If you’re a fan of Blade of the Immortal, then you’re already well aware of Hiroaki Samura’s compelling work. From his beautiful art to his deep storylines, he presents stunning historical drama. And Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze, while set far distant from Samura’s most famous work, is much the same. It’s just as beautiful to look at and dramatic to read… but now the action takes place in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Join us for a first look at the English-language release of this powerful manga, coming next month!


Puppy and Squirrel

Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze is wrapped in mysteries from the very first page. Our heroes don’t even go by their real names, instead calling themselves Bielka (“squirrel”) and Shchenok (“puppy”). The two are devoted to each other: Shchenok pushes Bielka’s unusual wheelchair, while Bielka is apparently the only person who can soothe the side effects of his strange condition. The two find themselves embroiled in the dealings of the early Soviet Union, enduring abuse of all kinds from enemies and alleged “allies” alike.

As the short manga progresses, though, it becomes clear that there’s more to both of them than meets the eye. Important people take a great interest in both of them, both for good and ill. And when the secret of Bielka’s parentage finally comes out, it unlocks a whole potential alternate history for one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century.



Myths and Legends

Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze takes its name from the Snow Maiden of Russian fairy tales. In a tale retold in the manga, we learn that she is the daughter of winter and spring, and is thus someone who should not be. Bielka uses a form of this name as her false surname. And once things become clear in the final chapter, that name is more relevant than anyone could possibly have known.

While the manga does take some inspiration from old legends, it also rests a great deal of its plot in modern legends. During the turbulent early years of the Soviet Union, there was still a great deal of unrest surrounding the last Tsar and his family. And if you think that detail gives away who Bielka really is, trust us: you’re still in for a big surprise.



Dark and Beautiful

Blade of the Immortal readers will likely be well aware of how dark Samura’s work can go. And Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze is no different. This manga deals with some pretty heavy subject matter, so bear that in mind before you dive in. This manga is just as unflinching as Samura’s other work.

But it’s because of this—combined with beautiful art, a deep story, and impeccable historical research—that this 2013 manga stands out as a real gem in Samura’s body of work. Whether you’re a fan of early 20th century history or just looking for something different, grab this one as soon as you can.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha comics for the digital ARC of “Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze” by Hiroaki Samura! It’s so interesting to read manga with a historical setting that you tell has been well researched by the author. I did find the amount of detail daunting at first but in the end I felt I had a fairly good grasp on the basic cultural context of 1930’s soviet Russia and had enjoyed reading. I found the main characters Bielka and Shchenok intriguing, so while it isn’t very clear what’s going on at first I was willing to stay to find out. They are both not physically strong characters so there was a lot of tension when they found themselves in dangerous situations. This is a dark tale, but if you are an adult reader with a little patience, interested in Russian history and looking for an interesting twist upon it, you should give this manga a try!

The premise of the book sounded interesting, and I know it will be perfect for someone, but that someone isn't me. The art style is intriguing and unique; however, I believe one needs some prior knowledge of the period in which it is set. They do explain some things, but much of it went over my head. Additionally, there are on-page rape scenes, and I wouldn’t have picked it up if I had known about this. Sadly, I only managed to get just over 50% through before putting it down.

The art is incredibly beautiful, but I found the story itself quite hard to follow despite the footnotes (perhaps due to my lack of knowledge of Russian history and culture). It got me interested in Russian history, though!

This graphic novel starts strongly with a girl in a wheelchair and her companion meeting an artist sketching and quickly becomes political intrigue. However, after the first chapter, the story starts to rush and characters are thrown at the reader without sufficient background/context for those who don't know much about 1930s Russia. The reveals come across as info dumps rather than organically coming out of the story.

Then there's the "payment" for staying at the Datcha. Our girl in a wheelchair must sleep with their captor. She doesn't fight this. Her companion isn't outraged. It's just accepted. The story then fasts forward 3 years showing that not only is this arrangement still ongoing, she's become quite fond of their captor. Her companion is still un-outraged by this treatment. Whilst this might be historically accurate, contemporary understandings of consent and respect mean that this whole topic/narrative arc needs a complete rework.

