Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Irkis
Somali and The Forest Spirit is an anime with the right tones of cozy and drama. It's that old story of a father having to take care of a child who has just appeared in his life, all by himself. For some, this might already be a cliché, but clichés that work shouldn't be criticized for that. What I can criticize is how quickly they start with a father-daughter relationship; honestly, it could have been something more developed during the series (their relationship does develop nonetheless, but It would be better if this aspect were also developed throughout the series instead of just in one episode).
This father-daughter dynamic has the twist of being between a monster (Golem) and a human, and they must hide the fact that she is human in a world where monsters hunt them for their flesh. Ev…
Read at the sourceAR550
Somali and the Forest Spirit is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated animes of all time. It’s an absolute tragedy that this anime didn’t receive the attention it deserved when it aired — or even afterward — not to mention the sad cancellation of such a promising manga, which buried forever any hopes of an eventual second season.
That said, moving beyond the lamentations, this anime is full of positive aspects. The aesthetics, the setting, the premise, and the worldbuilding are uniquely exceptional and highly creative, all of which are enhanced by the author’s extraordinary background art and character design. The opening and ending are unique both in their soundtrack and visuals, which heighten the emotion in a more than satisfying way. Even the CGI used during the ending was execut…
Read at the sourceValleyLicious
Oh this was such a bad anime to watch after not watching or doing anything else but study and work this month or two. I came across this show originally 4 or 5 years ago and after just finding it by pure luck again i decided to watch it. 5 years ago me would like this show a lot but now after my change as a human being through nature, i couldn't be more overjoyed and satisfied by watching it at this time. An anime that truly saved me through the showing of parent and child, especially fatherhood with it's child. It saved me in a way that moreover helps me heal and realise that other's felt this way too. The way Golem acted in the final episode is very accurate or just identical to how my father acted in his last days with me. Buying me anything i want if i wanted, asking if i did want some…
Read at the sourceKabukiChouNights
In a world where humanity is a forgotten delicacy, hunted to the brink of extinction by a myriad of spirits and creatures, a silent golem discovers a lone human child. Somali and the Forest Spirit presents a journey through a breathtakingly beautiful fantasy world, a place of vibrant colors and whimsical beings. But this picturesque landscape hides a stark reality: the young girl, Somali, is in constant peril. Her protector, the Golem, is a being with no emotions and, more critically, a rapidly dwindling lifespan. Their quest to find a safe haven for Somali becomes a poignant race against time.
The artistry of this series is a feast for the eyes, with stunningly detailed backgrounds that bring its fantastical setting to life. Each new location, from lush forests to bustling monster-filled…
Read at the sourceSaitoYakumo
Try to not to cry!
The series has a really nostalgic feeling, with some sad and heartwarming moments. It will remain in my memory as one of the most unique anime that I saw.
The story is great, kinda reminds of Made in Abyss. The animation is not great but is good enough, the soundtrack is awesome and sometimes reminds me of Elfen Lied and some old Disney’s movies, giving a nostalgic feeling. The characters are unique and really add to the story. And the best is the development of Somali and Golem’s relationship. It’s a heartwarming adventure that will touch your heart.
Read at the sourcebookish_weeb
"Somali and the Forest Spirit" is based on the manga of the same name in which the world is ruled by spirits, goblins, and all manner of strange creatures. Human beings are persecuted, to the very point of extinction. One day, a golem and a lone human girl meet. This is a record of the pair, one a member of a ruined race, the other a watchman of the forest. It tells of their travels together and of the bond between father and daughter.
At first, the Forest Spirit sees Somali merely as a small creature under his protection. However, as they travel together seeking a safe haven for her, he comes to view her as something more - his daughter. Somali, an orphan, blossoms under the Forest Spirit's gentle guidance. Though unable to express emotion in a typical way due to his nature as a magical…
Read at the sourceTinoTheThortino
The huge "emotionless" golem caring about a little girl without parents.
"It seems a good start for a plot, so why I don't give it a try?"
And, honestly, I liked it 'till the end but I found some elements leaving me a bitter taste.
ART (9): I don't understand how people can say this art style is standard.
I don't think it is original either, but colors and shapes are studied and drawn very well.
Most of the creatures and monsters have an interesting anatomy; natural and artificial scenarios totally give you that "fantasy" feeling and create a great atmosphere.
SOUND (9-): I hardly catch sounds watching animes because, typically I focus more on looking at details.
I don't know why, but since the first episode, some soundtracks got my attention.
I found them entirely coherent with the scen…
Read at the sourceValyndor
A journey story, drama and pain, an anime full of facts that is more striking than most productions. The plot and the storytelling are quite beautiful, in addition to this, his art style and fantastic world, atmosphere attract the viewer.
Its story is unique, as for the characters, there are unique characters, and we can't say it's too strong or too weak.
The characters don't react absurdly, so I saw my father in the Golem character.
If you're not obsessed with Shounen and animation and not looking for romance, you'll love it.
It may not be enough in terms of cinematography and animation, but if the story is important to you, it will be very satisfying.
Read at the sourceredhairbanchou
This is a good little gem from the Winter 2020 season. It's a cute little slice of life/adventure story with a good amount of drama mixed in. The show opens strong and ends on a fulfilling, if bittersweet, conclusion. The whole show is reminiscent of some of the earlier Ghibli movies (Nausicaa, in particular) in theme.
The soundtrack is good, and suits the mood of the story well. The opening theme in particular is great, and draws further comparisons to Ghibli. The art direction is of the quality you'd expect from a modern 12-episode anime: clean and polished but nothing to write home about. It does its job. I think the background art is above-average, though. The characters are the show's high point. Somali, the Golem, and the rest are hardly groundbreaking in terms of depth, but they are…
Read at the sourcepaintpixie
This anime was alright, I guess.
The artwork was really nice. The scenery was especially beautiful, and the places the characters went to were interesting and memorable. There were lots of different creatures and plants, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. The music wasn't too bad either. It suited the show well, and it was relatively catchy.
The story left me unsatisfied. It was fine, but..it could have been much better. The characters were fine too, but a lot was left unexplained. A lot of characters were introduced, but then dropped, so it made me feel detached from them.
Overall, it was just "meh". Unless you really like the art style, your time is probably better spent watching something else.
Read at the sourceGsarthotegga
First of all, I tend to retitle this as Loli and the Creepy Dad—the only problem is, I'm not sure if the little girl is to remain the forest spirit's fake daughter, or if she is eventually to become his waifu, similar to the disgusting turn of events in the initially wholesome Usagi Drop.
What is it with anime and weird magical creatures with minimal or non-existent emotions looking after teenage or prepubescent girls? Other shows include The Ancient Magus' Bride, featuring a rather stupid-looking skull with clothing that buys a teenage girl from an auction and has a romantic/dad/husband relationship with her (it's kind of hard to tell without seeing the whole series). There's another manga with a similar premise to the Somali anime, but I can't find the name.
There's really no funny bu…
Read at the sourceResting_Bonfire
Somali to Mori no Kamisama
This anime is actually enjoyable to watch, especially because of the adorable and authentic relationship between the two protagonists. Watching this anime on a relaxing evening or when you have some time is more than enough.
But unfortunately, it has almost no strength that makes it stand out. An interesting attempt to create a story but the execution fails where it can. And that goes so far that I even thought it was an RPG adaptation. The pacing is slow, and the episodes are just about everyday life. And EVERYTHING that is somehow relevant to the story, like character encounters or clues, is just thrown at the protagonists' feet. Whether they need to spend the night somewhere or are looking for a dentist, they just happen to be where they need to be.
[Stor…
Read at the sourcesurcuel
ANOTHER WHOLESOME ANIME!!!
Somali to Mori no Kamisama
Story: 7/10
A golem with his "daughter" adventure. Pretty interesting concept, also a really chill story line. Like almost all anime, this anime had a plot too, and there's nothing wrong with the plot. It just too mainstream but i still enjoyed it. The adventure is good though, like the story every episode. There's no serious action in this anime so don't expect a cool battle between golem and other species.
Enjoyment: 8/10
Really chill and heartwarming anime, with cute story and character. As a wholesome anime enjoyer, this anime is just pure wholesomeness and you shall watch it too!
