Chichikogusa

This manga presents us the relaxing and easygoing misfits of a traveling medicine seller, who learns the joys and worries of being a parent, accompanied by his adorable son and his neverending curiosity of how the world "works". The tone of the manga is usually humorous and calm, but this never stops the story to unveil heartwrenching and mature topics as well. The story, by itself is nothing groundbreaking or poetic, but combined with the constant interactions and decisions of the characters makes it far more compelling and relatable. The father, as the journey goes, understands the significance and importance of theparenthood, and the value of the moments, spent together with the family, while the son, by his naive but pure-hearted way, struggle with his own issues and traumas. For the art, it can be said that it's good, it does compliment the story nicely while it never feels lackluster. Special attention has been given for the more serious moments, but in the same way, the faces could get exaggerated and cartoonishly twisted for comedy purposes. The two main characters are properly and relatable written, often the side characters receive backstories to explain their behavior and certain quirks of theirs, which fleshes out the setting even more. Overally, I do think this story is worthy of your time if you do enjoy hearthwarming stories about overcoming the obstacles of life as a family, or if you do enjoy the historical setting of rural Japan. Also proper atention is given to the flowers, and their meaning both as a herb, medicine and symbol, which I do found it to be very specific, but entertaining nonetheless.