What a journey! My heart feels a little heavy now and like looking through an old memory book I'm experiencing positive and negative emotions almost simultaneously. At times it felt like the misery was inevitable, but that also made the good parts feel that much sweeter even as imperfect as they often came. One of the most important parts of the story for me was when Aiko and Punpun reconnected and found the confidence to be honest with one another. It's almost scary how easily that could have slipped away into a meaningless and forgotten memory of which both of them would have regretfully looked back on. Unfortunately Punpun and Aiko weren't able to stabilize after the event with Aiko's mother, but what we got I think is still better than a world where they never had the opportunity to be together again. I wish more was shared about the Punpun post Aiko. In the final chapters it was difficult to determine where his headspace is at especially since most of the story we got the uncut version of what's going on upstairs. Is he sad? Is he stable? Is he just going through the motions of life or believe life can still be meaningful without Aiko? What kind of relationship does he have with Sachi now? I have so many questions!
In the end I'm glad this story didn't pull any punches even during the lows. It felt messy, raw and always seemed as Punpun stumbled into his next experience that in a blink weaved his life's story. I think that kind of "I'm just along for the ride" feeling is something this story did well and is something a lot of readers can relate to. This manga made me appreciate a simple story about the nuances of life without the action or fantasy like many other manga's I love, but it also didn't need it. I was captivated from start to finish: 10/10