Manga Review: Liselotte & Witch's Forest, Volume 5, by Natsuki Takaya

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: July 2017

Volumes: 5 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In her exile to the east of the east of the east, Liselotte's rambunctious house attempts to coexist with the witch's forest. Hoping to break down the seal Vergue has cast, Anna ventures out on her own to pay the witch a visit. Despite a being hurt by humans in the past, can Anna convince Vergue to give people another chance, and to live among them again? Meanwhile, Lise is shocked by a familiar looking visitor surveying the nearby village...

Review:

There's a tentative relationship between Engetsu and Liselotte. Lise is trying hard with her unrelenting optimism, but Engetsu doesn't know her anymore. It's fun to see them getting to know each other, though. Lise tries so hard, with so much enthusiasm. Engetsu doesn't understand it, but he's starting to tease her, which is fun.

Engetsu tries to treat Lise here, show her something she's always wanted to be a part of. It doesn't go quite as either of them planned, though.

We also get to see some progress made with Vergue. He's headstrong and stubborn, and showed up first to ruin and get his revenge. Lise is starting to grow on him, though, and her mixed with Anna's smart wiles is forcing him to man up a bit. I am very intrigued by this change in Anna—I like it.

Near the end we get some more hints for Lise's brother—and we meet a new character. We've heard a lot about this one, but it should be interesting to see if she throws in some trouble.

And of course now this series is on Hiatus. I'm quite fond of it so far, and I hope she continues it soon.

Manga Review: Liselotte & The Witch's Forest, Volume 4, by Natsuki Takaya

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: April 2017

Volumes: 5 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Liselotte's house has become even livelier with the additions of the witch Hilde and her familiar, Myrte. But one day, Vergue, a witch who hates all humans, attacks the household to drive Lise and the others away! Why is it so difficult to live a peaceful life?

Review:

We get a few new things here. We get some new information regarding Vergue, who has been bullying the other witch's in the house. Nothing is really resolved here, but I'm curious about where this will lead. He's a bit of a petty jerk, but it seems obvious that he has reasons that will be explored. I really like seeing how good-hearted Liselotte is during this—even though someone's awful to her, she still tries to see the good and convince them otherwise.

Aside from that, we also got a bit of insight into what happened with Liselotte before all this, and what her brother and his people are up to. It's only feeling like hints so far, and I'm curious but wary about it. I like Lise, and I don't want them to be awful to her. I still don't quite understand what they want or why yet, but seeing their confrontation before she was banished was quite emotional. It was powerful, and honestly only made me appreciate Lise more.

I'm really intrigued by this series. It's odd and captures me every time, and I don't really know where it's going, but I want more.

Manga Review: Liselotte & Witch's Forest, Volume 3, by Natsuki Takaya

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 5 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Liselotte, the daughter of a feudal lord, has been exiled to the lands east of the east of the east and now lives with her servants (Anna and Alto), the mysterious Engetsu, and the impertinent familiar Yomi, at the edge of the witches' forest. Despite Alto's objections, Lise's new family somehow continues to grow. But her troublesome past has caught up with them, and Engetsu is gravely injured. Can Lise save him and also continue to live as optimistically as her heart desires...?

Review:

I love all of the colored pages in this series. They are just so pretty.

After that last volume, we see Liselotte pleading for the tree to save Engetsu. She makes a deal for him to be saved, only Liselotte doesn't know what she has to lose to get him back. It's a surprise for her, though it does make sense—given the tree spirit's personality. It's interesting to see how it affects them both—how uncaring Engetsu acts at first, and how Liselotte changes her view and becomes determined to start new. Liselotte is rather optimistic, and straightforward in her wishes. She's unbothered by how other people react.

I like seeing how Liselotte affects the people around her, like the step that Alto takes in getting closer to her. There's a glimpse of, I believe, her brother at the end of the volume. I'm intrigued to see what happens next there.

