Blissful Land is a gentle slice-of-life manga set in 18th century Tibet. It features the usual slice-of-life ingredients: sweet main characters, a community/village of gentle souls supporting them, and the dealings with every day life. Yes, it is idealized; but this is manga and you aren't reading for the realism.

Story: 13 year old potential herbalist Khang Zhipa is surprised to find a girl brought to the village on the back of a tradesman - the traditional way of transporting a potential bride to her new home. The girl, Rati, is sweet and pretty and very helpful around the house. Zhipa is curious about her but really, he is completely obsessed with his medicinal herbs and succeeding his father as the village doctor. Zhipa may be oblivious to girls but there is always something going on in the village that will help him to get to know his Rati better.

The premise of the story is simple: Zhipa is completely preoccupied with his herbs and then finds he has been affianced to Rati and she is staying with the family until the wedding. So the two will slowly learn about each other: Rati's love of dyes and textiles and Zhipa's obsession with herbs. Meanwhile, Zhipa will care for the villagers and they will bring all kinds of slice-of-life issues he will have to solve/cure.

The illustrations are lovely and although no one is going to take this as a true historical, it is an enjoyable read. Sometimes, it is nice to get lost in another time and era and the simpler times therein. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

'Blissful Land #1' by with story and art by Ichimon Izumi is a story that takes place in 18th century Tibet and tells a sweet story of two people in the beginning of their relationship.

Khang Zhipa is a doctor's apprentice. He does his job by findin herbs and turning them in to medicines and teas to help people. One day a bride-to-be named Moshi Rati and her wedding party stays at the home he lives in. He learns that she is to be his bride. The stories are of the early adventures they have picking herbs, learning to trust each other, and Zhipa's constant amazement at how capable and smart Rati is.

I really liked the stories in this manga. There isn't a ton of conflict besides Zhipa's insecurities, but the stories won me over with their earnestness and how nice they were. The art is good as well. It's a black and white story, and their is a lot of detail in the scenery and especially the clothing.

I received a review copy of this manga from Kodansha Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.

A beautiful and engaging text and illustrations. I found the mixture of text and graphics to be perfectly balanced for the story.

Lovely illustrations and a cute simple story. The tale of a young man in Tibet learning to be a doctor who returns home to find his 'bride' (betrothed) waiting for him. The young man is only interested in medicine and when she arrives is still mainly interested in medicine but finds her interesting and cute. It's a lovely simple slow tale with little romance but is a nice tale and drawn wonderfully, a nice read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review

The art of this comic is very easy on the eye and the main characters are likeable. However, with such an exotic setting and distant cultural background I had difficulties finding myself engaged in the story,

I received this manga from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.


A wonderful healing manga.

Meet Khang Zhipa, he is a doctor, or should we say doctor’s apprentice? He just LOVES herbs, like, he will get lost looking for herbs, get spaced out while thinking about herbs. But he is a good doctor, even though injuries make him back away (though apparently that has to do with that he can just feel the pain and wants to help people). He tries everything to make everyone happy, evidenced by the first patient we see in this book, a friend of his. He ends up staying up late just to make the medicine, and why? Because he wants to see his friend smile again. Aww!
I just loved how eager he was to learn, and how he was open to also telling and explaining to others how things work.
I do have to say that I was a bit confused, according to the blurb he is 13. At times, he indeed acts like this, but more often than not he acts 15/16-ish (not to mention he also looks like more that age in the serious scenes).

I hadn’t read the blurb, I just based my decision on the fact I saw this one on Twitter + the cover. So, I didn’t know about the bride-to-be thing, but from the moment she entered I knew she was our MC’s fiance. I had such a big laugh when she stayed and our MC just broke in a panic because the bride was left at his house, and then he found out she was his bride. Parents, maybe next time tell him he is getting a bride? Or did you tell him while he was in his dreamy herb space? 😛

I just adored our MC and his bride, they were just so cute together. I am sure their marriage will end up fine. She listens to him, is eager to learn, is cute, sweet, likes him for who he is, worries about him, makes him food, and he is eager to tell her things, explain things to her, worries about her, let’s her do things that most man may not allow their woman to do (like the colour/dye thing), tries to find out when things are wrong (there was a moment she was unhappy and he was trying to figure out what was going on but he had no clue how to do it). I don’t see love yet, but I can see that happen. For now friendship and getting to know each other is most important, they still have years to go before the marriage happens.

I was a bit worried about the arrival of our MC’s childhood friend. Please, please, let this not become a love triangle. I know, this is set in 18th Tibet, so there is a 0% chance at it, but I am just worried. I don’t like the guy and I wonder how these two are friends.

