September 25, 2023

Engaging story. Language is very approachable even for a newbie.

I loved the Shadows House anime but the manga is a bit advanced for me. When I saw this by the same author I immediately decided to try it, and I'm glad I did.

As other reviews will tell you, the basic story is about a young girl, koko, living alone in a mansion with her cat, kuro. The mansion and the surrounding neighborhood are beset by monsters - everybody seems to be able to see them except koko. She is protected by kuro, who obviously is a bit more than the normal cat. I don't want to give away more. :)

The language is very approachable, even at my level (N4-N5), and I'm picking up new vocabulary. The sentences are short and there's a good amount of Kanji. The lack of furigana is a little annoying but not insurmountable. In one way, it's actually an advantage - I scan the pages into images for reading on my iPad, where I can actually select words or phrases. Furigana can confuse the selection.

As for the story, I find it very engaging. It might be intended for a very young audience but there are some complex, even dark themes, and I find myself looking forward to reading in order to find out more.

And the art is superb, with almost half of each volume in color.

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