i could not read that without listening to the soundtrack from the movie- i adored it so much- it was amazing

I've been wanting to watch "Suzume" for a while now, so I was excited to see that an arc was available for this title. This book is very charming. I can't wait to learn more about Souta's abilities/duties. Hopefully next volume will dwell more into the lore.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

4/5
I’ve been meaning to watch the movie for the longest time but I never got the opportunity to do so, and this was perfect timing for me.

I’m not new to Makoto Shinkai’s works, and as always, I was immediately captured,
The storyline is extremely captivating, the art was amazing as always and it was a very quick and enjoyable read. I can definitely see why so many people recommend Suzume.
Reading this manga made me want to watch the movie asap.

Overall, it’s a solid 4 stars rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this eARC.

"Suzume 1" by Makoto Shinkai is one my teen child was anticipating. I hadn't heard about it but she had and was super excited to get to read it. She reads other mangas with similar story lines about teens finding alternative worlds/dimensions. She really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next.

Title: Suzume
Story: Makoto Shinkai
Art: Denki Amashima
Genre: Dystopian, Adventure, Self Discovery
Publisher: Kodansha Comics / Vertical Comics
Volumes: 1/3
Published: Sept 24th, 2024 (E)
Rating: 3/5
Art: 5/5
Story: 2/5

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My Reading Experience:
Suzume drew me in after reading just a few pages. The slightly dystopian atmosphere, beautiful character art and paranormal themes create a dichotomy between beauty and destruction that is very alluring. Denki Amashima manages to create an interesting tension between lovely drawn characters and the dismal looking background art, which is one of the main reasons Suzume felt so impactful and emotional. The artwork also seems to reflect the state of Suzume’s mind: most of the time she is quiet, withdrawn and shy, but has several emotional outbursts throughout the story which are most likely a result of the traumatic events she experienced as a child.

We only learn a bit about her past in the form of flashbacks and dreams, which vaguely explain her motivations and add to the mystery surrounding the doors. These flashbacks appear to be connected to the mysterious portals she encounters: The doors lead to another world, where a colossal flying worm roams freely, who is causing earthquakes whenever he enters the human realm. Judging from what we learned about Suzume’s past, I suspect that she might have trespassed one of these doors when she was still very young. But for now I can only guess and wait for the second part to reveal more about this mystery.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Suzume and Souta, especially how he initially tries to shoo her away, only to realise he can’t complete the task alone and eventually asks for her help. Daijin, the keystone, which turned into a fierce cat, adds an unexpected twist to the story. He transforms Souta into a chair and later even becomes a social media sensation. I’m eager to see what happens next, particularly with Daijin. Even though I enjoyed the above mentioned parts, I would have liked to see more interaction between Suzume and Souta, as the story often focuses on the characters they meet along the way. But I’m still hopeful that their relationship will be explored further in parts two and three.

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Synopsis
The manga Suzume is an adaptation of Makoto Shinkai's film Suzume no Tojimari, which was a big hit in Japan.The story centres on Suzume Iwato, a 17-year-old girl who encounters a mysterious stranger called Souta Munakata on her way to school. He asks her if there are any abandoned premises nearby and she points him to a building complex which was destroyed by an earthquake years before. When she tells her classmates about it at school, she realises how dangerous it is to wander this restricted area.
Driven by worry and guilt, Suzume sets off to find the young man and warn him. When she arrives at the site, she discovers a strange door and opens it. It appears to lead to another world, but Suzume cannot enter. By opening the door, she unknowingly unleashes a force that could bring disaster to her home country and also activates its cat shaped keystone, which comes to life and vanishes. Souta arrives at the site and together they manage to close the door.
However, since the keystone turned into a cat and disappeared, the colossal, supernatural worm who roams the other world is bound no longer and threatens to wreak havoc across Japan. Suzume then joins forces with Souta, who seals these dangerous doors. On a journey to prevent destruction, Suzume also confronts her own past and feelings of loss.
Inspired by the great earthquakes that shook Japan several years ago, Makoto Shinkai , the author of Your Name and Weathering With You, tells an emotional dystopian story that lured me in from the very beginning.

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Art Style

Denki Amashima’s art style is a perfect fit and brings both the fantastical elements and the characters to life. The paranormal aspects, the worm, the doors and the abandoned buildings that were destroyed by earthquakes evoke a sense of dread, otherworldliness and loss, which reflects the mental state of the protagonist.
The characters are well designed and their deep and complex emotions are also displayed beautifully. I personally enjoyed that the characters are drawn in a more romantic and feminine style that is typical for the sho-jo genre, forming an intriguing contrast to the rather dystopian landscapes.

