The Fall 2024 Light Novel Guide

Kusunoki's Garden of Gods

What's It About? 

Deep in the countryside, Minato Kusunoki is left in charge of a terrifying house overflowing with evil spirits―or at least it was, until his extraordinary ability cleared them all out! Instead, a procession of unique and peculiar gods is drawn to the comfort of the purified Kusunoki residence, and Minato spends his days relaxing in the company of his spiritual neighbors. What else lies in store for Minato as he lives peacefully surrounded by gods?

Kusunoki's Garden of Gods has a story by Enju and illustrations by ox, with English translation by Matt Treyvaud. Published by Yen On (October 29, 2024).

Is It Worth Reading?

If there is one pervasive issue with Kusonoki's Garden of Gods, it's the pacing. The novel, about a young man who is unaware of his natural ability to exorcise evil spirits with his handwriting, can't seem to decide whether it wants to be about onmyoji purifying and exorcising, Minato's cluelessness about his own power, or just a lazy day in the garden with the gods who have taken a liking to Minato and his home. It tries to incorporate all three, but the result is a low-key mess, like a corner you thought was clean until you realize that what you thought was a shadow was actually a pile of dog hair. It's hardly the end of the world, but it also isn't all that great.

The most interesting element is, of course, Minato Kusonoki himself. Minato has been unceremoniously sent to take care of a distant relative's house as an exercise in living by himself, and also because the family is rapidly running out of relatives to care for it. For some reason, no one ever stays long. Minato is different, however, because something about his pristine handwriting is capable of removing evil miasma and spirits – not that he has the first clue that it does. Upon arriving at the mountain home, he accidentally exorcises the evil spirits (onryo) occupying it, simply by touching his hand-drawn map to the door handle. Suddenly he's saving spirits and gods left and right, and over the course of the book, several move into his garden, creating an otherworld right in his backyard.

Because this is, ultimately, an iyashikei story, Minato just takes everything in stride. Giant wolf mountain god on the porch? Better give him some wagashi. Sake-loving turtle god in the pond? Sure, no problem, have some sake. He does learn to hone his powers (and recognize them) with the help of the gods and Saiga, the onmyoji who discovers the power of Minato's handmade talismans, but that's barely the focus. Instead, it's about lazing around, writing with different inks on different papers, and going shopping for the gods. It's fine, but I admit that I prefer a little more plot in my novels, and Saiga and the other onmyoji at the government bureau all feel woefully underused. If you enjoy slow burn stories where not much happens – or at least, happens quickly – I think this novel stands to make you quite happy. But if you're more into plot over the atmosphere, it's probably safe to spend your time in some other garden.

Lauren Orsini
Rating:

Who wants to read a third-rate iteration of Natsume's Book of Friends? I don't see too many hands raised out there, especially since the seventh season of Natsume's Book of Friends is airing right now. But if that's still not enough and you want to read about a legally-distinct boy who also has the power to talk to yokai while living a low-key supernatural life, look no further than Kusonoki's Garden of Gods. It's the almost too chill story of Minato, a boy who doesn't realize he can exorcise malevolent spirits, and the powerful, generous kami who makes his backyard a little slice of heaven in thanks. Love that for him, but reading about it was an exercise in monotony.

If you asked me how this book made me feel, I'd have to honestly answer, “hungry.” About half of the story is descriptions of the various treats that the yokai prefer. Minato soon learns that the God of the Mountain, whom he dubs quite literally Yamagami, most enjoys wagashi with smooth bean paste. Meanwhile, the Yamagami's children, who resemble martens, are more partial to Western-style sweets with plenty of butter. There's a tortoise who loves sake, a dragon who enjoys wine, and believe it or not, a kirin who is partial to Kirin-branded beer. The main conflict of the story is Minato finding ways to keep these yokai fed (or drunk, as necessary), leaning heavily on their blessings of supernatural good luck. In return, they make the backyard of his house an eternal paradise, complete with a spontaneously-appearing onsen. The primary way Minato makes money is by selling his shopping lists to the local onmyoji for its potent exorcism powers—a fact unbeknownst to Minato until recently, but a handy skill for a light novel protagonist to have. It's irritating how Minato is more powerful than any onmyoji without even being aware of it.

I mostly continued to read this dull book because I suspected a budding romance between Minato and the handsome young onmyoji who visits him so often. That didn't happen, nor did any relationships between book characters deepen beyond the surface level. Instead of helping us get to know the local yokai more deeply, the book instead took a Pokémon approach: introducing more and more yokai to level up the garden until the end. The book was clearly written and formatted, but it left me begging for something—anything!—to happen.