Magetsukan Kitan

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So, Magetsukan kitan, a "little house of horrors" (make that a big house actually) that strives to show you that not all monsters are, well, monstrous but are actually trying to survive any way they can.

The main character is a basic protagonist (nice guy, not particularly muscular or good looking, you know, the usual harem-style MC) who's just moved to the city in search of a job, but to do so, he also needs somewhere to stay. Sadly, he doesn't have tons of cash and all the offers he finds at the estate agent's are out of his budget. Except for one, a room for ... 9000 yen. It seems like a good deal but the room is actually in a monster mansion. So he goes there, falls in love with the landlady, freaks out, tries to leave then stays for good when he realizes than these monsters aren't out to get him. A sort of slice of life ensues.

The story is fun, if you like slice of life's with a horror/dark fantasy twist to them, there is a certain amount of ecchi (which gets near borderline at a couple points) and all the characters have their little quirks and backstories and are very enjoyable. The art is good, possibly a bit rough 'round the edges here and there, but nothing that would stop the reader from enjoying him(or her)self.

If I had to compare this manga to anything else, I'd say it would be close to Love Hina, with a touch of Rosario+Vampire's early days. Either way, if you're looking for something nice, with a bit of fantasy and harem action, you should read this series.

The only problem I have with this series is the fact that you can only find scans up to chapter 37 on most manga reader sites, so if anyone knows where the whole series can be found, the info would be very welcome ^^

*Quick edit: I have found the last ten chapters and have succeeded in finishing it after a long hiatus. The ending is rather good, nothing too memorable but still happy after a ( slightly forced in my opinion ) climax which includes a rather weird character. Still fully enjoyed it, but damn I'd forgotten how ecchi this could get*

tl;dr: A manga that’s mostly a gag manga with a good amount of serious moments, but that don’t really carry forward into an actual plot. 

This is mostly a gag manga in that it’s focused pretty much entirely on comedy, without any sort of overarching plot. It’s generally a bunch of small episodes having to do with random problems the monsters of Kodaira face, with the occasional flashback providing background on the monsters. Now despite there being a gag manga, there’s a surprising amount of serious aspects. The thing though, is that because there isn’t really any overarching plot, while these are interesting enough on their ... own, they never really amount to something more substantial and hence don't have any sort of impact, thus they don’t feel like they have much value. For example, it goes through the background of pretty much everyone, but with most it's just a flashback that doesn’t affect anything at all, and for the others where it does have an impact on the current point in the story, it’s usually just for that chapter and never brought up again. There isn’t any depth to the story or characters. They’re completely flat and don’t go anywhere beyond where they started at the beginning of the manga. They’re not bad characters, but without more to them they feel kind of boring. Regarding the relationship between the main characters, that’s the closest thing to an overarching plot thread that develops, but it’s not really built that well. Its something that’s being pushed from the beginning to the end, but it doesn’t really develop, it just stays in the same state for the vast majority of the manga until the end where it suddenly works out. That’s better than it not working out I suppose, but it isn’t all that great either. As for the comedy itself, it was decent enough, not really funny, but not bad, although a bit repetitive. The art was pretty weak even though the setting and subject matter were interesting visually.

How is that a most beautiful young woman lives in an evil mansion known for hosting unspeakable monsters? This question, sir, is not the one I will answer. Instead, I'll answer why you should pack you bags and move into that mansion full of monsters as soon as possible.

Story 5/10
There isn't really a story per se because Magetsukan Kitan is a succession of small episodes which are funny for the most part. So despite the fair number of chapters, there is very little progression over the course of 47 chapters. But this doesn't necessarily mean that Magetsukan Kitan is boring. I absolutely enjoyed reading how ... the main character makes the acquaintance of the notorious members of this mansion in hilarious stories.

Art 7/10
You could say that the art style proceeds from the end of 90s - beginning of 2000s. I am personally keen on the style of this period, that may be due my Madeleine de Proust of some sort. The atmosphere in the mansion is transcribed decently. However, don't expect to find here the right material if you came here because of the harem tag. Although the art is decent, the general atmostphere of the manga is about gag and fun.

Characters 5/10
Don't expect huge character developments. While the backstories of most of the inhabitants of the mansion will be unveiled at some points - these are surprisingly more serious and constrast with the overall funny tone of the manga, these parts don't last but in a few pages during the resolution of the episode. Of course, as you get to know them better, you will learn that these despised monsters have a gentle side to them and can be even more friendly and reliable than real humans.

As for the MC, he is the 90s-style clumsy young man who came to Tokyo searching for a job. He falls for the lovely landlady and will try to seduce her by trying to be manly. While what lies under the interactions between both characters might be obvious, it is still funny to see how they struggle in spite of evolving in a 'hostile' !environment.

Overall & Enjoyment 8/10 or 5/10
Depending on whether including the last stories in the grading, I might end up giving a very different score. I liked the first chapters the most because gags were simple and efficient. But I regret the turn that the story took into so-called 'dark' sub-stories by the end. I think the violence that it brought wasn't necessary and didn't succeed to bring more substance to a manga that should have sticked to what it did best : upfront gags and funny ecchi. Instead, the violence that appears in the last chapters mostly feels out of place, I confess I was saddly left with a bitter after-taste.