The premise for this graphic novel is a good one but I can't recommend due to its blase treatment of rape. I received an advance reader copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Hiroaki Samura mantiene una matita fantastica, anche se gli anni passano e anche se si cimenta con un'ambientazione - la Russia della Rivoluzione d'Ottobre - che più lontana non si può dal Giappone semimedievale dell'Immortale. Trattiene qui le caratteristiche che più mi avevano infastidito degli ultimi volumetti, un compiacimento nella violenza e nel sesso che era quasi pornografico - e più nella violenza che in altro, per quanto fossero sempre strettamente legati; mentre nell'Immortale era tutto estremamente esplicito, qui rimane meno evidente, anche se il confronto finale tra Bielka e un altro personaggio, dopo tre anni di... convivenza, mi hanno lasciata francamente allibita.
Il tutto rimane però troppo confusionario; molto si svela e ricompone nella seconda parte, ma comprimere un periodo così complesso non è un esperimento che sia riuscito a Samura. E se già io mi sono trovata confusa, posso immaginare il lettore giapponese medio; ma può sempre godersi le meravigliose tavole e quel gusto dell'esotico che ha attratto me, invece, la prima volta verso l'autore.

I wish I could give this more than two stars.

While I enjoyed the art, the story felt very slow than all of a sudden very very rushed which I did not enjoy

At first, I was blown away by the art and very intrigued by the historical aspect — historical fiction is a genre i love dearly. However, it quickly got too complicated and heavy without prior historical context. I believe it would’ve benefited from being longer, the stakes don’t feel very high as we’re thrown in a lot of names and political happenings without really being shown the big picture.

What bothered me the most however, is the way rape was depicted here. First, having the disabled girl being raped needs to be handled with care as we know disabled people are often targets of rape. It wasn’t, her discomfort was palpable during the first rape scenes yet she gradually grows to appreciate her rapist, never showing any sign of trauma or disgust whatsoever.

Disappointing and unenjoyable read unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Trigger warnings for rape, amputation, torture, murder

This is an … intresting graphic novel that takes place in Stalin’s Russia after the fall of the Romanov Tsar. Bielka and her brother, Shchenok — both using false names — have come to a dacha (a small plot of land with a house on it) in search of … something. Captured and accused of being spies they are given into the control of Victor, who puts them to work as servants. Or rather, Shchenok as a servant. Bielka, confined to a wheelchair and an amputee who lost both legs, he rapes. There are several semi-graphic scenes of the rapes, so sensitive readers be cautious.

They spend three years with him, and it’s implied in the comic that she comes to be quite fond of him and his … attentions. Which, without showing any context, without showing any sign of a growing relationships between them — it shows a montage from one rape to another, to one where she is kissing and embracing him, and then we’re told it’s been three years.

There’s quite a bit of Russian history here, compressed into a graphic novel, and it’s always interesting to read stories that take place in different cultures, but this graphic novel is written by a Japanese author, so I don’t know how much is based on fact, and how much on fiction. The story itself is … interesting, but because the pace is so rushed it’s hard to get a grasp on any of the characters.

To be honest, I didn’t enjoy this graphic novel. The vibe, the rapes, the flatness of the characters, but other readers may enjoy it. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

Before going into this, I saw that it was set in 1930s Soviet Russia. I have some knowledge of the era, but my knowledge is pretty limited. I think to fully appreciate this story, you need more than a limited knowledge set of Russia in the 1930s and how the Soviet era functioned. Because of this, some elements of the story left me a little lost. This story assumes you already know the real-world elements, and leaves you confused if you don't. The story itself was somewhat interesting. Full of tension and high political intrigue. You do wonder what the hell itself they are searching for, when they go to such insane lengths such as being tortured and raped. (The girl is raped several times. It was an extremely unpleasant jumpscare and I'm irritated that she essentially forgives her rapist down the line) The reveal at the very end doesn't really hit that heavy for me. Again, I think it's my bare-bones knowledge of Russia, the Soviets, and Russian Royalty that is doing this. The art style is interesting; it feels more like an old-school manga style.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

*Thanks To netgalley and Kodansha comics for early copy for review*

So this has rape in it and I would not recommend to anyone that is triggered by it. I am usually not triggered, but tend to not like stories involving depending on how it is handled. I think it was handled poorly in this manga. Overall this manga is a very rough read set during the 1930s Soviet Union. It is a very bleak manga that won an award so I though I check it out. I regret that I did that. If you are interested in this horrific time period and want to see some men do heinous crimes maybe this manga is for you.

The art style is beautifully detailed and lends a weight/darkness to the pages, which fits the overall story. I’m also glad the story did not center romance (which, I’ll admit, I kind of expected from the cover).

I’m not particularly familiar with the Romanovs and that period of (Russian) history, but I liked that this one didn’t center Anastasia and we instead got some interesting tangential characters (many of whom are apparently real historical figures!)

I think it took us a little too long to understand what exactly our main characters wanted, and when we did understand it all came at once in an infodump.