The world is ruled by a diversity of inhuman beings, who persecuted humans and drove them to
near-extinction. One day, the forest guardian Golem meets a human girl. This is a chronicle of a
journey that would bind a member of the dying "human" clan to the forest guardian Golem, as father and
daughter.
(Source: Crunchyroll)
The first episode received an advance web distribution on January 3.
The regular TV broadcast started on January 10.
Somalí a Mori no Kamisama Tengo una regla básica e inquebrantable al momento de ver una anime nuevo y es que si los primeros 3 capítulos no me gustan o no me atrapan a querer ver mas y/o saber mas de la historia, dejo de ver dicho anime y en este caso me paso, consideró personalmente que el género “Iyashikei”, episódico de vida familiar o cotidiana no es de mi gusto, quise darle la oportunidad a este anime por que otro reseñador que considero tenemos cierta afinidad miro la serie y es una de sus mas valoradas, pero concluí que tenemos gustos diferentes, se que mirar el 25% de la serie no es suficiente para realizar una reseña pero después de casi morirme de aburrimiento con los primeros 3 capítulos considero mi derecho dar mi punto de vista. Historia: 4/10 Hay una trama y argumentó principal que es llevar a la niña humana con los humanos en un mundo mayor mente habitado por demonios y mostros y el uno de los personajes principales tiene corto tiempo de vida para logra este cometido, un toque trágico para generar empatía por parte de los espectadores, muy parecido al argumento de la película “La era del hielo 1”, sin embargo como característica de este tipo de animes la trama y la historia no es lo principal, lo principal es relatar momentos de la vida cotidiana en donde alguna manera se trasmita un buen mensaje al espectador, a mi modo de ver realmente no hay historia y el objetivo que se proponen no se cumple a a cabalidad volviendo cada capítulo sumamente aburrido. Características de los personajes: 5/10 Como ya lo dije este estilo de anime no se centra alrededor de un personaje como tal sino de cómo viven y las experiencias diarias de todos los personajes dejando muy sesgado el poder caracterizar a plenitud un personaje. Animación y arte: 8/10 Este apartado si es un fuerte del anime, no se puede negar me gusto el arte, la animación no exigía mucho puesto que las escenas en si carecían de emoción pero me gusto no es lo mejor que e visto pero es muy bueno. Disfrute: 1/10 Como lo indique no la disfrute así que no hay mucho que decir. En general: 4/10 Si no te gusta este genero como en mi caso no la recomiendo, seria perder tu tiempo. Gracias por leer. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Are you tired of reading wall after wall of pretentious text? Do you just want to know if you should watch the darn show? Me too. # **TLDR** A heartwarming and emotionally powerful story about a father and daughter that doesn’t turn incestuous. The premise of “bring a child from point A to point B” is nothing new, but __literally everything else__ is so damn good it doesn’t matter. I am convinced that this is a plot by the Japanese government to fix their declining birthrate. Watch this show. # **PLOT** - Good The story is about a robotic golem trying to return an abandoned human girl he names Somali to her home. However, in this world, humans have been hunted almost to extinction. This presents two problems. One, it is hard to find a human settlement. Two, Somali is thought of as a delicacy by most of the creatures they meet. This is a mini-arc based/episodic show where the two main characters travel to different places that are loosely connected by the objective of “return the child”. Along the way, we also learn more about humans and why they almost went extinct. But the plot isn’t really relevant. Their journey is mainly used as an excuse to explore the father-daughter relationship between Somali and the golem, the relationships they make with those they meet along the way, and the different perspectives the different races/creatures have. # **CHARACTERS** - 11/10 This is gonna be a big section because the characters are a huge part of the show. Usually, young children in anime are either really annoying or used as an overly cute plot device with no actual personality traits. Somali is neither of these things. She is one of the best depictions of a child I have seen. Somali is a perfect mix of curious, energetic, affectionate, innocent, cheeky, and wholesome. You can tell that she is sincere in everything she does and that she loves her oto-san (the golem) with her whole heart. Any time this adorable little goober does anything, it leaves me with the feeling of “damn, I kinda want to be a parent someday” and a stupid grin on my face. That feeling is only magnified by how endearing she manages to be in spite of the fact that she probably dies if a gust of wind blows her hood off and exposes that she's human. Her dangerous situation also reveals a sadder, more realistic side to Somali. She has her own doubts and fears that I’m not going to get into because it would ruin some of the more emotional moments. Just know that she’s not on screen to be cheerful and adorable all the time. Below is a screenshot from the OP. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but that one slightly sad yet geuninely happy smile manages to convey more about her than my paragraphs of text ever could. ~~~img400(https://i.imgur.com/XSajFej.png)~~~ The golem, being a golem, is pretty emotionless. But throughout the show we see him slowly develop the ability to feel. He gets attached to and protective of Somali, who he starts to see not as a mission objective, but as his daughter. In the later episodes, whenever Somali gets distracted and runs off somewhere, he calls her name with just the slightest hint of anxiety, and that slight hint has the same emotional weight as someone crying and screaming at the top of their lungs. The golem is actually a really good dad too. He lets Somali have her fun but makes her eat her vegetables. He regularly puts himself at risk protecting her from bad guys despite not being her actual dad, and stresses out when she gets sick. You know what the best part of him is though? He’s a __huge__ tsundere. Whenever someone accuses him of growing attached to Somali, he responds with “golems do not feel emotion”. He doesn’t say “baka” though. The side characters are amazing. It has been a long time since I cared so much about side characters. They’re all unique. They’re all relevant to the story. They serve a thematic purpose. I actually care about what happens to them. I can’t say much without going into spoilers, but just know that the overwhelming majority of them are great. # **ART AND ANIMATION** - Great Are you tired of seeing this exact generic medieval fantasy town? (no spoilers) ~!img300(https://i.imgur.com/ZxYz6RB.png)!~ I am, and so is Somali and the Forest Spirit. Locations are stunning and all of them are different. There’s desert towns in volcanoes, forests that look like something out of James Cameron’s Avatar, vast underground caverns, and more, each with their own flair. The world is filled to the brim with varied landscapes, tons of different creatures, and vibrant colours. It really feels like these characters are on a journey across an entire planet and that there’s way more to be explored than what is shown in the show. This town was the most generic and bland one I could find, and it’s probably better than 80% of fantasy towns. img(https://i.imgur.com/GwKYWaB.png) I like the designs of Somali and the golem, but the creatures just look alright. The vast majority of them fall into the category of humans with animal heads and I would have preferred more creative designs. But there’s enough variety in the animal heads that I didn’t really mind too much. (also note the vibrant colours and unique looking town by the way) ~~~img600(https://i.imgur.com/EdW5yQB.png)~~~ The animation is average at best, but there’s barely any action in this show so it’s not a huge deal. Sometimes, they do that thing where instead of animating a fight they just slightly vibrate a still image. All in all, animation and action scenes are not this show’s strong suit, and are bad for a show from 2020. # **MUSIC AND SOUND** - Above Average Something else that disappointed me was the music. The OP, ED, and OST got the job done and weren’t bad by any means, but we all have that weeb music playlist and I just can’t see myself putting any of the songs on there. I’m usually a sucker for stuff sung by the voice actors and actresses but even that wasn’t enough to make the ED shine. Thankfully, the voice acting makes it so that I don’t have to give this section a rating of average. Whoever they cast to play Somali did a great job at portraying her energetic and charming personality while also nailing the super emotional moments. The actor for the golem was somehow able to convey emotion using a robotic voice, and I swear he slowly becomes more human sounding over the course of the show. # **WHO SHOULD WATCH THIS** Give this a shot if you're looking for a heartwarming and emotional story, or for something that might make you cry. If you’re into shows that are heavily character based and don’t mind not having an epic storyline, then check this out too. # **RECOMMENDATIONS** [Usagi Drop](https://anilist.co/anime/10162/Bunny-Drop/) is (probably) the most well known anime about a father-daughter relationship, and for good reason. It takes place in the real world and leans more towards iyashikei/slice of life than adventure/drama, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less emotionally impactful. Avoid the manga. [Made In Abyss](https://anilist.co/anime/97986/Made-in-Abyss/) is about a deeply emotional journey in a super unique and hostile setting. It includes an unbreakable bond forming between a girl and a robot, but doesn’t deal with father-daughter relationships. It dips its toes into Lovecraftian horror and is darker in tone than Somali and the Forest Spirit. # **CONCLUSION** Filled with endearing protagonists, great bonds, side characters worth caring about, a vibrant world, and a soundtrack that mostly just exists, Somali and the Forest Spirit has the ability to make me grin like a fool and cry in the fetal position in the same episode. As of the time of writing, it is the 439th most popular TV anime on Anilist. It is beaten in popularity by the smartphone isekai and I am angry about that. I have no clue why more people aren’t checking this out. I don’t want this anime to be a hidden gem. I want the whole world to know about this show. I want it to get the recognition it deserves. ---------------- ##### Visit my profile @groggy1 to give feedback or to see my other work ##### Thank you @MrHatz4Patz for submitting a correction!
