Garden of Words

<i>The Garden of Words</i> brings to the manga page all the beauty and mystery of the award-winning film from artful animator Makoto Shinkai. Beloved for the simple grace of its artwork as much as the poetic elegance of its text (adapted by Midori Motohashi) <i>The Garden of Words</i> begins with a chance rainswept encounter between Takao a young man who dreams of becoming a shoe designer and Yukari an enigmatic woman he finds sitting alone nursing a beer on a park bench. The spare interaction of these two lonely souls sparks a spiritual transformation for the young man and perhaps the woman as well. As this intriguing understated story unfolds their lives will become further intertwined amid rain beer school and shoe cobbling. Words are not often necessary but in this case just a few words can make a difference in one's heart.