Story and art: Hiroaki Samur
Genre: Historical
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Synopsis: Set in the Soviet Union in 1920, the mysterious girl named Bielka and the quiet boy Shchenok help a Socialist Party member to escape from the secret police. Their aim is to infiltrate into a certain mansion that holds what they seek, but the secret police immediately capture the two. Will they be able to find what they seek and endure the torture of the secret police?
Publication date: 24th June 2025
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-copy of this manga in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Launching straight into action, the mysterious Bielka and her companion Shchenok have their eyes on a specific house where they want to reside. As they obtain residence of the house, and maintain their presence there through often horrifying means, Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze presents a mystery to readers which is compelling and thought provoking throughout.
Set during the Russian revolution, the manga doesn’t give a lot of exposition and expects the readers to come with at least some basic knowledge of this time period else they may be lost throughout. When I say basic knowledge, I mean basic knowledge; I’m not suggesting learning all of the political ins and outs, simply knowing some key names will help throughout. In fact, there is a glossary of names at the beginning of the manga which comes in very handy – of course handier still not to have to flip to this page every panel.
Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze features a host of characters which can be difficult to keep up with. At points it does feel like this volume is a sequel, as a lot of history between characters feels like it is something the reader should have prior knowledge of. It’s important to note therefore that this is a standalone manga, there is no predecessor. A lot of the background characters feel often indistinguishable from each other and so so scenes can be confusing to keep up with those involved.
This manga did set me off on a Wikipedia rabbit hole, wanting to learn more about the period of history and the characters involved. Figuring how much of the story was fiction and how much was based on real life events was very eye-opening, as Russian history isn’t something I’ve previously read too much about.
Whilst the story itself was interesting, and there’s no denying the art was very well executed, I wouldn’t be able to say that I’d recommend it to others with any degree of certainty. There are obviously very heavy topics throughout due the nature of the setting, but also some potentially very triggering scenes. Certainly for anyone interested in this period of history, or history in general it’s a much read, but without knowing if someone has these particular areas of interest, I wouldn’t be able to give a firm recommendation.
With the above being said, I did enjoy Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze as a person with an interest in history and someone who enjoys researching different topics. The manga provides a brief look into an area of history that I was otherwise unaware of, giving the right amount of drama and intrigue to a harrowing story.
Culture Shack 