Thread by @cactuzzshash

caught up to REAL: 10/10

inoue is a mangaka truly special to me, a style of writing/execution i feel so connected to that it’s as if his stories were made purely for me. REAL is incredible, 3 young man battling their way through trauma to find a path in life.

i love this manga+

the artistic depiction of takashi’s journey, the loss of his functions and separation from who he was before. how the bottling up of ones trauma is something you can carry with you for the rest of your life and that it’s ok to share that burden with other.

nomiya with his survivor’s guilt and constant self sabotage coming to accept that he was happy he survived, that he is able to continue searching for a path and to enjoy the present moment. ‘if everything were perfect, what would be the point in the rest of our lives’.

kiyo’s need to be the best fuelled by his trauma and the fear of that repeating, pushing away the bonds that he finally comes to accept and value is such a beautiful journey. i could write so much about each of these 3 and the interplay between them, i love them.

not to mention the side cast: yama being the culmination of ‘why me’ but finding a light in the darkness and most ‘unfair’ situation imaginable. there is meaning in life through what we choose to give meaning to and through the bonds we share with others. no one is alone.

the 3 musketeers and the camaraderie found in the most unlikely places, how the smallest things are something that can be meaningful if they are shared. shiratori’s wrestling match and the meaning he can give to others despite his self loathing and history. +

and of course to finish this little write-up the art is absolutely stunning from start to finish. how things are depicted, the emotions inoue mangages to translate through his mastery of the medium is just unparalleled to me and i don’t think i’ll ever feel the same about another