リトル・フォレスト

LITTLE FOREST

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
2
RELEASE
May 25, 2005
CHAPTERS
34

DESCRIPTION

The story of a girl called Ichiko, who lives alone in a forest. Each chapter features a dish or meal scavenged or harvested from Ichiko's surroundings in rural Komori ("little forest"). While there are no wild flights of fancy as in Witches or Hanashippanashi, the organic linework and majesty of nature featured within tap into that same source of magic. Little Forest is a very acquired taste on its own, but just another piece of the stunning tapestry Daisuke Igarashi continues to weave today.

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

GGShang
80/100
Growing up is a lesson learned from the most mundane of days
There are two ways to read this manga: the right way and the way I did it. The right way would be to read it as a chill, food based slice of life and move on with your day. But I just had to read it through the lens of growing up and finding oneself, so that's what this review is going to explore.

With 80% of the manga being about preparing and enjoying food, the rest is made up of character interactions and introspection by the main character Ichiko. Ichiko is an interesting character because even though she can manage a whole plot of land by herself, make dozens of different dishes for every time of year as well as have the presence of mind to save and plan things for the long run, she is still stuck with a question that many people ask themselves as they get older: what does it mean to be an adult? There seems to be an ever present disparity between ichiko and those around her, with both the older locals and with her peers. Everyone seems to know what they want to do and they're working hard for it. And yet here is Ichiko, still stuck in her mother's shadow, still getting into small conflicts with her neighbors and still just acting like she's content with her life. But things slowly change for her as she continues to live her slow paced life and through her interactions with the people and the land.

Now, being a slice of life comes with a lot of challenges when it comes to talking about character development, and I think that this manga is a good example of how to do it. It comes subtly and it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it. But with every dish Ichiko makes, whether it be through the process of patience as she plants and grows her crop, or maybe through the difference between her mother's dish and hers, or maybe through the meal shared with a neighbor after the fact she learns small yet important lessons about life. She begins to understand the value of community. She begins to appreciate work through hardship. She begins to learn that moving forward in life is not a one shot opportunity, but rather a consistent effort that will move you forward even if you look like you're going in circles. But to move forward, you must first take that first initial step. And in a lot of ways, the chill vibe of the village and the manga as a whole makes Ichiko and the audience want to stay still. Funny isn't it?

And at the end of the story you are left with a culmination of all the little things that Ichiko has learned. What her life is like after I'll leave to you to discover.

Okay, so was this review reading a little too deep into the story? Maybe, but I think it's an interesting take on it. There's so much more I would want to talk about, like how the food plays a pivotal role within the community as well as for Ichiko's own life, but I'll just leave it at that. This manga is definitely not one for everyone, as it comes off as really boring to a lot of people, but still, to the right person at the right time this manga can end up being pretty hard hitting. It's quick too, so check it out if you have a chance
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