REVIEW: The Many Seasons of Food

This review is about a completed webcomic with a total of 18 episodes, including the epilogue and contains major spoilers.

The Many Seasons of Food is written by Green Dew and Illustrated by NANDOL, with the original story created by Summer Yang. It is published in English on Manta Comics. The completed series is new to the webcomic host and was uploaded in its entirety.

The Many Seasons of Food follows Minyeong, a young woman who decides to move back home to the countryside after growing weary of city life. Surrounded by friendly, familiar faces, and delicious (and affordable!) food, Minyeong rediscovers the joys of living a simple life where getting her hands dirty to grow vegetables beats wearing high heels to work!

Minyeong moves back into her grandma’s old house in a small village about three hours by car from Seoul. Most of the town is geriatric, but the elderly faces are familiar to Minyeong, who grew up there, living with her grandma after her parents divorced. Upon her return, she goes through boxes she left behind, seeking a finely aged bottle of whiskey she’d stored away 12 years earlier. As she hunts for the bottle, she’s greeted by Sukja, an elderly neighbor whom she lovingly calls “grandma.” Grandma Sukja welcomes Minyeong with a home-cooked meal that fills her belly and warms her heart.

Almost instantly, she reconnects with her childhood friend Seungyeong, who is now expecting her first child, and Seungyeong’s younger brother, Geunmo, who she remembers as a tiny crybaby but has grown into a strong and polite young man. Their family, along with Grandma Sukja, help Minyeong settle into country life, preparing food (including homemade alcohol) and planting vegetables together.

The flowers that bloomed in a riot of color fade to make way for a summer filled with green.

The Many Seasons of Food

Despite moving away from Seoul, Minyeong has kept in contact with her friends from the city and even goes back to visit once for a friend’s wedding. There, she realizes how different living in the country is compared to the expectations of city life. However, that doesn’t mean she’s disconnected from her city friends — in fact, she invites them to visit her in the countryside. They take her offer and are impressed by the meticulous thought and planning Minyeong put into their stay.

As the story progresses, Minyeong realizes that at some point, she stopped seeing Geunmo as her friend’s little brother and, instead, as a man. A sweet, if not awkward, and dependable man. Although Manta tagged the comic as a slow burn, it’s only 18 episodes long, including the epilogue, with Geunmo being more conscious of his feelings as early as Episode 4. Minyeong, on the other hand, begins to realize what’s happening around Episode 14.

What drew me to read The Seasons of Food was the premise of food, as I love food-themed webcomics, but what kept me reading was the wholesome dynamic and strong bonds between Minyeong and those around her. Unlike other MCs who leave the city due to being disillusioned or perhaps banished, in the case of isekai stories, Minyeong seeks a slower pace of life. She wants to disconnect from social media — something I strongly relate to — and instead live in the moment.

As I read, I found myself relating to Minyeong. I appreciate her non-intrusive nature, as depicted in Episode 6, where Geunmo tells her that she’s the only person who hasn’t asked Seungyeong probing questions about the circumstances around her pregnancy. Instead, Minyeong respects that if Seungyeon doesn’t want to share anything, it’s her own business. As a deeply private person, I cannot underscore enough how much I value Minyeong’s lack of invasive questioning. On the flip side, I also typically don’t ask for details when they aren’t provided because, like Minyeong, I assume that if my friends wanted me to know, they would have already told me.

I love the sweetness of the romance between Minyeong and Geunmo, which reminds me of the feeling of first love. The Seasons of Food is a calm slice-of-life comic that encourages readers to enjoy life’s simple things, live in the moment and care about others. This cozy webcomic might not suit everyone’s tastes, but for those looking for a break from dramatic villainess tales or action-packed stories, I highly recommend giving The Many Seasons of Food a read.

Source: Manta