Shadows House

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Shadows House sadly belongs to one of the most underrated pieces of fiction I've witnessed so far, simply because the premise is not appealing enough for most people, and therefore it is ignored by the mainstream. But what people miss out on through this is easily one of the best told and most unique mystery stories you can find. If you already liked TPN, then this is even better.

Going into this, one might think that it's a simple slice of life just in a very obscure scenario whose plot only goes further for the sake of some self-contained storylines. But the truth is, once you ... get more and more involved, you realize that things are much more connected and play together in a way that you didn't even consider first. The plan for the plot and setting seems to have been certain from the beginning on.

Starting relatively simple with only the two main characters who merely get to know each other at the beginning, more and more characters and plot points get introduced after time, simultaneously with new arising questions while also getting a continuous darker tone.
While other mystery stories often fail to execute its own resolutions to their plot by lazily adding more and more elements to its own lore (making it seem like a forced scenario by the author), Shadows House meanwhile manages to keep a systematical vibe throughout the story which characterizes through having tons of details and foreshadowings from the beginning on that help to point out to much later plot points in a great logical way.
As you progress, you repeatedly get tiny bits of information that slowly make you realize the thoughtful concept behind the shadows house and its mysteries. And in the middle of nowhere you occasionally get to witness some bigger reveal that turns the whole plot into another direction. Overall the whole story is very intelligently written.

Thanks to the very unique concept, you also get confronted with topics that usually don't get addressed in other fictional works. The unusual scenarios and their philosophical background make a particular basis for deeper thoughts.
Another point are the various characters that all play their own part in the shadows house. Having the main focus on children might turn off some people, but it is indeed an important part of the plot that makes certain things possible in the first place. Also because of its concept, it again opens new ways for unique character traits and interactions. Each character has its own quirks, but they are all still very likeable (or at least understandable) to some degree, and each has their own development process. Especially Kate is an incredibly good character.

Lastly I want to point out the very enjoyable art style of the manga which also happens to be colored as the standard. Speaking from an anime view point, I only got to read the manga after chapter 80, but I think besides one little arc being changed, there is not much difference. Also while writing this, Shadows House is still far away from being finished, so there is still a lot of potential in the air for waaaaay more twists and turns.
Summarized I can highly recommend to read this manga or at least watch the anime first.

This manga took me by storm. I'm a huge fan of the ones that start out innocent, even possibly mistaken as a kids show, only to get incredibly dark. In that sense, this manga hits the spot perfectly.

But the plot itself is great. The author sets up a solid foundation and links back to things from the very beginning that you wouldn't think twice about at that point - but not so that you forget it happened. It makes you go, "Holy shit! THAT's what that meant!?"

The characters are amazing. Really great development. It's rare for a manga that introduces so many characters ... to not be overwhelming/chaotic, but the author manages it superbly. You feel a connection to most, if not all, of them.

Plus, it says something that even the shadows have in-depth personalities - to the point where you can assume their facial expressions without actually seeing their faces.

Of course, the fact it's published in full color doesn't hurt.

All in all, this manga has the potential to be 10/10 if the author nails the ending.

"Shadows house" is a mistery, slice of life manga which shows the day by day of Emiliko (the face) and Kate (her's shadow) through the house, as well as their intereactions with the other shadows and faces that live in that same house. In this universe "faces" reconize themselves as living dolls, and therefore, they have the ultimate purpouse of serving their shadow, by cleaning this "dust" their masters release, performing good-night kisses, or even making the facial expressions of the feelings, that is somethig shadows can't do.

Story: 10
The manga has great qualities in story, especially because of the way the story-telling is built, by ... first, doing a shadowy introduction of the process of "making" the dolls and then throwing the reader into a whole new, and scary World in which a lot of values and conceptions are being questioned at the same time. What are the Shadows? Why the dolls have to clean the dust? Are the dolls people? If so, what are they doing there? Everything is gonna be aswered as you and the characters discover, and dive together into this sad, even though funny and warm story.

Art:10