Sunny is a slice of life manga by Taiyo Matsumoto. The series has been compiled into 6 tankoboun.
Sunny is set in a small town in 1970's Japan and deals with a group of children who have been left in the care of an orphanage known as the Star Kids Home. The story moves between them over its course, exploring their past, their view points of life at the home and developing all of the characters personalities and the homes' environment. There is no over arching plot line and no central character. The closest to a central figure would be Haruo, who has lived at the home for many years after his mother abandoned him. Haruo struggles with his parents rejection, continuously trying to reconnect with his mother, who makes things worse by having him visit her on weekends from time to time.
The children have come to live at the home for many reasons; abandonment, guardian illness, guardian death and others. The home is run and funded by an elderly man who has made it his life's work to take care of those who society has turned their backs on. He, with his employees, try to do the best they can to provide some form of stability in the shattered lives of the youths who come through their door, whether it be for weeks or years. The compassion of the people who maintain the home can only do so much for the shattered psyche's of the children though and the story deals heavily with how they cope with their reality.
I have been a fan of Matsumoto's work since the mid 90's with Tekkonkinkreet (Black & White in Viz's Pulp) and Sunny is no different. I relish his strangely detailed style and his worlds overflowing with reality and imagination. What makes Sunny stand out is that much of it is based on his own life in a foster home and the people he knew there. The realism is as stark as it is because it comes from experience on his part. The story is layered deep with nostalgia and memory of a time now past but of things that are still relevant. While I wouldn't count this as a critique on the orphanage system in Japan it's a good idea to keep that in the back of your mind. Its a very difficult life to be abandoned in Japan, where traditionally even family members can be reluctant to adopt.
Sunny has been translated and published either digitally or in fantastic hardcover editions by Viz Media and are well worth it.
Sunny is set in a small town in 1970's Japan and deals with a group of children who have been left in the care of an orphanage known as the Star Kids Home. The story moves between them over its course, exploring their past, their view points of life at the home and developing all of the characters personalities and the homes' environment. There is no over arching plot line and no central character. The closest to a central figure would be Haruo, who has lived at the home for many years after his mother abandoned him. Haruo struggles with his parents rejection, continuously trying to reconnect with his mother, who makes things worse by having him visit her on weekends from time to time.
The children have come to live at the home for many reasons; abandonment, guardian illness, guardian death and others. The home is run and funded by an elderly man who has made it his life's work to take care of those who society has turned their backs on. He, with his employees, try to do the best they can to provide some form of stability in the shattered lives of the youths who come through their door, whether it be for weeks or years. The compassion of the people who maintain the home can only do so much for the shattered psyche's of the children though and the story deals heavily with how they cope with their reality.
I have been a fan of Matsumoto's work since the mid 90's with Tekkonkinkreet (Black & White in Viz's Pulp) and Sunny is no different. I relish his strangely detailed style and his worlds overflowing with reality and imagination. What makes Sunny stand out is that much of it is based on his own life in a foster home and the people he knew there. The realism is as stark as it is because it comes from experience on his part. The story is layered deep with nostalgia and memory of a time now past but of things that are still relevant. While I wouldn't count this as a critique on the orphanage system in Japan it's a good idea to keep that in the back of your mind. Its a very difficult life to be abandoned in Japan, where traditionally even family members can be reluctant to adopt.
Sunny has been translated and published either digitally or in fantastic hardcover editions by Viz Media and are well worth it.
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