Unfulfillment is a tragically universal thing, so it’s no surprise manga picks up on it. Starting in 2018, some of the most popular series show the isolating realities of millennials that Generations Z’rs relate to. They’re all on a spectrum of how emotionally realistic the settings and characters are. But, the important thing is why these series caught on.
Oh and uh… Spoilers Incoming!
Unfulfillment Manga: Softest End
Let’s start with probably the least grounded of them, Mashle. This series is a pretty typical Shonen Jump formula of getting the highest honors to finally get some respect. But unlike other series about being “the best that ever was”, this is basically a means for survival. In Mash’s world, magic is what determines someone’s place in society. Mash, having no magic was going to be killed to keep this rule going. But… thanks to the kindness people show him in return for his, he enters a magic school. But once that goal’s achieved, he tosses the degree aside to follow his dream.
This is more or less based on the creator Hajime Kōmoto’s experience. You see, he dropped out of college to follow his dream to become a manga artist. Mashle’s background threat to survive the world is basically Kōmoto’s deadline to get a serialized series. Otherwise he would’ve just been a Working Joe in a job he hated.
Softer
Now there’s The Promised Neverland, centering on three kids with the best grades in their orphanage. But surprise, that just makes them specially bred livestock for demons. So in a series of suspenseful events, they have to change the rules of this world of demons to survive. And they’ve got a lot against them in this uphill battle of wits. They can’t count on the adults, because they’ve more or less surrendered to the cutthroat nature of this status quo. In fact, when the demon hierarchy stumbles, the adults in the highest positions use it as an opportunity to take over. Thanks in no small part to one of these whiz kids having a difference of opinion to fight the demons. It was only when the less extreme kids inspire some royal demons and the other adults to turn against the status quo do things change.
Compared to Mashle, the creators put in less personal inspirations by focusing on “daily life family, school and the way children look at adults”. What people mean by “all writing is political” is that despite the aim to just entertain people, how people draw from real life can get others thinking.
Soft
Call of the Night might be a bit of a stretch, but Kou Yamori used to thrive in the waking world. After a number of events like: turning down a confession, getting harassed by the confessor’s friends, losing interest in school, and getting insomnia, he becomes disillusioned by it. His only outlet is nightly walks and a girl who diagnoses his condition: Yamori’s holding himself back from experiencing relief. So when this girl turns out to be a vampire, Yamori wants to leave it all behind and join her as one. The only catch is that he has to fall in love with Nazuna first.
Not much to say other than being a misfit who falls in with a crowd. But this is no goth phase, readers relate to Kou finding love in a niche. When following society’s checklists or outlines leave you without direction, discovering life in the alternatives can lead to fulfillment. As long as you’re prepared to deal with how different your life will be.
Soft Enough
Zom 100 is probably the most biting critique of modern life. Most of the main characters strove for success by applying their talents to their careers. You know, like you’re supposed to. But all that did was make them miserable; being exploited for labor, trying to drown doubts in the benefits, and gambling addictions in the vain hope of escape. But when a zombie pandemic breaks out, just about all of that goes out the window. Free from the shackles of the old world, this growing group of misfits get to live out the dreams they missed out on.
Compare that to a number of the villains in this series. Just about all of them hold onto the past as a way to have power over others. Whether that’s making everybody else miserable, exploiting their labor, or letting their losses and traumas get the better of them. Without something to look forward to, they became stagnant unlike the heroes. Probably why this series got so popular with Gens Y and Z; looking for something more is kind of a thing with them.
Unfulfillment Manga: Hard End
Choujin X is where despite having all the aptitude, you’re going to feel like you don’t deserve it. When Tokio Kurohara gets superpowers and the means to make a better life, he struggles with what he wants. He spent a lifetime in his best friend’s shadow and had no direction without him. Even as he develops his powers and confidence, he still feels unworthy. As for that best friend, he’s actually more neurotic than he lets on. Azuma Higashi might have had a good upbringing, but he fears and admires how strong Tokio really is.
What drives this series is a fear of failure in an advanced society. This alternate pre-new millennium dwarfs the modern world in advancements, technological and social. Yet wage gaps and wars are more prevalent than ever. Plus it looks like an apocalypse is on the horizon, so anything to assist the setting can be nothing less than exceptional. But it looks like that mindset is what’s going to cause it.
