I'll Give It My All...Tomorrow, Vol. 1 (1)

I came across this manga on a whim and was initially intrigued by its art style. Its style is very cartoonish, unlike most other mangas that I have read in the past. To me, it made the comic feel like a breath of fresh air.I was also pulled in by its story, and how I could relate to the main character and his struggles. Watching a forty year old man, despite all the odds against him, decides to chase after his dream. As someone who is currently in his twenties, the story gives me a feeling of reassurance. Like I am in no need to rush into figuring out what I want to do with my life.I would highly recommend this manga, and I can’t wait to read volume 2!

the product took way too long to arrive to my house but the story is pretty good and funny

It's amazing that a manga which seems so trivial and superficial on the surface can hold such depth on closer inspection. With 'I'll Give It My All ... Tomorrow', Shunju Aono has created an incredibly human manga, the likes of which I've not seen before. There's been some great character studies set in rather fantastical environments, and some wonderfully serious artistic manga series, but nothing quite like this. This first volume tells the story of Shizuo Oguro, a businessman who has just turned 40 and is disillusioned with the way his life has turned out. It's something a lot of people go through and it is a feeling which is more embraced and accepted these days than in the past. That doesn't mean everyone can do something about it, but Shizuo has decided he can. When I first heard about this book, I was very keen to read it and see how they dealt with the subject matter. Just like Shizuo, I recently left a less-than-fulfilling job to pursue my dream of writing, so I can very much relate to the desire to do something more with your life. I'm not as old as Shizuo nor, it seems, as inept, but the basic struggles in following our dreams are common to us all.Just because you have a dream and a noble purpose doesn't make it an easy thing to accomplish. There's still the same battles to fight and demons to overcome ... How do you schedule your time when it's just you against the clock? Who keeps you going during the lonely hours when you only have your most basic support structure around you? What happens if they don't believe in you either? It's some heady stuff if you look past the comedic interpretations Aono has given us, and presented any other way it could be downright depressing. Instead, 'I'll Give It My All ... Tomorrow' manages to be a joyous, hope-filled manga which promises a better tomorrow ... starting tomorrow.Shizuo is not always the most likeable character, but there's something redeeming about him. He cares about people - and he cares about himself - he's just not quite sure how to express these feelings yet. I wonder if this is a bit of commentary on the typical Japanese businessman? So detached from his feelings and devoid of emotion that he doesn't know how to express himself when the time and opportunity comes. It's not just in his relationships that Shizuo struggles, he's also finding it hard to decide what he wants to say in his manga work. Jumping from genre to genre, he can't seem to latch on to any original idea or thought. They say you should write what you know, but what does Shizuo really know?The book succeeds by taking a number of staples from the manga world and turning them on their ear. I'll Give It My All ... Tomorrow is a classic coming-of-age story, except that this character is in his early 40s. It features a cute Japanese schoolgirl, but this time it's his daughter Suzuka, not some adolescent fantasy. There's even the wonderful 'juvenile delinquent' character, Ichinosawa, who Shizuo meets at his part-time job in a fast-food joint. Looked at separately, all the stereotypical elements are there, but taken as a whole it makes this book unlike anything you've seen before. Shizuo is not overly sympathetic to begin with but, just like those around him, you slowly get drawn into his world. By the end I found myself cheering him on, and not just because I want to believe someone can leave their job and pursue their dream successfully.Of course, this is only Volume 1 of the manga and there's still quite a lot of story left. I'm not sure how many volumes there are in total, but I'm glad there's more to come ... I read I'll Give It My All ... Tomorrow in one sitting (a rare feat for me when it comes to manga) and was already ravenous for the next volume. Don't tell me I have to wait another six months to read it? In publishing this English translation of Shunju Aono's work, VIZ Media have taken a bold and worthwhile step. Many people say that manga and anime are dead, but this book proves the industry is still viable and has a lot left to say. I couldn't recommend this more highly if I tried, especially to those who have looked at dabbling in manga before. It's a wonderful introduction to the world of Japanese comics that speaks to everyone and leaves you hoping for a better tomorrow - for all of us. I can't wait for Volume 2 in December and happily give this volume a sincere 9 out of 10. See more reviews like this at Pop Culture Hound (popculturehound dot com).

