Reviews for Gon

"What I set out to do with Gon was to draw something that was more interesting than anything you could say in words. Manga still has great potential that does not exist in other media. I plan to continue developing the art of expression." - Masashi Tanaka Gon follows the daily adventures of a little dinosaur with attitude - with the same name as the title - who was able to survive the catastrophic extinction that wiped out the other Jurassic animals all those years ago. This manga is one in a million; it has absolutely no dialogue, no human characters, and is set entirely inthe wild, umpteenth years ago. The story is told entirely through the art, which is possibly the greatest challenge for a manga artist, as they would be unable to rely on dialogue to advance the story or to convey drama, emotions or character motivation. Masashi Tanaka succeeds in doing just this and more, however, which has earned him recognition as a storytelling genius.

The lack of dialogue in Gon is made up entirely in the art. The amount of time, precision and effort Tanaka puts into his artwork is clear at one glace. Every panel is incredibly detailed, bursting with life and full of realism. Tanaka is a master at drawing many things, but extremely efficient at drawing expressions in particular. The plentiful expressions he utilises for Gon and the other characters help expand their personalities and emotions, further expelling any need for dialogue.

The only characters that appear are Gon and a superabundant variety of animals. Gon appears in every chapter, but most of the animals are not recurring characters, which is fitting as each chapter Gon embarks (sometimes unwillingly) on a different adventure. Gon himself is surprisingly well developed and was also quite an iconic character back in the day, even appearing in the video game Tekken 3.

Though it might not seem it at first glance, Gon is a masterpiece. Publisher CMX word it marvellously; "its surface simplicity masks the true complexity of its execution." Gon's heartwarming, silent yet profound storytelling, exceptionally detailed art and wonderful characterisation make it a manga you won't forget in a long time.

Tanaka managed to present a beautiful and illustrious masterpiece which indulges your senses and conveys animal kingdom in somewhat fanciful manner. Story is literally depicted with absence of dialogues and onomatopoeias. Instead, it is communicated via facial expressions and body language. Usually such approach would leave a certain ambiguity regarding the reader's interpolation, but Tanaka's precise and masterful art offer perfect clarity and understanding of scenes. There isn't one overarching story, but small events in which Gon is discontinuously thrown into different floras & faunas. It mostly resolves around his attempts to assimilate, which is usually disturbed by local inhabitants. Each of these little stories ispivotal in it's own way, and filled with poignant, perilous plots, frequently followed by a stupendous comedic relief.

Gon as a character can be best described as capricious, as he tends to do unfathomable actions repeatedly. Regardless of his goofy attitude and a bit of an egocentric personality, he has a substantial amount of sympathy, the eagerness to help those in need, and reconcile what is necessary.

Masterpiece and exemplary xenofiction with an attitude. Embark on this silent journey and witness its loud roar.

*Warning! This review contains minor spoilers* There is no point on going into the story in details, since there are no continuing story (until the last volume), neither question or address how he appears in different parts of the world since it shouldn’t matter. I enjoyed how all the locations of his adventures takes place in many familiar yet unknown places. You will see them in an entirely different way! The artwork is really amazing, so much details on every animals and landscape. Just search “Gon manga” on google or other search engine with images and you will understand what I mean. The animals looks sogorgeous and environment really make it looks much bigger than it already is! Masahsi really did a good job by mixing the the realistic look of the animal with some cartoonish looks.

Now that are the pros, now for the cons.

Gon character lacks consistency.

Sometimes he is smart that he could come up a tactical plan with a lion to catch prey, sometimes he is totally clueless that he doesn’t notice. Not only does his intelligence seems to sway through chapters, but so does his personality. In one chapter he helps infant/young animals to survive in the bloodthirsty wild, standing out as a hero, and in another he destroys an eco system just for his own pleasure. It kind of makes me confused whatever not to consider him good or bad. This is why I consider that it should have been more than one Gon so that we could get a variety of Gons if we are gonna have these differences in intellect and personality.

Now I don’t say its bad, but he should have used a better transition to those things. You may or may not agree that he does look cute on some parts, but I hope that you can see this as problem of knowing why I should like him beside that.

