Noël la Neige and Holy Glory

Just put up my tree today, I always watch 'White Christmas' while I do so.




Noël la neige by Sichol=bell



Length: One Chapter - 42 Pages
Genre: Shonen


           Art has good detail, the fantasy type clothing is fun to look at and analyze. The eyes and

faces are typical for the young boys style but that didn't really detract from the read. Action wasn't entirely clear, mostly it is carried on off page.
           When a young boy in late 19th Century France is visited by an unconventional Santa and his reindeer, he chases them away claiming he wants nothing, but how can that be the end of the story?
           Cute and heart warming, and luckily given a longer run in the form of a prequel. So I'll go into more detail for that story about the manga in general. This story wasn't as cliched as I expected hearing the premise, but the monster was a fun one. Read on for my rating, since this should be read as a set anyhow and the score is the same for both.





 Holy Glory by Sichol=bell





Length: One Volume - 4 chapters
Genre: Shonen



           Art consists of boys with big hair and clothes that look like every Christmas Carol movie ever made. Joking aside, the body shapes are all of skinny young men and the clothes are bulky, layered winter clothes that have appropriate hang and movement. The faces are a little bland, and the eyes are a little flat but such a style is common, even if I don’t much like it, and the art is well done overall. I don't even remember backgrounds, looking back there is mostly

tones and brick walls. The art isn't the strong point but it isn't annoying or disappointing, either.
           Young Salt, an orphan on the streets of 19th century London, has taken up pick pocketing to support himself and his younger brother, though he has terrible luck at picking his targets. His most recent got him nearly caught for barely one coin, but when spotting a long haired man in strange clothes, Salt figures such a traveler has to have something of value...
           This is a very good Christmas read, as you expect from most manga it has everything to do with Santa and nothing to do with religion, but it also has some excellent action. Not as off camera, so to speak, as the one shot but it is still very tame about the whole thing. The story gives you just what you want (especially if you read the one shot that proceeds it) and though you can lament getting no more it's hardly a complaint. It's fairly humorous, too. I was very glad to have found this when my first choice of reading fell through. It's light and easy to jump into, though some would call its generic art and shonen tropes a quality to deter reading, I can over look stereotypes when you get an interesting hook and it has one. Sure it could have been a little more fleshy but its very enjoyable. The art is easy to look at, if not unique it's at least confident and traditional. The story is very original as an action story and reminds a bit of Jack Frost meets Santa Claus; with magic and monsters. Plus, Rudolph the reindeer is a bad ass, what more do you need?


5/5 A very enjoyable holiday read.

Art and story (c) Sichol=bell

For more Santa and Reindeer stories read my post about the manga Yoroshiku Master by Tsukuba Sakura, which I should have saved for Christmas time in the first place.