Kay lives in a Western-style mansion deep in the woods, and a nameless woman who tells the story from her POV ventures into the snowy forest delivering carrots, whose sweetness comes from growing beneath the snow.

Kay and the delivery woman enjoy each other’s company and have a few romantic dalliances with each other. Kay shares books with the woman; the woman cooks for Kay; and when the snow falls dangerously outside, the two spend the night together.

This all seems quite innocuous, but at the heart of Now No One Lurks Beneath the Snow is a struggle for identity. The nameless woman recognizes that she is being a tool slowly whittled away from overuse and that tools and vessels don’t have names. She works for her family, who treats her like a servant, and all she does is labor. Her only solace is when she delivers carrots to Kay. Otherwise, she feels she has no identity for herself, because why would an object be a person? Why would an object have thoughts?

Kay, in the meantime, struggles with gender and sexuality. Kay’s wardrobe leans away from dresses and ruffles, and they detest wearing kimono. Kay’s life is uprooted when their family hires a tutor for Kay to get them to be more like a woman, and to prepare Kay for a heartbreaking arranged marriage where Kay is forced to be feminine and a subservient wife. The marriage fails, and Kay returns to the mansion in the forest, and the woman returns to delivering carrots. There, the two dive deeper into their feelings, and Kay reveals something huge:

I don’t want to share anything else beyond that, but the struggle to grow into yourself, to find your identity and give it a name–it all really touched me. I enjoyed watching Kay and the nameless woman’s relationship grow, and their romance was sweet.

While this manga is very short (90 pages), it’s quite emotional, especially when the nameless woman tells Kay, “You’ve made me a human being!” Yes, the two have found each other and in a way, made each other grow into their true identities.

Be aware that this manga is rated R18 and is uncensored. I found the scenes to be romantic, but not titillating only because I’m not really attracted to women, but other readers might find the scenes to be enticing. I do like that the nameless woman dominates the relationship and often makes the first move–I think this is another way she’s claiming something for herself and rebelling against the identity of being a tool.

All in all, I enjoyed this story and found it touching. The art is pretty and the recurring depictions of snow are lovely. The costume and set designs in the manga communicate a lot–status, wealth, privilege, and gender–and are lovingly depicted with great detail.

I was gifted this manga as a review copy and I’m delighted I got a chance to read it. I happily recommend it to people who enjoy the genre, but also those who are new to stories like this. It’s a solid examination of creating an identity for yourself packed into a small volume, but worth the read.

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You can find electronic and print copies of Now No One Lurks Beneath the Snow directly from the publisher, Manga Mavericks Books. Now No One Lurks Beneath the Snow is a Red String Manga book and was published July 2025.