Same thing could said about its theme. Most of the time it plays out as an gag manga with cute animals, but there is one chapter that takes a dark turn with killing of young cubs with blood and all. I don’t want hate it (infact it one of the best chapters of the manga), but again, he should have used better way of transition it.

This work contains no dialog or onomatopoetic words. People always ask me why I have done this. From the beginning, I didn't think it was necessary. Manga should be without grammar. I also think that it is strange to give animals human language and make them talk. What I set out to do with Gon was to draw something that was more interesting than anything you could say in words. Manga still has great potential that does not exist in other media. I plan to continue developing the art of expression." - Masashi Tanaka

What he said is true that you don’t need those things to make a great series, but then why would he have this on a manga? This could work so much better as a shorts on TV, just imagine it with all the colors. Now that I mentioned it, Masashi could have got away and Gon would have been much more.

I guess that the other reviewers are right, this doesn’t seem to meant for people at my age. But it should apply to everyone who likes western cartoonish humor and character, which this one doesn’t feel like to me even if I always enjoy cartoonish show like Tom and Jerry in whatever age.

Speaking of Tom and Jerry, I want to draw an example. As you might now, Tom and Jerry has changed its animator/style of drawing for all its time. Yet, you still enjoy the show whatever what it looks like right? Now imagine if Gon didn’t have all those beautiful details and had an average artwork. Would you then still enjoy it? I wouldn’t.

When I see the other reviews rate this manga at 9 or 10, I feel like they don’t want to dare rate this any lower due to its art style.

I think this series needs some tough love.

I give the look of the manga a 9.5/9,5 while overall 5.5/9,5

I will remember the art work and Gon, but will I have no recollections off the rest.

If you like drawn animals and landscapes in high quality, then this manga is for you. Otherwise, I say this is something you can skip.

Not meant for people my age, I presume. But Gon's a highly enjoyable manga, Gon itself is a strong, fierce, smart and yet sometimes stupid dinosaur. He has a big attitude and he travels through forests, jungle's, rivers and plenty more various scenery's. The art of Gon is the first thing I noticed, very realistic, and with very I mean, very very very realistic. Most animals are just as they are in real life, sometimes even better (? lol). Even Gon looks like what a ...dinosaur would've looked like if it existed. Furthermore the story's, these are just basic little adventures that Gon goes through, these areexciting, humorous, dangerous and highly enjoyable, doesn't matter what age or race, you'll enjoy it. Gon himself, and other various creatures are really cool too, Gon is like most of our heroes, stubborn, thickheaded, and amazingly strong, the other creatures are like they supposed to be.

(TLDR Review at the bottom, thanks for reading in advance.) This is Gon. Gon does what needs to be done. When Gon needs to eat. Gon will get what he wants. When Gon needs a ride. Gon will tame you. When you mess with Gon (and his fam). Gon will get back at you. And I tell you. You won't like an angry Gon. Sometimes Gon travels, far and wide.To wherever he must, ignoring the stride.

From him to meet, yet another kin.

And I would believe, that is another Gon win.

Narrative:

Gon is a story of no words yet one that brings some of the most fantastic adventures to be seen. Most of the story revolves around the dino simply doing what he sees best fits. If Gon wants something to happen, it usually goes his way. Despite the lack of presence of words in the story, most of it is still conveyed as if it there were words anyway, if not, better. Even with different perceptions of events that people may assume to a collection of thoughts, Tanaka made it so that misconceptions or irregularities wouldn't affect the supposed storytelling that awaited. It certainly is the most efficient way to paint out the narrative without having to even try. After all, we process images faster than words.

In contrast to this, however, there is no real plot in the story. As said, it is a horde of different voyages be it in a forest, Savana, or ocean. It isn't a bad thing but people really get disheartened at the presence of no real story to be told, as if it were some slice-of-life anime. The thing is with the story is that it cannot really be classed with such attributes, although there is nothing to push the story forward, there is also the device that decays the bond between this from the rest with Gon's actual character. You see, the character of Gon is very interesting too, a few theories I have seen pop up here and there attempting to explain the origin and overarching goal of Gon themself. Every few chapters or so, Gon finds themself with another family but never actually sticks with them. Multiple questions sporadically arise from this such as the following: Who is Gon? What is his origin? Why is Gon perennially seeking a family? All of these questions are left with but a vague answer. I do not know the answer to any of these, but a certain fact to take a hold of is that there is more to this world than "dino see, dino do". Whilst it may make the world seem like unnecessary potholes for the pillar of mystery that comes forward, it does feel as if there wasn't a half-hearted attempt in making Gon, Gon, I suppose. Something about the dude makes you wonder more into their character, and what more Gon-like stories can be extrapolated from such origins. A memorable character at that, no doubt.

