The Spring 2023 Manga Guide

Snow Fairy

What's It About? 

When famous wildlife photographer Narumi comes to Hokkaido to take photos of the elusive "snow fairies," he ends up stranded in a snow storm. After being rescued, he takes up residence in local farmer Haruki's house for the winter. As polar opposites, sophisticated and outgoing city slicker Narumi and country boy Haruki have a lot to learn from one another.

After Haruki shows an interest, Narumi teaches him about photography... and before he realizes it, he finds himself the sole subject of Haruki's new hobby. After a winter spent so close together, what will the spring thaw bring?

Snow Fairy has story and art by Serizawa Tomo, with English translation by Christine Dashiell, lettered and touched up by Vibrraant Publishing Studio. Tokyopop released the first volume on April 11.

Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

This volume combines two things I am an absolute sucker for; a sweet, mutual love story and animals. Narumi is a wildlife photographer who comes to Hokkaido one snowy winter to capture what he calls “snow fairies,” but he's not averse to snapping whatever wildlife comes his way. He's picked up by Haruki, a young farmer who's aghast that the Tokyoite thinks he's going to camp out during the winter. He invites Narumi back to the house where he's lived alone since his parents' deaths, and the two men begin to grow closer by inches.

It definitely helps that the art in this single-volume story has some absolutely beautiful images of birds. Although he doesn't specialize in them, many of Narumi's photos are of various bird species, and the drawings capture their strength and delicacy. The first picture that Narumi shows Haruki is of two male waterbirds raising chicks together, which is a nice bit of foreshadowing while also letting Haruki (and the reader) know that there's nothing unnatural about homosexual relationships. That's something that Haruki keeps in the back of his mind, because “love” isn't something he's given a lot of thought to over the years. His parents' deaths one snowy night have left him cautious where relationships are concerned. He fears being left alone again, and he's quietly fighting his feelings for Narumi for most of the book. It's not overly angsty, but it gives just enough pain to the story to make the ending rewarding.

This isn't a fast-moving manga, nor is it explicit. The story is very much an emotional one, caught up in Haruki trying to understand his emotions and Narumi trying not to frighten the younger man with his. The birds are a visual highlight, but the background art also deserves a mention; if you've lived in a snowy place, you'll recognize the feel of Snow Fairy's Hokkaido. It's really the sort of book that could be easily overlooked because of its gentle nature, but it definitely deserves attention. There aren't many romances that can be summed up with a truly heartfelt “nice” in the most heartwarming and honest of senses. This is one of them, and it's worth your time.