The MC’s family was such a delight. We got the little sister with the big attitude, a father who is a doctor and who is also quite funny, and then there is the mom. I just had such a laugh when the father and son had a moment and mom had heard everything, or when dad planned some things to get his son and bride-to-be together and mom was there again. I guess dad has a lot of time on the couch (or whatever goes for couch in Tibet) the coming nights. 😛

There are tons of delicious mentions of Tibetan foods, and I kind of wish there were recipes at the end, as they do look yummy. In the end I just went for googling those dishes and drooling all over my computer (sorry).

The art. A bit dicey. There are some absolutely beautiful, gorgeous, pretty scenes and plenty of details. A bit in the vein of Emma/Mushishi. But then there are the expressions on the characters and those really ruined it at times. Sometimes they fit, but quite often it just looked out of place, which is a shame.

I can’t wait to see where this story will go, will our MC and his bride get closer together? Will our MC get some challenges so he can truly show his awesome doctor skills? What kind of foods will we read about?

And of course, I would highly recommend this one, and I am eagerly awaiting the second volume.

Blissful Land is, like its name suggests, a comfy slice-of-life manga with an idyllic setting in 18th century Tibet. It is the story of a 13-year old boy who is a doctor’s (his father) apprentice, and who loves everything there is about herbs, and healing and seeing people happy in his village. So, the story is also pretty much relaxed, just telling us about the life in his village, his surprising new bride that was arranged by his parents, Rati (another teen like him who has a passion for dyeing and weaving) and their slowly building friendship (romance is pretty much non-existent in this manga).

The best part of the manga may be the soothing atmosphere it creates! Like, I normally don’t like meandering plots, or the ones where there is not direction, but here I was like – go on, I am just going to relax and imagine myself in the lush mountainous landscape of Tibet. The artwork also shows a lot of care towards the costumes, the food, the culture – there’s even sort of a mini-guide at the end – and it is all beautiful with the right amount of detail. The only thing odd may be the weird expressions at times – at most times, people are just smiling, smiling and then there’s Khang Zhipa with his owl-eyes, and lost expressions when he is flustered or thinking about herbs, respectively.

On the whole, though, this is a nice relaxing manga you can entertain yourself with.

This is a very sweet all-ages slice of life manga about a young couple preparing for an arranged marriage that takes place in 18th century Tibet. If you think that sounds kind of like A Bride's Story... you're correct! The art isn't nearly as intricate and so far neither is the cast of characters, but it has a very similar feel. I think Blissful Land might be aimed at a slightly younger audience (the protagonist is 13, and so far there's no nudity or violence) but all in all I think fans of one will enjoy the other.

Set in 18th Century Tibet, this is a nostalgic look back at a simpler time.

This is almost a medication on work and life. The story is very simple, Khang Zhipa, a doctor's apprentice meets his betrothed Moshi Rati. Up until then, he has only been interested in herbs, and after, he still is, but he thinks Rati is cute, and enjoys her company.

The illustrations are gorgeous and it makes me wonder how women and men moved around in such beautiful clothing, without snagging them, or ruining them out in the yak fields.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4785" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-28-at-10.23.36-PM.png" alt="blissful land" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4786" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-28-at-10.21.50-PM.png" alt="blissful land" />

There is no tension in this story, just the beautiful story of two people falling in love. Along the way we get to learn about the food they eat, and the herbs used for medicine.

A lovely pleasant read.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

*~.Book Analysis.~*
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader :)

Rating: 5 stars
Reading period: Nov. 29th, 2018
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley – I have received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: Nov. 27th, 2018

PROS
This manga was just so cute. I admit my attention was drawn to this title because of its gorgeous cover, but when I saw such a different storyline and settings (18th Century Tibet, imagine it!), I knew I had to read this. And I’m so glad that I did it!
The characters are delightful and cute, there is a bit of romance, but the whole focus of the story is on family, friendship and the local’s culture at said time. I’ve read my fair share of manga so far in my life and Blissful Land is one of a kind! I also loved its clean but detailed artwork, combined with several funny chibis over the story. Seriously, this is just too much, too cute, too all things good combined!

CONS
I WANT THE NEXT VOLUMEEEE!!!!

COVER ANALYSIS
Well, I did reached out for this title because of the cover, so I think this is almost self-explanatory, right? Haha! I loved the art style, the colors and the peace that this cover brings to the reader – I dare to say I felt pure bliss when I saw it! ;)

RECOMMENDED FOR
Manga lovers looking for something new and refreshing regarding not only genre, but also art!

I love how this manga turns into quite sweet and cute story.

A young apprentice doctor who unknowingly engaged to a girl. A weird yet so kind doctor that helps his village and fond of harvesting and picking of various herbs. Weird quirks of him.

So, meet the story of Khang Zhipa and Moshi Rati.