Harder
Chainsaw Man for all of its flashy battles and really out there designs, has plenty more for audiences to latch onto. The creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto, used his living experiences to shape the main character’s motivations. In Fujimoto’s own words, title character Denji starts out like he was after college: no prospects, no safety nets, and bad living conditions. Even when creator and creation are successful, they were stuck in mindsets where they just followed instructions just to keep surviving. So putting up and laughing with the Eric Cartman inspired Power and the single-minded Aki comes across as a genuine escape from reality. Not just because of how over-the-top battling devils get, but the journey to find what really matters resonates in them.
But this series goes the extra mile to show how once you make your breakthroughs, you still have to deal with life. Denji might have greater strength for his independence, responsibilities, and other goals, but he still has needs and wants that seem out of reach. Like how much he wants an intimate girlfriend, but doesn’t quite grasp how to properly do it. Honestly, that’s just life, it doesn’t end when a goal is reached.
Hardest
Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku hits a more subtle note after a successful but unfulfilling career. The ninja Gabimaru was so conditioned by his rough upbringing, that he lost touch with reality. He didn’t realize he had a will live until his would-be executioner had to point out what he has. That executioner turned monitor, Sagiri herself had to realize just how unfulfilled she was trying to fit in with her clan’s strict ways.
Frankly their situations are from being brought up in groups trying to continue their glory through proxies. Often that means kissing up to the highest powers to secure a position. But as the cast discover, trying to continue a legacy going forever isn’t at all worth it.
Diamond
Kaiju No. 8 hits very hard for the late bloomers out there. The ironically named Kafka Hibino vowed to help people who lost much to the ever-growing number of monsters. But Kafka came up short in everything the monster fighters were looking for. Despite his best efforts to pass qualifications, Kafka eventually got too old before the restrictions were relaxed. This genuinely comes across as sacrificing everything for a college education only to flunk out. Worse an old friend of Kafka’s, Mina Ashiro became a high ranking official with little trouble. This caused them to drift apart; at this point, they’re not even on speaking terms.
Not that it’s really did anything great for Ashiro herself. Sure, she’s the fastest growing soldier commanding her own branch that inspires the masses to enlist. But on a personal level, she seems lonely. Yes, Ashiro has devoted followers like her Vice Captain, but she barely has any friends. Partly because Kafka wasn’t able to keep his promise of enlisting together, and he was the one who inspired her to enlist. Besides, Vice Captain Soshiro Hoshina is perfectly content being just her buffer because he never felt the pressure to be anything other than a subordinate. And this was after devoting so much of his time to being a swordsman in a field where guns are more effective.
It’s only when Kafka becomes the titular Kaiju No. 8 and finds his resolve again do things take a turn for the better. So what if you’re normal self isn’t the trend people are looking for? You just have to prove yourself where it matters. But you might have to do that several times…
Unfulfillment Manga: Firm Center
Might as well add this to the mix too.
One-Punch Man is arguably where unfulfillment manga reaches that sweet spot between softer escapes and hard reality. It’s all in this line: “not to value our lives based on our accomplishments, but on the time we spend… living and enjoying life’s simple pleasures”. Because who cares if you’re the best there ever was, or how much people complain about how saving the world didn’t make it better. There are some things you just can’t beat by throwing a single punch. All of that energy is better spent putting it to something towards enriching your life.
Why Unfulfillment Manga Have An Audience
So let’s summarize. All of these manga come from the millennial generation, each touching on issues that affected them. They came into a world with previous generations that have worshipped economic bubbles, buying into the idea that things will get better. Only thing is, none of that worked out. From education and luxury’s value dropping, higher costs of living, unemployment, exploitive working conditions, reliance on unsustainable technology, and a lack of physical and mental health care. Since Generation Z audiences also experience all of this stuff, they latch onto unfulfillment manga. It’s like speaking to people who really get what most audiences have to go through.
This way people can take a look at mirror to reflect on what they have. Sometimes they can laugh at how absurd the reality is, other times they get the drive to make the most out of their life. The feelings put into art can really push people forward even if it is only a little.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.