Art:

Some of the best art I have seen, every panel has so much detail that I can't trace back to a single event where such a panel was haphazardly drawn or a panel that showed signs of sloth-like attitude. Really makes you think about why others don't do the same thing. To be fair, I have no idea how Gon was published, if it were under a weekly, biweekly, monthly or Berserk/Made In Abyss depression wait out-ly. But one thing is for sure, Tanaka did his bit in making this. No question about that. Whether it be the bold character design or the beauty Earth gifts with its landscape, there is some detail in Gon that is to really love. The action here is made well too, following the convention that was already amassed through the style, as in, it doesn't hold back with blood when need be, or other bodily harming elements. In saying that though, there is used of what I would call "battle shounen fight styles" used here, it breaks away from gore styled attacks and adds a little spark for it to look full of life. Certainly giving Gon its own style to coin. Very good work.

Enjoyment:

Gon is very enjoyable, from Gon being a bit of a bully to Gon walking treks that other supposedly stronger animals, fear themselves. It's something with a great number of different journeys that always seem to bring more hold its balance with ease, never once does Gon really have moments that make you want to skip the current voyage, or any moments that feel like God's light has just penetrated some storm. Everything really feels the same, but it is a collection of big adventures for this one small guy. No real trip-up or hover during the tightrope walk, and a tightrope walk it is because that is where the enjoyment usually is, quite high up.

Overall - 8.25 (8)

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TLDR Review:

Story - 8: Not much of a story but Gon's character elaborates on the story as being linear so much so that extra pieces of the story can be extrapolated from it, or at least questioned.

Art - 9: Very good used constantly no fail. Action is great to look at too with both classic fighting motion seen with a mix of instant kills.

Character - 8: The only character to focus on is Gon. But as said, he backs up the story and adds a little more personality to himself.

Enjoyment - 8: Very enjoyable adventures, never faltering at any point.

Overall - 8.25 (8)

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This review came out way later than it should have. But alas, it is out now. For my 2nd manga with no words, first being Joshikausei. I didn't expect Gon to be as good as what I witnessed. Certainly, a pleasure to read. Would 10/10 read again. Recommendable? Yes, even for people who are looking for manga that doesn't contain much effort to read. People out here really hating on reading :feelsbadman:, so Tanaka out here doing you a favour by removing literally every text, there is no excuse to not read Gon. So read it. For real. This review has already ended. So go. kthxbye :)

[Review and recommendation. Only 00000.001% thousandths of spoilers] (google credits): Gon is a manga written and illustrated by Masashi Tanaka. The story revolves around Gon, a baby dinosaur with disproportionate strength, and contains no dialogue. The series was originally published between 1991 and 2002 by Kodansha's Weekly Morning magazine. 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮: Gon... Gon is a silent/textless manga, you can understand it however you want and illustrate it with your imagination, this manga is very well done, designed and developed, because you can understand it anyway one way or another. •𝗢𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻: Gon should have an anime adaptation, a good adaptation in the old style/old aesthetic as it wouldn'thave too many censors, an adaptation like the manga without being too long just a few minutes as you take time to read the manga the anime should be mute just with soundtracks, Soundtrack, etc, gon shouldn't be this "childish made for kids" adaptation from 2012 I'm sorry but that's the truth, gon like the manga would be a TV series could be "classic" like Popeye and Woody Woodpecker.

•𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬

𝐀𝐫𝐭 - 9,3/10 The art of the Manga de Gon is unique

𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭 - ?/10 The Plot is up to your imagination and thinking. My score for the plot is 9.8/10, because the manga is good anyway

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭 - Protagonist 7/10/Characters 8,5/10 there are different types of animals in the manga

This was my first review, I researched a lot to do it, I hope you like it.

