and suspenseful, Sunny is a bit more grounded in reality, and that somehow makes it more poignant.

There's no summary of the story on the back cover, and no narrator to explain where and when Sunny is set, and what it's about. Instead, Matsumoto lets the story unfold as it will, solely through pictures and dialogue.

The "Sunny" of the title refers to an old Datsun Sunny (a.k.a. Nissan Sentra) that's left abandoned in the yard of the Star Children's Home. Some of the kids at the Star Children's Home use the car as a playhouse, where they imagine driving to wherever their fantasies take them. For white-haired rebel without a cause Haruo, this abandoned car lets him imagine himself as an outlaw on the run. For newcomer Sei, he imagines driving back to Yokohama, to the home of his mother who has abandoned him.

As we get deeper into the story, unanswered questions linger in the air: Why have these kids' parents abandoned them? Are they orphans, or just children left in a temporary foster care situation? And are they fully aware of the bleak future ahead of them, and will their lives somehow, someday be 'sunnier' than their current circumstances?

With its mix of expressive ink/wash strokes and organic watercolor washes on flat color backgrounds, Sunny shows a new phase of Matsumoto's evolution as a graphic storyteller. The characters are stylized, the perspective that he uses to frame his characters are a bit warped, and the color palette is mostly washed out, somber earth tones, as if he's recording events of years past remembered through a curved, yellowed lens. It makes for a dreamy, mesmerizing reading experience.

What keeps Sunny from being a preachy, downer of a book is Matsumoto's exuberant drawings, and how he depicts the innocence, imperfections, and energy of his young protagonists. You keep reading because you want to see how he expresses his characters' fierce will to live; to live on their own terms.

Also, a word about the production values of this edition -- VIZ really pulled out the stops to produce a lovely hardcover book filled with tactile delights and thoughtful details. From the creamy, textured paper of the cover to the seamless interpretation of the original Japanese sound effects into English text, VIZ's edition almost outshines the original Japanese edition.

It's hard to say where Matsumoto is taking this story, because it's not outside of the realm of possibilities that the story could veer into more surreal, darker territory later in the series. But this first volume is an intriguing introduction to a haunting story about childhood that's not for children.

[Jan Philipzig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wildly chaotic and subtly poetic at the same time, just like childhood itself. Similar in approach to Marble Season by Gilbert Hernandez, though it does not resonate with me to the same degree for some reason.

[Uroš Đurković · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kakvo iznenađenje! 
Cela ova manga, iako i sama podeljena u poglavlja, deluje kao jedno veliko poglavlje. Što i jeste, kao početak šestodelnog serijala o sudbinama dece jednog japanskog sirotišta. Matsumoto majstorski uspeva da kriške života začini setom i poezijom i da, prilično ambiciozno, postavi teren za likove, odnose i situacije. Rezultat je takav da jedva čekam da nastavim, s mišlju da nije loše navući se na mange u tridesetim godinama. Svaka decenija života zaslužuje novu zanimaciju.

[fer · Rating 5 out of 5]

é muito lindo e sensível tanto nas histórias, nos diálogos, e na arte também.

Não sou acostumada a ler manga então sofri um pouco até pegar o jeito, mas me prendeu desde o inicio. Tem algumas paginas coloridas, e na verdade foi por isso que comprei. Não costumo ler mangá e não estou acostumada com o fato de ser todo em preto e branco, então ter algumas paginas coloridas tirou um pouco desse choque entre os quadrinhos coloridos que normalmente leio e o mangá.

E adorei que a separação dos quadrinhos dentro da pagina é toda simétrica e bonitinha!! (os outros mangas que ja li as linhas eram meio borradas uma nas outras e me dá certa agonia)

[Nate D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matsumoto's style and storytelling have evolved over the years, and this is a natural development -- quieter, subtler, more elegant, but still conveying the messy energy of childhood, though now in gorgeous paintings and tranquilly sad episodes that gradually build a picture and flesh out the characters. And this is just the start of at least 4 volumes.

