Smells Like Green Spirit

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Alternative Titles

Japanese: スメルズライクグリーンスピリット

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 2

Chapters: 15

Status: Finished

Published: Aug 12, 2011 to Feb 13, 2013

Genres: Boys Love, Slice of Life

Theme: School

Serialization: Comic Be

Authors: Nagai, Saburou (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 7.80¹ (scored by 2,452 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #1330²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #3580

Members: 5,769

Favorites: 147

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Oct 26, 2014

SleepyBear

Recommended

The story of the bullied, closeted gay high-schooler in a small town is a clichéd (but relevant) one in American media, and yet seeing this brand of narrative in the context of BL is refreshing. BL is considered to be the sphere of fantasy. Much of it is character-driven and chooses to place less emphasis on plot and setting, placing the main couple into a bubble. Nagai Saburou’s Smells Like Green Spirit is unique in that it explores both the characters’ impact on their environment, and how the small town and its inhabitants have molded the characters and their decisions.

Some of the characters and ... scenarios feel familiar at face value: the beautiful boy, the aggressively closeted teen feigning homophobia. However, the attention given to their presentation allows them to feel realistic rather than worn-out.

Facial expressions are Nagai Saburou’s strong suit and serve to set the mood of the narrative. Manic laughter, comically absurd faces that might be more suited to a gag manga, the poignant holding back of tears, blushing young love, and eerie smiles that slowly dig a pit of dread in one’s stomach: all are illustrated with equal effectiveness. The animated expressions breathe life into everyone from the troubled antagonists to the gossiping aunties of the town. The overlapping and shifting of emotions lends to an element of the unexpected that keeps the story engaging.

At its heart, this story is about love. Rather than the oft-glorified romantic love, it places equal if not more importance on friendship, familial love, self-acceptance, and the ways in which they conflict. Will placing your own happiness over that of your loved ones ultimately make you happy? To what lengths should you go to hide your true self to fit in and live life in a way that society dictates, and who will be hurt by this? What values should be prioritized and what sacrifices are necessary to have a life that you’re satisfied with? The main characters wrestle through the process of discovering their personal answers to these questions, while other characters suffer from the consequences of past choices.

This manga presents the different ways in which those who don’t conform can be themselves and exist in an environment that isn’t always accepting of them. It’s an amalgamation of humor, intense discomfort, romance, fear of the unknown, the joy of newfound friendship, and a bittersweet coming-of-age story. By drawing parallels between and contrasting the lives of the various inhabitants of one small town, Smells Like Green Spirit shows that navigating the convoluted branches of the journey of life doesn’t always turn out the way you expect or desire. But maybe there isn’t just one answer to finding your place in the world.

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Feb 27, 2020

HondaYumeha

Recommended

So, I finished reading this manga back when I'm in senior high school, I was devastated cause of the rollercoaster ride of this manga. At first peek at the early chapter you may find that it can be a little humorous element of the drawing even though the story has started with rather dark material; bullying.

The story revolves around the main characters self-learning and self resolution. Watching how everyone tries to overcome their confusion, their fear and try to pursuit the best happiness to each of their own is really amazing. This manga shows a glimpse of reality that LGBT and queer people face ...

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Aug 1, 2019

shysnail

Not Recommended

Smells Like Green Spirit is an absolute mess of a manga. The plot swings from one thing to another fast enough to give you whiplash. There is a lot of simply absurd stuff that happens, with no real build up except the author deciding that this is what was happening now. The characters' motivations are bizarre and unpredictable. There are some really troubling yaoi/BL tropes that are used as a fall back to create drama, with literally no fall back or substance at all. The whole premise on which the manga opens (a gay kid being bullied) ends up having little to no bearing on ...

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Oct 7, 2019

zaena

Recommended

Smells like green spirit is a small peek into the lives of closeted gay men in the deep countryside of japan.

Story - 8
The story's refreshing, short and bittersweet. It follows mishima, a closeted and bullied gay boy. He comes across an unlikely ally, who also turns out to be gay. From there, an exploration into sexuality and the many ways in which people hide it, and the consequences of discovery ensues.

The story can be a bit jarring, because it feels fast-paced, with some events happening seemingly out of nowhere, with little lead-up and not much of a resolution. But, I'm not sure this story intended ...

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Sep 15, 2021

Borealiz

Recommended

I like this manga for everything. it subverts in stories revolving gay characters. However, at the parts in which the manga follows cliches of the genre is where I have some issues.

I personally really liked the art. I liked how distinct it was and how well it captured emotions. It wasn't anything new, but it was very good regardless. I also think that considering this manga is more character and plot driven, and less focused on epic panels or detailed character designs, I think it does a good job. I also like how the things that the characters remark as important are also drawn ... dramatically so the audience can also see it for themselves. It's not just all talk, but also the medium of manga is used to enhance the story further.

The story, as I said, really surprised me when it subverted tropes of the genre. I'll try not to spoil by speaking vaguely, but will be spoiling some plot points, so I would skip this if you don't want to be spoiled, but also there are some triggering things in this manga which you should be aware if you are sensitive to certain topics. The things I enjoyed was the friendship between the two main characters and how they weren't forced into a relationship just because they have the same orientation. I also really enjoyed the exploration of each characters individual sexuality, and showed that not everyone's experience is the same and that gay people aren't a monolith.

One thing I'm really glad this manga doesn't normalise or romanticise is teacher student relationships, and older men preying on younger boys. It was always treated as creepy and never treated lightly. Even when we are meant to sympathise with the predator, it's never treated as something normal, but something that is morally wrong.

Two things I didn't quite enjoy was the representation of lesbians. Which in all honesty was a blink and you miss it moment, but it was distasteful especially considering the content of this story. The lesbian character was used to further prove that one of the main characters was definitely not interested in women. But the scene also enforced the idea that woman 'turn' lesbian after a bad sexual experience with a man, and as we know isn't true and a harmful misconception. I know the author wasn't interested in this character more than just to make a few jokes and not to develop her as a character, therefore I feel like she could've been omitted all together. However, she appears so briefly hat it doesn't' really affect my enjoyment of the overall story.

I also didn't enjoy the reinforcement of the trope that men who're homophobic are actually gay themselves, but even more than that but the coupling of the bully with their victim. I do not enjoy this trope especially considering how relentless and how brutal the bully was willing to be to the victim, I didn't think they should've ended up together. It's a trope that is so prevalent, and is showed so often in queer stories. I just don't like the idea of not only forgiving the person who caused one so much suffering, but also awarding the abuse with love. However, this manga is bit old, and I can give it the benefit of the doubt that these conversations weren't being had at that time.

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Jul 25, 2021

annacarabuena

Recommended

The ending was absolutely wonderful, I love it so much. Reading yaoi isn't just about smexy scenes and romantic gestures, but it's also about discovering oneself and pursuing the path that makes you happy. This story is every bit amazing. The way the topic was introduced slowly that you personally could relate to (I am never a homophobe), about a person's struggles of accepting oneself despite what other people think. The scene was pretty good, living in a rural area where everybody know everybody's business makes it really hard for you to move and be yourself that's why our three precious protagonists dealt with their ...

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