Shadows House

The Shadows, characterized by their pitch-black appearance and tendency to emit soot when agitated, are a family of nobles who reside in a colossal manor deep within the mountains far from other humans. When a Shadow child is nearly of-age, they are assigned a Living Doll who acts not only as their attendant but also as their second half—the faces they could have had if not for their complexion.

Emilico is a cheerful, newly created Doll who serves a rather soft-spoken master named Kate. Despite their difference in personalities, Emilico does what she can to carry out the needs of her master. As she learns more about her role and duty, Emilico begins to meet her fellow Dolls and their respective masters and comes to know more about the purpose of her existence.

"Do not fret over trivial matters," says one of the rules by which all Dolls must abide. But how could the ever-curious Emilico do so in the face of the deep secrets that the Shadows House holds?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

No background information has been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding background information here.

Episode Videos

Edit

Related Anime

Adaptation:	Shadows House
Sequel:	Shadows House 2nd Season

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Kate

Main

Kitou, Akari
Japanese

Emilico

Main

Sasahara, Yuu
Japanese

John

Supporting

Sakai, Koudai
Japanese

Shaun

Supporting

Sakai, Koudai
Japanese

Barbie

Supporting

Kugimiya, Rie
Japanese

Lou

Supporting

Sakura, Ayane
Japanese

Patrick

Supporting

Kawashima, Reiji
Japanese

Maryrose

Supporting

Nakahara, Mai
Japanese

Rum

Supporting

Shimoji, Shino
Japanese

Ricky

Supporting

Kawashima, Reiji
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer

Furuhashi, Souta

Producer

Herek, Samantha

Assistant Producer

Oohashi, Kazuki

Director

Edit

Opening Theme

"a hollow shadow" by Kenichirou Suehiro (末廣健一郎)

Edit

Ending Theme

	1: "Nai Nai (ないない)" by ReoNa (eps 1-7, 9-13)
	2: "Watashi no Kanpeki na Sekai (私の完璧な世界)" by Kenichirou Suehiro (末廣健一郎) (eps 8)

More reviews

Reviews

Jul 3, 2021

ren0080

Mixed Feelings

This anime is such a shame. Because if I were to rate the first 10 episodes, I'd have rated it 9 or 10/10 easily. While the animation is pretty lackluster and unimaginative, it is faithful and had a nice pacing. But there's the remaining 3 episodes... how did it go from being a masterpiece to a disappointing forgettable animes season.
Just what did go wrong indeed...

The story is great, at least in the first 10 episodes. It is faithful (with a few changes but understandable) to the manga, and the pacing is really well. The story builds up a great mystery story with a lot of ...

Open

Gift

Jul 3, 2021

nightshadekait

Recommended

Shadows House is what you get when you mix the fun vibes of a middle grade mystery with the relevant messages of critiques on classism. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but the unique aesthetic, engaging premise, solid writing, and good audiovisuals bring everything together to create a well-formulated anime that anyone can find enjoyable.

Our story begins in a small room with a coffin-like bed. Papers of instructions and details plaster dirty walls while a small door allows access to a chunk of stale bread placed upon the dusty wooden floor. Cramped, ill-fed, and forced to work. These are the harsh living conditions of a ... Living Doll—the living conditions of our main character Emilico.

From the start, Emilico’s personality shines through the screen. She is a bright and cheerful young girl trying to do her best, and everyone around her is affected by her kind nature. Though one may argue that Emilico’s personality consists of traits increasingly common in a typical anime protagonist, Shadows House’s depiction of Emilico as a character is far from generic. As subject to uncomfortable living conditions, there are many times when Emilico’s identity is tested. She is looked down upon by others and is reprimanded for being herself. And when Emilico is forced to obey the rules or when she is under the control of the shadows, her bright personality is sometimes compromised. It is through this narrative that Emilico’s character isn’t simply a compilation of happy generic protagonist traits but rather an expression of the anime’s theme of power and autonomy amidst oppression.

Living among the Dolls in the Shadows House are mysterious beings referred to as Shadows. Shadows are face-less figures that the living dolls attend to. They live much more luxuriously than the living dolls and have bodies made entirely of soot. Depending on a Shadow’s mood, Shadows sometimes emit their soot from the top of their heads. This means that as the shadows go about their classy lifestyles, they tend to leave a lot of mess behind which may accumulate in the rooms they occupy, spread all throughout the house, and dust the objects around them. As expected, cleaning this mess is a part of the job of the exploited Living Dolls.