[Frédéric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sunny... like the the wreck of a Datsun Sunny in the backyard of an orphanage (not exactly an orphanage, the kids still have one or both parents. They just left them there because they can’t or won’t take care of them) where the kids can escape the sad reality of their lives.

Matsumoto himself was left in one of these orphanages when he was 7 so the autobiographic aspect of the book is obvious. Yet it somewhat coheres with other books which are obviously not: Haruo and Junsuke really look like precursors of Tekkon Kinkreet's Black and White.

In its poetic and ethereal way, all in landscapes and silences and maybe even more european in style than Tekkon Kinkreet- and yet so very japanese- Matsumoto tells the storie(s) of these lonely hearts desperately looking for love and attention and having difficulties growing up with subtelty (Haruo smelling Nivea cream because it reminds him his mother) and emotion (Megumu’s fear of dying alone).

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a let-down coming from Tekkon Kinkreet.

The titular Sunny refers to a broken down car that these kids living in a home hangout in and daydream about travelling with it.

I'd check out further volumes, but I'm not seeking them out immediately.

[Moira Macfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunny is het eerste deel van een reeks van zes manga's getekend door Taiyo Matsumoto (Tokyo Japan, 1967). Sunny vertelt het verhaal van een groep pleegkinderen en hun verzorgers die wonen in een gezinsvervangend tehuis 'the Star Kids home'. Buiten het huis staat De Sunny, een oude vervallen auto -een Nissan Datsun Sunny 1200- waar de kinderen graag inkruipen om hun dromen te dromen en zo te vluchten voor de rauwe realiteit van hun leven. Het boek vertelt niet alleen het verhaal van deze 'wegwerpkinderen', maar is ook het verhaal van Taiyo Matsumoto zelf, die net als zij opgroeide in een tehuis.

Zijn werk, zwart/wit tekeningen met af en toe een gekleurde prent , is indringend. Hij neemt vaak een bijzonder standpunt in waardoor het iets vervreemdends krijgt. Het geheel heeft een biologerende uitwerking op me en het verhaal blijft me ook na het dichtslaan van het boek bezighouden. Ik krijg een knoop in mijn maag als ik aan hun eenzaamheid denk die voelbaar is tijdens de dagelijkse dingen die ze meemaken in hun leven.

Als ik Sunny moet vangen in één woord dan is dat 'bitterzoet'.

[Atefeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

حال و هوای داستان رو خیلی دوست دارم، می‌تونم بگم نه اونقدر حوصله سر بره که وسطش به یه چیز دیگه فکر کنی، نه اونقدر گیراست که کنجکاوت کنه تا بفهمی چه اتفاقی قراره برای شخصیت ها بیوفته و تند تر ورق بزنی، ولی با این وجود خوندنش برای من تبدیل شد به بخشی از کارهای روزانه ام، یک چپتر قبل خواب! می‌تونم بگم معتادش شدم و حس خوبی بهم میده.
ژانر مانگا یه چیزی تو مایه های برشی از زندگیه Slice of life، موضوعش رو کیومرث برام تعریف کرد و هرچقدر که بیشتر ازش می‌گفت بیشتر تشویق میشدم که بخونمش چرا که این طور موضوع ها همیشه برام دلچسب بودن.
اگه بخوام خلاصه بگم، داستان چند تا بچه است که توی یتیم خونه زندگی میکنن و هرکدوم شخصیت خاص خودشون رو دارن، این بین یه نیسان سانی توی یتیم خونه هوشینوکو وجود داره و بچه ها میتونن داخلش بدون محدودیت تخیلشون رو رها کنن.
بچه که بودم، یه زمین چمن به ابعاد واقعی نزدیک خونمون بود که زمان شاه ساخته بودنش و توش تیم فوتبال کارخونه ای که پدرم توش کار می‌کرد با باقی تیم های ایران مسابقه میدادن و خلاصه زمانی برای خودش چیزی بوده، درش رو با قفل و زنجیر بسته بودن ولی من و خواهرم و یکی دیگه از دوستامون خودمون رو از لای نرده ها فشار می‌دادیم و بخاطر تن ریزمون می‌تونستیم بریم داخل، هیچ بچه دیگه ای بجز ما اونجا نمی‌رفت، مکان متروکه بود. جلوی درهای چوبی اتاق هایی که تیم فوتبال برای استراحت اونجا اقامت میکردن حسابی گیاه و گل رشد کرده و چمن های زمین هم بلند شده بودن، یه برج اونجا وجود داشت که هنوزم نمیدونم برای چی بود، شاید گزارش مسابقه از دید بالا؟ خلاصه وقتی از نردبون آهنیش بالا می‌کشیدیم و می‌رسیدیم به روی سکوش، کل زمین چمن و صندلی تماشاچی ها و خونه هامون و مدرسه مشخص بود، اونجا که بودم، احساس می‌کردم یه آدم دیگه ام، توی ذهنم نقش بازی می‌کردم که من فرمانروا اون آسمونم و قدرت این رو دارم که به تمام چیزی که زیر پام می‌دیدم حکمرانی کنم، گاهی وقتا خیال می‌کردم که یه خلبانم و از نرده ها بالا می‌کشیدم انگار که قراره سوار هواپیمام بشم، گاهی هم برای تراژدیک کردن داستان توی ذهنم، خودمو با دستام از نردبون آویزون میکردم انگار که یک نفر دست منو گرفته تا درون د��ه ای با گدازه های آتشین نیافتم و.. هزاران نقش دیگه، نیسان سانی دقیقا منو یاد اون برج بلند می‌ندازه. گاهی توی دوران کودکی افکاری داری که دلت می‌خواد تنهایی توشون بازی کنی و بقیه دوستات نمیتونن اونطور که میخوای همراهیت کنن، اونجاست که از محیط و یک چیز خاص کمک میگیری تا این تخیل رو درونش شکل بدی، یادمه روی این برج اندازه چهارنفر آدم بیشتر جا نداشت و وقتی که باد شدت می‌گرفت ممکن بود ازش بیوفتی پایین، جان در خطر بود اما تخیل در اوج شکوفایی.
اونجا بود که حتی وزش باد هم قاطی موضوع بازیم می‌کردم و یه باد افزار میشدم.

برای همینه که این ولوم از مانگا رو دوست دارم، معنایی که اون بچه ها کنار همدیگه و گاهی تک تک داخل ماشین میسازن رو درک میکنم و از نظرم حقیقت داره، من باور دارم این ماشین یه جایی اون بیرون هست.
همینطور باور دارم هر بچه ای یه سانی (در نظر من به معنای یک مکان) توی زندگیش داشته.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading this book. I was startled to receive such an attractively published quality hardcover for a start. (I just assume manga is going to be paperback). The publiher's summary appealed to me because I am naturally drawn to stories of boyhood (even though I'm female). I just love a good story about boys growing up especially if it is in the past and "Sunny" takes place in 1970s Japan. First off we realize that Sunny is an abandoned car on the Home's property and not one of the children. The kids go here, where no adults are allowed, to dream they are driving and visualizing themselves into their imaginary stories. This is a consistant theme but a small part of the story. Containing six chapters each one is separate from the others, more like vignettes, and concentrates on different children in the Home, mostly the boys, but there are girls here too. Each kid has there own unique circumstances for being here, most have at least one parent but for some reason they can't take care of the child. Each vignette presents a different child as the centre of attention and we learn more of his background while an everyday event is happening. The stories go straight to the heart, are full of emotions, are sometimes feel good, often bittersweet, but never sad.