When I was a kid, I loved "Man vs Wild". The fact that this retired army man is challenging nature by doing the most caveman shit I've ever seen fascinated me (Though it was extremely hard to take a meal after watching that show lol). This manga reminded me of that show, except instead of the Bear, we're watching a force of nature in motion, Gon. The entire manga consists of no dialogue, not even the reaction sound effects. It entirely depends on the artwork to portray the story. Sometimes, it's better to do than to say. We can talk about many things, even explain them but incourse of development or understanding, it's what we do that matters the most than what we say. This is something we see throughout the manga and the lack of dialogue or words just portrays it all the more powerful.

The story takes place in various locations and throughout the journey, Gon meets other animals where sometimes Gon befriends them, accepting their lifestyle, which gives the reader a window to see the ecosystem of these wild creatures. Or sometimes, animals themselves accompany on Gon's journey. And meet their end, harsh or bittersweet.

And sometimes, Gon faces the wild. No matter the obstacle, Gon challenges them. Gon is unstoppable, who only eats, sleeps, and moves on, a force of nature that's meant to live in the wild; a harsh, unforgiving yet mesmerizing place. And the manga doesn't hold back any punches to portray the harsh reality of the wild. In nature, there's no place for the weak. You have to be strong or be eaten by the strong.

Action, generally in Manga form, is a bit hard to visualize. I remember reading some action scenes in "DOGS: Bullets and Carnage" and being lost at certain moments, it was hard to follow along. The action sequences in "Gon", however, are very clear. The solid artwork really captures every small detail of Gon's action in every fight, which will pull you into Gon's struggle to win at whatever it is trying to achieve; fighting a bear, trying to fly, or climbing Mt. Everest. Gon really like adventures.

Gon is a chibi dragon and quite an iconic character who you have probably seen in Tekken games. Gon can be quite hard to understand as a character. There are times when Gon shows no mercy and quite literally be a villain, who just oppresses others with his thick skull out of spite or for Gon's own needs. And other times, he helps other animals. Gon's moral compass is purely driven by instinct. If Gon doesn't like to see a pack of defenseless wolf cubs getting attacked, Gon will fight for them. If Gon wants to make a large wooden bed at the center of a pond, it doesn't care if the pond is occupied by other animals, Gon destroys their homes and drives the animals away, just to make his own lodge and nap peacefully.

The only thing we know for sure is that Gon only does what it wants; Eat, Sleep, and Travel (and kick some animal ass, every now & then) and all we can do is accompany it on its fun journey, marvel at nature, connect through the occasional human emotion it shows, and most importantly, move on and see what's on the other side of the world.

"Conclusion"

I don't think many people will enjoy this manga. Despite the amazing artwork, it barely holds that 7+ score. There's no overall plot, hook, or anything you would see in a general adventure work.

It's just the adventures of a small, strong but mysterious dragon, embracing whatever the wild has to offer.

If that sounds intriguing enough, then give this manga a try.

As a silent Manga, trying to review Gon like traditional Manga is quite difficult and most likely unfair to each side but it is definitely interesting to compare both. Gon is a small Dinosaur that somehow survived the extinction of his kind and travels around the planet having fun, eating and interacting with all kinds Post-Cretateous animals. As a reader you should ditch out any expectations of a deep complex plot and view the series as a particular gem of the medium. Despite this, Tanaka sensei explores different types of narrative throughout each chapter, while the first third of Gon focuses exclusively on comedy, you startnoticing that the author is definitely experimenting with more dramatic storylines that involve survival and the hardships of mother nature.

Gon is mostly a Neutral character, it does and eats whatever it wants, sometimes helps other animals, other times doesn’t though he always helps those that help him. He and other animals have some level of morality and human qualities but not so much that makes them not feel animal, just enough to drive a narrative.

The manga’s highest achievement is the artwork, its ability to convey the animal’s feelings and emotions through stellar drawings is only paralleled with the immersive natural environments that Gon travels through. Every panel is extremely detailed and the fact that such detail is presented in black and white makes it even more impressive. When a big panel comes in, it is always spectacular and immersive, I always spent some time on these just to try to find every small animal and imagine what kind of technique and pencil was used to draw them.

