Alice-san Chi no Iroribata

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While reviewing this manga so early into its release may not feel right, this manga has gone extremely under the radar, especially for a Jump work. It is full of potential at the current moment and likely to keep up in quality.

The story is simple, following our two main characters, Alice and Harumi. In their childhood, they both left the small town they both used to live in for the big city of Tokyo, but 10 years later Alice returned. Harumi comes back to meet her and help unpack, with this manga following their everyday interactions from this point. These interactions all feel extremely warm ... and real, with their simple interactions showcasing how deep-rooted and nostalgic their relationship is. Other characters also come and go in this manga, though they aren’t too important to the plot. Despite this, they still help serve the warm, homey, and nostalgic feel. This vibe is accentuated by the slow, iyashikei, tempo of the manga, which also helps you sink into the mood of this manga.

Another thing that adds to this atmosphere is the location. Like I said earlier, this manga takes place in a small village, where the home Alice is moving back into is that of her late grandmother. It’s a traditional-style home with things in it that give it an older feel, for example, a hearth. The hearth is introduced in the first chapter and it helps set the mood of this manga. It is a symbol of warmth and characters often lounge around near it, helping to set the scene of the old, nostalgic house, and warm, homey tone.

Additionally, the art style helps apply this theme. The background work is gorgeous, using many lighter shades of grey and the colour white frequently. This helps lighten the mood and further allows someone to immerse themself in this work. It’s also extremely detailed, where the artist, Bunta Kinami, would often draw every single marking on a piece of wood or every shingle on a roof. I only have two qualms about the art. The first is that I think more things should be shaded, as it can look awkward with stuff like the leaves of a tree being white. The second is that the facial expressions can occasionally look a little off and inconsistent. While these are problems I have, it generally does not take away from the stunning art.

The art proves to serve yet another part of this manga, being the gourmet aspect. Alice and Harumi would often cook and indulge in food. This food would always look gorgeous, as expected from the praiseworthy art. They explain things about the food and how it is made, but they never go into so much detail for it to become the main focus of the manga. This is only an aspect that helps serve the cozy vibe of the manga.

Overall, this is an extremely cozy manga. It has gentle character interactions that feel very nostalgic, alongside many elements that help serve its warmth. The art is beautiful and I highly recommend this work to anyone that likes reading warm, iyashikei like this.

Thank you for reading.

It's only been 1 volume (translated) and whilst there is potential for this manga to swerve into another direction in terms of plots and development, I am led to believe such will not become a reality, at least, not for a long time. The potential is negligible.

Alice-san Chi no Iroribata is a pretty good manga that aims to bring forward sensation via the natural beauties of SoL. Of course, with one major player, being simplicity. I suppose with all that is given, I cannot elaborate any further than that. Though, don't be discouraged at this regardless. As with many SoL, we have characters being able ... to tell heartfelt stories through the many memories that are created in the journey of life in which this manga covers that particular segment in life. Despite being something that doesn't outmatch the rest, something that can simply be consumed without reflection lasting days, one must still respect that the effort of this manga and the presentation is nothing mediocre. If anything, I'd revoke my prior statement just enough to level this manga between a masterpiece and good in general. In other words, this is very good stuff.

Again, there's only really the characters and I love the characters. Two simple humans with emotion and conversational skills are directed out to have an output of a very believe pair of people simply trying to make do in this new factor life draws. Alice being the upbeat girl and Harumi there caring for her like the big man he is, you can understand and see the love they share for each other, and it might just grow, into something more than just childhood friends. Only time will tell.

Aside from that, the art here is pretty good⁠—to me at least. It has a fashion of being closer to real humans than being something you'd expect from moe. Having such a calming atmosphere, sometimes it feels a little strange, but it also gives a very grounded, very real interpretation to magnify everything that takes place. It's tranquil, a little too tranquil. It's fluffy, a little too fluffy. But it's real, and it doesn't ever seem to be too real (I don't know how it could get more real though).

