Exploring Manga #3 | Why Nijigahara Holograph is an underrated classic

When a discussion ensues regarding the topic of the best manga authors, a name that is quite common but still in the shadows of other greats is Inio Asano.

While he might not be as well-known as someone like Eiichiro Oda, he has still produced some of the most influential and best-written mangas of all time, case in point: Goodnight Punpun and Solanin.

He is known for his beautiful and mesmerizing art style and writing prowess like no other so, it is only natural that he has some great mangas beyond those aforementioned.

One of those for me has to be “Nijigahara Holograph”.

So without further ado, let’s explore what this manga has to offer.

Story

Nijigahara Holograph follows the story of various characters, in a nonlinear timeline, but the events they’ve been through and their personal lives all seem to come together and connect at the same point.

One of the most important characters of the story, Arie Kimura has a habit of telling fantastical stories to her friends and close ones, one of the stories she tells is about a young girl sent by God, to be sacrificed to a monster wreaking havoc in the village as a move to please the monster. The girl keeps emerging again and again but her fate of being sacrificed stays the same.

Arie further goes on to claim that the monster is hiding in the nearby Nijigahara tunnel. Feared that her story would come true, people start behaving badly to her and calling her the problem, and eventually, she is thrown into the tunnel to please the monster, much like the girl from her own story.

What follows are stories about the people involved in this situation, jumping from one timeline to another but all connecting to Arie and the Nijigahara Tunnel shrouded in mystery.

The overall story might not be for everyone as it packs a lot of stuff into a very small story. Everything moves very fast and the timelines keep alternating so, I wouldn’t blame you if you find this confusing or hard to digest because of the serious topics addressed within the story.

However, to say that the story isn’t well thought out would be a huge lie. It is hard to even plan out and execute stories such as this in long-running mediums, let alone such a short manga but, Asano makes it work as always.

Characters

Like in most of Inio Asano’s mangas, the characters here are the best part. All the characters, whether they are very important to the story or not so important in hindsight, have been given something to do within the story, and that something is very good in most cases.

The important characters have their arc, where you can see just what kind of people they are, were, or will become in the future.

As I mentioned several times, all of their mini-stories come together to make the overall story feel complete and, that is what makes this manga unique compared to other short mangas.

Another thing that I liked but you guys might not is the relative lack of likeable characters. Most of the characters are grey, leaning toward dark, and that is probably a turn-off for some people who like to have a set of “good characters” to cheer for but I think that the decision to keep most characters grey is a great one because it perfectly fits into the overall story when put into perspective.

Art

You can hardly ever complain about the art of an Inio Asano manga and the same applies to this one as well.

While I do think that Asano’s works have better art than the one in Nijigahara Holograph, that doesn’t change the fact this one is also great in the art department and is pleasing and unsettling to the eye depending on what the story demands.

That is the thing that I most like about the art in this manga. It is very well drawn but more than that, it suits the vibe of the story.

Conclusion

While it might not require a lot of time to Read Nijigahara Holograph, due to it being only 15 chapters in length, It will, however, require a lot of your attention.

The story is very complex and has multiple layers within the 15 chapters so, going into this with not the required mindset and attention will leave a sour taste in your mouth.

However, if you do go into it with the correct mind and give it the attention it deserves, you will find one of the best short mangas ever, filled with great art, characters, and a well-thought-out story.

Ratings

Story- 3.75

Characters- 5/5

Art- 4.25/5

Enjoyment- 3.5/5

Overall- 4.125/5