I was a bit puzzled when I first statrted to read as I thought I was reading a children's book. The rating is T for ages 13+, but I was soon aware that was incorrect. The boys often look at pornography magazines but more than that, these stories are obviously aimed at an older audience, one who has been through boyhood, one who will feel the deep nuances in these stories and feel their poignancy. Honestly, I think even older teenagers would be bored with this material not understanding the obvious appeal to adult emotions. This manga is serialized in IKKI magazine and when I realized *that* my whole appreciation of the book improved. IKKI is a seinen manga aimed at men 18-30, even including business men in their 40s! That's why I felt uncomfortable with it as a Teen book! Just because a book is about kids doesn't always mean it is for kids, know what I mean? Seinen is known for being character and plot driven and Sunny comes across as a promising start to an interesting series. While each story is unrelated, each one contains the same cast of characters and brings to the table the beginning of a story with an expected upcoming event which makes me quite interested in seeing where the series will go with the next volume.

[Inês Sousa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Eu vou esperar sempre por ti! Nunca te esqueças de mim!" ✨

Sunny, Vol. 1 de Taiyo Matsumoto conta em vários capítulos, a história de algumas crianças que vivem numa Casa de Acolhimento numa aldeia, no Japão. Alguns desde tenra idade, outros já próximos da adolescência, todos têm um elo de ligação: foram abandonados ou deixados por tempo indeterminado pelos seus pais. Mas não é isso que os faz perder a vontade de viver, de crescer, de brincar porque têm um amigo - Sunny - um carro antigo que já não funciona mas que os transporta para os seus sonhos, brincadeiras e até como um confessionário, onde os adultos estão proibidos de entrar.

Que livro tão bonito. 🤗 Mas tão triste. Gostei tanto da forma como o autor dividiu os capítulos, focando-se na história de cada menino/a, nas suas particularidades mas também por incluir o grupo todo nessas partes. É muito interessante ficar a conhecer o Haruo, o Junsuke, o Sei, a Megumu, o Kenji e até os adultos que estão sempre ali para eles.

Duas das coisas que mais gostei neste livro foi: o grafismo, parece quase desenhado a lápis de carvão embora tivesse algumas páginas a cores😍; e a abordagem de temas difíceis como o abandono, a solidão, a depressão que foram contados de uma perspetiva infantil mas também por o autor ter utilizado momentos cómicos. Mas não se enganem, este livro é triste.
A carga emocional, principalmente de um capítulo em específico, deixou-me muitíssimo triste. Por muitas birras, revoltas e indiferença, uma criança só quer ser amada. Principalmente quando ainda tem pai ou mãe.

Este é o primeiro volume editado pela Editora Devir e mal posso esperar para continuar a ler mais sobre estes companheiros de brincadeiras. 😁 4,5 🌟

[Basmaish · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed the art more than the story, especially the colored pages.. they were absolutely gorgeous! (I really want one of his artworks to hang on my wall.)

[Alexandra Maia E Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um orfanato
Várias crianças, vários os motivos pelos quais estão no orfanato
Às vezes tenho de parar para respirar
Tristeza, entreajuda e tentar não perder a esperança

[Dusan Prvacki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Postoji ta jedna opšteprihvaćena prosta rečenica prilikom deljenja utisaka (ne, nije "čita se u dahu"), koja zapušava sva usta, zaključava sva vrata, guta ključeve i ne dozvoljava dalju diskusiju.

"Priča je teška."

S vremenom smo stekli moralnu obligaciju da stisnemo zube i dovršimo "tešku priču", koliko god da je loše iprepovedana, a potom da se ugrizemo za jezik kada treba da podelimo utiske. I tako se svi gledamo, ćutimo i trpimo plikove na jeziku, ali niko neće da kaže da ga boli.

"Priča je teška", velim a plačem u sebi, ali ne zbog težine priče.