Though the Shadows are a clear representation of an abusive upper class, this anime doesn’t villainize Shadows as a whole. It doesn’t just say that the shadows are bad or that the masters of the living dolls are bad people who abuse the dolls without reason. This anime is much more complex than that and takes us through the nuances of the overall situation by making the Shadows House a microcosm of real society. The house contains various floors, and each shadow strives to attain higher power by climbing up the ranks which are representative of the floor on which they reside. It is a beautifully plotted setting that is easy to understand and that showcases how power and class work. By having a well-written structure that serves as the foundation for the narrative and involves each of the characters, Shadows House avoids shallow messaging like ‘shadows are bad’ and ‘living dolls are good’ and instead focuses on the bigger picture, portraying each character as a victim of the poor system.

With this in mind, all of the characters act in their own ways and aren’t just labelled as “friend” or “enemy.” These characters have genuine interactions as they try to navigate through the roles they are placed in. Shadows House truly makes the audience feel like every person introduced serves a purpose in the story and makes sure that each of them has their own likable traits that’ll leave you wishing they had more screen time. Even the face-less Shadows were far from lifeless or expressionless.

Most notable of the cast, asides from our main character, is the Shadow Kate whom Emilico is assigned to. Kate is calm and collected and finds Emilico’s cheerful behavior to be endearing. Over the course of the series, Kate and Emilico grow to be close friends that constantly encourage one another and help each other through the challenges they face. Their friendship is fun to watch, and the events they undergo lead them to develop and influence each other in interesting ways.

Presentation-wise, Shadows House doesn’t let the viewers down either. The premise, proper setting, and well-written characters are all brought together by a unique gothic aesthetic that’s embedded into every aspect of the anime. In the art, we can see it in the lacy outfits and intricate backgrounds. The Shadows House itself is a a large manor with secret doors and pillars that perfectly work with the vibe that the anime gives off. The music matches the gothic aesthetic too. The opening song is a particularly fitting instrumental. And while the ending theme is more modern, it contains choral samples that exude a mysterious, almost haunting feel. There isn’t a single aspect of the show or single frame in the series that doesn’t fit the intended style. This is a show that knows what it wants to do and executes it.

Shadows House is an anime more people should be talking about. As a show that is both fun yet thematically sound and mysterious yet socially relevant, this anime has a lot of variance in appeal. No matter what you’re looking for, Shadows House will likely have something for you to appreciate. The story which discusses power, autonomy, class, and friendship all at once, is well-built with likable characters. The expertly integrated gothic aesthetic alone sets it apart from most other anime, both in this season and in general. This is one of the most easily watchable and easily recommendable shows I have seen in a while, and I highly encourage everyone to give it a go.

Open

Gift

Jul 3, 2021

KANLen09

Recommended

Spoiler

***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

I must get this out of the way first: if you're thinking that CloverWorks shit the shat outta Shadows House just like The Promised Neverland, please don't be, because this work is heavily supervised by duo mangaka Soumatou, and merely did some changes lest a Season 2 is confirmed in the works (you can check out the Twitter replies about this change). As of this review, this is the only season that we're gonna get for Shadows House, and barring the anime-only changes which are made to only reflect the time constraints of how much the anime adaptation can squeeze out of ... the manga's material, I'd say that this is already good enough. If there is a Season 2 in the works, the missing characters would be added back in to add to the already great showing of a Victorian-esque mystery, supernatural, horror show.

So then, the easiest you need to know about Shadows House is that this works mostly like a buddy/pair-system in the so-called "Shadows" mansion (which in reality is a prison), where every child taken into the Shadows mansion attends to a Shadow Master known as a Living Doll, and the pair must work in tandem, because the Living Doll is an exact mirror to the attached Shadow Master who can emit soot. While that may be so for most pairings, there is one that defies all logic: the soft-spoken Shadow Master Kate and her servant, the cheerful Emilico. From the get-go, you don't really know much about the mysteries of Shadows House, it's like playing The Legend of Zelda where you're Link and you must find out the secrets of the world on your own, only except that Emilico is playing the role of the player and fumbling around with Kate, slowly opening her quiet, introverted heart to Emilico and discovering what is the Shadows House all about: what are its secrets, and with the whole other notion of other Shadow Master-Living Doll pairs, to even the higher-up Shadow Masters themselves serving under their Lord. This is more than just a typical slice-of-life anime, that's for sure.