This is a rather good series so far. I'm intrigued by the story, what happened to Liselotte before all this and what's going to happen with Engetsu next.

Manga Review: Liselotte & Witch's Forest, Volume 2, by Natsuki Takaya

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: October 2016

Volumes: 5 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Liselotte, the daughter of a feudal lord, has been exiled by her older brother to the land east of the east of the east. Despite the bitter past that put her in these straits, Lise enjoys her new life with her twin attendants, Alto and Anna, the familiar Yomi, and Eugetsu, a young man who not only harbors a secret but also bears a striking resemblance to an old acquaintance, Enrich. However, Lise's quaint idyll is shattered when none other than a witch comes calling...!

Review:

This is not what I expected.

So. We get to see more of Liselotte trying to be a normal girl, trying to correctly learn how to farm and clean and cook, trying to have a good relationship with the delivery men even though they know what she's done and can't acquaint themselves fully with her. She even goes in search of the witches, because she's determined to make nice and not have them haunting or terrorizing her.

We meet a couple witches here, and of course they're more fun than scary. One guy is a jerk, but the two girls seem very sweet, and they're really insecure about how scary they are. In the midst of all this, we get to see some of what Liselotte did. What her life was like before, and what she did to deserve being banished. I'm still curious about the whole story, of course.

And then... then we see what is really going on with Engetsu. And I must say that I was really not expecting this twist. It was not at all what I was guessing, and now I'm even more intrigued by it. I really can't wait to read the next one and see what happens with that cliffhanger.

Manga Review: Liselotte & Witch's Forest, Volume 1, by Natsuki Takaya

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: July 2016

Volumes: 5 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Despite being completely hopeless at endeavors like farming and cooking, Liselotte, a young lady of noble birth and guardian to twins Alto and Anna, picks up and moves to a remote land. At the easternmost reaches of her new home lies a forest where it's said witches roam. When Lise one day finds herself at the receiving end of an attack by one such witch, she's saved by the sudden appearance of a young man named Engetsu. Though they're strangers, Engetsu is remarkably similar to someone she already knows...?

Review:

This is a very intriguing start to a series.

Liselotte has been shipped out of her rich family's home, and now lives in a forest, with two kids as her caretakers. She's optimistically doing all she can to learn how to farm and scavenge, even when she's not particularly good at any of these things.

And then she learns of the witch myths regarding the forest they live in. And suddenly, there's a man named Engetsu there to help her, and Liselotte believes she knows him from before everything happened. It's clear, though, that he's up to something, and that he knows more than he's letting on.

We get a few hints, but this is definitely setting up for something more. Not giving any answers, but it's a good start. I love the artwork, and I'm happy to be reading a new Takaya book.

I'm looking forward to the next one.

Wishlist Thursday[169]: Liselotte and Witch’s Forest by Natsuki Takaya

Liselotte and Witch’s Forest 1 by Natsuki Takaya

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: July 26, 2016

Volumes: 5 (Hiatus)

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Despite being completely hopeless at endeavors like farming and cooking, Liselotte, a young lady of noble birth and guardian to twins Alto and Anna, picks up and moves to a remote land. At the easternmost reaches of her new home lies a forest where it's said witches roam. When Lise one day finds herself at the receiving end of an attack by one such witch, she's saved by the sudden appearance of a young man named Engetsu. Though they're strangers, Engetsu is remarkably similar to someone she already knows...?

Why?:

This is one of the newer series being released by the author of Fruits Basket, so of course I’m jumping on. It’s pricier than some others, but I’m still hoping to love it. I’m excited to see some of her new and old works being brought to print after so long, and in such nice editions, too.

Special Mention:

Sweetness and Lightning by Gido Amagakure out on July 26—This series is already being released on Crunchyroll, and I’ve read a few chapters there. While I didn’t love it immediately on there, I’m still hoping I’ll start liking it more, and I’m glad they’re releasing it in print. I hope they do that for more series on there.

What’s on your list?