Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol 4 Review
Writer & Artist: Yako Gureishi
Translator: Motoko Tamamuro & Jonathan Clements
Letterer: Skylar Rutan
Cover Artist: Yako Gureishi
Publisher: Titan Manga
Price: $12.99
Release Date: December 23, 2025
Crossing the Kosuna Desert could have been easy. Instead, Somali begged her father for an adventure. The tour guide agreed that an overland journey was preferable to an underground trolley ride. Responsible parenting involves more than keeping your children safe, he counseled. If parents don't provide their children with good memories, they will grow up to be good for nothing.
After the wonders of the Kosuna Desert, the Golem and Somali arrive in Winecup Village, the resting point for travelers braving the deserts. No underground trolleys or overland caravans are available for the next portion of their journey. But after Somali fights with a young Noble Harpy over the last bowl of sugarcane ice cream in a restaurant, the Golem and the Human girl befriend Haitora and his ward Uzoi. What dangers will they face while crossing the Osuna Desert together? And what discoveries will they make about each other? Let’s grab our walking sticks, leap into Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol 4, and see!
Story
Uzoi introduced Haitora as a Falcohol, a race with a bird head. But like Somali, Haitora wears a disguise. He is also Human. Unlike Somali, Haitora suffers from a fatal disease. Yet like Somali, Uzoi has also lost her parents. So as the two travel together, they seek a remedy for Haitora’s affliction. Yet, after a trying crisis in a cave, Haitora bears his soul to the Golem, not realizing that Uzoi is eavesdropping.
In Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol 4, Haitora tells the Golem about his life before he met Uzoi. He lived with other Humans in a farming community. Then the enchanted animal races found them. They burned their village and captured or killed the inhabitants. Seeking revenge and sustenance after the enchanted animals’ devastating attack, Haitora caught and killed a Noble Harpy. But while the enchanted animals can eat Humans, their enchantment brings sickness and death to any Humans who eat them.
While Yako Gureishi’s story addresses how prejudice weakens us, it also reminds us that forgiveness is essential to building strong relationships. As they explore their world and search for Somali’s people, the Golem and the Human girl reconnect with friends they've met along the way. They may live in a world of dangers, where Humans are a threatened species. Despite the Golem's desire to care for Somali, his one-thousand-year-old body nears its expiration date. Still, the Golem cares for her as best he can, and both find the kindnesses to others and the friendships they’ve made repaid in Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol 4.
Art
Short hair on Haitora’s brow functions as a part. Long, straight hair frames his wife and daughter’s faces. Yet after he eats a Noble Harpy, feathers sprout from his right eye and cover his cheek. Haitora hides his affliction behind a bird mask with a long, downcurved beak. His ward, Uzoi, has long, blond hair like his late wife and daughter. But wings sprout from her head and back, and feathers surround her eyes and line her arms. She has talons instead of feet with toes. As Uzoi sits with Somali in the covered wagon, Haitora and the Golem direct their horse toward a whirlwind. Yet that is not the only danger they will face in Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol 4.
As Yako Gureishi conjures worlds with his detailed art, cottages lining flagstone streets give way to multilevel buildings with arched, flower-bedecked windows. The multiple eyes on a tiny, refined character evoke false cat, one of the dangers Somali encountered in the first city she visited. And as pennants hang before intricate screens, the Golem and Somali encounter friends they met while following their outdated map through the forest. Forests lacking foliage recall the cost of the Golem abandoning his grove to return Somali to her people. Yet when multilevel flat-roofed homes crowd the pathways of another village, another opportunity for Somali to make more good memories awaits.
Motoko Tamamuro and Jonathan Clements translate the uppercase letters that appear in balloons, boxes, and panel backgrounds. Intense emotions turn the balloons spiky when Haitora recalls his traumatic past. Skylar Rutan’s sound effects enhance the dangers of the Osuna Desert, a skilled practitioner attending to Somali's needs, and the Golem learning new skills. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a physical review copy.
Final Thoughts
After the Golem and the Human girl search for the missing Humans they learned about in the Witch Village, the Golem and Somali experience many of the wonders of their world. Yet the greatest wonders are how they have grown, and how their relationship has enriched their lives in Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol 4.
Rating 9.6/10
To look inside see my preview of Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol 4.
For their adventures in Anthole City, see my review of Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol 3.
For their discoveries in the Witch Village, see my review of Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol 2.
For how this series started, see my review of Somali and the Forest Spirit Vol 1.
