Read this when
Solanin
Two years out of college, hating your job, and quietly wondering if this is it? Solanin gets it, and then it gets real. 🎸
Who it's for
The first half captures the low hum of post-college drift with unusual precision: Meiko's office job she can't stand, Taneda's freelance illustration work, the band that only plays for fun, the sense that everyone is waiting for life to start.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Solanin is a manga by Inio Asano, serialized 2005 to 2006 and published in English by Viz Media. It follows Meiko and Taneda, a young couple drifting through life after university: Meiko works an office job and Taneda earns money as an illustrator while still jamming with bandmates from their university music club.
Where to find it
In print from Viz Media (single-volume English edition) and as an e-book; available through libraries (Libby/Hoopla often carry Viz titles). Not public domain. A short follow-up epilogue chapter was p.
Before you start
Heads up: A partner's death, possibly suicide.
Age: Ages 16+
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali
