Whenever I first began to read Shimeji Simulation, the surrealism of the story unnerved me, and I felt discouraged, especially considering that I do not read much manga anymore; nonetheless, considering that it was recommended by someone dear, I attempted to retain an open mind and to give it a bit more of a chance. It then very quickly surprised me, as it began to feel uniquely affecting and incredibly appealing. Whilst the stories found within may seem strange at first, and even potentially rather incomprehensible, the way that I have come to interpret many of them has ultimately added a great deal of value and meaning to the way that I approach everyday life.
A comfortably familiar sense of apathy pervades the entire manga; it is often as if the characters are embracing it, rather than pulling away from it, even if that is likely out of a feeling of obligation or necessity. They are still getting along with their everyday lives, despite often feeling and pondering a sense of purposelessness. Whilst the manga doesn't necessarily provide clear, direct answers, it does provide some solace, and I feel I have found answers for myself in many of the stories. Depending on one's interpretation, there is so much to take away and consider from this work. Experiences such as the freedom and excitement that Shimeji, the protagonist, felt as the result of something as mundane as a morning stroll in an unfamiliar part of her town are depicted so wonderfully that they make me feel a renewed appreciation for manga in general.
The manga has affirmed in my mind the idea that, even though things may sometimes feel futile or directionless, and I may feel as if I am meandering through life, there is still beauty and joy to be found in the everyday — and that maybe that kind of thing is enough to keep getting up in the morning for.
It is rather common for me to experience bouts of dissatisfaction and apathy, especially after times of considerable change. I think that is why I have been enjoying this manga so much lately. Even whenever I do become lazier and more apathetic, I do my best to maintain a consistent level of exercise, and also at least relatively consistent eating habits, in the hopes that these acts will improve my mood somehow. I do not wish to underestimate any potential links between the physical and the mental, after all.
One of the things that I have found that has been the most powerful during such times throughout my lifetime has been exercise. The power of a simple walk is often very surprising, and is almost relentlessly reliable. There is a piece written by Kafka in his Meditation (alternatively Contemplation) about the strength and freedom that one can feel simply from taking an evening stroll, which I felt was rather akin to the depiction of how Shimeji felt whenever she decided to take the day off of school to go for a walk in a new place.
"If in the evening you seem to have decided once and for all to stay at home, having donned your dressing-gown, sitting after dinner at the lamp-lit table and intending to take up this bit of work or that game, after which you will go to bed as usual; if the weather outside is unkind, which makes staying at home the natural thing to do; if by now you have already been sitting silent at table for so long that going out would be bound to provoke general amazement; if the main staircase is already dark and the front door locked, and if despite all this you get to your feet in sudden unease; if you change your dressing-gown and appear fully clad for outdoors, declare that you have to go out, and after a brief goodbye actually do so; if you think you have left behind you a greater or lesser degree of annoyance according to how quickly you slam the apartment door; if you find yourself once more out in the street, your limbs responding with especial agility to the unexpected freedom you have given them; if by this one decision you feel all your capacity for decisive action concentrated within you, if you realize with greater insight than usual that you do after all have more strength than you need to bring about the quickest change with ease, that you have the capacity to weather it; and if you run off down the long streets in the way you are doing—then for this evening, you have broken utterly from your family, who fade away into insubstantiality, while you your-self, absolutely solid, black and clear-cut, slapping your thighs, rise and assume your true form. All this is further reinforced if at this late hour you go and look up a friend to see how he is doing."
The next time that you feel a pang of purposelessness, or you feel lost within your own lethargy, or you feel as if you are meandering through life, maybe it would help if you tried going for a sudden stroll, away from whatever 'bit of work or that game' that you may be currently occupying yourself with. As Shimeji did, maybe you will begin to find some joy in the everyday, also.