I haven't read such a good manga in a long time. This is a moving work, absolutely incredible. The art is so quirky and charming, but it's strength is in its realism- I feel like I'm right there with the kids. If you like the slice of life genre, you will fall in love with this. I love every child at the foster home - especially Haruo. I love him so much my heart aches for that little boy. The grown-ups in here, you have people so kind and selfless and you also have people with flaws, people you don't understand. Which is how it is in real life. I can't stop raving about this piece, don't pay attention to me anymore, just pick it up and start reading.

Other reviewers have commented on the beauty and detail of the art and the trueness of the characters. I will confine myself to discussing the depiction of emotion in the manga. This manga is full to the brim of emotion, mostly varieties of sadness—the sadness felt by little kids who have been orphaned, or, worse yet, abandoned by their parents. Anyone who has experienced any variety of abandonment as a child, as I did, will likely be grabbed by this story and yanked back into memories of that sorrow. Most people, who will not have experienced that terrible situation, will find themselves full of compassion for the children. Either way, this is very fine, unflinching depiction of a pretty common kind and level of sorrow that does not get much treatment in manga. I give MATSUMOTO Taiyou the highest praise for having taken on the task, and for having done such a great job of it that I can't help suspect that this story is autobiographical.

Against this background of childhood struggle, it's very moving to see how these kids nevertheless go on to grow up and fit into society, and how the adults whose job it is to take care of them help them do so.

... Last updated on June 4th, 2016, 8:12am

If you have not read MATSUMOTO Taiyou's mangas, here is a great place to start. This story has everything that makes his work great. Beautiful, watercolor style art. Great characters. A nice balance of humor and sadness. And most of all, the ability to turn slice-of-life into magical realism through his illustrations. If you don't ordinarily like manga but you like the work of the Hernandez Brothers, you will almost certainly like this.