>__Emociones... algo que como seres humanos tenemos y gracias a las cuales reímos, sufrimos, lloramos y sí, también amamos. Porque el amor es quizá la más fuerte de todas estas emociones y si algo está claro, es que puede presentarse de muchas y muy diversas formas, unas más complicadas e inentendibles que otras... Y, sin embargo, de todas sus formas, quizá la más pura e inocente sea aquella que no pide nada a cambio para hacer feliz a otro. Pues eso es precisamente de lo que trata la serie de hoy: un viaje fantástico y lleno de ternura y amor entre una muy inesperada hija y un todavía más improbable padre en esto que es... Somali to Mori no Kamisama.__ ~~~ img(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G2oiEgzlBmM/X5GDdT1GGPI/AAAAAAAADuk/a-0aHm3czc8erivNHs14p8nrEM314j5WgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h152/Dise%25C3%25B1o%2Bsin%2Bt%25C3%25ADtulo.gif)~~~ La serie nos coloca dentro de un mundo en el que seres fantásticos habitan las ciudades mientras que los humanos son una raza al borde de la extinción. Y entre todos ellos, los golem son los encargados de cuidar los bosques, preservando la paz en ellos durante toda su vida, la cual termina cuando llegan a los 1000 años. Es así como cierto día, uno de estos guardianes encuentra en su bosque a una pequeña niña humana y esta inmediatamente lo llama papá, sin imaginar que este fortuito encuentro cambiaria sus vidas para siempre, comenzando un viaje en busca de otros humanos y así poder hacer que la niña, a la cual nombra Somali, vuelva con los de su especie. Lamentablemente nada en este mundo es perfecto y esta adorable mini familia tendrá que hacer frente a un terrible destino: La vida del golem terminara en menos de 2 años. Y así es que, a lo largo de los 12 episodios de la serie, seremos testigos de las vivencias de este inexperto padre y su adorable hija, quienes irán encontrando amigos como el doctor Shizuno y su asistente Yabashira que los ayudarán a lo largo de su camino. ~~~__De padres e hijo__~~~ Y será precisamente este viaje en búsqueda de humanos, el que sirva como base para el eje de la serie: la relación padre - hija entre el golem y la pequeña Somali; una relación que ira desarrollándose de a poco y de una forma bastante natural, casi siempre sobre la temática "Somali hace algo que golem le prohíbe - Somali en problemas - Golem la rescata - Hablan y hay un avance en su entendimiento". Esto sin embargo, no se hace cansado gracias a la empatía que generan ambos personajes, teniendo a una hija super hiperactiva pero que también sabe comprender el porqué de las cosas en vez de crear tediosas secuencias de enojo, y a un padre que irá aprendiendo sobre la marcha como cuidar de la pequeña a través de los consejos de otros. ~~~img(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y0d5RMY9ukk/X5GChhIlSWI/AAAAAAAADuQ/20SDSuRdYvsnsjCHEzD5Y98Z4uHP4FqaQCLcBGAsYHQ/w286-h400/Dise%25C3%25B1o%2Bsin%2Bt%25C3%25ADtulo%2B%252810%2529.gif)~~~ ~~~__Emociones más allá del corazón__~~~ Sin embargo, personalmente creo que la magia de la serie reside en un trasfondo mayor: La manera en que el amor mueve a los seres vivos. Y para representar esto que mejor que un personaje que, a priori, no debería tener emociones más allá de la lógica como lo es el golem; porque esto permite que se nos plantee la pregunta ¿Acaso el amor se rige por lo físico o la mente? Porque durante cada episodio nos muestran cómo es que este ser va adquiriendo "un calor en el pecho", dándose cuenta de que, pese a su condición, sí puede llegar a querer y amar, siendo además, un amor que no depende del físico, de la sangre ni mucho menos de obtener algo a cambio, es simplemente... Un amor puro, nacido del deseo de ayudar a alguien más. Cliché sí, pero no por ello menos cierto. Y aquí hay una pequeña diferencia con la otra serie del año con la misma temática, la divertida Kakushigoto: pese a que el mensaje utiliza la relación padre e hija como conductor, creo que la clave reside en el sentir cariño por cualquier otro ser aun cuando parezca improbable, bien pudiendo estar representado por una mujer, o una pequeña como en este caso, mientras que en Kakushigoto sí que está centrado en el amor padre - hija. ~~~img(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--a4vqaklKok/X5GDrue2-3I/AAAAAAAADus/7Mjk9zuEvl8zPHmlKjSkg4DFksbwyMxFACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h290/13.png)~~~ Pese a todo, la serie tiene una virtud que puede jugar en su contra: puede llegar a ser demasiado dulce por momentos. Y es que aunque esto es comprensible debido a su temática, hay momentos en que el ritmo hace que incluso el tono cómico de la serie, no logre conectar al completo, quitando esa dualidad que sí manejan por ejemplo Usagi Drop y Kakushigoto para aligerar los episodios. Esto, sin embargo, no evita que sea un buen producto, aunque eso sí: recomiendo no verla en maratón. Ahora bien, si hay algo en lo que sobresalga la serie, es en su animación. Y es que tiene un estilo bastante peculiar, con una hermosa paleta de colores que transita entre tonalidades