Kon no Ki Konoha

If you're looking for a manga with a bittersweet ending, I definitely recommend this one shot. It depicts a girl that falls in love with a tree spirit that she has known since she was very young. Through the story, these two forbidden people feel what it is like to go through a first love. Story: I've watched anime and read manga with the same story line, so this one is nothing new. Nevertheless, it still is a refreshing manga to read as these types of innocent and simple love stories are quite rare gems to find. Art: The art is very similar to other shoujo mangasas the characters are very good looking and the detail is girly, though it is not the “flowery and glittery” type of girly. It is one that is quite wispy and seems solemn, which is a plus considering the type of tragic story this is so it compliments this one shot very well. Character: The characters are also very simple as the author mangaka does not go into very much detail about their past experiences and how they are shaped. It's just like “BAM. There. Those are your characters and what they are like.” but I am not against this, considering that it is a one shot. Even though, I like the characters as they are not the annoying usual manga characters. The guy is not rude and selfish and the girl is not weak and dense like usual heroines. Enjoyment: I did very much enjoy this manga, but it is one that I do not really want to enjoy once more in the future. I shed some tears at the end, but because I have cried harder from other manga and anime, I just feel like this one shot only made me cry because it reminded me of other works I have read and watched. Overall: Is this a manga that I would recommend to others? Maybe. I would only recommend it to people that are weak-hearted to sad stories as this one is more sweet on people. Even though it sounds harsh, I still did like this manga and I feel it should be more recognized as people can learn or even reminisce of how harsh first loves can be on them.

Well this is my first time reading a one shot manga so I'm not too sure about how to review it so I'll keep it basic and short. The story is about a girl named Akino. As she is visiting the mountains with her father one day during Autumn, she finds some blue leaves and then, she comes across with a blue tree. There, she meets a boy named Konoha whose spirit lives in that blue tree. Akino learns that she can only see Konoha during Autumn so she waits for Autumn to come each year as she starts hating other seasons. The problem I have withthis manga is the fact that it failed to give a more tragic ending. I expected something more impactful since this is a one shot and there is not much to say about its characters or its story, only the ending could have made it memorable. To sum up, I say the story is rather cliché, art is simplistic yet good enough but as I said, it doesn't have a memorable ending. It was still a different experience so my overall rating is 6.

Heavily influenced by Hotarubi no Mori e (which came out 5.5 years earlier), and the similarities were so strong that they completely ruined my reading experience. I’m genuinely disappointed. With so many parallels, I’m not even sure if this qualifies as an original work. My guess is that, since the mangaka started as a doujinshi artist, she couldn’t help but be overly influenced. Well, it was ruined for me. Pure one-shots are rare. And highly rated ones are even rarer. So, naturally, I was hyped. But… It felt more like a rehash than a tribute. I kept waiting for a twist or unique element that never came. I’m justso disappointed. Damn it.