Finished
“Ian's reverse-told journey across continents seeking family and belonging, framed by a reporter's novel.”
Not Simple
not simple
7.74
1,696 rank · 13,898 readers · 317 favorites
Seinen
Drama
Slice of Life
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
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Synopsis
Ian's reverse-told journey across continents seeking family and belonging, framed by a reporter's novel.
Ian, a young man with a fractured family history, travels from Australia to England to America in the hope of realizing his dreams and reuniting with his beloved sister. His story unfolds backwards through the framing narrative of Jim, a reporter driven to capture Ian's experiences in a novel: not simple. A story within a story, a book within a book, a tale about the search for family, for an emotional home. (Source: VIZ Media)
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 11 sampled reviews
9.0
/10
What 11 readers settled on.
100%
recommend
Score distribution
median 9
mode 9
σ 0.74
Agreement
Strong agreement
σ 0.74 · scores cluster tight
The polarity gap
—
Not enough recommend signal yet
Score over time
↓ 1.00
Running avg · Mar 2010 → Sep 2025
Snap verdicts
· shortest highly-rated reviews
- 9 “"Not Simple" by Natsume Ono is anything but simple. A beautiful story about a brother trying to find his sister through various hardships and family struggles. The story keeps switching back from...”
- 10 “10s across the board! The art is awesome in this - very different from other manga. The eyes all are very expressive and sad, which fits the tone of the book. The characters are very well-developed...”
- 8 “Not Simple is such a brutal and depressing story. Though it contains fewer than 15 chapters, the storytelling is complete and satisfyingly sad. I can't help but empathize and feel deeply for the...”
Verbosity
Short · 45%
Medium · 9%
Long · 45%
Read Order & Related
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A Manga Publication
- Format 14 × 1 ch × vol
- Total read 1h 52m approx
- Published Sep 2004 – Nov 2005
- Source Manga media type
- Ref. BS-M8363 catalog