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素晴らしい世界 [Subarashii Sekai] #2
What a Wonderful World!, Vol. 2
Life is never ordinary. R to L (Japanese Style). The cruelty of childhood. The delusion of adulthood. The endurance of death. Laugh in the face of reality. With this series of intersecting vignettes, Inio Asano explores the ways in which modern life can be ridiculous and sublime, terrible and precious, wasted and celebrated. A dream recaptured. A life on a new track. The absurdity of death. Laughter in the face of reality. With this series of intersecting vignettes, Inio Asano explores the ways in which modern life can be ridiculous and sublime, terrible and precious, wasted and celebrated.
210 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2004
10 people are currently reading
357 people want to read
About the author
Inio Asano
112 books2,691 followersInio Asano (浅野いにお, Asano Inio) is a Japanese cartoonist. He is known for his character-driven stories and his detailed art-style, making him one of the most influential manga author of his generation.
Asano was born in 1980 and produced his first amateur comics as a teenager. His professional debut happened in 2000 in the pages of the magazine Big Comic Spirits. Since then, he has collaborated with most of the major Japanese magazines of seinen manga (comics for a mature audience). Among Asano's internationally acclaimed works are: the psychological horror Nijigahara Holograph (2003-2005); the drama Solanin (2005-2006); the existentialistic slice-of-life Goodnight Punpun (2007-2013); the erotic A Girl on the Shore (2009-2013); the sci-fi Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction (2014-2022).
Asano was born in 1980 and produced his first amateur comics as a teenager. His professional debut happened in 2000 in the pages of the magazine Big Comic Spirits. Since then, he has collaborated with most of the major Japanese magazines of seinen manga (comics for a mature audience). Among Asano's internationally acclaimed works are: the psychological horror Nijigahara Holograph (2003-2005); the drama Solanin (2005-2006); the existentialistic slice-of-life Goodnight Punpun (2007-2013); the erotic A Girl on the Shore (2009-2013); the sci-fi Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction (2014-2022).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
March 4, 2012
The second half of Inio Asano’s short story collection is every bit as beautiful, wise and harmonious as the first half. Part 1 presented us with characters who had been existentially cornered in their lives. Every story climaxed into a bold refusal to succumb to circumstances. Part 2 has a similar structure in each of its stories, except that this time the cathartic climax comes through acceptance, not defiance. It’s a celebration of the human capacity for adapting and finding new viewpoints.
March 25, 2020
The vignettes in this second collection have more heart than that of the first, in my opinion. More shorts weave into the ones that follow and have more surprising reveals informing what we've read previous.
Because of its anthologized form, not all of the shorts leave much of an impact. You finish with something cryptically depressive and start a new narrative. Visually you have the transition page which leads one story into the next (some more seamless than others), but I guess I had to allow myself a pause where the physical book didn't. That being said, What a Wonderful World! was something I had to come back to just to savor.
The 13th Track Goodnight has to be my favorite short with its realism. While Asano's stories often rely on romantic coincidence like how the end of a rainbow leads home, I think the short format cheapens the significance of such detail. Hence, 13th Track Goodnight resonates more in how average the story is.
Because of its anthologized form, not all of the shorts leave much of an impact. You finish with something cryptically depressive and start a new narrative. Visually you have the transition page which leads one story into the next (some more seamless than others), but I guess I had to allow myself a pause where the physical book didn't. That being said, What a Wonderful World! was something I had to come back to just to savor.
The 13th Track Goodnight has to be my favorite short with its realism. While Asano's stories often rely on romantic coincidence like how the end of a rainbow leads home, I think the short format cheapens the significance of such detail. Hence, 13th Track Goodnight resonates more in how average the story is.
December 17, 2015
As in the first volume, every chapter tells its own story and can stand on its own just fine. However, I like this volume better than the first one, because you'll recognise characters from previous stories more often; the series starts to feel like an actual series, instead of a collection of short stories, as you realise that all these stories take place in the same town.
