[Manga Review] Silver Spoon, Vol. 1

[thebookishescape]

AUTHOR: Hiromu Arakawa
RELEASED: February 27, 2018 by Yen Press
SERIES: 銀の匙 Silver Spoon [Gin no Saji Silver Spoon] (#1)
GENRE: Comedy, Coming-of-age, Slice of life
AGE RANGE: Teen
RATINGS: ★★☆☆☆
SYNOPSIS: Time for a change of pace.

Yuugo Hachiken flees the hustle and bustle of city life to enroll at Oezo Agricultural High School. At first he's just trying to outrun his problems, but instead he finds a place for himself in this quaint rural community. Between the classrooms and cowpatties, the boy becomes a man.



REVIEW: I read Silver Spoon to see if it was better than Fullmetal Alchemist. Although it's about a different topic, I hope this manga moves me as much as Fullmetal Alchemist did.

The story of Silver Spoon is more casual than narrative-driven. Although it contains fiction, it contains interesting factual information (sadly, I am not an expert on farming and agriculture).

It's a cute manga about personal investment, but it's slow and lacks personal attachment. It doesn't have a memorable cast of characters or a compelling plot for them to engage with. This is more like a TV show about rural living with some manga tropes sprinkled throughout. FMA is definitely more my style, but I'm glad I tried something else by Arakawa, even if I didn't like it.

In conclusion, while Silver Spoon offers an interesting perspective on rural living, it lacks the compelling narrative and memorable characters that made Fullmetal Alchemist so impactful.