azules y rosados que cubren la mayoría de los escenarios naturales, caso sobresaliente el del bosque. Los escenarios de las ciudades también son hermosos, teniendo diseños que, pese a parecer iguales, están llenos de detalles únicos basados en la ubicación de cada lugar. Somali también maneja un buen diseño de personajes, los cuales, a pesar de no ser tan originales, sí que tienen rasgos como los ojos de Shizuno o la estructura de golem que sobresalen. Caso aparte merece el diseño de Somali, el cual transmite la ternura de la pequeña al estar junto a su padre, así como la tristeza que siente cuando se da cuenta de cosas tristes o cuando cree que el golem la abandonará. ~~~img(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nJXCAHcOMAg/X5GAB5szMLI/AAAAAAAADtw/D42RNb6ZjagKAjj7mUFOWqCjIfzHsWbuQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h458/image.png)~~~ El aspecto sonoro de la serie, cortesía de __Ryo Yoshimata__, es otro de sus puntos buenos (que no el mejor) y nos entrega piezas instrumentales con la alegría suficiente para acompañar sus secuencias de aventura y diversión. Y no solo eso, pues también tiene canciones tristes que encajan perfecto con los momentos más dramáticos de la serie, sobre todo cerca del final de la serie. Sus piezas vocales por otra parte son lo que mejor funciona sonoramente; el OP es "Arigatō wa Kocchi no Kotoba" de Naotarō Moriyama quien también compuso la letra, consiguiendo una de las aperturas más conmovedoras del año y que removerá nuestra parte sensible gracias a ese calmado ritmo de juego infantil. Inori Minase quien protagoniza el programa como Somali, es a su vez, la encargada del ED "Kokoro Somali", una pieza más rítmica que la anterior aunque no tan llegadora. ______ __Somali to Mori no Kamisama es, junto a Kakushigoto, uno de los mejores animes con temática padre-hijo que podemos ver hoy por hoy, resultando un viaje lleno de ternura y que demuestra una vez más, que el amor paternal es quizá el más puro que exista. Con una narrativa que nos hace simpatizar de inmediato con la historia, unos personajes que rebozan dulzura y una bella animación al mejor estilo de cuento de hadas infantil, Somali es un viaje directo a nuestro corazón y cuyos tiernos momentos nos harán soltar alguna lagrima en el camino... __ ~~~img220(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jijrQsYXujs/X5GAXxvSOII/AAAAAAAADt4/WGTcImp_AI4epJv8Lt_ZZXHmryK7ojOcACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/tumblr_17bda5210ebaa4c6499bd9e21563c871_57b0ea00_400.gif)~~~ _Lo llamo papá porque es mi papá. Cuando estoy en peligro, me protege. Si podemos separarnos, toma mi mano. Cuando no puedo dormir, cuenta las estrellas por mí. Siempre está cuando lo necesito. Por eso, es mi papá. -Somalí_ >__Más contenido en mi blog personal https://13fotogramas.blogspot.com/__
The thing about anime is that you're pretty much allowed to write any kind of story you want and it'll be sure to air on TV, and pretty much anything goes. Japan's standards for cartoons are much wider and higher than places like America and France, though even this is changing somewhat. Many studio executives in America seem to believe that cartoons are just aimed at children and that they have absolutely no merit or value whatsoever, and anything made for adults is just crass, gross-out comedy, like _South Park_ or _Family Guy_. Japan has all kinds of shows, from blood pumping monster killing action, to experimental horror, lighthearted slice of life shows, or fantasy shows that aren't always about swords and sorcery and medieval knights. Hell, Japan is totally okay with airing TV shows about little kids just living their lives out in the country (_Non Non Biyori_)! Some cultures have different standards for their cartoons, and let me ask you: Where else in the world can you find a sweet, wholesome show about a golem adopting a human child and having it be one of the nicest, most charming, most heartwarming shows ever? Yeah, while not without the occasional bump in the road, Japan has better standards for their cartoons, and _Somali and the Forest Spirit_ is no exception to the rule. In a world where demons, goblins, and monsters rule the roost, a forest golem finds a human child in his abode, lost and alone. Taking pity on her, as a human child can't survive all on its own, he decides to adopt her as his own, naming her Somali (Yes, it's explained that he's the one who named her Somali). But he knows he can't raise her in the forest, as she needs to be with other humans, so he and Somali, disguised as a minotaur child, decide to travel all over their world, searching for a place where Somali can live freely and be safe. However, there are two big problems. One is that humans are scarce in this world because the monsters either keep them as slaves or eat them, having done so for centuries due to prejudice and vitriol on both sides. The second problem is that golems have a set lifespan of a thousand years, and Somali's adoptive father only has a little over a year to live. In a world that's hostile