Once in a while, I get the opportunity to read a manga that comes out of nowhere and just surprises the hell out of me.A storyline that relies on no supernatural storyline, nor the characters being the top of their class, very rich or very beautiful or handsome. If anything a storyline that is very close to reality and for those who do read manga, these type of storylines let alone a series are often a rarity to see released in the U.S.Here we are with “I’ll Give It My All..Tomorrow” (Ore wa mada Honki Dashite Nai dake) by Shunju Aono is one of those manga series.Aono won the “Young Magazine 45th Chiba Tetsuya Award” in the Newcomer’s Category in 2001 and in 2005, won the 17th Ikkiman Ikki Newcomer’s Award and debuted with “Somato” (Kaleidoscope) which would eventually become his manga series “I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow” and is featured on Ikki Magazine and has had three graphic novels released each year since 2007.The story revolves around a man named Shizuo Oguro who just turned 40-years-old. He’s a single father with a teenager named Suzuko and lives with his father. He also just quit his corporate job which he had worked as a Subsection Chief for over 15 years and is now trying to find himself.Now, jobless and lazy, Oguro sits at home playing with his Sony PlayStation 2 and because of is lack of doing anything, angers his father.That is until Oguro decides that his goal in life is to become a manga artist.The problem is that Oguro is not an artist, nor does he have the focus to write a good story and each time he submits one to a manga publisher, it’s not the right content they are looking for (their nicest way to reject him).But Oguro is determined to create a manga series and to step things up in his life by working a fast food job that will allow him to make a little money but work on his new passion in trying to create a manga.JUDGMENT CALL:Overall, “I’ll Give it My All…Tomorrow” is quite an interesting manga. It’s protagonist is pretty much a lazy bum who plays video games all day long but he does show enthusiasm at times in trying to create a manga. If anything, he’s not a hikikkomori (depressed unsociable people who stays indoors all the time) as he is able to get out, hang out with people of all age groups, having sex with prostitute but despite having a social life, he is a guy that suffers from bad body odor and emits the aura of laziness.So, it’s interesting to see the life around him. His daughter who wants to study abroad and makes a job decision which shocks her own father. Then there is Oguro’s father who is always on his case to do something with his life. But it’s interesting to see the people that Oguro associates with. May it be a person with a criminal record, a depressed and divorced father or a suicidal woman, he tends to attract interesting people into his life.If anything, “I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow” is a rare treat to see here in the US. The manga is different in not just storyline and its characters but also Aono’s style of illustration and for those wanting to try something more realistic but also humorous and odd, this is one manga series I can easily recommend.Definitely give this manga series a chance!

Shizuo quits the salaryman job he hates and becomes a manga artist. Midlife crisis or awesome comic? It’s both!I’m kinda tempted to waffle - and I could waffle about this one a LOT - about Shizuo’s decision to follow his dreams and how inspiring it is and how people today blah blah blah, but I’ll stick to the book instead. I will say this though: the author, Shunju Aono, shows both sides to Shizuo’s decision: how it makes Shizuo look like a selfish, moronic douche, because he’s no longer supporting his teenage daughter and retired father, but also how brave he is to do something most people only fantasize about, to follow their dreams while they still can.Ok, the book itself - I really liked it and, man, did I need this. If you subsist on a diet of Marvel and DC books, you wind up consuming a whole lotta junk that’ll wear you down. A good indie comic is like a delicious salad after all that rich, overcooked crap. Keep your capes and masks, your tight asses and killer abs, give me a schlumpy protagonist who gets beat up by kids!It’s like a more compelling version of Bakuman, the more slick, accomplished manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, where the two teenage leads decide to become manga creators. There’s more risk for the main character of I’ll Give It My All… Tomorrow because he’s much older, has more responsibilities, and yet refuses to quit.But Aono is quick to downplay Shizuo as someone to be admired. He’s frequently the butt of every joke from when he goes out with his co-workers at the fast food joint and the fact that he’s two decades older than everyone keeps being brought up. Or that his manga turns out to be quite cliched and keeps getting rejected. The comedy didn’t really make me laugh but I like pathetic main characters - yes, I’m a Dan Clowes fan!I know it’s all about Shizuo and his journey to become a published, best-selling manga artist, but I would’ve liked Aono to spend a bit more time on other parts of his life. Like, Shizuo’s a single father, which can’t be easy, but what happened to the wife - did she die? Divorce? We never know (though maybe we find out in later volumes?).Or how about discovering that his daughter worked in a Love Hotel? You’d think that would be an angle rich with melodrama or a way for father and daughter to bond, but it’s dealt with so dispassionately and swiftly as to barely seem like it was worth including. I suppose it does accurately portray the tenuous relationship between teenager and parent though.I wish I could find out more information on the author, Shunju Aono. Is this book autobiographical? The drawing style isn’t as sophisticated or polished like Dragon Ball or Bakuman but it’s certainly not bad either. I’d say that if Shizuo is Aono then he really came up aces when he created this book - it’s a totally compelling story that feels unique and fresh.While it’s not a perfect book, I was still fully invested in Shizuo’s story and read through this book in one sitting. My edition also had an absolutely stunning short story featuring Shizuo and a suicidal girl at the end. It underlines the themes of the book so well, that life is short and doing what you love is the only thing that makes sense - and that life is worth living too. I’m no po-faced Paulo Coelho fan but it’s hard to be cynical about the purity of the book’s message.I think if you’re the kind of person who has ambitions to be published yourself, then this book will be for you; if not, then you’re unlikely to connect with the character’s motivations and, consequently, the story. But if you enjoy plotless, though compelling, stories about ordinary people trying to find some meaning to their lives, and failing as much as they succeed, you’ve got to try I’ll Give It My All… Tomorrow.

A fantastic beginning. The setting isn't particularly unique but Shunju Aono shows that the failure/failing adult genre won't be getting old any time soon. As an avid reader of any manga that takes a more alternative approach to it's art I had to pick this up at my first glance at the front cover and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found inside.The first volume of "I'll give It My All" starts strong, giving us an interesting and pitiable main character to sink our teeth into, Shizuo stumbles his way through an interesting set of situations accompanied by a nice range of supporting cast who all grow on you rather quickly. There is a lot to like in this first volume and I hope this series continues to deliver.

Excellent. Different manga, both the drawings and the story.