Elem, Sani jeste jedna od navedenih "teških priča" - mogu da nabrojim jako malo stvari koje su teže od dece ostavljene u sirotištu, ali isto tako mogu da navedem još manje priča koje su haotičnije od ove. Sani zapravo i nije homogena priča, nije ni zbirka priča, ma, nije priča uopšte. Sani je u suštini skup labavo povezanih trenutaka, motiva i izjava koji su direktnoj vezi sa nekoliko klinaca koji se bore sa samoćom i odbačenošću, svaki na svoj način. Katkad vrlo poetičan, a na trenutke brutalan, autor nas vodi kroz sve strahove, nesigurnosti, suočavanja, ali i kroz prve ljubavi, prijateljstva i radost života dece bez roditelja, uprkos situaciji u kojoj se nalaze. Sve to zvuči jako ~TEŠKO~, ali je krajnji proizvod pleh kiflica koje baba spremi od "stvari koje je našla po kući na brzinu". Da li sam vam rekao da baba inače ne zna da kuva?

E da, Sani je inače Nissan Sunny, stari pokvareni automobil koji deca koriste kada bi želela da pobegnu od teške realnosti i u njemu izmaštaju kakvu god situaciju žele. Zvuči kao dobra priča, zar ne? Ali ne, situacija u kolima nije bilo mnogo, i podjednako su haotične kao i ostatak mange.

Ukoliko vam ovi utisci deluju neodređeno, verujte mi, ovo je najbolje što umem ako se uzme u obzir ono što sam dobio.

Sani jeste teška priča i, neka obavezno uđe u zapisnik, saosećam, ali je takođe i možda najslabije delo ove tematike koje sam pročitao i ne planiram da ga čitam dalje.

[Romeo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was tempted to give this four stars, but the reason I didn't is because i'm not sure if i'm just remembering the book better than it was due to nostalgia or something xD

this book really was a surprise though. I did not expect to end up enjoying it as much as i did. The beginning wasn't all that promising. In fact i felt rather disturbed and confuzzled by the random porn that was thrown in. vile, unsettling, and unnecessary. once you've read the whole book you really come to terms with just how irrelevant it was. maybe the Author was just feeling horny or was worried the book wouldnt sell as much without a bit of nudity.
anyhow, once i got past that nonsense the story was very interesting! its about a care home in Japan, something i've never read about before. The carers, the kids, its all quite exciting to see what they will do next. Its interesting to see how each kid feels about being in care. Some bits are actually rather sad, and other parts are touching. I think this book has a lovely way of making the home seem like real family, in fact i thought it was just a really big family at first. alot of those parts are feel good and relatable. there were many bits that cracked me up too, namely the meeting about the toilet... reminded me of my own family meetings xD
another bonus is the art style. its very different from other manga i read! very "Defreshing". makes me feel like a veteren manga reader xD

i really would like to finish reading this series, it intrigues me! i hope future volumes don't dissapoint! =D

[Bru_historiasporcontar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neste mangá vamos conhecer as vidas peculiares das crianças que vivem na casa de Acolhimento Hoshinoko no Japão, algumas são orfãs e outras foram abandonadas ou retiradas dos pais.

Ao longo do livro, vamos compreender os sentimentos destas crianças, nomeadamente Haruo, Junsuke, Sei, Megumu e Kenji que sonham com um possível regresso dos pais e por outro lado, como apenas um cheiro pode despertar nestas crianças um mar de saudades e uma tristeza avassaladora.

Sunny o título deste livro é também um carro antigo que já não funciona mas vai possibilitar sonhos e muitas brincadeiras a estas crianças onde os adultos estão proibidos de entrar.

O princípio do livro é um pouco confuso porque o autor dá-nos logo a conhecer a confusão e a agitação que é a vida diária daquelas crianças, no entanto, com o passar dos capítulos o autor vai-se focando nas personagens e percebemos por exemplo que Haruo guarda o creme Nivea que a mãe lhe deu e não o usa, cheira-o apenas, para se recordar do cheiro da mãe e não o gastar ahhhhhh 🥹

E para quem leu claramente percebe o impacto daquela frasesita tão marcante “Eu vou esperar sempre por ti! Nunca te esqueças de mim!” 🤍

Que livro lindo, recomendo tanto e quero ler os restantes que serão lançados pela editora devir!

