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 to make a review for it. Let's get into it!
// Story // 10/10
The story is where this really shines. Takao, a first year in high school, skips out on morning classes every time it rains. When he does skip class, he goes to a local park to work on his dream: shoemaking. One day, he would meet a young woman who sat there, sipping beer and eating chocolate. Over time, they begin to talk to each other, takao opens up about his dream, and the woman opens up about her bad cooking skills and how she "lost the ability to walk for a while".
One day at school, a teacher walks by with a woman beside him, and it turns out to be Yukino-sensei, a teacher who is quitting her post as a teacher due to being essentially bullied out of the job by her students after some nasty rumors went around about her. Takao recognizes her as the woman from the park. One day, he decides to go to the park, and finds Yukino-sensei standing there. Rain follows, and they are forced to retreat to her apartment, where Takao confesses, but gets rejected. A tense but emotional scene in the building's outdoor staircase ensues and closes the show.
I really like this narrative, it starts off slow and calm, like the rain, before picking up with a violent storm towards the end, where emotions clash and tensions rise between the characters. It's a simple narrative of forbidden love, but one that works.
// Art // 6/10
This one hurts. Once you've seen the movie a few times and then read the manga version, it feels like an insane drop in quality. The movie has insane attention to detail, ridiculously good art and design, and here, it feels empty.
Don't get me wrong, I find the art to be fine, but don't expect the levels of art you'd find in the movie.
Takao looks like himself, he's a pretty simple character design-wise, but Yukino-sensei looks a bit off, and the backgrounds are very simple compared to the movie, which featured Takao's busy room, which is now pretty damn empty, the park doesn't feel as full with life...
It's a shame, really, at I feel like this could've been it's main selling point, but it's just... disappointing.
// Character // 9/10
The characters in this story are all pretty solid and loveable, well, for the ones that are developped, so basically Takao and Yukino-sensei.
Takao to me feels too bland, even in the movie. His simple design doesn't really appeal to me, and he just looks like a typical background character from a shoujo series... He is very assertive when it comes to his dreams, and clearly won't give up easily, so that's a plus for him. I like me some good, assertive characters who don't give up on something because they're told "no".
Yukino-sensei is definitely up there in my favorite characters. Not enough to make my list, but a decent candidate. She's sweet and soft, despite hiding the fact that she was a teacher, which did clearly hurt Takao. She clearly means no harm, and reminds me alot of Hina Tachibana from Domestic na Kanojo.
I would've said something about the bullies, but they're essentially the same as in the movie, literally no change.
// Enjoyment // 9/10
Kotonoha no Niwa is in my favorites list on MAL, so obviously I was bound to enjoy this, even despite the lacking art style. The story pulls this all together so well, and it makes me want to go back and watch the movie again, which will definitely happen soon.
A good and short read, despite the lack of detail in the art, this could've been much better, but i'll take it as it is!
Thanks for reading!
