2023 EDIT: Part of my (latest) 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
And here I was thinking that I would only like one manga by Natsuki Takaya, her most popular, 'Fruits Basket'.
'Liselotte & Witch's Forest, Vol. 1' is surprisingly nice, gentle, wholesome and simple, but not un-challenging. The characters are interesting and the mystery surrounding the setting and slow-burning plot is intriguing.
Liselotte is a young woman living in exile near a forest with two child servants, twins Alto and Anna. There are rumours of dangerous witches and familiars lurking in the forest. They turn out to be true, naturally. A mysterious man called Engetsu (or Enrich, whoever) shows up to protect Liselotte. She thinks she knows him from her past. The serious Alto is not happy about this; he wants to protect his master just as badly. Oh, also Liselotte is of noble birth and had apparently tried to overthrow her brother for the throne, hence the exile.
And that's about it. 'Liselotte & Witch's Forest' is a mix of fantasy and slice-of-life, starring deep, three-dimensional characters in their everyday situations. You want to keep reading to find out how they came to be in their circumstances. There are only five at the moment - Liselotte, Alto, Anna, Engetsu, and Yomi, a cheeky witch familiar.
Liselotte is a lovely woman (it's not clear how young she is). Optimistic, ambitious, caring; she's like Tohru but smarter, more determined, and able to counteract and talk back to people, for all she is clueless about living the farm life. Not so annoyingly ditzy like many shoujo heroines, she always tries, and is hardworking, and in light of her background this is admirable. There are sundry facets to her character.
However, I am irritated that Liselotte is almost never given a chance to do anything useful to the plot, as either Engetsu or Yomi keep taking her place and doing her jobs for her. She was royalty, but come on! She's not that reckless, thus needing to be saved. She could be great! I'm dying for female characters in manga and anime to actually do something! Not just exist for emotional support. Stop having men come to their rescue! Think Yuki Cross from 'Vampire Knight' and you'll get the idea of what sort of female character trope I'm talking about - the useless damsel who is presented as tough and practical, but it is all telling and not showing. She's a pawn, a tool, a victim, a helpless love interest in her own story.
(I would call 'Vampire Knight' Japanese 'Twilight', and no one is going to stop me.)
Liselotte is good at disobeying the overprotective Alto, anyway. She is sweet on both twins - they are like a family to her, and vice versa. She doesn't like to treat them as servants, who came with her in her exile willingly.
The artwork is nice, too, showing different angles and expressions on the characters, capturing what they are thinking and feeling without words. This is most potent in beautiful Liselotte. The secluded farm and forest are drawn guilelessly yet enigmatically.
Overall, I enjoyed this little manga, from beginning to end, when I didn't expect to at all. And that's despite its familiar shoujo tropes. A guilty pleasure, but a calming, lulling one. Like a trickle in a glade. A quiet gem.
Final Score: 3.5/5
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