Overall, I would give this a try whilst it is still young and blooming. Despite not putting this in the earlier characters paragraph, there's more than just Alice and Harumi here. Other characters seem to not come a lot, but they make the setting nice for sure and I would imagine that they would continue to do so.

But in any case, this is a good 8/10 and will probably stay that way.

It's unfair of me to review it so early on, but it's equally unfair for it to go unnoticed. Please check this one out if you feel like there's any hint that you might enjoy slice-of-life stories.

Let's talk about 'By the furnace of Miss Alice's house'... Or about furnaces in general. I'm not sure whether it's some sort of quirk, but I've always felt that standing by the fire is fascinating, mesmerizing, in the most primordial way. It is one of the cosiest activities I occasionally partake in. I'm not the biggest outdoor activities enthusiast or the like, but, sometimes, I just feel like heading ... into the wild, alone or with others. I grab something easy to cook that I can just throw into the open fire, pat myself on the back and call it a day. Potatoes usually suffice. This manga is reminiscent of that feeling: the warmth of the fire, the warmth of another person, contrasted by the solitude and the uneventfulness of wilderness.

Childhood sweethearts, moving to another town to follow a certain professional course, some people come back, others don't and so on. It's the natural course of life. I am from a relatively small town, whose citizens pride themselves in the picturesque countryside surrounding it, the somewhat simpler life, the ability to be in the middle of nature after a 20-minute ride from downtown. These kinds of places are becoming extinct as younger people tend to flock towards big cities and they end up uninhabited. Understandably so though, as the promise of a better life, of happiness, is bound with your financial well-being, but there are circumstances that might make you return. This is one such story: of a girl coming back to her home village to take over her grandma's traditional house. The heart, pun intended, of one such house is one small irori. Warmth. That's what furnaces are for, in part. This is what this manga is. A very warm and cosy place in the middle of nowhere for two childhood friends to reunite and start anew ten years later. However, what I really like about this one, in particular, is the fact that it doesn't feel like something being valuable because it's nostalgic, but as something being nostalgic because it's valuable.

There are not that many chapters out, but, oh boy, after reading the ones that were translated, I had to immediately order the first volume. It doesn't matter if I have to pay 3 times the price of the volume for shipping, I need it. (actually, I've already got it, the shipping's price is justified - great release, slightly bigger than your average Japanese manga release, but not by much, great cover art and Alice's on the spine).

It's a slice-of-life, it's got romance, it's awkward, there's such a nice tension between the two, it's a cooking manga (and the dishes look on-point, chef's kiss, don't read while hungry), the art is really nice, the panelling is on point and the worldbuilding is pretty damn good. That place feels real, the characters that inhabit said world are human-like, their awkward interactions are believable, the fact that the background is not static makes it believable. Add some grounded drama on top plus the fact that the characters are also really likeable and I'm sold. As a disclaimer, the FL is a slight bit older than the ML. That only makes it better I'd say.

There comes a point in life when you've just.. had enough. The modern world is full of exciting and fun things, but it can also get quite suffocating; and when you start contemplating your life and questioning your choices, something has to change. But, above all, you want comfort and reassurance.

Story:

This story is very warm and easily pulls at your heart's strings, making you reminisce about a wide variety of things, like school, love, family and friends. The daily life of a young woman is the focus of it; although episodic in a way, there is continuity and coherence, with a nicely executed, although ... slow build-up towards the end. A somewhat familiar premise is explored through the viewpoints of not only the MC, but also those that surround her. There are inner monologues and retrospection, providing the reader with additional information and helping with creating the bigger picture. With a few tropes here and there, the story pulls you in and keeps you there. The ending might have been an expected one, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. There isn't a single thing that feels 'overdone' or 'unnecessary'.

Art:

The art is very pleasant and a bit on the cute side, adding to the overall atmosphere of the story and the characters' personalities. Close-up panels and focus points are all justified as in you know why it's there at that specific moment, which allows for a better grasp of the situation and a sense of closeness to the characters. Everything looks clean, and some very rare doodles are sure to make you chuckle.