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Characters

Suzume is a relatable and determined protagonist who grows significantly throughout the story. Her sense of responsibility and courage makes her stand out, especially as she deals with personal loss and the weight of saving her world. Souta serves as an intriguing counterpart to her, although his arc is less fleshed out compared to Suzume’s. Tertiary characters, such as Suzume’s aunt Tamaki and the mischievous talking cat Daijin add depth to the narrative, while the other characters the pair encounters provide a balance to the heavier themes of grief and responsibility.
On the flip side, the story seems too short to properly handle such a large cast of characters. From what I read, the manga closely follows the film’s portrayal of these characters, but condenses some of their development due to the shorter format. As a result, certain emotional beats may feel less impactful than in the film, where there was more time to flesh out these side stories.
I honestly wish that more focus was put on Suzume and Souta, whose character dynamic I enjoyed a lot. The other characters felt rather random and I did not care for them at all. The only exception is Daijin, the keystone-turned-cat, who has a mischievous and libertarian personality and eventually becomes a social media sensation in the story.

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Plot & Pacing

The manga mirrors the film’s plot, focusing on Suzume and Souta’s journey across Japan as they close the dangerous doors in order to prevent more earthquakes. While the pacing feels fine, there is just too much plot squeezed into a single manga. This becomes very obvious in moments where the characters' emotional arcs might have benefited from more exploration.
Suzume is often described as being a road movie and sadly I cannot deny that. Souta and Suzume travel to different places and encounter various characters along the way, which to me felt like a distraction from the main plotline. Instead of learning more about Suzume, Souta, the doors or the worm, we are introduced to other characters who have no relevance to the plot whatsoever. I also would have wished that more focus was put on the character dynamic between Souta and Suzume, which I found very interesting and enjoyable.

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Themes

As in the film, the manga touches on themes of loss, human connection and personal growth. Suzume's journey is not just a physical one but also an emotional exploration of her unresolved feelings regarding her mother's death. The doors could be a metaphor for the lingering impact of past trauma, adding a layer of psychological depth to the dystopian adventure. The story’s paranormal elements feel very dream-like and seem to be connected to Suzume’s psyche, although it remains to be seen if this assumption is true - after all I haven’t watched the movie yet and two more volumes will still be released.
The bond between Suzume and Souta also emphasises the importance of human connection in overcoming personal struggles and illustrates Suzume’s desire to feel needed and be of help. It becomes apparent that she struggles with self love and self worth and is thus quick to put her life on the line for the greater good and to save Souta.

While the manga retains the film’s thematic richness, it feels as if Makoto Shinkai wanted a bit too much and added too many themes, characters and plot lines to a single story. Yes, this is only the first volume out of three, but I’m worried that the other two will be as overloaded as this one. I also want to watch the movie in order to compare it with the manga and find out if I feel the same way about the film.

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World-Building

The concept of the mysterious doors that connect to otherworldly spaces is intriguing and adds an element of suspense. Each location Suzume and Souta visit feels distinct, from quiet rural towns to bustling cities. The rural settings feel authentic and real, making me feel as if I was experiencing parts of the Japanese lifestyle and culture. I often watch vlogs and documentaries of Japan’s countryside and I felt as if the manga transported me to a small coastal town where life is still a bit slower. I definitely want to watch the movie to experience these locations in full colour, especially since I’m a big fan of Makoto Shinkai’s art.

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Strengths:
Authentic Setting: The depiction of Japan’s small towns and abandoned sites feels real and atmospheric, capturing a sense of nostalgia and desolation.
Supernatural Themes: The doors to another world and the looming threat of a gigantic, destructive worm create an engaging, high-stakes conflict with a touch of paranormal mystery.
Art: The artist beautifully captures the characters’ emotions and evokes a sense of drama. The characters are drawn in a very pretty sho-jo like style, which is an interesting contrast to the desolate sites and the cosmic, subliminal threat of the worm and the doors. The abandoned places reflect a sense of loss, influenced by the 2011 Touhoku earthquake and tsunami, and thus present a powerful backdrop for Suzume’s emotional character development.
Daijin: This pesky keystone turns into a cat and transforms Souta into a chair, only to become a social media star later on. Daijin is by far my favourite side character due to his strong personality, which adds a quirky, and lighthearted element to the story.
Suzume & Souta: Suzume is a charming and pretty protagonist who is ridden by grief and driven by strong emotions. Her selflessness and caring nature toward Souta (even when he’s a chair) made me want to learn more about her. Her desire to care for others, stemming from feelings of unworthiness and unresolved grief, adds complexity to her character and turns her into an interesting female hero who I definitely root for. It made me very happy when Souta finally opens up a bit and admits that he needs her help to close the doors and save their home.
Dreams and Flashbacks: Suzume’s dreams and flashbacks, which connect her childhood trauma to the mysterious doors, provide a deeper emotional layer to the story and made me want to pick up the next volume immediately – sadly it hasn’t been released yet, so I have to be patient and wait until I can learn more about this cryptic parallel world.


