Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!
4 stars

This did a great job at reminding me that I need to watch the movie T^T It oddly gave me Ghibli vibes with the plot, even though I know it's not. The art style is very nice, and I'm super intrigued by the world building thus far. So yeah, definitely moving "finding time to watch this movie" up on my schedule :D

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this manga in exchange for my honest opinion!

I haven't seen the anime, but after reading this I definitely want to check it out! The story is beautifully illustrated, I can't wait for future volumes to come out!

I watched the movie adaption for Suzume and loved it so much, so naturally I wanted to also read the manga! The artwork is beautiful and the manga really captured the magical essence of the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC. I can't wait to read the rest!

This was such a good manga! I know it’s based on the movie, but the art style was really cute and I liked seeing the exaggerated emotions on the characters’ faces as opposed to what I saw in the movie. I like that many of the drawings are done in a dramatic angle as well. Not to say that the movie didn’t do that, but there’s something about manga that just adds this little omph to it.

I’m so happy Suzume has its own manga and I can’t wait to read the rest. I definitely want to buy the physical copies when they’re out in the US!!

i first watched suzume in the cinema and loved the plot and the animation, so when i came across this manga adaptation i immediately had to read it.

this is a coming of age story about a high school junior named suzume who crosses paths with souta, a stranger in search of a door in the ruins of her town. when suzume decides to follow him, she discovers that this door is actually a very dangerous portal to another world, and souta is a 'door closer'. from then on, they both start a journey to close the portals that keep opening in order to prevent the disaster they would bring to their world, while also in search of a magical cat that turned souta into suzume's childhood chair.

i read this volume in one sitting, it was very entertaining and a really good adaptation overall. we got to see some of the characters' inner thoughts that we didn't get in the movie, and there was never a boring moment. suzume is a caring and energetic main character and i loved her interactions with souta. the side characters were all very likeable and the beautiful and softer art style really added to the story.

thank you so much to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for this ARC!

This was wonderful! It’s such a joy to return to the world of Suzume and this time in manga form. I loved every minute of this and devoured it in one sitting.

Suzume is a coming of age story about a high school girl who must travel around Japan closing mysterious doors to prevent disaster. She can see supernatural forces and teams up with Souta to protect the people of Japan who have no idea what’s happening.

As someone who already adored the movie by Makato Shinkai, I was intrigued to see what the manga format would bring to story. And I was so happy to see that it adds a lot of small details to the characters like internal thoughts and perspectives that we just didn’t get in the movie version. I loved that it added depth to a story I already love!

The pacing was very impressive, it’s quick and doesn’t get slow at any point. It also covers a lot of ground and explains a lot pretty quickly so I think this is also excellent if you haven’t seen the movie before.

The art was perfect - there are some really charming moments that are so well drawn and really capture the characters’ personalities. And the cast of secondary characters are all so likable!

This was a wonderful read! I highly recommend this manga to anyone who likes magical realism and folklore inspired fantasy stories! It’s super accessible even if you’ve never read manga before - I’d totally recommend it as “gateway manga” for newbies!

I watched the anime, and it has become one of my favourites. Reading this comic is quite similar to watching anime; there is no difference, and I enjoy both!

-Release September 24
-fantasy, mystery, adventure
From the description and cover, Suzume looked like an interesting read. I was not disappointed in giving it a read and recommend giving it a chance. If you liked Your Name, this would be up your alley. We are slowly getting some character development and world building, as Souta and Suzume go after the keystone. At first I honestly thought maybe there was some time travel happening because Souta kinda resembles Suzume. Now I think the doors and Souta are connected somehow with Suzume’s mom's death.

Suzume helps a stranger with directions to discover that she led him to an abandoned spot that people should not go to. When she rushed to find the stranger, she found a door instead that led elsewhere and ended up going back to school. During class there was an earthquake announcement, but what she saw was something in the sky coming from the location she was just at (no one else could see it). Suzume rushes back to find the stranger trying to push the door closed. Afterwards he was looking for the keystone to completely lock the door and the worm to be trapped. However, he was unable to find it and Suzume forced him to follow her back to her house for first aid. She soon learns the stranger is a Closer and his name is Souta.

After helping Souta, there is a cat that enters her room and come to find out that cat was the keystone (Suzume ended up having something to do with its appearance); the cat curses Souta resulting in him turning into a chair. Now the two are chasing after the keystone in order to completely trap the worm, but everywhere they go a new door opens up. Along this journey, Suzume can't help but to also help those they come in contact with.

A very fun set up to this series. Love the characters and plot. Very intrigued to see where the story goes.

I haven't watched Suzume yet, but reading this eARC made me ten times more excited to get to it. The charming art style and movement had all the charm I remember from the trailer and I loved the story.

Suzume follows the titular character, a young girl trying her best despite the loss of her parents, whose world is turned upside down when she meets a stranger on the road to school asking for directions to an abandoned place nearby. After hearing that the cops are keeping a strict eye on the place, she races back to warn him—only to find a mysterious door leading to nowhere that ends up taking her on an adventure she never could have predicted.

I loved the whirlwind energy and I adored the characters. They both have my whole heart and the parts where they reacted to underestimating each other were done quite well. I think there were some pages where the flow of panels felt kind of strange, though this might have been the way they ended up being laid out on digital. This is a manga adaptation of a movie, so at least if you're desperately craving more like I am, the full story is already out there.

I really enjoyed this book! I’ve had the film on my list for a while now because I loved Your Name. After reading the first volume I’ll for sure be checking out the film!