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good. Reminds me in some ways of the movie Beasts of the Southern Wild. The setting is an orphanage or at least an Ozone House type of place--many kids living under one roof whose parents are either absent or unable to take care of them for some reason. Their toys and clothing are second hand which earns them teasing from the other kids at school. But rather than focus on the negative aspects of their existence, this manga chooses to show their triumphs, the way they relate to each other and to the few adults in charge of the home. It's ultimately a celebration of the human spirit. There's no long-term plot arc developing, just establishment of characters and relationships. Looking forward to volume 2.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first exposure to this author's work was actually the film version of Tekkonkinkreet. Since I thoroughly enjoyed that movie, and I saw this manga was by the same creator, I figured I'd give this a shot.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that I wasn't overly impressed. The art style was wholly unique, and I greatly appreciated that. However, the story itself felt somewhat disjointed. I know this vibe was leaning more towards artsy and abstract, which is normally something I can get into, but for some reason this particular story wasn't clicking with me. I can see what it was trying to do, it just wasn't working for me personally. The writing is around a 2 star read for my tastes. My rating will be bumped up to 3 stars mainly for the distinctive art style.

[Kalilah · Rating 3 out of 5]

My word, the artwork in this manga is so nostalgic for me. I know all manga is black-and-white (with the exception of the odd "colour-pages", which are even more rare in English Print), but this one really feels black-and-white, in a very satisfying, whimsical black-and-white photo-shoot sort of way. It also has a sort of scruffy-edged, static appeal, and I know that in writing it doesn't sound promising but it really is a pleasure to look at. I'm partial to the less clean-cut, more impressionist side of art anyway.

The story and narrative, as with the artwork, reminds me of a old-fashioned black-and-white film (well, the extremely numbered ones I've watched anyway. Occasionally, one must take liberties with one's limited experiences), with it's well-executed and confident simplicity. It's all pleasingly grounded and evocative of those childhood days that stay in one's mind like a tinted Polaroid picture, blissfully highlighting the good parts and leaving the dark edges vaguely obscure, even though it's all there to see if you really want to.
When a manga can draw so much poetry out of person in a spontaneous review, you know it was worth reading.
Thus, though I have left you nonethewiser as to what the dickens this story is actually about, I trust I have conjured a tempting enough image of what's on offer for you to perhaps give it a whirl. After all, what are blurbs for?

Black-And-White Word Count: 4

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunny is a lovely and unusual new manga series. Sunny is also a type of car that has captured the imaginations of the children of the Star Kids orphanage. The broken-down Sunny sits in the yard of the orphanage and serves as a spot for the kids to hang out, seek refuge and imagine their ideal lives. The narrative shifts from resident to resident giving the reader not only a slice of life, but a glimpse into the hopes and dreams of the kids living at the home. It's not a bad orphanage; the adults running it are kind and do all they can to create a home for their charges. The kids are like kids one would meet anywhere; they have good days and bad, but they have to sort it all out amongst themselves.
Sweet, sad and funny - this manga hits all the right notes without ever overdoing it.

[Emma Roulette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how Taiyo Matsumoto draws. I love how he represents architecture so simply and effortlessly while keeping everything in perspective.



Also super inspired by Matsumoto's pacing techniques, especially when he zooms out of the action of a scene to show the surrounding environment. It creates this very real pause in the otherwise fast-paced action, so that the viewer is suddenly forced to slow down, contemplate, and observe all the details.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit on the fence about this book. On the one hand, I think some of the art - particularly the color pages - is lovely, and the sentimental bits - while certainly broadly played - worked for me. But a lot of the book is random and repetitive, a kind of manga version of shaky-cam "realism" that I did not care for at all.

This is the kind of story that is very much in the Gilbert Hernandez wheelhouse, the differences mainly being ones of style and storytelling mechanics. For my money, I much prefer Hernandez.