towards humans, the golem needs to find a place for Somali to live before his life ends. Now the premise itself is nothing new in anime. Stories of single parents adopting a young child have become a dime a dozen in anime, but it's rather rare to see one done in a fantasy setting, especially if said father is a thousand year old golem with no concept of emotions living in a monster dominated world where humans are considered slave labor or food. But I gotta say, the world Golem and Somali live in is incredible. A world ruled by monsters, all with their own personalities, rules, cultures, beliefs, cuisines, and so on. The animation makes great use of bright colors, detailed backgrounds, different locales, and every character, major or minor, all has a distinct appearance and design, so you never see the same background character twice in a scene. The setting is lushly detailed, from a town in the center of a giant crater, to the absolutely stunning witch village illuminated by glowing flowers in a sewer bog. Everything in this series is a visual feast for the eyes...except for one thing: For some reason, somebody thought it'd be a great idea to put sunbeams in every single exterior shot during the daytime, except when the characters are inside a building or cave. It's one thing to have them show up every once in a while, and I like sunbeams as well, but Somali uses them in practically every single outside scene, to the point where they start to make everything look gaudy and garish. But you can't have a setting come alive if you don't have good, well defined characters to back it up, and thankfully, Somali definitely delivers on this front. The entire heart and soul of the series are Golem and Somali, and they couldn't be more different. Golem is a wise, stoic, unemotional being who always thinks logically and rationally, almost robotic in a sense, whereas Somali is a little kid who's bouncy, energetic, curious, and is always in awe of the world around her. Characters with very different personalities and views on life are a recipe rife for stellar character development if done well, and the chemistry these two build throughout the show is always a treat to watch because they're so well written. Golem always speaks bluntly most of the time, using big words around Somali that she can't understand, but in stark contrast to many main characters these days, Golem is also smart, rational, and down to earth. Seriously, this guy is a better main character than nearly every other male lead in certain other anime that have come out in recent years. Somali is similarly versatile and likeable, especially since children tend to be very hard to write. She acts childish and cheerful, but it's never to the point of being obnoxiously cute or annoying. Her behavior often gets her and Golem into trouble, and the fact that she's a human in a world of human-hating monsters makes her an easy target, but she's still smart enough to know when something's wrong and puts others before herself when the situation calls for it. It could have been very easy to make her an annoying little brat, and while she does have her moments, the show helps you understand where she's coming from while taking care not to make her obnoxious. But Golem and Somali aren't the only characters who are fun to follow, as there are quite a few side characters we get to know, all of whom have multiple sides to them and feel fresh and charming, with solid characterization all around. Do be warned, because as sweet as this show can be at times, it can also be really dark, not just in its atmosphere but in its themes. Both various humans and monsters are deeply prejudiced towards one another, and the world Golem and Somali live in is very prejudiced towards humans. The series doesn't try to hide the fact that both humans and monsters don't get along, and the lengths they go to show just how much they hate each other can get pretty graphic at times, with episode 6 being one such example. But for the most part, the series is fairly light hearted, with a few conflicts sprinkled in here and there, only going all out when there's actual danger. Because of Somali's lighthearted atmosphere and general lack of conflict, this isn't a series for everyone. I personally had no problem with it, because stories like that can be great if done well, as I feel is the case here, but others might find Somali to be rather dull or feel as though it's constantly trying to avoid any real sense of danger or urgency. There are also times when the characters don't always question various events that have huge red flags, but even those are very few and far-inbetween, though when they show up, you kind of have to scratch your head. I suppose whether you like this show or not is purely a matter of personal taste. In spite of its few flaws though, I still feel _Somali and the Forest Spirit_ is a wonderful anime that deserves all the love it can get. Definitely check it out if you want something sweet but substantial to watch. I know this anime's going on my top favorites for sure!