#This review was written as part of the Anicord Contracts Season of Spring 2024, where a random person gives you several animanga to watch/read and review.
_Contractor’s note:
Have you thought about what it is like living when you’re the size of an ant? This manga is all about it in the package of amazing lore, culture, and characters. No matter how small they are its a slice of life about pretty much everything to labor, art, strolling around town, meeting new people etc. The strongest point in this manga on how well crafted perfected its writing is with how much character and life the town is with its amazing sense of community to the point it's nostalgic. This also includes the world building, especially giving context with the notes at the end of every chapter that gives attention to detail even to the side characters or the place they are at. Even the smallest things like being friends with the bugs living next door and different animal species that has their own occupations and has distinct personalities is a lovely touch. I highly recommend reading._
This was a somewhat bad pick for a contract because I went through it faster than I'd preferred.
I firmly believe you should read this manga periodically. Maybe one volume or a few chapters at a time. Get away from it, let it settle, and come back whenever you're in the mood for something comforting.
Because Hakumei to Mikochi is pure Slice of Life, mostly episodic, without much of an overarching narrative.
The worldbuilding is interesting, as people are about 9 centimetres tall. Ferrets, badgers, and cats appear as sentient large beasts, birds seem highly threatening (but the ones we've met preferred minestrone and fruits to eat instead of our lovely protagonists). Bugs are sentient and can be your chatty neighbour as well as a convenient transport tool. A daikon will make for a feast for multiple people, and a raindrop falling on your head might lead to severe injuries.
The fantasy world seems vast, with different regions and different customs, clothing, traditions, songs, and trading goods; though we only get glimpses at the true scope of it, as we are focused on the region of Makinata, where our protagonists live. We learn interesting bits and pieces about the world and its culture through additional backstories in the manga “columns” after each chapter (much like Magus of the Library).
We follow the titular characters, our dear girls Hakumei and Mikochi, through their daily lives: cooking, eating, drinking, going shopping, hanging out with friends, working hard at their jobs (Hakumei is sort of a carpenter and Mikochi cooks and makes clothes), and having little adventures on the side. They are just roommates (though many people do wonder what their actual relationship is) and live in a giant tree.
Hakumei to Mikochi introduces a large cast of characters who are utilised repeatedly in the episodic storytelling to build a web of connections in between. Each recurring side character has their own quirks and peculiarities about them and they just become more endearing the more we learn about them. And you can clearly see how their relationships towards the protagonists and other side characters slowly evolve over time.
The world feels very much alive even beyond the protagonists and the side characters, as we can see all kinds of creatures going about their daily lives in the background just like Hakumei and Mikochi.
The biggest draw of the manga is its art. Characters and their outfits, the backgrounds, the food (so, so much food), just everything is incredibly detailed, from the button on Hakumei's Seedhat, the single strands of hair on Iwashis's neck fur, to the third book on the second-to-bottom row of the fifth shelve on the first floor of the library in the background; the love and attention to detail is breathtakingly beautiful.
The juxtaposition of chibi-style human characters with realistic everything else successfully underlines the whimsical and cute nature of the manga.
What turned the manga from “very good” into “great” for me were the chapters where
To enjoy Hakumei to Mikochi to the fullest, I recommend having your favourite snacks and favourite drinks (preferably alcoholic) in range and a relaxing spot to lounge-read.
Never read it when you’re hungry, unless you like to torture yourself.
Rating: 9/10
9 - Titles where the combined elements of story, characters, and art created a thoroughly immersive, enjoyable, and unique reading experience. Personal favourites with a few noticeable or minor flaws. Titles I consider to be the best of their genre. Titles that could be a 10, but didn't get in because I want to have a limited amount of tens.
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