[Fátima Embark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho el primer número. Puede que a simple vista te eche para atrás el dibujo, pero a medida que vas leyendo te das cuenta de que es perfecto para la historia que te cuenta. Una historia cargada de inocencia y crudeza sobre unos niños abandonados que, armados de imaginación, hacen lo posible por sobrevivir en ese mundo de ausencias que les ha tocado vivir. Deseando continuar la historia.

[DKBOI · Rating 5 out of 5]

ไม่ใช่แค่มังงะ แต่มันคืองานศิลปะดีๆ ชิ้นหนึ่ง

เป็นการ์ตูนเรารู้สึกจูนติดมากๆ ทุกบทตอน อ่านแล้วอบอุ่น ฮีลใจ หลายภาพและหลายประโยคง่ายๆ มันทำให้เรามองเห็นตัวเอง คลี่คลายความรู้สึกขุ่นมัวที่อธิบายไม่ได้ ให้กระจ่าง ปลอดโปร่ง

สัมผัสได้ถึงหัวจิตหัวใจอันละเอียดอ่อนของผู้เขียน อ่านจบเล่ม 1 ก็รีบขี่มอไซค์ไปซื้อเล่ม 2 มาวางไว้หัวเตียงรอต่อทันที

รัก.

[Hannah Garden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art in this is greeeaaaaaat, but I didn’t really take to the story, which I don’t hold against the story. I’d like to try this again sometime and read at least three in a row, to get a better sense of what I think.

[Sydney S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The hardcover edition of this book is gorgeous, as is the art inside. Strangely, the art is only full-color for the first few pages. It’s like a bright and warm watercolor style that I hoped would be throughout when I got the sample of it on the kindle app, but it stops and goes to black and white for the rest of the volume. The black and white illustrations are still in that watercolor style, which is beautiful. It works, even if I was initially a little disappointed to see the change.

This is a soft manga, quiet and slow. I appreciate the poetry of it. I found myself liking the story more and more the further I got into it. It has heart. I hadn’t read a manga like this before, but I’ve read a few graphic novels with similar vibes. It reminded me a little of my reading experience with Nick Drnaso’s work, some 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank, maybe a hint of Brecht Evens (my absolute favorite author/illustrator) and Chris Ware, and a bit of the tone of some nonfiction graphic novels I’ve read. I’m only making comparisons because I’m having trouble organizing it in my head. It’s different from most of the graphic work I read, but doesn’t feel entirely outside of the box. I don’t know if I’m making any sense.

It’s a very “artsy” manga, if you know what I mean. It’s aesthetically pleasing, more serious, no truly fantastical elements (outside of the children’s imaginations), not a lot of action, and pretty sad. We get to know some kids who appear to be orphans or kids in foster care, and the vibe is distant and subdued. It’s kind of a disorienting experience. I was always wondering if I was missing something. It’s nice sometimes to feel that way though. I don’t always want the same feelings when reading. I like to have new experiences and discover new things about myself and literature/art.

[Bogi Takács]

Update: Now also on Bogi Reads the World - http://www.bogireadstheworld.com/comi...

Slice-of-life near-past story about children and teens in a group home; partially based on the author's experiences living in a group home as a child (which I gleaned through Wikipedia, it's not mentioned in the book). Some of the kids are orphans and some are in foster care.

The first volume already has a very strong sense of place and emotion. I liked the art too, but it did not blow me away as much as his more recent Ping Pong.

I had mixed feelings about Taro's character and how intellectual disability seemed to be played for... I'm not even sure what? Not exactly comedy. But I'm definitely reading on, so I'll see how that plot thread develops; my library only has the first four volumes, which is weird because they all look like they have been in heavy circulation. I only grabbed the first one and I'm not planning on going back to the library this week, so the rest will need to wait a bit.
____
Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library

[Eni Gajanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volim♥️ Sve mi se dopalo. I priča i crtež i format.

[sarah]

😢