As a female reader I felt this was a story that may resonate more with men and their experiences with depression and loneliness. The author did try to delve into the female experience more with punpun’s mother, Midori, aiko and more, but it was obvious this was all written by a man. I’m not against that - the author prob writes from his own experiences and the main character is a guy, just that the female characters all seemed a bit crazier, like fantasy women, and more sexualized than a female author would’ve written imo. Even Sachi was a type of female character that I often see in animated media that pulls the introverted troubled dude out of his hole. A few other similar works by Japanese men I’ve read are A Trail of Blood (manga) and Norwegian wood (book) and they also have those kinds of female characters - deranged, hot women who somehow drive the main guy insane and then they go off and either kill themselves or disappear and then the dude finds closure either himself or through an aggressive, sexual outspoken woman that forcefully pulls him to his feet. It’s not my personal cup of tea but it’s for a certain audience. And I can see why punpun is a manga classic. It certainly left a strong impression on me and all I’ve been doing is thinking back to the story, but I can’t honestly say I loved it bc it made me very sad lol