Weaknesses:
Underexplored Mysteries: The worm, the doors and Souta’s backstory remain underdeveloped, making the central mystery feel more like a backdrop to the road trip and slice-of-life moments. This is such a shame, since this is the most interesting (and actually the main) plotline.
Distracting Side Characters: The characters Suzume meets on her journey detract from the more compelling relationship between her and Souta. This annoyed me a lot to be honest, especially since these characters have nothing to do with the plot and seem like random filler elements that are just there to give Suzume something to interact with. The fact that Souta is there the whole time is just being ignored. Maybe the author shouldn’t have turned him into a chair?
Limited Interaction Between Suzume and Souta: Since Souta is transformed into a chair early on, meaningful interaction between the two is limited, frustrating readers like me who are more interested in their relationship. Instead we have to be content with a set of random and boring side characters who should have been left out.
Scattered Focus: The plot feels unfocused at times, juggling several themes without fully committing to any single narrative. The plot is about saving the world, Suzume’s grief, her coming-of-age journey and her relationship with Souta (which is neglected after the first half of the book) and on top of that several side stories are squeezed in as well. Overall it seems to me that the author could not decide which story to tell or he changed it up several times throughout the development process. Less would have been more and when I finished the manga I was left pretty disappointed and wanting.

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Who Will Love This Manga?

Fans of Makoto Shinkai’s film Suzume no Tojimari will enjoy this manga adaptation as a way to revisit the story in a different medium. Readers who appreciate emotional, character-driven fantasy narratives with some road trip elements might find Suzume a pleasant experience, even if they haven’t seen the film (like myself). However, those who loved the visual spectacle of Shinkai’s movies may find the manga version a bit lacking in comparison, since it is drawn in black ink and doesn’t feature the colour and beautiful lighting Shinkai is known for.

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Final Thoughts

Overall I’m pretty torn by this manga. On the one hand there are several aspects I enjoyed, for example the two main characters, setting, paranormal mystery and Daijin. On the other hand I was pretty disappointed since this only makes up 50% of the story. The rest was just wasted space if you ask me and I would have preferred it if the plot had a clearer focus centred around Suzume and Souta. Even though this may sound harsh, I still want to know what happens next, so I will pick up the second volume once it is released. The beautiful art style is a plus, which is why I give the manga three out of five stars.

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Final Rating: 3/5
Art: 5/5
Story: 2/5

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Big thanks to Kodansha Comics for providing me with this digital review copy!

I love Makoto Shinkai’s movies - Your Name is my favourite! So when I saw on NetGalley that I could read an e-ARC, I couldn’t contain my excitement!

I am yet to watch the movie Suzume, but this story was extremely captivating with beautiful artwork! It is a lighthearted story that also features comedy (I mean a man is turned into a chair). It was a very quick read, with the fast pace at times being confusing but in saying that, I can’t wait to read volume 2 when it is released!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars
This was an amazing opener for a manga. We got a solid introduction to the characters, the plot was well explained, and we already have a few very cute moments between the lead characters that have me smiling and kicking my feet, even with one of them cursed to be a chair! I hadn't heard of the movie before this, but I now very much want to watch it as I can see it becoming a favourite!

The only thing stopping me from giving it the full 5 stars is the fact our heroine was able to just afford to disappear off an an adventure and her aunt doesn't really show the worry or concern I would have expected. That felt a little off-putting to me and was a very obvious plot armour !

This manga is wonderful, with an interesting plot line and likable characters. I like how there's the mythical aspect that drives the plot in a modern setting, which is very intriguing. The doors, the worm, the Closers, Daijin, saving Japan - everything rests on a modern high school girl and a stranger she just met! It's an easy read so I'm excited for volume 2!

