Coming October 2019 is the anime adaptation to Yoko Gureishi’s Somali to Mori no Kamisama. The series has been in publication since its debut in April 2015 and is presently 5 volumes. Try to imagine a world of fantasy inhabited by creatures from the darker fairy tales such as goblins, golems and the like. And what’s the catch? Humans are being hunted and are now an endangered species. The series tells the story of Somali, a lost human girl who enters a forest and meets a golem, a guardian of that forest. Now the golem accompanies the girl to find her family as they form their own relationship. Presently, there are no trailers available to give us an idea of what the anime can be like, but with the manga (and other information in relation to the anime) as our guide, we can still share why you NEED to watch Somali to Mori no Kamisama.
It Has a Touching Plot
If any anime needs to reach an audience, it has to have a strong story and based on what the manga offers, Somali to Mori no Kamisama has an excellent story that can be further enhanced in anime form. Without a doubt, the heart of this story is the relationship between Somali and the forest golem, and golem’s individual development. Since the golem has never been outside the forest, you see how he tries to learn the ways of the world and its other creatures, and still be a paternal figure to Somali. In a world where humans are now endangered, it’s really touching to see him develop human qualities in a very innocent point of view. Their relationship grows to the point that even Somali acknowledges him as a father as he helps her survive the real world. Considering the nature where humans are in context to the story, it has a very strong message about prejudice and that people of all backgrounds should really look at what makes us similar in order to unite us, rather than what makes us different in that it divides us. So, no matter where you’re from, the themes and the relationships presented here are relatable to all audiences.
Amazing Art
All we have to say is that we tip our hats off to the animators and designers because the quality based on the manga is just difficult to put into words. The environments are very lushing and full of detail to the point it sucks you into its world of wonder and danger. Putting that into motion and with color, that’s a task that’s going to be hard to pull off to satisfy established fans. Based on the only promotional image available upon the writing of this article, we are positive that the upcoming anime version can give that balance of vibrancy and edginess that the original manga has been praised for. We are positive that Ikuko Ito, the series’ character designer, who has also worked on the 1990s Sailor Moon anime, Natsume Yuujin Cho, and Princess Tutu will make established fans proud, and attract new viewers not familiar to the original manga.
Final Thoughts
Due to no trailer presently available upon writing this article, we can’t say much about the music and can’t find any information as to who is composing the music. But it’s a dead giveaway that it needs to capture its mystical, crazy, and yet curious atmosphere. What we know for certain is that Inori Manase has been cast to play Somali and Daisuke Ono is set to play Golem. You readers likely know Inori Minase from Meteora from Re:Creators, Athena from Saint Seiya Saintia Sho, and Rem from Re:Zero. As for Daisuke Ono, we’re positive that you know him as the voices of Jotaro from the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure saga, Sachiyo from A-Channel, and Sebastian from Black Butler. We are positive not only can these two capture the individual qualities of Somali and Golem but their chemistry as a surrogate family.
Last, since the anime is under the direction of Kenji Yasuda, who also worked as the director to Macross Delta, Shugo Chara!, and contributed as an episode director and storyboard for the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist series, we are positive that this series is in the best of hands to offer hopefully one of the best anime titles of 2019.
Author: Justin "ParaParaJMo" Moriarty
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