Nijigahara Holograph

Release

The manga was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine QuickJapan by Ohta Publishing from November 2003 to December 2005. Ohta Publishing collected the 13 chapters into a single volume on July 25, 2006. Fantagraphics Books announced that it had licensed the manga in North America on January 1, 2013. Fantagraphics noted that the manga would be darker than their previous two releases, but still be part of their initiative to publish "unique artistic voices," adding that it would be translated by Matt Thorn. The manga was subsequently published on March 19, 2014. The manga has also been published in France by Panini Comics, in Spain by Ponent Mon and Milky Way Ediciones (republisher), in Italy by Panini Comics, in Germany by Tokyopop Germany, in Brazil by JBC, and in Taiwan by Taiwan Tohan.

Reception

Jason Thompson of Anime News Network found the manga to be confusing and dark, but said: "manga is about flow, but it takes skill to play with that flow as much as Inio Asano does in Nijigahara." He also likened the manga's portrayal of the dark sides of people to David Lynch's films. Comparing the manga to Asano's previous works, Johanna Carlson of Comics Worth Reading said that it has "the same strong focus on character, but with much more emphasis on the creepy and violently destructive." She concluded that "the complex, multi-layered storytelling rewards attention." Ng Suat Tong of The Hooded Utilitarian felt that the quality of the manga which required looking at it as a whole was atypical in the industry, which emphasizes ease of reading. They called the manga as a whole "a marvel of narrative needlework and one of the best comics to have been translated in recent years." In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called the manga a "dark and twisted psychological horror story" which is "equal parts beautiful and highly disturbing", adding that it is "impressive and will leave readers puzzling about it, with many likely returning to dig deeper and discover further meanings." Hillary Brown of Paste compared the manga to the film The Butterfly Effect, finding the manga more favorable, saying: "the book is interesting—even as it frustrates—with its complicated timelines and penchant for big reveals." Laura Hudson of Wired called it a "haunting graphic novel", categorizing it as a horror story, saying: "it's not a particularly easy story, or a nice one, but it is unflinching and beautiful." Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club described it as "a challenging title that forces the reader to confront terrifying situations without offering much comfort afterward", concluding that "Asano's skill delivers a haunting story that ultimately delivers substantial rewards, even with it's unsolved mysteries." Kevin Church of Comics Alliance found that the story didn't feel cheap, "even with the unrelenting bleakness of the narrative" due to Arié's impact on the lives around her. He also complimented the story's focus, its balanced symbolism, and Asano's detailed art and depiction of facial emotion. Lastly, he found the manga much more difficult than Solanin, but called it a worthwhile challenge that "carries a palpable dread that will haunt you well after you put it down." David Berry of the National Post found fault in Asano's over-indulgence in implying that everything in the manga is connected, but called the story "one that can still capture a unique moment with piercing emotionality, leaving feelings lingering like evening shadows."

The manga charted on the The New York Times Manga Best Sellers list, being the sixth best-selling manga for the week ending on March 8, 2014. The manga was nominated for the 2014 Diamond Gem Awards—which are selected by comic book retailers based on sales—for the category Manga Trade Paperback of the Year. Paul Gravett listed the manga as his tenth top manga of 2014, sharing the spot with one other work.