My only wish was for the series to be longer so to be longer so that I could enjoy Gon's adventures and see what can be achieved with this type of narrative.

Gon is manga that depicting bubble talk is meaningless to the action of the characters through the story. The fun, thrilling, over the top depiction of nature, gritty if you can said that, is definitely manga that most of people can read without being gross out about human relationship, betrayal or something, because there is no human inside it, and it had fun while readers skimming trough to sometimes get random page that certainly gorgeous , well other than lack of plot, every aspect can cover it, made it enjoyable to read. There is many arch, as every chapter is somewhat stand alone, and manyhilarious moments, like when Gon fighting bear,or in savana with feline family, picking fight with every popular known animal in land,water,and air,that made this manga, exactly epic stuff.

Definitely material to recommended.

Gon is easily one of the most unique manga ever made and I am so glad I discovered it. Telling of the wonderful misadventures of an adorable yet fierce dinosaur who does whatever he wants wherever he wants, I would say he looks a lot like Baby Dragon from Yu-Gi-Oh, but Gon actually came first! Depicted only with art and not a single line of dialogue, some awesome stories are told that fully showcase the power of comics as a medium. Don't be fooled by the goofy cover, Masashi Tanaka has created one of the best drawn manga ever made and a masterclass of visualstorytelling.

Gon is a fascinatingly constructed tale. It's almost entirely episodic with each chapter starting with Gon ending up in a different location and getting up to all kinds of shenanigans. Over the course of the manga, we visit all kinds of biomes - European mountains and forests, African savannah, barren deserts, snow-covered artic wastelands, the Amazon rainforest and many more. What is really captivating is how realistically life in nature is depicted, with all the creatures partaking in their usual activities. That is, until Gon gets involved. Then, this Animal Planet documentary quickly transforms into Tom and Jerry-esque slapstick mayhem. I didn't expect to laugh as often as I did while reading this, but it cracked me up on multiple occasions. Beyond the absurd skits, there are many dramatic moments and there is more than enough tention in every chapter to keep things interesting. Gon himself is a more nuanced character than one would expect and there are tons of pleasant surprises along the way.

Obviously, the art is the main focal point of Gon and it is truly a feast for the eyes. All of the art is stunningly beautiful and superbly detailed, while also being very energetic, dynamic and clearly readable. All of the backgrounds are breathtakingly picturesque. All the animals are drawn in an almost flawlessly photorealistic manner and juxtaposing Gon's very cartoony appearance serves to greatly accentuate the absurdity of the events depicted. It's amazing how expressive the art is too. Without ever fully anthropomorphizing them, all the animals have superbly expressive faces that help sell the story and showcase emotions without any words needed. Some of them are also downright hilarious.

The most appealing thing about this manga is of course it's lack of words and that to me perfectly showcases the power of comics as a storytelling method. Tanaka's art is so perfectly expressive and fluid that despite the lack of dialogue, not a single time is it unclear what is happening. The emotions of the characters are perfectly clear and the action is flowing and epic. A manga like this is a celebration of human imagination and how a story full of rapid motion, vibrant colour and dynamic action can be fully expressed through nothing but black and white artwork. And magnificent artwork at that.

Alright, I've rambled on long enough. Point is, Gon is incredibly unique. I can't think of any other manga this focused on wild animals just existing in their natural habitat, without a single human every appearing. I can't think of any other manga that is so fluent and easy to enjoy without ever needing words. I can't think of any other manga so confident in its art, that it lets it do all the talking. Truly, Gon is a one-of-a-kind experience and one of the finest works in the manga sphere. It's even quite short and thanks to its lack of dialogue, it goes fully beyond any borders and language barriers. Do yourself a favour and give it a read!

When I was a kid, I loved "Man vs Wild". The fact that this retired army man is challenging nature by doing the most caveman shit I've ever seen fascinated me (Though it was extremely hard to take a meal after watching that show lol). This manga reminded me of that show, except instead of the Bear, we're watching a force of nature in motion, Gon. Action speaks louder than words The entire manga consists of no dialogue, not even the reaction sound effects. It entirely depends on the artwork to portray the story. Sometimes, it's better to do than to say. We can talk about many things, evenexplain them but in course of development or understanding, it's what we do that matters the most than what we say. This is something we see throughout the manga and the lack of dialogue or words just portrays it all the more powerful.