Blissful Land is similar to Kaoru Mori's Otoyomegatari in many ways, except it's set in Tibet. The manga is about a young doctor-to-be called Khang Zhipa, who's obsessed over herbs and loves to help people and oh, he's an airhead too. He meets his fiancee Rati and mostly the story is about them getting to know one another and about the guy's family. So, slice of life more than anything else. There's not so much text in the manga, but instead Izumi moves the story with art, landscapes and overall atmosphere. I liked this approach a lot, since the slow style breathes air into the story. Also, Tibet is quite foreign to me at least and thus seeing the place enriches the reading experience. Hard to say if Izumi has checked the facts though as it is the case with Mori. For me the overall positivism kind of eats out credibility, since the whole thing is such a bliss with teachings about life that it's somewhat off-putting.

The art looks cute, although Khang Zhipa's weird expressions don't fit the story that much and how he looks like a deer in headlights most of the time. The landscapes are beautiful and the detailed fabrics and herbs, which was nice. Perhaps I'd want some drama in this too and to know if this is based on reality or not. I hardly doubt whether Khang Zhipa and Rati could've just left on their own to trips and whatnot like that them not really being married yet. The info at the back was awesome though, but not sufficient, since I take it this is a historical series and thus we'd need more facts. So, not like Mori. Yet.

This manga is a super cute slice-of-life! The main character, a young Tibetan boy who loves herbs and is in training to be a doctor, is super endearing and lovable. It's a simple and sweet story that makes me look forward to the next volume!

This is so cute! I love the art style, and while I was surprised that the characters had their marriage arranged so young, this isn't a romance, more of a cute slice of life story. I loved the herbal medicine aspect to the story, and really enjoyed the explanations of how Khang Zipa made each of his remedies. Food also plays a huge role and is very temptingly drawn and described! It's fascinating to learn about historical Tibet, and I look forward to the rest of this series. It just feels so home-y and cosy while you read it.

I loved it! It's cute, wonderful designs and a lovely story.
An enjoyable read.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

Blissful Land is such a lovely manga, it's steeped in Tibetan culture from the food to the relationships. Seeing Khang Zhipa and Rati's relationship slowly develop is so heartwarming and satisfying. I didn't expect much romance from this since this volume is before their marriage, but I'm so pleased to see them become good friends. This reminded me of A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori, which is another historical manga that follows a young woman who is engaged to a boy 8 years younger than her. In Blissful Land, they seem to be around the same age, and they also get along very well. However, this story is very subtle so I think it will take a while for their relationship to truly develop. I love the subtlety and the use of humour in this manga.

The art style is beautiful, I could almost feel the wind in the mountains as Khang Zhipa is collecting herbs. I really enjoyed the scenes where Khang is making medicine or Rati and Khang's mother are cooking together. I already want to read the next volume.

I definitely recommend this for people who enjoy historical, shounen, romance, and slice of life manga.

Thank you to Netgalley for this free book.

Khang Zhipa is a doctor’s apprentice living in 18th century Tibet. On his way back to his village from picking medicinal herbs he sees a group travel through their town and it turns out his bride-to-be was a part of the group.

Blissful Land explores the Tibetan culture and is very much a slice-of-life tale. This first volume gives a simple outline of all the pertinent characters, and we can gain an initial impression of the characters. Khang Zhipa is a very kind-hearted yet simple-minded boy and I loved reading about his dedication to his apprenticeship.

The artwork is very beautiful and intricately detailed. I loved seeing the traditional clothing portrayed on paper and with the bride’s weaving hobby I can’t wait to see what else there is to be seen. Time is taken to show the ingredients and the process involved in creating the medicine. I have a slight fascination with apothecary-esque settings, and I thoroughly enjoyed the combination of all the medicinal herbs.

I have a feeling the romance would be slow for the couple to learn more about each other. The can’t wait to see how the nuance’s of the Tibetan culture being portrayed and learn a bit more of the livelihood around the 18th century.

3.5 stars

This was a cute little love story but lacked in plot. The most interesting parts were learning about Tibetan culture.

Blissful Land is a charming manga set in 18th century Tibet. It follows a young man, Khang Zhipa, who is training to be a healer. Khang's life is interrupted when a girl is brought to stay at his house while waiting to be married to her fiance... as it turns out, she's been promised to marry Khang.

I thought this was a simple and sweet story. The plot is very low-key and relaxed - each chapter gives a "slice-of-life" look into Khang's life. As the plot progresses, Khang and his bride-to-be get to know each other better, and the reader in turn learns something about Tibetan life. I was really drawn into the story by this aspect - I know next to nothing about Tibetan history and culture, so it was interesting to get a little peek into that. The art and character designs were also very captivating.

If I have any complaints, I hope we get to learn more about each character. Khang is the character who develops the most, and it would be nice to learn more about his bride or his family members.

Overall, this was a charming cozy story, and a perfect book to choose for more lighthearted reading.

This caught my eye mostly because of the art style and because it plays in Tibet. It's a cute story about a young teenage doctor and his family. One day a party of people come to stay at their home and they deliver his fiance to live with them.
This was an interesting and light read, where you can learn a bit about Tibetan culture, customs and food.