Take a Slow Read to Happiness and Healing in “Blissful Land”

When I first saw news of Kodansha saying that they would be debuting Ichimon Izumi’s Blissful Land after reading a few preview pages, I had Kaoru Mori’s A Bride’s Story vibes. For the record, A Bride’s Story did come first by manga-ka Kaoru Mori (Emma, Shirley) with an English translation available in 2011. It was a nineteenth-century tale of two engaged folks located in probably northern Kazakhstan; a young woman from a nomadic tribe betrothed to a twelve-year-old boy eight years her junior. A Bride’s Story is a beautifully detailed series that was an educational look into how culturally marriages, families, and societal expectations were different in different time periods and parts of the world. Art wise, it was also incredibly detailed with all the period clothing I remember seeing and being awed about. Here’s an in depth review about the series if you aren’t familiar and you’re curious. Lastly, outside of the historical manga genre, it fits nicely in the slice of life genre. Whereas Blissful Land comes with a later publication with a similar story and incredible art, our protagonist here in this tale is Khang Zhipa, a 13-year-old doctor’s apprentice living in a mountain village. Set in 18th-century Tibet, he is going about his daily duties of collecting medicinal herbs and such and comes home to unexpected guests! A bride-to-be around his age and her wedding party stay the night, and Khang is due for the biggest surprise the next morning. The bride’s name is Moshi Rati, …