The story takes place in various locations and throughout the journey, Gon meets other animals where sometimes Gon befriends them, accepting their lifestyle, which gives the reader a window to see the ecosystem of these wild creatures. Or sometimes, animals themselves accompany Gon's journey. And sometimes, Gon faces the wild. No matter the obstacle, Gon challenges them. Gon is unstoppable, who only eats, sleeps, and moves on, a force of nature that's meant to live in the wild; a harsh, unforgiving yet mesmerizing place, And the manga don't hold back any punches to portray the harsh reality of the wild.

In nature, there's no place for the weak. You have to be strong or be eaten by the strong.

A chibi dragon and quite an iconic character who you have probably seen in Tekken games. Gon can be quite hard to understand as a character. There are times when Gon shows no mercy and quite literally be a villain, who just oppresses others with his thick skull out of spite or for Gon's own needs. And other times, he helps other animals. So, it's hard to understand what Gon's moral compass is (or even if Gon has one in the first place). This doesn't mean Gon is emotionless though, we see it showing empathy and respect. The only thing we know for sure is that Gon has a better understanding of itself and all we can do is accompany it on its journey, marvel at nature and the occasional human emotion it shows, and most importantly, move on and see what's on the other side of the world.

Who should read this?

I don't think many people will enjoy "Gon". Despite the amazing (or even realistic) artwork, it barely holds that 7.2 score. There's no overall plot, character development, or anything you would see in a commercial story. It's just the adventures of a small dragon in the wild. If that sounds intriguing enough, then give this manga a try. You will not regret your time.

Extremely carried by art. There is no story. It doesn't have to have a story to be good but while reading this (i don't know if we can call this reading since there are no texts except the chapter names) i really felt like ''What am i even reading right now?''. There is always some random bs happening. I think what i can say for this manga is ''read when you turn off your brain''. If you like nice looking nature views with some goofy stuff happening go for it read. If that doesn't pick your interest then this one is a skip for me.(Also the main character acts different in each chapter and that kinda annoyed me)

Given how mankind has been both awed and horrified from nature’s power it was easy to attribute various traits such as being motherly, wicked and outside God’s domain, cruel or kind, evil or good. But those remain subjective human attributions, for nature simply is. How Gon is connected to this? Quite honestly it might not be, and I may just be babbling nonsense. I can’t help but remember it though, for it reminded me of how subjective our perception is. Skip [2.] if you just want to know what to expect from the manga. [__1. On story...__] There’s no need to say much, but either way:the story is episodic adventures that are purely based on visual storytelling. Those are centered on the reoccurring dinosaur named Gon appearing in various ecosystems and interacting with local fauna, to either save the day or fill his stomach. Chapters tend to be comedic, with some dramatic ones at times, sometimes centered on cute critters being helped by Gon, and sometimes he is living alongside other animals, or as one of them. In many he empathizes with the weaker animals and fights against predators. And in some cases, he’s being totally self-serving.

Outside being constantly hungry and violent, Gon is a highly inconsistent character, sometimes being less or more cunning/intelligent than in other chapters, and him being altruistic can be inconsistent as well.

[__2. A small rant you may sidestep, nothing to be taken at face value...__]

Depending on who reads, I guess this character inconsistency can be baffling, not affecting them at all, or lead them to dismiss the work overall as childish. I find something endearing with this though: to me he feels like an unusual self-insert character. His inconsistent personality feels just like an average human’s, and other traits turn him into an almighty interventionist who discriminates what he considers wrong from right, and acts accordingly.

In way I’m reminded of something I notice in people watching documentaries: almost all of them end up feeling bad over certain animals falling prey to a starving predator, such as a wolf or a crocodile, yet quite many take it a step further, outright labeling the predator as “bad”. The truth is, most animals do not kill out of malice, just to cover a need. And unlike humans and some other social animals, most animals don’t even have concepts of empathy or foundations for morality.