Read at the sourcezucchinichop
Somali and her Golem papa.
A family traveling journey through a non-human world to find humans.
It started off strong, and I really wanted to say I enjoyed this anime to the fullest, but that would be a bit of a lie. It took me a long time to pick it back up around ~ep5.
Golem is logical and completely devote of "emotions", spitting out facts and disbelieving any ideals/superstitions. Somali is a happy-go-lucky young child who is curious about the world. As they travel, they encounter different creatures, different cities, and different faunas. As her guardian, Golem wants to bring her to humans before he perishes, leaving her safe in this anti-human world.
Story: 7. a bit repetitive, but hey, what is a traveling story without pitstops and meeting other people? Very much stressed the…
Read at the sourcegivemethatreview
First time that I write a review of an anime but this one is something different. I could say that this anime has so many scenes that are worth it. In overall the main story is about a golem that protects a child from monsters in a different era where the mankind almost dissapeared. You won't regret whatching this anime because it's different of the rest that tells you the same story. I would like to see this anime with a different rate. This deserves 8.5 or 8.9 in my opinion. I could say that every episode gives you the feeling of adventure. They made a good story!
Read at the sourcefan102
Well, my first time that I give a review of an anime. But seeing that it has only 7.84 gives me so many reasons to say no. This anime is a masterpiece. Idk if the author got out of her illness but I wish they could continue with the manga. In overall this is the best anime that I've seen so far. Every character has a good design and a good story to tell us. You can fell in love with this anime. And it gives you a sad feeling about what could happen in the next episodes. There are so many animes that are about adventures but this one in my opinion is the best!
Read at the sourceRoshi710
Hello, my name is Roshi710 and this is my first ever anime review. For my reviews, I will be doing them in a short format. Meaning I won't go into detail about the show and just talk about the general things I liked and/or disliked. Anyways on to my review on Somali to Mori no Kamisama.
I usually don't tend to like a lot of Isekai anime as I find them to be pretty repetitive and boring. However, Somali to Mori no Kamisama is a completely different story. I really enjoyed watching this anime in fact I might even say it might be one of my favourites. I thought everything about this show was great. From the characters to the backgrounds to the soundtrack everything was great! I thought that all the characters were quirky and very unique. Particularly I felt that Mr. Golem was done very well.…
Read at the sourcehotbunobfuscate
The show is an enjoyable watch overall with only a few minor issues. It is both very heartwarming and entertaining.
The dynamic between Somali and Golem is very sweet, and the show does a good job developing Golem's character along with their relationship. All of the side characters, with a few exceptions, are, if not well, at least decently developed. This is slightly disappointing, however, since many of the characters introduced are only ever around for a very short period of time, perhaps with the exception of Shizuno and Yabashira (both good characters). Even then though, I find Yabashira to be in need of more fleshing out since the show alludes to their being more to him than the show presents. This would also have amplified the impact of the show at the end with Somali and his rela…
Read at the sourcead_hya
Quite possibly one of the best shows I have watched, of course, I may hold somewhat of a soft spot for cute anime's but this one really takes it all home. Its goal was set in stone at the end and overall feels very grounded despite the fantasy tones. The characters feel real and the relationships made me feel genuine and not at all forced, would watch this gem again. One of the very few diamonds in the roughs you find that nobody really talks about. Overall enjoyed every part of it and would recommend this magically crafted and well-executed story to anyone.
Read at the sourceAnimeEnjoyer420
Summary: Somali and the Forest Spirit is the story of a father and daughter traveling together, and more to the point, about their attempts to find happiness for young Somali in a cruel and unforgiving world. You'll feel every possible emotion watching this series, it's sweet, heartbreaking and beautiful in almost equal measure. It's a near-flawless fantasy adventure drama that even people that aren't normally fans of anime will love.
Positives:
+ Fantastical storybook-like setting and artwork. This is a pure fantasy world, where every landscape looks like a psychedelic painting on the side of an old van and there are thousands of different races of monsters populating the cities. The art is breathtaking and unique and makes it truly feel like you've been transported to another world.
+…
Read at the source