Even if you can't see it on the outside, everyone is troubled by something.
Even if you can't see it on the outside, everyone is troubled by something.
July 12, 2018
Very, very weird, dark, and mildly depressing.
August 16, 2021
Bella raccolta di storie, fortunatamente non troppo sopra le righe e oserei dire persino ottimista. Un ottimo Asano!
June 10, 2024
Asano es un genio que critica la parte más derrotista del sujeto japonés a la vez que equilibra sus vidas con dejos de esperanza y felicidad. El título matiza la versión pesimista y la versión optimista del mundo justo para evitar vivir atrapados en el anhelo y en la desesperación. Una belleza.
October 19, 2020
The second part of this series is good as the stories are connected to each other in some ways. However, the dark and depressing theme continues as we profile the daily lives of the characters. Their struggles against themselves and the world.
There is continuity and character building in this part compared to the first and the stories are better as well. The ending is a bit ambiguous but this is a good slice of life of everyday Japan.
There is continuity and character building in this part compared to the first and the stories are better as well. The ending is a bit ambiguous but this is a good slice of life of everyday Japan.
October 29, 2010
Viz really did a smart thing in releasing both volumes of this series at the same time. I enjoyed being able to read both volumes at the same time & I liked being able to compare characters & scenes at the same time. I can safely say that this will be one of the manga that improves with each reading as I notice the small details in each chapter.
This second volume is much like the first- a collection of small vignettes from various characters. Some of the characters reappear for a second or third chapter, some are background characters who show up as a more major character in their own chapter. Each chapter has it's own poignancy, but the one that sticks out in my mind the most is one about a porn magazine worker (he's sort of like an editor/photographer/everything type of worker) who wonders if he's really doing right by his infant daughter & tries to do the best he can to avoid being like his supervisor.
There's much more to this series & I liked how at the end much of the series was tied together. The ending is a bit strange, I will warn you & a bit ambiguous. But then, that's one of the great things about this manga & much of Asano's work. He makes the manga a bit more interactive by letting you the reader come to your own conclusions about what just happened, what their motives were & what ultimately will be everyone's fate.
Like I said in the review for the other volume- the only flaw of this series is that it may be overlooked by manga fans looking for something slick & overproduced. If this manga isn't one of the best examples in it's genre(realistic drama), I really don't know what is.
This second volume is much like the first- a collection of small vignettes from various characters. Some of the characters reappear for a second or third chapter, some are background characters who show up as a more major character in their own chapter. Each chapter has it's own poignancy, but the one that sticks out in my mind the most is one about a porn magazine worker (he's sort of like an editor/photographer/everything type of worker) who wonders if he's really doing right by his infant daughter & tries to do the best he can to avoid being like his supervisor.
There's much more to this series & I liked how at the end much of the series was tied together. The ending is a bit strange, I will warn you & a bit ambiguous. But then, that's one of the great things about this manga & much of Asano's work. He makes the manga a bit more interactive by letting you the reader come to your own conclusions about what just happened, what their motives were & what ultimately will be everyone's fate.
Like I said in the review for the other volume- the only flaw of this series is that it may be overlooked by manga fans looking for something slick & overproduced. If this manga isn't one of the best examples in it's genre(realistic drama), I really don't know what is.
April 2, 2016
I've had the two volumes of What a Wonderful World! for some time, but I've just now gotten around to reading them, and doing so in preparation of our March manga episode of the podcast devoted to two recent English publications from Asano. The stories in these two volumes are all interconnected in some way, making them what I've called in my scholarship "graphic cycles," a comics equivalent to a short-story cycle. The style of the individual pieces remind me a lot of Yoshihiro Tatsumi's style of short storytelling. They're slice-of-life narratives that don't usually tie up "neatly," but instead, have a more abrupt feeling of closure. In this way, they're more realistic in their presentation.
