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![シャドーハウス 1 [Shadow House 1] by ソウマトウ](https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/johjxzhxox4e5om4k90qfwx4uzr2)
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
A cozy, eerie invitation to a sumptuous Victorian mansion the size of a castle through the eyes of Emilico, a "living doll" freshly created for Kate, her faceless mistress. Kate is a Shadow, mysterious aristocrats living in this mansion that resemble living silhouettes, the living dolls their servants and reflections of sorts, providing a face to the faceless Shadows. The first volume is light on plot and takes a slice-of-life formula as Emilico learns how to be a proper living doll to Kate, usually messing up and requiring Kate to set her straight. It's fluffy and light, yet an unease pervades the comic. What's going on in the outside world? Is this Earth or somewhere else entirely? Why are the Shadows like that? So many mysteries to look forward to in the later volumes. Somato's art is a rich delight, perfect for this gothic fantasy. I'd prefer more plot but this volume gets the job done by introducing the setting and concept.
Welcome to a house full of shadows.. and their puppets.
I saw the anime when it aired and just loved the show so much. It gets quite dark with each passing episode and it was fab. So when I saw that the Manga Cult (German publisher) was releasing the manga series in Germany I was so excited! I could finally read the manga while waiting for the next season of the show.
And just like the anime this one starts off very calm and easy. There are some hints to things to come, but for most it was just easy days. We meet a girl named Emilico who works in the house. She cleans Lady Kate’s room + is her face. Her face I hear you say. Yes, each puppet had a shadow that looks like them. Or well, I should say each shadow has a puppet that looks like them. The purpose of these puppets is, next to at the moment cleaning and making sure that all the soot is gone (shadows expel soot, mostly depending on their moods), to be the face and the expressions of the shadow person. As you can see on the cover, Kate’s face is not really one you can see. And that is where Emilico comes in. Well, eventually at least. In the start of the series Emilico is mostly trying to figure things out, clean up the soot, make sure everything is sparkling, and learns all about the House and about her mistress, Kate.
I love Emilico. She is so happy, so joyful. I love that despite all the hard work and that she doesn’t seem to have many memories of anything prior, she goes at it with vigour and is eager to learn more about Kate. At times she is a bit much though, haha, her heart is in the right place so she means well, but sometimes she just goes a bit too far. But she always makes sure to apologize and make things right again, which is sweet. I loved how she tried to make Kate laugh, it is not easy to see if a shadow is laughing or smiling, and I love how Emilico gave it a try.
And I love Kate as well. You would think that she is stand-offish given her status, but in fact she is not at all. OK, sure, sometimes she acts a bit uppity, but for most she is there for Emilico, making sure she eats well, making sure that she is happy, figuring out what makes Emilico ticks, and even tries to help her learn how to read.
Because I saw the anime I know how things will go. I know what the puppets actually are (and there are plenty of hints in this volume as well) along with several of the secrets of the house. We do get a few hints, including seeing that soot is just not only soot but that you really need to clean it properly. We meet a couple of other puppets and their masters/mistresses. I am very excited to see if the manga and the anime are close to each other or if there are scenes we didn’t see in the anime. I am excited to see some of my favourite (and some scary moments) to appear in the manga.
The art was just so pretty and I really love the style~
All in all, I will have to get the next book ASAP, maybe by the time this review goes up (it is now the 19th) I will have purchased it~ I would highly recommend this first volume (plus be sure to also check out the anime).
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I saw the anime when it aired and just loved the show so much. It gets quite dark with each passing episode and it was fab. So when I saw that the Manga Cult (German publisher) was releasing the manga series in Germany I was so excited! I could finally read the manga while waiting for the next season of the show.