I heard that this manga is actually adapted from an anime so now that I've read volume 1, I'm gonna have to watch the anime film.

A faithful adaptation of the animated movie, it's very well illustrated, the panels are wonderfully translated, and overall it's just a nice way to enjoy the story of Suzume albeit in a different medium. Very excited for the second volume.

Fans of Makoto Shinkai’s film Suzume can revisit the iconic coming-of-age story in a new manga adaptation! Featuring art by Denki Amashima, this new take on the film encompasses approximately the first third of the film. We follow Suzume to her first door, the cursing of Souta, and some of their early encounters.

There are a few minor changes from movie to manga, mainly to preserve the flow of the story in a new format. If there is one issue, it’s an understandable one: some of Shinkai’s sweeping visuals and kinetic scenes become a bit odd to follow when paneled out. Even so, it’s a lovely way to revisit a beautiful story, and one that fans of the film will want in their library. Volume 1 goes on sale September 24 from Kodansha.

I have to confess something… I haven’t read Your Name and I haven’t seen the movie Suzume. I picked this up solely because of the cover. I knew nothing about the story, and I’m sooo glad that I did read this manga. The story is reminiscent of Studio Ghibli, especially Spirited Away. It was naive and innocent, and perfectly captured that childhood curiosity and magic. I don’t want to give to much away, but if you love heartwarming manga, this one may be for you. Why 4 stars? I sometimes found the panels a bit too confusing, but don’t let that stop you from reading this awesome story.

I enjoyed the movie of this so getting to read the start of the story in manga form has been great. Highly recommend.

My gratitude to the ever-generous Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for providig me an advanced copy of this volume in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting concept with a touch of action, adventure, fantasy, and youthful energy. Fresh and original as expected of Shinkai sensei. The main character, Suzume, though, he never diverts from feisty heroines.

I haven’t seen the animated film yet but having read this makes me want to rent the film this instant.

Thank you so much for letting me read this manga. This is a manga that changes between the end of the world and humorous moments.

This captivating story is a masterclass in creative storytelling, with unexpected twists and turns that kept me hooked from start to finish. I devoured it in one sitting, unable to tear myself away from the richly drawn characters and their complex, interconnected lives. The author's skillful portrayal of humanity's nuances underneath all of the impossibilities and fantastical occurrences makes the story feel authentic and relatable.

Suzume's courageous and compassionate nature shines brightly through the pages, effortlessly captivating the reader with her endearing yet resolute personality. Her journey is driven by a pull to explore the unknown, unveil hidden truths, and discover her identity beyond her loss and the confines of her familiar world. With a perfect blend of curiosity and self-awareness, Suzume embarks on an adventure that promises to open and close many doors that will undoubtedly transform life as she knows it.

As the manga is inspired by the movie Suzume no Tojimari ('Suzume's Locking Up') released in 2022, we get a completed package. With only three volumes, the series promises a satisfying and concise narrative arc, leaving me eager to continue the journey and uncover the many secrets still hidden within the story's intricate web.

I loved the film and this manga was just as great! I enjoyed how quick and fast paced it was. The artwork is stunning! Very similar to the film but I really enjoyed how much it stands out on the page. Overall the story is still just an interesting as I remember it being. I can’t wait for Vol 2 as the theme park was my favourite scene in the film and would love to know how it translates into the page!

This is a shot-for-shot adaptation of the beautiful film of the same name. It follows Suzume as she tries to save Japan from supernatural creatures that can cause massive earthquakes while they invade her realm, and only she can see them. There is a lot of heart and adventure in this title, and the whole series will be three volumes, so it's an easy purchase for libraries.

While the premise of the story is interesting, the storytelling in itself is quite chaotic from chapter 2. After reading vol. 1, I don't feel like I know the main characters at all. There are some funny moments, but unfortunately, the story didn't hook me.

This was fun. Really weird and a little convoluted, but fun. A bizarre story about teenage Suzume meeting a stranger on her way to school. Worried she sent him to a dangerous area Suzume rushes to warn him, only to become part of a mystical situation involving a door, a key, a cat, and a wyrm. Suzume is determine to stay with the man, Souta, to help him set things right - especially after he turns into a beloved piece of her furniture. This manga is amazingly drawn, is funny and adventurous, and is really strange. I liked it.

Suzume is an exciting adventure! Suzume herself is a very fun and relatable character. As she navigates the country to help Souta save the world, she's also navigating self discoveries. I had a fun time reading the first volume of their adventure together and I'm looking forward to the coming volumes!