ゴン

GON

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
7
RELEASE
March 22, 2002
CHAPTERS
24

DESCRIPTION

Long before the dawn of man, savage dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Now, only one remains — the smallest, wildest of them all! GON marches across the wilderness defending the friendly and furry from the mean and hungry. Told entirely without words, these stories highlight the amazingly detailed art and visual storytelling genius of creator Masashi Tanaka.

Note: Got an additional chapter in Afternoon 2013-11 (to promote the CGI show), and a spin-off in 2006 called "Gon-chan" in Comic BonBon that lasted until 2007.

CAST

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO GON

ANIME ActionGon

MANGA ActionGON SELECTION

TV SHORT ActionGON 2nd Season

REVIEWS

Krankastel
70/100
Just a pointless weekend rant on how what is and what we perceive can be at odds.
Given how mankind has been both awed and horrified from nature’s power it was easy to attribute various traits such as being motherly, wicked and outside God’s domain, cruel or kind, evil or good.

But those remain subjective human attributions, for nature simply is. How Gon is connected to this? Quite honestly it might not be, and I may just be babbling nonsense. I can’t help but remember it though, for it reminded me of how subjective our perception is. Skip [2.] if you just want to know what to expect from the manga.

[__1. On story...__]
There’s no need to say much, but either way: the story is episodic adventures that are purely based on visual storytelling. Those are centered on the reoccurring dinosaur named Gon appearing in various ecosystems and interacting with local fauna, to either save the day or fill his stomach. Chapters tend to be comedic, with some dramatic ones at times, sometimes centered on cute critters being helped by Gon, and sometimes he is living alongside other animals, or as one of them. In many he empathizes with the weaker animals and fights against predators. And in some cases, he’s being totally self-serving.

Outside being constantly hungry and violent, Gon is a highly inconsistent character, sometimes being less or more cunning/intelligent than in other chapters, and him being altruistic can be inconsistent as well.

[__2. A small rant you may sidestep, nothing to be taken at face value...__]
Depending on who reads, I guess this character inconsistency can be baffling, not affecting them at all, or lead them to dismiss the work overall as childish. I find something endearing with this though: to me he feels like an unusual self-insert character. His inconsistent personality feels just like an average human’s, and other traits turn him into an almighty interventionist who discriminates what he considers wrong from right, and acts accordingly.

In way I’m reminded of something I notice in people watching documentaries: almost all of them end up feeling bad over certain animals falling prey to a starving predator, such as a wolf or a crocodile, yet quite many take it a step further, outright labeling the predator as “bad”. The truth is, most animals do not kill out of malice, just to cover a need. And unlike humans and some other social animals, most animals don’t even have concepts of empathy or foundations for morality.

Perhaps I’m just occasioned by a children’s manga with adventures led by a cool dinosaur, and overthought pointlessly. But in a way, I feel this is much like a superhero fantasy at natural settings, and a parallel of the discriminatory projection of moral traits by humans, depending on if something is small, big, cute or not, a carnivore, a herbivore, beneficial or harmful, you name you get it.

[__3. Briefly on artwork...__]
Its artwork is realistic, richly detailed and well-shaded, many depictions of fauna being almost photorealistic, barring expressions showing more anthropomorphic characteristics at times. The mangaka’s attention to detail and aesthetics also expands to natural landscapes.

Given how there is no dialogue, the manga is entirely carried by its rich visuals and paneling. No matter the impression one forms over Gon, or even if they don’t care at all, I’d more than recommend taking a peek at this manga simply because of how good it looks.

Just a closing point: I'm not going to say Gon is something more than what it is: a nature-themed adventure manga with detailed artwork. Just like nature, it's what it is and no interpretation, or how much I amuse myself writing this review is going to change that.

And in a way, my rant above is just another sample of how human perception can add color or meaning where there might be none, but this might also be one of the spices of life.
Hope you enjoyed my review!
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R2R
80/100
The Beast and the Wild
https://anilist.co/manga/31470/Gon/

When I was a kid, I loved "Man vs Wild". The fact that this retired army man is challenging nature by doing the most caveman shit I've ever seen fascinated me (Though it was extremely hard to take a meal after watching that show lol).
This manga reminded me of that show, except instead of the Bear, we're watching a force of nature in motion, Gon.

The entire manga consists of no dialogue, not even the reaction sound effects. It entirely depends on the artwork to portray the story.
Sometimes, it's better to do than to say. We can talk about many things, even explain them but in course of development or understanding, it's what we do that matters the most than what we say. This is something we see throughout the manga and the lack of dialogue or words just portrays it all the more powerful.

The story takes place in various locations and throughout the journey, Gon meets other animals where sometimes Gon befriends them, accepting their lifestyle, which gives the reader a window to see the ecosystem of these wild creatures. Or sometimes, animals themselves accompany on Gon's journey. And meet their end, harsh or bittersweet.

And sometimes, Gon faces the wild. No matter the obstacle, Gon challenges them. Gon is unstoppable, who only eats, sleeps, and moves on, a force of nature that's meant to live in the wild; a harsh, unforgiving yet mesmerizing place. And the manga doesn't hold back any punches to portray the harsh reality of the wild. In nature, there's no place for the weak. You have to be strong or be eaten by the strong.

Action, generally in Manga form, is a bit hard to visualize. I remember reading some action scenes in "DOGS: Bullets and Carnage" and being lost at certain moments, it was hard to follow along. The action sequences in "Gon", however, are very clear. The solid artwork really captures every small detail of Gon's action in every fight, which will pull you into Gon's struggle to win at whatever it is trying to achieve; fighting a bear, trying to fly, or climbing Mt. Everest. Gon really like adventures.

Gon is a chibi dragon and quite an iconic character who you have probably seen in Tekken games. Gon can be quite hard to understand as a character. There are times when Gon shows no mercy and quite literally be a villain, who just oppresses others with his thick skull out of spite or for Gon's own needs. And other times, he helps other animals. Gon's moral compass is purely driven by instinct. If Gon doesn't like to see a pack of defenseless wolf cubs getting attacked, Gon will fight for them. If Gon wants to make a large wooden bed at the center of a pond, it doesn't care if the pond is occupied by other animals, Gon destroys their homes and drives the animals away, just to make his own lodge and nap peacefully.
The only thing we know for sure is that Gon only does what it wants; Eat, Sleep, and Travel (and kick some animal ass, every now & then) and all we can do is accompany it on its fun journey, marvel at nature, connect through the occasional human emotion it shows, and most importantly, move on and see what's on the other side of the world.

Conclusion

I don't think many people will enjoy this manga. Despite the amazing artwork, it barely holds that 70% score. There's no overall plot, hook, or anything you would see in a general adventure work.

It's just the adventures of a small, strong but mysterious dragon, embracing whatever the wild has to offer.

If that sounds intriguing enough, then give this manga a try.
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