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clowdywings's review
3.0
Cute. I liked the art and overall story but found it to be a little too slow. I feel bad for Aoi. It really reminds me of the Studio Ghibli movie Spirited Away.
morbidplot's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nasty_pancake's review
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hermit_bookworm's review
4.0
I really like this manga, definitely gives me spirited away vibes which I love.
alzena28's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ravenclawlibrary's review
4.0
This is my first foodie manga , and I absolutely love it. I really enjoy the premises of the story and characters.
rereader33's review
4.0
Reread 4/2/23
Bumped up from 3 to 4 stars
I liked this first volume a lot more on reread, mostly because it did a great job in setting the world with bogging readers down with exposition dumps, as well as establishing Aoi as the absolute badass lady she is. Seriously, she's easily one of my fave female characters, she's so spunky and determined I can't help but root for her!
Original review on 2/16/19
This was a nice beginning to the series. I can imagine that most people will consider this first volume slow because of how much exposition is dropped, but I personally welcome it. I am a HUGE fan of Japanese folklore, and as such know that if someone is writing a series centered around it (and actually doing their research) it will be necessary to inform the reader about each ayakashi, their world, how it functions, etc. Personally, I wasn't bored while the exposition was being dropped simply because I love folklore so much and am always eager to see it featured in fiction. I do like Aoi, I think she is a good character albeit unoriginal, but I admire that she chose to forge her own path to paying off her grandfather's debt rather than take either of the options presented to her. The ayakashi are very well drawn and while most of them are one-dimensional as of right now, I'm hopeful that will change in future volumes. I love the focus on food and cooking, I will never say no to food artwork! All in all, a good start to a series that I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to what's to come in volume 2.
Bumped up from 3 to 4 stars
I liked this first volume a lot more on reread, mostly because it did a great job in setting the world with bogging readers down with exposition dumps, as well as establishing Aoi as the absolute badass lady she is. Seriously, she's easily one of my fave female characters, she's so spunky and determined I can't help but root for her!
Original review on 2/16/19
This was a nice beginning to the series. I can imagine that most people will consider this first volume slow because of how much exposition is dropped, but I personally welcome it. I am a HUGE fan of Japanese folklore, and as such know that if someone is writing a series centered around it (and actually doing their research) it will be necessary to inform the reader about each ayakashi, their world, how it functions, etc. Personally, I wasn't bored while the exposition was being dropped simply because I love folklore so much and am always eager to see it featured in fiction. I do like Aoi, I think she is a good character albeit unoriginal, but I admire that she chose to forge her own path to paying off her grandfather's debt rather than take either of the options presented to her. The ayakashi are very well drawn and while most of them are one-dimensional as of right now, I'm hopeful that will change in future volumes. I love the focus on food and cooking, I will never say no to food artwork! All in all, a good start to a series that I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to what's to come in volume 2.
chaosandbooks's review
5.0
An absolute fantastic start to a manga series! The art work is gorgeous and the plot is intriguing. Aoi is left to pay off her grandfather's debts after his death and her love for cooking comes in handy to save her from the ayakshi, or demons. I really love lore like this, so this was a great plot and the worldbuilding of Kakuriyo is like a nocturnal reflection of the human world. I thought that was quite interesting. I love the creative resourcefulness that independence Aoi demonstrates. Odanna is a great villain, showing himself to be merciful and conniving which ultimately also leaves him likeable as a love interest since this does have shoujo tropes. My favorite character is Ginji, who is an absolute sweetheart and comical sidekick. Overall, this was a great beginning volume with humor, a strong plot, and an intriguing concept.
breakfastgrey's review
2.0
I know I'm not the target demographic for this series, but even looking past that, I was not particularly impressed. The draftsmanship of the art was solid, but the framing was awkward and poorly chosen on far too many incidences making things unclear or prioritizing oddly chosen moments in the pacing of the story. As far as the story itself, I could dig the premise and there seemed to be some social commentary going on, but none of the characters particularly hit with me outside of the Odanna. I really wanted to like Ginji more than I did. Everyone felt too one dimensional and stereotypical. Dialog was serviceable but in too many incidences felt the need to talk down to its audience and repeat things. (student book club)