I don’t really review One Shots much. Mainly because I don’t get to read that many of them. Maybe I should seek them out more. One Shots are essentially manga short stories and I love short stories.
I have to come clean. I read Gunji-sensei no Hisoka na Tanoshimi online and I’m not entirely sure if it’s part of any published anthology. I don’t think it is as I couldn’t find any mention of it on all the sites I searched but I might be wrong.
Why I Picked up Gunji-sensei no Hisoka na Tanoshimi
I was actually reading some other manga by author Makoto Taji. They write a lot about food and for some reason, I’m currently on a food manga binge… Anyways, I liked the other works I was reading so I figured I would give this one a try as well. Besides, the cover looked really cool!
Official Summary
Gunji Arata is a best-selling novelist who is fashionable, loves cats, and is good at teasing. A new editor, Suzumori, came to receive his new manuscript. “Thank you for your hard work, Sensei. I received the manuscript!!” “Suzumori-kun, your expression looks good. This is… it looks like it’s going to be good.”
My First Impression
Oh, fun!
What is Gunji-sensei no Hisoka na Tanoshimi
I’m not sure that the official summary helped you guys out much. I find that official summaries can be very hit or miss when it comes to one-shot manga.
The idea is still there though. Basically, Suzumori is a fresh new young editor and his very first solo job is working with Gunji-sensei who he happens to idolize. You can imagine how nervous the poor boy is. His first task is to visit sensei and get the pages he needs for the next deadline.
Sensei is an affable and witty fellow. With a heck of a lot more experience in the business than Suzumori and over the course of a few hours one evening, they share a bit of conversation and some yummy things to eat.
That’s it. That’s all that happens. Well, there’s a little bit more to it but that’s something you should discover for yourselves. Still, in general, that is all this story is. And I love that,. That’s the essence of short stories. Little vignettes glimpsing into the lives of characters rather than following them around.
The setup is good, the characters are well established despite how short the story is and the payoff left me with a big smile on my face.
Conclusion
Gunji-sensei no Hisoka na Tanoshimi is a breeze to get through. You’ll probably be done in 5 minutes. But it’s a nice way to discover a different type of storytelling in manga.
One-shots require different narrative structures and subtle but effective character development that doesn’t work in the same way as a regular manga, even a single volume one. And that has a certain appeal, especially to those who enjoy the actual art of storytelling on a technical aspect.
That’s not to say that the story isn’t worth it for its own sake, I personally thought it was very charming and I would have liked to spend just a bit more time with the characters.
I’m pretty sure not many people are going to talk about Gunji-sensei no Hisoka na Tanoshimi so I wanted to share it with you. If you do read it and enjoy it, you might want to look into the author’s other works. Just make sure to not do so on an empty stomach.
