However, once read, the manga stays with the reader. It is memorable for several reasons:
1. It takes place in the boondocks, specifically Hakkaido, a nice change from the usual setting of Tokyo.
Tokyo is to Japan what London is to Britain, which means, there's a very good reason so many stories take place around Tokyo. Still, the boondocks, specifically the boondocks with snow, is a great variation. The characters get snowed in at one point!
The main character's parents died in a car accident. Some extended family members think he should leave the area, but he feels entirely connected to his community. As he states to his lover, "In such a small town, even one person's absence can be a burden."
2. The characters don't automatically assume that separation means a lack of love.
I recently watched the Thai drama, The Boss and the Babe, which I enjoyed, but I got irritated by the idea that a few weeks--even months--separation somehow meant that the characters didn't really love each other or that other people were unfairly separating them or whatever. Just wait until the internship is over!
I went along with the premise since it was, intelligently, tied to other factors, including Cher's deep-rooted tendency to put on a "clown's" face for others rather than to admit to any negative feelings.
But. Still.
The wonderful aspect of Snow Fairy is that Narumi and Haruki's relationship will not falter should Narumi take another journey for his photography. They both have lives that absorb them. They can survive separation, especially since Haruki offers a home base.
A grown-up relationship!
3. The outdoor/indoor scenes are lovely.
Growing up, one of my favorite experiences was drying off/warming up after being outside, swimming in a pond during the summer or playing in the snow during the winter. Of course, one had to go outside to come back in and dry off/warm up, so going outside was pleasurable too.
Snow Fairy captures that sensation: the wonder of being out in crisp, cold air surrounded by heaps of snow and the coziness of coming inside to a warm room and lots of blankets.
