Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze

Winner of the Excellence Award in Manga at the 2014 Japan Media Arts Festival, this deeply researched political drama from the creator of Blade of the Immortal transports us to the frigid fringes of the nascent Soviet Union of the 1930s. Rich with the nuanced story and art for which Samura is famous, Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze's subtle adult drama and Russian setting are a breath of fresh air in the sometimes cookie cutter manga world. Bielka ('Squirrel'), a beautiful young woman in a wheelchair, and her taciturn companion Shchenok ('Puppy') must keep their true identities secret as they navigate the fraught political climate and harsh landscape of the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Intrigue abounds in this richly historical and erotic political drama that weaves historical figures including the Romanovs and Rasputin into Hiroaki Samura's brilliant fiction.