And just like the anime this one starts off very calm and easy. There are some hints to things to come, but for most it was just easy days. We meet a girl named Emilico who works in the house. She cleans Lady Kate’s room + is her face. Her face I hear you say. Yes, each puppet had a shadow that looks like them. Or well, I should say each shadow has a puppet that looks like them. The purpose of these puppets is, next to at the moment cleaning and making sure that all the soot is gone (shadows expel soot, mostly depending on their moods), to be the face and the expressions of the shadow person. As you can see on the cover, Kate’s face is not really one you can see. And that is where Emilico comes in. Well, eventually at least. In the start of the series Emilico is mostly trying to figure things out, clean up the soot, make sure everything is sparkling, and learns all about the House and about her mistress, Kate.
I love Emilico. She is so happy, so joyful. I love that despite all the hard work and that she doesn’t seem to have many memories of anything prior, she goes at it with vigour and is eager to learn more about Kate. At times she is a bit much though, haha, her heart is in the right place so she means well, but sometimes she just goes a bit too far. But she always makes sure to apologize and make things right again, which is sweet. I loved how she tried to make Kate laugh, it is not easy to see if a shadow is laughing or smiling, and I love how Emilico gave it a try.
And I love Kate as well. You would think that she is stand-offish given her status, but in fact she is not at all. OK, sure, sometimes she acts a bit uppity, but for most she is there for Emilico, making sure she eats well, making sure that she is happy, figuring out what makes Emilico ticks, and even tries to help her learn how to read.
Because I saw the anime I know how things will go. I know what the puppets actually are (and there are plenty of hints in this volume as well) along with several of the secrets of the house. We do get a few hints, including seeing that soot is just not only soot but that you really need to clean it properly. We meet a couple of other puppets and their masters/mistresses. I am very excited to see if the manga and the anime are close to each other or if there are scenes we didn’t see in the anime. I am excited to see some of my favourite (and some scary moments) to appear in the manga.
The art was just so pretty and I really love the style~
All in all, I will have to get the next book ASAP, maybe by the time this review goes up (it is now the 19th) I will have purchased it~ I would highly recommend this first volume (plus be sure to also check out the anime).
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
I saw the anime before reading this, so I know it's building to more actual story, but this first volume (like the first couple of episodes) kind of drags with no compelling plot kick-off to hook me in. It consists of Emilico (the childlike maid) cleaning for and serving her mistress Kate (a shadow-like figure who emits a plume of soot and whose features can't be seen) in a large Gothic mansion. Emilico is one of those anime/manga characters who looks maybe 9-1o years old but acts more like a 4-5-year old (simple-minded, clumsily energetic, exhaustingly cheery, loves cleaning). Kate is serious, and always speaks of herself in the third person--which makes sense in Japanese, but feels jarring in English. It's often repeated that maids (aka Living Dolls) are made to serve their Shadow family master/mistress and 'be their face' since Shadow's faces can't be seen, but Emilico doesn't understand that second part. She sometimes worries that she's not good enough for Kate, and at once point it's hinted that the unseen August Grandfather might discard inferior Shadow/Doll pairs.
If you stick with it, eventually more story and more Shadow secrets come up, but until then readers/viewers will have to content themselves with exploring and wondering about the mysterious Gothic mansion setting, so readers who enjoy setting without necessarily needing plot or character to keep them going might enjoy this more than others.
Later volumes might earn more stars from me once things start happening, but this is a SLOW burn to start off.
If you stick with it, eventually more story and more Shadow secrets come up, but until then readers/viewers will have to content themselves with exploring and wondering about the mysterious Gothic mansion setting, so readers who enjoy setting without necessarily needing plot or character to keep them going might enjoy this more than others.
Later volumes might earn more stars from me once things start happening, but this is a SLOW burn to start off.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The anime was pretty accurate until the last few episodes or so I've hear which is why I'm here. And I'm loving it but I kinda felt the relationship a lil bit stronger in the anime?? but the characters are still just as adorable and precious ❤
and it reminds me of The Promised Neverland soo much which makes even more invested.
and it reminds me of The Promised Neverland soo much which makes even more invested.
Non mi ha preso come pensavo. Peccato. La premessa è interessante quindi proverò a leggere un altro volume, ma nulla ha catturato veramente la mia attenzione.
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated