33. Nini no Mori by Shoowa

What initially got me with this title was a blurb in a fujoshi website saying “BEETLE BL”. And I’ve had my fair share of weird and odd things in BL but I have never read a beetle BL, more so drawn by a talented artist like Shoowa. So even when I’m not a die hard fan, I just had to get this title and see what the fuss was all about. More than beetle BL, I was drawn in a fantastic world where frogs fall in love with bunnies and wolves falling in love with humans. And yeah, of course, beetles making out… ish.

To be honest, I tend to stray from fantasy titles mostly because I hardly have any fantastic bone in my body. If people want to lure me in the fantasy, it has got to have something rooted in reality, like a social commentary or it’s something quite uncomplicated that I can still grasp the world it’s living in. Hence, I had my apprehensions when I picked up Nini no Mori. It had that fantastic element to it plus it’s got kemono characters. I’m not exactly the biggest fans of anthropomorphised animals but I’m giving Shoowa a shot, especially the beetles.

Nini no Mori revolves around the various animals and creatures that resides in Nini’s forest. Nini’s a human who has lived far from human society and has given refuge to various beasts and creatures who have lost their way or homes. Nini is probably the least relevant person in this tale. The story focuses more on the creatures and people who inhabit his home. The manga introduces some of these creatures, beginning with the cute story of the frog and the rabbit and their nightly trysts before going into Shoowa’s trademark tragedies of forbidden and impossible love.

My initial disappointment was the fact that most of the animals are humanised hence the oddity of a frog and the bunny falling in love felt like the normal BL fair of human-like beasts and creatures making out. Fortunately, the beetle BL was kept intact. The beetles were not turned into humans and while it seems the beetles have found love beneath their hard shells, they served mostly as symbols of their owners’ relationship and dreams. To a degree that disappointed me too because I know how hot Shoowa draws her schmex scenes and I was hoping the beetles would get that action… but alas, that’s probably too niche for most BL readers.

Despite these initial let downs, I still quite liked Nini no Mori. I particularly enjoyed the story of Owen’s abandonment of his reckless and opulent human life for the more simple and grassroots life with the creatures in the forest. In Nini no Mori, the creatures have sought refuge in the forest after years of abuse from humans. That’s nothing new and maybe, to a degree, that might be Shoowa’s little environmental statement. But at the end of the day, this is a BL title and Owen’s story of retreat and life with the creatures his race had killed was moving enough to make me appreciate these kemono and their romance. Not that I completely get it, but the fact that my indifference towards them was turned to “all right” might be telling of Shoowa’s ability to write a good story no matter how fantastic or unreal her characters appear.

In the end, Nini no Mori’s an interesting title to read. Not one that I would personally pimp to everyone but one I’d certainly talk about should anyone ask me for an interesting BL to read or a BL that has furries in it. I take it that Nini no Mori’s the beginning of my journey towards the world of BL fantasy, one that is beyond princesses and magicians and welcomes creatures of all shapes and sizes.

Series Information

Nini no Mori (ニィーニの森, Nini’s Forest) by Shoowa
Serialized in On Blue
Published by Shodensha
Available in: Amazon Japan and Ebookjapan.