May 12, 2021
I'm someone who analyses the themes as I read and I was trying to see what each story was trying to tell.
It didn't click for me until I finished reading the very last page where the author states the theme, all the stories made sense and I got that uplifting feeling of self-reflection that I itch for and what the collection of stories were trying to tell me on a macro level but explored from different angles (mostly from an urban working young adult's perspective).
It makes me wonder, should the theme be less subtle or is it better this way to allow me to focus on each story individually?
A weakness of this anthology is that it ends sometimes without a satisifying ending which could be intentional as if the author is communicating, life isn't always fufilling but it has of some its merits so why not see what you and life can offer?
It's short and disjointed, because it goes from short story to another story but it still manages to cut deep into a character's struggles most of the time and it holds a special place in my heart and I feel like I'll read it again in the future to reflect on a tempered optimisitic take on perserverence in society.
It didn't click for me until I finished reading the very last page where the author states the theme, all the stories made sense and I got that uplifting feeling of self-reflection that I itch for and what the collection of stories were trying to tell me on a macro level but explored from different angles (mostly from an urban working young adult's perspective).
It makes me wonder, should the theme be less subtle or is it better this way to allow me to focus on each story individually?
A weakness of this anthology is that it ends sometimes without a satisifying ending which could be intentional as if the author is communicating, life isn't always fufilling but it has of some its merits so why not see what you and life can offer?
It's short and disjointed, because it goes from short story to another story but it still manages to cut deep into a character's struggles most of the time and it holds a special place in my heart and I feel like I'll read it again in the future to reflect on a tempered optimisitic take on perserverence in society.
January 26, 2018
Published in the US as What a Wonderful World, this is Asano's first series, and honestly, reading it after reading his more recent stuff is kind of a disappointment. It's good, and the art is nice, but I wasn't wowed by either. I am super in love with his art and storytelling in his other works, but this is just a pale shadow of that. It's especially jarring to read at the same time as I'm reading his current series, Umibe no Onna no Ko (which I definitely recommend).
One problem I really had with this is that his characters all look the same. And like, sometimes they are the same people, because these shorts all take place in the same town and usually the main character of each story will be someone who appeared briefly in the story before, or something like that.
Anyway, I would recommend this to anyone who likes his other works, but to anyone else, I would say go read Solanin or Nijigahara Holograph or Sekai no Owari to Yoakemae first (or the aforementioned Umibe no Onna no Ko), since those are all much better.
One problem I really had with this is that his characters all look the same. And like, sometimes they are the same people, because these shorts all take place in the same town and usually the main character of each story will be someone who appeared briefly in the story before, or something like that.
Anyway, I would recommend this to anyone who likes his other works, but to anyone else, I would say go read Solanin or Nijigahara Holograph or Sekai no Owari to Yoakemae first (or the aforementioned Umibe no Onna no Ko), since those are all much better.
October 26, 2021
While Inio Asano's Solanin contains a light of hope for its protagonist, What a Wonderful World is a darker, more melancholy shard of a cracked mirror with its vignettes of Tokyo urbanites attempting to make it. This work contains a lot of reality, grit, and sorrow, and its ruthless honesty truly encourages you to consider those small slips of a silver lining in a fairly oily and ugly truth. The visual style is somewhat simplistic, yet it contributes to the beauty of this contemporary slice-of-life read. A must-have for manga enthusiasts.
This is a portrayal of the peaks and valleys of a group of Japanese teenagers; the stories are subtle and yet profound. Asano brings up difficult topics like suicide and desperation, as well as attempting to find your place in a world that only wants you to comply... To be honest, it's fairly gloomy, albeit there are glimmers of optimism.
April 27, 2024
150×210mm +DJ-›105mm flaps ¦ d/2006/0086/350 = 'eo'
I entered this one lost from the first book and never found an understanding of what I was reading. I THOUGHT that he went too far into characters to leave them entirely- but I wouldn't know til the end. Then the Belgians (Dargaud-Lombard›KANA-›MADEIN collection) did me a solid afterwards with a page on some of what he was 'examining' leaving me having at least learned more plot enlightening/interesting Japaneseitgeist !
