Koko wa Green Wood
Here is Greenwood

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When I came across the Greenwood manga, I had seen the OVA in my younger years. Like other series of the time period, Greenwood's anime adaptation is only 6 episodes long and obviously doesn't cover the whole story. So coming to the manga version of Greenwood was a proper introduction to this charming relic of the 80s/90s.

Here is Greenwood is all about the characters. This is an ensemble comedy that takes place in a boys dorm at a private school. It took me a little bit to really get through some of the dense characterization and interactions at the beginning (especially while trying to relate ... all the characters with one another) but this is one of those series where it pays off. By the end, I really came to love the whole cast including the always-interesting side characters and recurring references.

I LOVE the main character in this one. He develops a lot throughout the series and has a nice overall arc. In general a very uplifting, inspiring, and down-to-earth series. Beautiful late-80s/early-90s art, very bubble-Japan era in setting, very fun and tongue-in-cheek. The Viz translation doesn't include any author-talk sections but their continuous presence throughout the manga built a strong rapport with me. I really loved my time with this series and highly recommend it.

I started reading the manga because of liking the anime a lot, and the manga was very enjoyable and fulfilling in more Here Is Greenwood greatness. There are a lot of funny moments, but then sometimes there are some moments that are a bit more touching. Occasionally there's moments of characters referencing the fact that they're in a manga and such, and other times there's an "appearance" by mangaka talking about the story. I usually don't like that kind of thing in manga/anime but it works well here.

The setting (usually) of school's dorm and the interactions between all the characters are ... interesting. But then of course the residents of the dorm aren't usually very normal, the main characters of them being Hasukawa, Mitsuru, Shinobu, Shun, and a guy that carries his motorcycle. Okay, the last one isn't a main character except for a few various chapters and makes appearances, but he's always fun to mention. Hasukawa can be a bit weak at times as well as taken advantage of or misled easily, but he's also kind, can be fast, and over time grows more. Shun, his roommate, has an interesting aspect and can be pretty amusing as well. Mitsuru, the head resident, pretty much tortures Hasukawa constantly and is the "pretty" one all the girls/women are after and has miraculous healing abilities in his face. Shinobu is the class president whom shares a close yet intricate relationship with Mitsuru and can be cold and calculating, as well as being the most feared by all students.

The artwork is pretty good (maybe an understatement). There's interesting storylines; advancing things with Hasukawa's brother and first love, stories involving the main characters and get to see some backstories, as well as a bit of science fiction or fantasy type sidestories, and of course a bit of ghost stories what with it being a school sometimes taking place in summer. The characters and stories about them are pretty interesting and can easily draw you in making you wonder what happens with them next or had happened to them in the past. There are also times where there will be a problem or some outside character or force is trying to cause a problem and the main characters will skillfully (and sometimes not as skillfully) resolve the matter.
The series is probably even better than I make it sound and so should at least be given a look if there's a chance to.

There are only two bad things I can think of about it. The first being the major of the two, and that being the fact that every once in a while a bit of text will disappear off the edge of the page. The version I read was the Viz American release. The words having that problem aren't in bubbles and are usually easy enough to figure out what it's supposed to say, though. The other is that I wish there was a bit more to happen between some characters toward the end of the series, but that's just a personal wish. Nothing's left unresolved with them exactly, just would've liked to have seen more.