SOMALI AND THE FOREST SPIRIT VOL. 1/ Story and Art by YAKO GUREISHI / Published by TITAN MANGA

In ancient times, the humans and magical creatures lived apart. Then they discovered one another and for a time, there was peace. But humans feared that which was, to them, strange and unusual. They declared war on the magical creatures… and they lost.

Generations later, humans are rare and hunted by the goblins, spirits and beastfolk when they are found. They remember well the hatred that humans showed them and are ready to respond in kind. However, when one old golem discovers a human child in his forest, he takes it upon himself to care for her and find more humans who can care for her.

In a word, Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol. 1 is cute. There is not much in the way of plot and little action or sense of suspense. This first volume just finds Somali and the golem she calls “Dad” wandering around, meeting people, and having little luck finding humans who might care for Somali. There are some mild scare moments, with Somali running afoul of strange creatures, but these bits are brief and rare.

Thankfully, Yako Gureishi does a fine job of keeping the story moving, even if the main purpose of this first volume is establishing the setting. Golem teaches us about the world even as he tries to educate Somali. Yet Golem also learns about humans as he tries to be a better father for reasons he cannot articulate, as golems are not meant to have a full range of human emotions.

Gureishi is also a fantastic artist. The linework is frankly astonishing and there is a lot of detail in every panel. Yet the artwork never seems cluttered in spite of that.

While it may not appeal to more action-minded manga readers, Somali and the Forest Spirit has much to offer. The artwork is simply beautiful and the story is sweet. Presumably future chapters will be more tense once the world is established and some sort of threat to Somali and her new dad will be introduced beyond the golem’s limited life-span.

Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol. 1 arrives on stores on December 17, 2024.