Kotonoha no Niwa

On rainy mornings, high school student Takao Akizuki skips class and travels to an enchanting garden nestled in the bustle of Tokyo. Aspiring to become a shoemaker, he spends his time sketching and studying designs. During one visit amid the verdant scenery, Akizuki encounters Yakari Yukino—a mystifying woman whose melancholic appearance captures the young boy's eye.

Despite not introducing themselves, the two continue to meet at the same spot, gradually finding comfort in each other's presence. However, with the end of the rainy season approaching, Akizuki and Yukino must confront the uncertainties in their hearts as they find the courage to walk their own paths.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Kotonoha no Niwa was published in English as The Garden of Words by Vertical Inc. under the Vertical Comics imprint on October 28, 2014. It was also released in Brazilian Portuguese as O Jardim das Palavras by NewPOP Editora, and in Spanish as El Jardín de las Palabras by Editorial Kamite on June 2, 2019.

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Yukino, Yukari

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Akizuki, Takao

Main

Akizuki, Shouta

Supporting

Reviews

Oct 27, 2020

DarkVoyagerx

Recommended

This review contains minor spoilers.

The story was great. I watched the movie last year and I actually disliked it until I read the manga which completely changed my mind. I can't recall if the movie had the same ending as the manga but the manga definitely had more content than the movie.

The art was incredibly beautiful. I literally stared at some of the bigger pictures for minutes because it was so good. The character designs were really nice and I liked the way Midori Motohashi drew them when they were blushing and how she sometimes drew these big pictures of the park.

The garden of ...

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Jun 12, 2020

Lumyh

Recommended

Before I get into this review, I want to issue a warning that I will be discussing spoilers for this manga, as I don't see how I can review this without talking about the execution of certain key scenes without spoiling them.

Kotonoha no Niwa is a manga that started serializing before the movie version came out in 2013. It's a short, one volume long manga, which makes it an easy read, like the movie, which is only 40 minutes long, making for an easy watch. In this review, i'll try to not compare it to the movie too much, as i'm planning to rewatch it ...

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Jan 7, 2023

Mobhi

Mixed Feelings

As a manga, "Kotonoha no Niwa" is a completely harmless and even inferior work to the cinematic wrapper presented by Makoto Shinkai in the original anime. In attempting to adapt a 46 min animation that has consistency in its visuals, themes, and pacing, the manga fails to efficiently establish the dramatic aspects that the story demands, mainly due to Midori Motohashi's artistic insufficiency in conveying the essence of the material to the reader.

To a certain extent, the manga manages to maintain a slow narrative rhythm that prioritizes the subtlety of the relationship developed between Yukari and Takao, with a very intimate approach through frames and ... visual organizations that invade and make public the characters' intimacy. Because the premise is founded on sensitive and casual encounters, this slowness elevates the importance of these sporadic events by prolonging the development of the facts, as well as favoring the feelings of contemplation and isolation that are part of the work.

In general, with a slow pace and closed frames on the characters and/or details of the environment, the manga also does not innovate regarding the themes presented in the original animation: human processes such as maturing, overcoming/accepting socially imposed conditions and perspectives for the future are well outlined and verbalized along the dramatic arcs of the main characters. If, on one hand, there is subtlety in showing the relationship between Yukari and Takao, on the other, the work is very objective in showing the reader its themes and respective considerations. In fact, the absence of other characters produces a sterility of subjects, even if it is adequate to the premise.

However, it becomes valid to comment that, due to the isolation tone that comes from the primordial concept of the manga (two people interacting in a park, isolated from the world), all the social and personal problems developed are part of a particular human clipping that does not dialogue with Japan's socioeconomic scenarios. For example, how do Takao's aspirations conflict with the economic-financial and professional career perspective of Japanese young adults? How do material conditions of existence delimit Takao's possibilities of choice and Yukari's chances of change/adaptation? Even if it is not a demerit of the work not to raise human issues that go through the innermost of each character, the lack of these questions hinders a more significant enrichment of the manga.

In truth, this lukewarm narrative approach that favors the intimacy of the characters could work insofar as this is a short, objective, and sincere work with its topics, sufficient to adapt Makoto's animation. However, the main problem with Midori Motohashi's art becomes evident: mediocre character design and drawing techniques that detract from the reader's experience. In this sense, it's not a matter of whether an art style is "ugly" or "attractive," but whether the structuring of the visuals succeeds in ordering the ideas and feelings that the narrative intends to convey to the reader. For example, it is a fundamental part of the premise that the characters have a considerable age difference - yet Yukari's design does not convey the maturity that the character should exude, a condition that affects part of the proposition. Another great example is the lack of detail in the production of the scenarios, especially regarding the lighting of the scenes and one of the central elements of the work: the rain. Again, efficient art is not that which prioritizes realism in the strokes and scene compositions - but in this manga, the absence of considerable finesse and visual richness obstructs a narrative experience that seeks intimacy and contemplation of events. For comparison purposes, the manga "Koi wa Ameagari no You ni" shares narrative and thematic structures with "The Garden of Words" but manages to establish a good mood by depicting the natural elements of each scene (especially the rain) and presenting the characters' intimacy.

Overall, the manga adaptation of "Kotonoha no Niwa" is, at best, mediocre. Even with a reasonable plot that engages the reader, the work is weakened due to an uninspired visual identity and the gradual loss of its subtlety in dramatic development. Since it is a short manga, it may be worth a quick and casual read, without major expectations regarding the content to be contemplated.

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Poll: Kotonoha no Niwa Chapter 3 Discussion Cloe900311 - May 1, 2017	1 replies	by FedeMetal »» Sep 25, 2022 8:42 AM
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Kotonoha no Niwa
The Garden of Words
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