Perhaps I’m just occasioned by a children’s manga with adventures led by a cool dinosaur, and overthought pointlessly. But in a way, I feel this is much like a superhero fantasy at natural settings, and a parallel of the discriminatory projection of moral traits by humans, depending on if something is small, big, cute or not, a carnivore, a herbivore, beneficial or harmful, you name you get it.

[__3. Briefly on artwork...__]

Its artwork is realistic, richly detailed and well-shaded, many depictions of fauna being almost photorealistic, barring expressions showing more anthropomorphic characteristics at times. The mangaka’s attention to detail and aesthetics also expands to natural landscapes.

Given how there is no dialogue, the manga is entirely carried by its rich visuals and paneling. No matter the impression one forms over Gon, or even if they don’t care at all, I’d more than recommend taking a peek at this manga simply because of how good it looks.

Just a closing point: I'm not going to say Gon is something more than what it is: a nature-themed adventure manga with detailed artwork. Just like nature, it's what it is and no interpretation, or how much I amuse myself writing this review is going to change that.

And in a way, my rant above is just another sample of how human perception can add color or meaning where there might be none, but this might also be one of the spices of life.

~~~ Hope you enjoyed my review! ~~~

There is no speech in Gon. There is only 1 named character. There is essentially no explanation given for why anything is happening.There is only Gon. Gon is the creation of Masashi Tanaka and the character is most recognisable outside of Japan from his appearance in Tekken 3. As a tekken player myself, I had heard Gon had came from a manga but I never really looked into it. After finishing SunKenRock I wanted to read something else with good art and was recommended Gon. I was pleasantly surprised whilst reading the first chapter to find out there was no dialogue. A very interesting stylistic choicemade by Tanaka , he says the reason for this is because

"From the beginning, I didn't think it was necessary. Manga should be without grammar. I also think that it is strange to give animals human language and make them talk. What I set out to do with Gon was to draw something that was more interesting than anything you could say in words. Manga still has great potential that does not exist in other media. I plan to continue developing the art of expression."

Although having a lack of dialogue is a obvious drawback to any series, it is more than made up for with the use of visual storytelling

Visual Storytelling is quite simple to explain , it's when a story can be told through the use of imagery alone.

Gon is a masterclass on how to pull of visual storytelling.

Through it's amazing art and how Masashi Tanaka can display emotion through art brings the story to life.

Anyone can enjoy Gon to it's full extent no matter who they are as it appeals to such a wide audience

It's hard to explain why Gon is so captivating due to the incredibly simplistic nature of it but I do highly recommend reading it so you can see for yourself

Gon – Spoiler Free – Not Recommended TLDR Overall: 3/10 Disclaimer: due to the nature of this work – a visually highly experimentalist manga – my normal parameters of Story, Art, Characters and Enjoyment with a weighted average won’t be applied. Instead, a global overview will be offered. Gon is an experimental manga by Masashi Tanaka. It is a compilation of short, episodic stories with no dialogue, with a small dinosaur as a common thread, called Gon. Not much can be said about this manga: although it is seven volumes long, one can read the entirety of it in a very short time. There are one-volume mangas that are longerthan Gon.

These stories are also incredibly simple, and for good reason: there is absolutely no dialogue, not even a single speech balloon. The characters are the animals that Gon interacts with. Moreover, it lacks any semblance of plot.

The art style is functional and well-conceived, as it is the only medium of communication between the manga and the reader. Gon is also adorable. Animals and landscapes are drawn in a very realistic – and quite impressive – fashion. The manga also has good page composition and flow.

There are no characters, aside from the animals that appear in the stories, and thus, no character background, depth, or development.

Gon is certainly a quick read, but it doesn’t amount to much else, in all due honesty. It is boring and dull, and one certainly didn’t grow as a person or an otaku in reading this. It is an interesting thought experiment – almost like a radical-out-of-touch Tsutomu Nihei, a mangaka that uses very little dialogue as well –, but that doesn’t amount to much else. It is, without a doubt, unique, but again: this does not make it automatically good. One should read it for their education as an otaku, but one cannot conceive any other reason, for the stories ended up being uninteresting.