I loved the movie for Suzume and loved this manga version just as much. It's such an interesting, dramatic world that Suzume stumbles into and this manga version is a lovely accompaniment for movie fans.

I first saw the ads, which mesmerized me with their vibrant colors and whimsical "go-to-the-woods-as-a-cute-cat" theme. Then I watched the animation, which surprised me with its deep plot and dazzling array of colors. Finally, I got the chance to read the manga, specifically the first part of a three-part series!

Souta is a mysterious young man who travels around Japan looking for doors in abandoned places. When he meets Suzume, a schoolgirl, and asks for directions to his next location, Suzume embarks on the biggest adventure of her life. The strange question from this enigmatic young man sparks Suzume's curiosity, and despite warnings, she follows Souta. Unaware of the doors' true purpose or the dangers they conceal, Suzume accidentally opens a perilous portal and releases the guardian (a cute cat!) that keeps the door between two worlds sealed. Enjoying its newfound freedom, the guardian, in the form of a cat, decides to turn Suzume and Souta's lives upside down and escape. But not before transforming Souta into a three-legged children's chair.

This is an utterly wild adventure that captivates and astonishes with its story and characters. The illustrations are also worth mentioning, with their fairy-tale colors that seem to create new hues through tone-on-tone fusions. However, like most mangas, only the beginning and the end are colored; the rest is in black and white. Having seen the animation first, I naturally imagined the scenes in color (a tip for future readers!). Besides the presence of mythological creatures unique to Japan, the story also explores the pain of losing a loved one. As the manga gradually reveals, Suzume was raised by her aunt, and she has only a few, sometimes confusing, memories of her mother. To understand why these memories resurface or what they signify, you must dive into the world of Suzume and Souta. 😊

The only downside to my reading experience was the translation, which felt a bit awkward at times. Certain sentences or word choices didn’t quite match the context in a few places and seemed odd. However, this doesn’t detract significantly from the overall enjoyment, and many readers might not even notice. Hopefully, the next parts will have a more consistent translation. All in all, it’s a refreshing change from regular books, and I highly recommend it to all manga lovers and anyone considering starting their manga journey. Now is the perfect time to dive in! 😊

Thank you so much, NetGallery and Kodansha Comics, for this wonderful reading experience!

Review in Estonian (will be published on July 29, 2024): https://brixieblog.wordpress.com/2024/07/29/suzume-to1-makoto-shinkai-denki-amashima/

This was the cutest intro to a new manga series for me. I loved Suzume as a main character and I can’t wait to know the back story of Souta and what secrets hide behind the door!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a e-copy.

4.5 stars

I've been meaning to watch the film so when I saw it was coming out as a manga I knew I had to read it

I thoroughly enjoyed this and loved the whole premise behind it all! I love the characters and I'm now super eager to watch the film and continue on with the manga!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this. The artwork is beautiful and it did a great job of adapting from the movie. This was a fun quirky story about a 17 year old girl going on an adventure to save the world from an other worldly foe. Fun adaption from the anime and I’m excited for book 2!

When a door opens to another world, what do you do? You step through it. Past, present, and future, combine when Suzume steps through her first doorway.

If you want a manga that will give you maximum emotional damage, Suzume should be your go to. Fair warning, volume 1 ends on a massive cliffhanger. It's worth the jump.

On the way to school one morning, Suzume encounters a mysterious stranger looking for some ruins. After directions him to an abandoned hot springs, she heads off to school, thinking nothing of it, that is until an earthquake hits and out of sky just above the hot springs, a giant form erupts Knowing she won't be able to forgive herself if something happens to the young man she rushes off to the hot springs not knowing she was taking her first step in the adventure of a lifetime.

Suzume has been on my "To Watch" list for a while, so when I saw that Netgalley had the manga, I jumped on the chance to read it, and I'm glad I did. Makoto strikes the perfect balance between a supernatural adventure story and a coming of age story so far with this first volume. Suzume is an excellent main character in that she is really one of those genuinely selfless people who don't seem to realize that they spend so much time thinking about others they forget to consider themselves. I've found that authors (of manga or otherwise) are often unable to write this character type without it feeling fake, so it was a nice surprise that Suzume felt very real.

I'm also enjoying that Suzume is helped by others along the way. She's not just traversing Japan alone with a talking chair but finding, again, genuinely nice people to assist her and being able to give them something back in return. To be fair I'm pretty sure I enjoy this portion because it reminds me a bit of the Pokemon anime which is just fine with me because there's not many people who can pull of the purity that is Ash and friends just running around the world helping people out.


Overall, I definitely enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading Vol. 2!

As always, thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for the eArc!

Very enjoyable!

I went into this manga knowing nothing about it. I didn't know there was a movie until after I finishing reading this. So, in the beginning of the story, I was a little lost. But I was quickly able to pick up on what was going on, and then really got into it. The art is beautiful, and I'm loving the storyline. I look forward to reading future volumes!

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for giving me the chance to read Suzume (BOOK 1) by Makoto Shinkai in exchange for my honest review.

What to say about this beautiful masterpiece ?
It's simply outstanding, full of wonderfully illustrated panels that do justice to the artist and the storyline.
As someone who hasn't yet the movie, this volume made want to watch it as soon as I finished reading it ! It was not only an enticing and captivating story by Makoto Shinkai but a true work of art as far as Denki Amashima's works are considered.

I really want to get my hands on my own physical copies of the book/manga adaptation of this amazing story .