Despite several of her other works being translated and released in English, Natsuki Takaya remains best known for her series Fruits Basket, whose light fantasy premise hid surprising emotional depths. Liselotte & Witch's Forest seems to be, if not Fruits Basket's spiritual successor, then at least written along the same lines, with an outwardly cheerful heroine hiding painful secrets, and a hero who's clearly more than he appears to be. Loosely based on Western folklore, the story follows young exiled noblewoman Liselotte, who decides to settle in an abandoned house in the forest "east of the east of the east" after being forced to leave her home. Inept at daily tasks such as gardening and cooking, Liselotte is nonetheless determined to make a successful life out of her exile, and her companions Alto and Anna are equally determined to help her. As in all tales of the type, Liselotte meets a strange young man in the forest one day and takes him in, setting the stage for both a more detailed fantasy story and romance.

Liselotte bears more than a passing resemblance to Tohru. She's sweet, caring, and covering up a pretty big hurt in her past. She's even almost in the same situation – restarting her life alone after a tragedy. In Liselotte's case, however, she's also fulfilling a fantasy: she grew up hearing tales of the mysterious Witch's Forest, so now that she's on her own, that's where she's determined to go. Despite her circumstances, Liselotte sees this as an opportunity to really live, as explained in more detail at the end of the volume. She was a pampered young lady, but now she's got the chance to do something more with her life. While Alto and Anna initially came with her as her servants, Liselotte seems like she wants to change that role into something more equal, much to Alto's distress. (Anna, who is a bit lazy, is totally fine with the change.) Liselotte wants to learn how to grow her own food and flowers, how to cook, and how to do all of the normal household tasks she's never done before. As far as she's concerned, she's no longer a noblewoman. Whether this indicates the magnitude of whatever crime got her exiled or her utter lack of desire to return to her former life isn't yet clear, but if anyone is going to make the best of a bad situation, it's Liselotte.

However, she's not quite as over her former life as she appears to be. When she's trapped by a witch in the forest and rescued by a strange young man with white hair and pale red eyes, she immediately feels that she knows him, even though his name is unfamiliar to her. While Engetsu says nothing that would either confirm or deny their acquaintance, Liselotte's flashbacks reveal a portion of her past that she still has strong emotions over. When En announces that he's going to move in with Liselotte, she also agrees instantly. Granted, she does seem like the sort of person who would invite a random stranger in need to live with her regardless, but there's something about her reaction to him that hints at something much more important than mere coincidence. En himself is also sufficiently mysterious, and the arrival of a witch's familiar, a cute little cat/dog/bat/boy hybrid Yomi, certainly gives us some food for thought. Engetsu seems as if he might be the ultimate warlock of the witch's forest; if that's the case, could he have something to do with Liselotte's exile?

Yen Press's edition of Liselotte & Witch's Forest is one of their larger graphic novels in terms of trim size, with two color prints at the front. This format does allow us to see Takaya's clean lines and careful use of screentones clearly, and on the whole I'd say it adds to the reading experience. Her art is simple but attractive, eschewing the fussiness or overuse of gray space that can happen in shoujo manga, and the pages are easy to read. The translation feels as if it can't quite decide what tone to take – fairy tale language or something more modern – but it largely works as well.

Liselotte & Witch's Forest's first volume sets us up for a series that looks to be both sweet and a little melancholy. As future volumes delve further into her past, not only will Liselotte's relationship with En evolve, but also our understanding of her as a person beyond than the cheerful character she currently plays. Uncovering those pieces makes this volume intriguing, while the fantasy setting and characters make this volume enjoyable. This looks like it will be a journey worth taking, so settle in and give it a chance.