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Somari and the Guardian of the Forest Creator Asks for Support to Possibly Resume Manga Someday

Manga creator Yako Gureishi posted a Twitter thread on Friday in English discussing the status of their Somari and the Guardian of the Forest (Somali to Mori no Kamisama) manga.

Gureishi stated they cannot restart the manga now "Due to the Japanese manga industry and my lack of ability." Gureishi explained the manga required a lot of staff, but manga creators themselves are the ones who pay the salaries of their assistants, and currently Gureishi is unemployed and has "no money and no income."

Gureishi stated they need to own a big studio and be able to pay their staff in order to resume the series, but added they are "currently destitute."

Gureishi added they think if their name becomes more popular or "if the strange customs of this industry disappear," it might be possible to resume Somari and the Guardian of the Forest. Gureishi asked their fans to support the manga through purchasing the manga in e-book form and spreading the word about their situation. Gureishi did not directly ask for contributions to their Pixiv Fanbox account, but Gureishi links to it in their Twitter profile. Pixiv Fanbox operates similarly to Patreon.

The Comic Zenon website had stated in December 2020 that the manga had ended due to the author's worsening health. Gureishi's Twitter account profile states they are currently undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder and are preparing for a new serialization.

North Star Pictures and later Coamix published the manga digitally in English, and anime database website MyAnimeList added the manga to its website for free in English starting in December 2019.

The manga inspired a television anime that debuted in Japan in January 2020. Crunchyroll co-produced the anime, and also streamed the series with English subtitles under the title Somali and the Forest Spirit. Crunchyroll also streamed an English dub. The anime had 12 episodes.

Crunchyroll describes the anime:

The world is ruled by a diversity of inhuman beings, who persecuted humans and drove them to near-extinction. One day, the forest guardian Golem meets a human girl. This is a chronicle of a journey that would bind a member of the dying "human" clan to the forest guardian Golem, as father and daughter.

The manga launched in 2015. Coamix published the manga's sixth compiled volume in April 2019.

Source: Yako Gureishi's Twitter account