The Garden of Woods by Makoto Shinkai & Midori Motohashi
A young high school student has the ambition to create and design shoes, and after having regular meetings with a woman in the local park, she gives him advice and encouragement. They only meet when it’s raining outside, not when it’s any other weather.
As they continue to meet, the high schooler’s friends reveal the mystery woman’s identity. It turns out they knew about the woman before he did but not that he was meeting with her in the park when he should have been in class. What is going on with this woman?
I knew before buying this that this would be the first manga that I’d read; I was right. It is an excellent story, with the beginning being romantic at first, then becoming thought-provoking as you begin to question the woman’s mental state. What has she been through to get to where she is now?
Suddenly, I realised that the characters and their relationship or beliefs are so wrong in reality. Then begs the question is this something happening in reality or just a trick of one or both their minds, so it leaves you thinking instead of having a completed conclusion.
That’s what I got from the manga anyway. My first manga, as if I haven’t said that enough.
Please let this novice know if you have manga recommendations; I seem to enjoy the romance, thriller, and mystery genres best. Anything to do with that? Leave a comment or drop an email at the email below?
descriptionsonficition@gmail.com