I always appreciate his art and its dedication to precision but this is the type to let someone put color to- his location/nature observation needs it when it's within such a quotidia-melancholy!
I entered this one lost from the first book and never found an understanding of what I was reading. I THOUGHT that he went too far into characters to leave them entirely- but I wouldn't know til the end. Then the Belgians (Dargaud-Lombard›KANA-›MADEIN collection) did me a solid afterwards with a page on some of what he was 'examining' leaving me having at least learned more plot enlightening/interesting Japaneseitgeist !
I always appreciate his art and its dedication to precision but this is the type to let someone put color to- his location/nature observation needs it when it's within such a quotidia-melancholy!
September 29, 2022
hoi hindi sa d aq makatapos ng isa sa one day kac night na e like mag 12 na
ganda ren naman
ibat ibang kwento pero connected parin lahat ng characters
smt
like transition sya
that world aint too bad, bc as Gott has said, pain is temporary as well as joy, as Job has said as well, He give and take away, and as Gott has said again that the pain we are experiencing is nothing compared to the joy that's coming. oh? ano verse?
yes
Romans 8:18
ganda ren naman
ibat ibang kwento pero connected parin lahat ng characters
smt
like transition sya
that world aint too bad, bc as Gott has said, pain is temporary as well as joy, as Job has said as well, He give and take away, and as Gott has said again that the pain we are experiencing is nothing compared to the joy that's coming. oh? ano verse?
yes
Romans 8:18
March 29, 2025
A definite step above the first volume, it felt the author's vision here is more focused, and I liked that the vignettes here were not mostly focused on teenagers, but covered people across different age groups, all leading different lives yet all struggling in finding purpose and happiness.
Really good series, very unique.
Really good series, very unique.
October 28, 2020
My favorite chapters were "After the Rain", "Whiskey bonbon" and the "Cherry blossoms".
I liked this volume less than the first one. But nevertheless, "What a wonderful world" is definitely one of the finest creations of Inio Asano. I'll definitely want to remember this.
I liked this volume less than the first one. But nevertheless, "What a wonderful world" is definitely one of the finest creations of Inio Asano. I'll definitely want to remember this.
February 8, 2024
This gave me the same feeling as when I listen to a Mitski album, specifically 'Retired from Sad, New Career in Business.' I have to go reflect on my life and all the choices that brought me to this moment
July 20, 2024
Finché vivrai, ti capiteranno molte cose belle.
Anche in altre opere si arriva alla stessa risoluzione, la giusta condizione dell'essere in vita crea la possibilità che le cose belle possano accadere, che siano influenzate o meno dalla tua persona.
Il mondo non è poi così male
Anche in altre opere si arriva alla stessa risoluzione, la giusta condizione dell'essere in vita crea la possibilità che le cose belle possano accadere, che siano influenzate o meno dalla tua persona.
Il mondo non è poi così male
February 1, 2018
Manga constitué d'histoires courtes qui traitent des désillusions de la jeunesse japonaise, de la dureté de la vie actuelle et de la dépression.
August 6, 2018
Interesting.
October 23, 2018
Inio Asano paints stories that simple, that deal with everyday life and yet these twists are savory and sweet just like whiskey bonbons.
"It's not over for the world yet.
Today is another day"
"It's not over for the world yet.
Today is another day"
March 25, 2019
Actual rating: 3.5
June 27, 2021
En este volumen, los temas de cada one shot es profundo y hace que uno se sienta identificado con ellos.
September 16, 2021
so relatable. loneliness in an urban world.
January 21, 2023
Es un manga que realmente te hace pensar en esas cosas de la vida que pasan y son aveces insignificante para los ojos de los demás o sueños.
February 10, 2024
incredible
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews