Small Nozomi and Large Yume GN 1
Yes, when I was younger, I did watch Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. With all humor aside, let me start by highlighting some advantages. The manga’s artwork and panel designs are among its best features. The character and background designs are vibrant and full of life, with fine details and additional shading to give them a greater sense of depth. Scene transitions have a seamless flow, and even little comedic side paneling is employed for a punchline. The manga’s attention to the details of size disparities is one of my favorite aspects because our main character Nozomi is only a few centimeters tall. As a result, there are times when the manga must show her adjacent to objects that are substantial to her yet modest to the normal person. Yes, there are times when the pages can seem cluttered with all the minutiae, but overall, the book does a fantastic job of conveying that unsettling sense of scale for a series.
Additionally, the presentation does a superb job of hinting at or suggesting possibly intense or upsetting material. There are suspenseful moments where you’re not sure what’s around the next curve, but it never feels like the novel is veering into any terrifying terrain. I enjoy the creative uses of Yume’s persona that Small Nozomi and Big Yume occasionally make. She is a recluse who experiences severe social anxiety. The artwork effectively conveys how difficult for her the thought of going outside is whenever it is brought up. It raises the question of how severe her anxiety and despair are, and it suggests that this character is more complex than meets the eye.
Despite this, Small Nozomi and Big Yume finds it difficult to persuade its viewers to care about anything but its artistic direction and presentation. Although this novel is presented as a mystery in the synopsis and first few pages, the majority of the book ignores this aspect. Instead, a significant amount of time is spent helping Nozomi adjust to her new way of life, but this is not nearly as an original or innovative course of action. Because the main plot doesn’t begin until the last few pages of the book, the overall pacing is dragging, and I’m wondering when we’ll reach it.
The fact that our two main characters spend a significant amount of the book apart from one another and only sometimes communicate with one another makes it difficult to participate emotionally in their relationship. While the other believes they are conversing with a figment of their imagination, one sees the other as a means to an end. It’s incredibly challenging for me as a reader to develop a genuine attachment to someone because there isn’t a connection being developed outside of the infrequently presented moments. It’s as if there are sporadic one-off thoughts floating around in the background, but they are so little and barely brought into focus.
I’m surprised there aren’t more stories featuring small characters interacting in a vast globe, given how common the theme used to be. But from this first book, it seems like not much is done with that idea. Up until the last minute, when it teases bigger things, it seems like the book was barely moving. If there is a payoff to any of this rambling, I’ll check out the second book, but until then, I don’t think you’re losing much by avoiding this one.