Characters:

Now, the characters feel so familiar, and it's so easy to relate to them and their lives/motives/reasoning. They are so well-written, giving you just enough to get the gist of what kind of person they are, without burdening you with too much detail that doesn't contribute to the plot. Both main and side characters feel realistic, there is depth to them, and they're not there just to fill up the space, but rather to contribute to the story's progress and overall quality. You understand what drives them, what has shaped them, and what they're trying to do. It would be so easy to find yourself in their shoes, because life is just like that, unpredictable. All with their own problems, small secrets and feelings of guilt, self-doubt and insecurities, they change and grow as they try to live as their true selves, to the best of their ability.

Enjoyment:

I did not expect I'll enjoy this story as much as I did. It's super nice and fun, I've read it in one sitting. If you wish to escape for a bit, get warm and cozy, or just read a feel-good story about people finding happiness in unexpected places and small things, then give this manga a try, it will not disappoint you. This story feels comforting, it makes you ponder about the things we rarely have any time to think about in our busy lives, and gives you hope that maybe, just maybe, a different approach to life is all you need to start feeling happy again. 'The road less traveled' and what might come out of it really fits the story to a tee.

Comfort and courage, that’s s the true meaning behind Alice-san Chi no Iroribata.

If you have read either Yakumo-san wa Ezuke ga Shitai or Aikagi-kun to Shiawase and enjoyed it you will like this manga as well. This is very much a Slice of Life in the country that focuses on a small cast of characters who just want to eat food and relax.
It executes this perfectly as it doesn’t overstay its welcome, with just 30 chapters of rather monotonous routines. While I did enjoy watching the different ways an Irori could be used and all the great looking food being cooked, there’s only so ... much you can do with that. I think the author realized this as the tone shifted around halfway through and focused on the more personal aspect of the story. Now I can’t put my finger on it, but something just felt like it was missing from this manga. It did an excellent job pacing wise, but I feel that especially in the later stages of the manga story beats were just sort of ticked off a list. However the characters are pretty relatable and likable so that does help.
Alice-san is a silly and endearing person, Harumi is more taciturn yet has a calming personality. As for the supporting cast, they’re not bad. Nothing special or outstanding but they do their jobs as secondary characters.
The art might be the weakest part here. I personally did not like it much. Apart from the food shots, nothing really stood out to me and I’ll admit I’m a sucker for a good looking manga.

I still think for 30 chapters this is without a question worth the read but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed but that’s just me.

The story follows Alice returning to her hometown from Tokyo to live in a traditional Japanese house after 10 years. Harumi, her childhood friend, visits her. It captures their everyday interactions and life.

It feels really warm, nostalgic and cozy. The background work is beautiful and the art captures emotions well. They eat delicious looking food in each chapter too. It definitely needs a romance tag though. The pants shots were too much but their relationship was mature.

It's short and good for a quick, relaxing read. You might enjoy this if you like iyashikei, slice of life, gourmet with romance themes!

A young woman moves back to her quaint rural hometown after experiencing life in the big city of Tokyo, reclaiming residency at her grandmother's home and rekindling her connection with her childhood friend around her irori.

This is a short slice-of-life romance story with gourmet, love-triangle, comfort, and taboo relationship elements. It is a The Garden of Words kind of story, though perhaps a bit more personable and cheerful with a less serious undertone as both lead characters have an established background and connection with one another. The writing is a bit stilted and uses some unoriginal narrative devices and scenarios to create moments of adversity ... that the leading characters then 'overcome', or bond over.

What else? It is finely illustrated and emits a feel-good atmosphere for the majority of the reading time. The characters are likable, all the sweet and endearing kind. It is also somewhat informative and has some interesting recipe ideas and methods, though I have my doubts that it could replace any cookbook worth a damn, but the manga does a fine job illustrating the general processes behind the cooking.

I recommend this manga for anyone seeking a short, peaceful romance where everything works out. It could certainly serve as a little pick-me-up.