Characterization plays a huge part in Shadows House, and just within Kate and Emilico, you can get the sense that once other supporting cast of duos comes up, you can instantly see the different between these two and the rest of the master-and-servant relationship. The dynamics of the show really play to its lengths, and for that it mostly succeeded with varying levels of bonds, both good and bad. Let's take a duo that I feel is the most peculiar and interesting: Master John and servant Shaun (1 of the main supporting duos) for example. John likes to be outlandish with his principles, but Shaun chooses to be humble. Regardless, both Shadow Master and Living Doll have to work together regardless of their differences, and as eccentric as things can get, there are times when conflict arises, and they have to solve it amiably, because any sort of trouble could get your punishment harsher than what already happened. As usual, Kate and Emilico being the stand-out duo, once their acquaintance is established, they can do things that doesn't detract from who they are as individual beings, fighting for each other and learning things along the way for whatever challenges the Shadows House have in preparation for all young Shadow Masters and Living Dolls. And trust me, this is one hellish of a journey that has its fair share of twists and turns with its ever-changing plot...and Emilico, just keeps being that happy-go-lucky girl that I don't know what kind of situation would faze her speechless. She's such a glorious sunshine of a character that's as clumsy as how I adore her antics of a behaviour so cognitive and frenetic.

I've really never had issues with CloverWorks when it comes to the studio's stellar production. Even with episodic director Kazuki Oohashi on his debut directorial role, you really wouldn't the notice between how amateur and professional directors do their utmost job to satisfy the fans and newcomers. Being a sister studio of A-1 Pictures, you can't really go wrong that the studio manages to ace the sense of gloominess and horror within Shadows House alone, greatly capturing the manga's dark and elusive tones, not to mention being dark that you had to up the brightness somehow. For reference, Soumatou's manga is one of the most unique I've ever seen in a source material, and CloverWorks really did a great job hammering that look on the small screen. Two thumbs up.

Even the music is somewhat unique to Shadows House. As a side note, we don't get instrumental songs quite a lot, but music composer Kenichiro Suehiro did a marvellous job on the musical side of things, as such with the instrumental OP and even Edward's theme in Episode 8. As for ReoNa, she's been a mainstay for banger songs, and the ED reflects all of that valor in a cry-for-help way of despotism. Especially with some shows subbed that come with lyrics attached, I'd like you to pay attention to those because these songs hide their foreshadowing meanings and elevate the show's understanding to its senses and pulling the audience along with it. It'd be best if you take a shot and read between the lines, that'll teach you how to appreciate the anime adaptation much more.

Shadows House is somewhat of an oddball when it comes to adaptations, even to the hardcore manga fans who've been waiting long enough for the source material to get an adaptation. No doubt that this show is quite the allureness that gives off a puzzling yet un-grotesque way, but it also knows how to reel the audience in for a mystery thriller that mixes so well with the slice-of-life moments, creating a balance within the two that I didn't think that would be the difference of enjoying and appreciating such a novelty of a work. Truly some great stuff here, and I would certainly like to see a Season 2 of this in the future. IT'S JUST TOO GOOD to let go and honestly hard to put this down.

So now I plead: CloverWorks, please make a Season 2 of this, keep the mysteries coming!

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Anime with a Main Cast of Only 2 Females

by iftsistrnn

36 Entries · 28 Restacks

No Sex Jokes or Ecchi [Part 1]

by Enivlens

50 Entries · 263 Restacks

Beautiful Nightmares

by P3co

50 Entries · 38 Restacks

More recommendations

Recommendations

View All

More news

Recent News

North American Anime & Manga Releases for September

Here are the North American anime, manga, and light novel releases for September. Week 1: September 6 - 12 Anime Releases Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Set 13 Blu-...read more

Sep 6, 2022 11:53 AM by Aiimee | Discuss (1 comment)

'Shadows House' Receives Second Anime Season

A second anime season for Soumatou's Shadows House manga was announced at the special livestream event for the anime on Saturday. The event also revealed an ann...read more

Sep 11, 2021 8:03 AM by Vindstot | Discuss (26 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Shadows House Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Jul 3, 2021	145 replies	by cableguyjay »» May 1, 5:57 PM
Poll: Shadows House Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jun 26, 2021	84 replies	by cableguyjay »» May 1, 5:56 PM
Poll: Shadows House Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Jun 19, 2021	123 replies	by cableguyjay »» May 1, 5:33 AM
Poll: Shadows House Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Jun 12, 2021	125 replies	by cableguyjay »» May 1, 12:23 AM
Poll: Shadows House Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jun 5, 2021	73 replies	by cableguyjay »» Apr 30, 7:32 PM

Shadows House

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Kate

Emilico

John

Shaun

Barbie

Lou

Patrick

Maryrose

Rum

Ricky

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Shadows House

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-