Life Tree's Guardian 01: Der sprechende Wolf

Life Tree's Guardian #1

by Natalie Wormsbecher

Zwei Mädchen und ein Wolf stellen sich ihrem größten Abenteuer. Sie müssen die fünf Splitter aus dem Herzen des Lebensbaums finden, die aus einem weit entlegenen Reich in unsere Welt gelangt sind.

Ein fantastisches Abenteuer voller Magie, Sehnsucht und großer Träume.

Genres: Manga, Comics Manga

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2009

Reviews

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for the complete series



May wishes she could have an adventure of her own just like in all the stories she loves to read. That wish may just come true when she comes upon an injured wolf. Not only does the wolf speak, but he claims to have come from another world in search of crystals that are vital to a life-giving tree. May is only too happy to get involved and promptly joins the search.

Although Life Tree's Guardian isn't hugely original when we're only looking at the basic plot, it's a very light and heart-felt manga which I would like to think of as a little akin to Cardcaptor Sakura. It's a bit of a stretch to call May a magical girl, but she receives a staff that aides her in her search for the crystals. These crystals have guardian spirits whose trials she must overcome before being able to claim them for her own. These trials are often character tests such as bravery and kindness. Of course, there's Yorik, her opponent who tries to snatch them away before her. May's best friend June becomes involved and even Wolf isn't all that he seems.

While none of the above screams new and original, Wormsbecher's style already balances some of that out: her style is very distinct and I've always appreciated how she incorporates German or Western elements while still clearly using a manga-inspired style. This shift in setting already grants this manga some individuality. Her art has also improved quite a lot compared to her debuting works and I'm impressed with how well she handled drawing magic and action scenes.

The reason I compare this to Cardcaptor Sakura is because of the similar atmosphere. It's very light-hearted and revolves around friendships and relationships around school and home. The spirits have similar natures to those of the clow cards and there are no truly evil characters. On the other hand, it does have its dark moments, mostly relating to backstories and delving into characters' fears. While this is also similar to Cardcaptor Sakura, I believe May's story is a tad darker.

While I don't think that Cardcaptor Sakura had any particular influence on this work - I merely mention it for the similar tone and atmosphere - I do believe a Harry Potter element managed to slip in here. It is no secret that the author is a Harry Potter fan (as I am sure many authors of that generation are) and she appears particularly fond of the Hermione and Ron pairing. I found that June and her love interest remind me a lot of the dynamics Hermione and Ron share. This isn't exactly a point of critique - I think it's normal that authors are inspired by other works they like and this is a minor influence that I happened to pick up on.

The pacing is generally well done - this type of setting, including Wolf's fictional homeland, can easily span a lot more volumes than Life Tree's Guardian made use of, but it doesn't feel underdeveloped or rushed. One aspect I wasn't fully satisfied with was May's romance options - but that is more due to personal preferences than poor writing. I had hopes for May ending up with a particular character but instead, a new love interest was introduced and I would have liked more time with this new character to feel more invested in this pairing.

While I haven't read all German manga out there, I would like to think of Life Tree's Guardian as being the best. It's a familiar and accessible plot but unique in its own ways. It can stand well next to other Japanese original mangas while bringing its own Western touch to it. It's not super deep, but it's definitely a worthwhile series to read.

[Andre · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why do I get a feeling that I have seen this before?

Maybe because this feels like pretty much every average girl becames special magic user story that you have ever seen. We have a German private school (with an incredibly high üpercentage of Anglo names), the talking wolf comes from an elven looking magical realm with a giant tree who have a magical crystal that split into 5 parts and now they have to find those. And if this weren't enough the friend June just happens to get a magic bow from Wolf as well, the evil magician shows up and does not try to get the crystal and the protagonist just happened to fall on her crush and said crush immediately asks her on a quasi date. There is a difference between simple and stupid. This reads like a by the list story that has "this and this must happen no matter what. It is straight up pointless and by the numbers, no creativity at all in this.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Für mich ist Natalie Wormsbecher eine der wenigen deutschen Mangaka die es wirklich schafft, einen guten plot mit wunderschönen Zeichnungen zu verbinden. Das klingt vielleicht ein bisschen schwach, aber ich habe einfach die Erfahrung gemacht, dass es den deutschen Mangakas einfach irgenwie daran fehlt, eine richtig gut durchdachte Story zu erzählen. Natalie bekommt das jedes mal hin. "Life Tree's Guardian" ist ihre erste Serie, und die Geschichte ist echt gut erzählt, hat keine plot-holes und macht einfach nur richtig Spaß. Ich liebe auch ihre Zeichnungen, weil diese zwar dem japanischen Manga-Stil folgen, jedoch hat er auch was sehr eigenes, und hat dadurch einfach Wiedererkennungswert. Meiner Meinung nach sind Natalie's Mangas ein Muss für jeden deutschen Manga-Fan!

[Tankii · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Story dieses Manga, ist nicht wirklich weltbewegend. Man hat diese Story im Grundkonstrukt sicher schon hundert mal gesehen. Jedoch bewegt es sich deshalb auch im ziemlich Mittelfeld, was nicht schlecht sein muss. Nicht jedes Buch hat den Anspruch das beste aller Zeiten zu sein. Es lässt sich gut lesen und man muss dabei nicht wirklich nachdenken. Es ist ein guter Manga um abzuschalten und sich in einer mit Fantasy gespickten Welt zu verlieren.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das hat mir gefallen!

Ich mag Natalie Wormsbechers Stil. Ihre Zeichnungen sind "leicht", aber ich bin nicht sicher, dass dies Wort passend ist. Ich meine, dass die Panels nicht zu voll sind aber gleichzeitig es gibt alle Details, die man braucht, um sich die Umgebung vorzustellen.

In dem Manga geht es um ein Mädchen, das einen Wolf rettet. Sie weiß nicht aber, dass der Wolf aus einer magischen Welt kommt und dass er nach fünf Splitter eines Kristalles sucht, das seine Welt retten kann. Die Geschichte ist vielleicht ein bisschen Klischee aber die Charactere sind nett und man will mehr lesen.

Ich freue mich auf die nächsten Bände!