Reviews for The Walking Man

Ah… I’ve struggled to come up with words to describe this… “lovely” was one, “nice” is another… yet, they both do it a grave injustice. There’s so much more to these stories than first meets the eye. I’ve also been struggling to describe in words a story that is essentially about … well… nothing much really. The closest I can come is by comparing this to Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou… er… without the apocalypse… or the robots… or scooters. In fact, it also doesn’t even focus on "mono no aware", but rather "ikigai" - which translates nicely as “joy and a sense of well-being from being alive.” Thatis a concept that this manga portrays beautifully - it is simply about enjoying life - taking time out from the hurly-burly of everyday life and taking the time to observe the little things around you. There’s a sense of calm that radiates from each page that must have been manna to the soul of tired salarymen on their way home. (That sense of serenity might have overcome the mangaka too, seeing as it took him 8 years to produce 18 relatively short chapters.)

Each of the self-contained chapters simply revolves around our protagonist setting out to wander around his neighbourhood. Nothing dramatic happens, although on occasion he does help a child rescue a model plane from a tree and even sneaks into the public pool for a late night skinny-dip. Other than that, it’s simply about appreciating the things around you; acknowledging other people (one lovely chapter sums this up brilliantly - without using a single line of dialogue) and basking in the simple joy of being alive.

In a moment of weakness, I once described this as “tranquillity on a page” and yet, I can’t think of any other words that describe the message and feel of this unique little manga.

A manga that feels like a short meditation. What a wonderful surprise this story was. It may seem astounding to say this about a manga that features 18 chapters about a man talking walks outside, but I think this is a masterpiece, provided that you judge it for what it is and not compare it to mangas that simply don't belong in the same genre. This isn't a story driven by characters, conflicts or big events. It is purely atmospheric & impressionistic, offering a lovely and soothing portrait of the simple, everday life of an ordinary, yet quite content business man. In this regard, the mangadoes not only provide a wonderfully diverse and realistic insight into the life in a Japanese town, but also highlights the value of the little things, the ordinary things, the uneventful things that can contribute to a happy life. While some might find the idea of such a life boring, I cannot help to feel a little envious of the protagonist.

I'm sure I will re-read this manga many times in the future, simply to soak in the atmosphere and to imagine myself being in the protagonist's place, quite relaxed and content.

Breathe. This story mastered breathing in both telling readers to relax and actually showing the characters breathe. People don't understand that in order for us to truly feel a character's emotions, we need just a few moments of their face and seeing how they breathe. Better Call Saul is the greatest story that utilizes characters breathing and The Walking Man came close. And it is a piece of social commentary, one that relies on idealism that ignores multiple factors of reality that prevent this blissfulness from being real, but that's what storytelling is for. Escape. I'm just gonna shitpost and call this an intelligent mangatoo complex for nerds who want more depth when all the depth was in the directing of the story.

the story of a man who enjoys life, being surprised to find a shell in the garden of his house and going up to an attic to wait for the dawn, look through broken glasses at the world itself or without glasses and see all the nuances, bringing at home a bamboo curtain and throw yourself under a fountain to cool off, but above all how would you define someone who follows a man with a stick just to see what happens next, strange man is a compliment, if it happened in reality you would start running because it is certainly a person who wantsto hurt you. In short, the man who walks accompanies us with his hand and tells us to slow down and enjoy everyday life because even in that there can be spectacular things. Honestly, this work is part of the work that I could read endlessly realizing new things. It is excellent in its simplicity.

I give a solid 9 to the story and 10 to the drawing

Great! I wonder if the man is unemployed, or if he works for himself and can afford to take breaks. I would guess between jobs. He doesn't seem like someone who takes common pleasures for granted. Everyone navigates spaces differently, it's true, but it would be nice if time was not a factor. It's nice to be at ease. Recently I came upon pictures of my dad, taken four or five years ago while hiking in different parts of the US and China. Even though he still looks young for his age, the photos reminded me that he is very nearly 60 years old. I hopedearly that he is enjoying little sceneries, living things, and inanimate objects the way Taniguchi's character does.

6 but recommended because it could be beneficial to self improvement. Extremely simple manga. It did nothing wrong, and by means of the concept, there is not much room for profound wisdom or anything to improve upon, yet they do say, "It's the simple things that count". And yes, the message was quite simple, taking it easy, which is also explicitly stated in the last chapter. I would say this manga would probably be beneficial to those who get upset, feel anxious, or who are stressed out frequently/easily. I personally like the message that it conveys about not being upset when unfortunate occurrences happen. Itis also nice that the message is plain rather than vague personal interpretations.

To keep it short and sweet, this manga is a very fast read, however it is refreshing to dive into it. There is not really a real "story" however the manga is very relaxing and the best way to describe it would be to label it a "Childrens book for adults." This manga primarily focuses on keeping everything as realistic as possible as opposed to generic settings in most manga in the modern era. There are some "tips" that try to help people realize the difference in how other people perceive things such as moving too fast in life or getting angry atminuscule things.

Overall 8/10: I enjoyed this manga although it was pretty short I would very much like to read more if possible. It was very refreshing to read this and I encourage you to take your time and enjoy it as well.

This is the most "nothing" manga I've read in a while. The Walking Man is a relax-core comic about a Japanese salaryman just taking it slow and enjoying being alive. That's it, he's just chill. I'm pretty sure the goal of the manga is to make you feel at peace too and/or embrace life for what it is and I'm not sure if it's good at doing that but this is completely subjective. To me it lacked a little something to actually reach the goal. Maybe it's stilted if well drawn backgrounds, maybe it's lack of reletable characters or situations but to be this endedup just a manga about a guy walking around and having a great time doing that. Kind of boring and pointless.