Totsukuni no Shoujo (The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún)

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Foreign Girl

Japanese: とつくにの少女

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 11

Chapters: 53

Status: Finished

Published: Sep 5, 2015 to Mar 5, 2021

Genre: Fantasy

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: Comic Garden

Authors: Nagabe (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.32¹ (scored by 13,634 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #271²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #219

Members: 62,331

Favorites: 2,382

External Links

Official Site, Wikipedia

8.32

Ranked #271Popularity #219Members 62,331

MangaComic GardenNagabe (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /11

Chapters: /53

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Synopsis

Long ago, there was a god of light and a god of darkness. While those devoted to the god of light experienced happiness and good fortune, the god of darkness would play tricks on the people and steal their joy. And so, as the legend goes, the god of light decided to punish him by turning him into a monster. Enraged by this, the god of darkness wielded his punishment as a curse in order to inflict suffering upon others. Because of his actions, he was banished to the Outside, where he and his monstrous children are to remain for eternity, while those from the Inside must never come in contact with someone from the Outside, lest they be cursed with a hideous form.

A little girl named Shiva, an Insider, is found by an Outsider she comes to know as Sensei. Though they cannot touch, Sensei cares for Shiva as best he can, and together they live a moderately happy life. But soon, Shiva not only finds herself in danger from the Outside, but from her own kind as well.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Totsukuni no Shoujo was published in English as The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún by Seven Seas Entertainment from January 24, 2017 to November 9, 2021, and as 3-in-1 hardcover omnibus volumes since August 2, 2022; in French by Komikku since March 9, 2017; in Polish by Studio JG since April 28, 2017, and in Spanish by ECC Cómics since October 3, 2017.

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Related Manga

Adaptation:

Totsukuni no Shoujo, Totsukuni no Shoujo (2022)

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Characters

Sensei

Main

Shiva

Main

Auntie

Supporting

More reviewsReviews

Mar 7, 2021

Gokke

Recommended

Honestly this manga is a work of art.
The art is great, the characters are great, the story / plot is outstanding.
Fantastic worldbuilding, also really great world in general. Very immersive, the characters and world just feel alive. It's probably a bit hit or miss, and i can imagine that it might not appeal to everybody, but it certainly hit me. I can't really think of more to say, it's just great in general with certain very strong points.

TL;DR: This manga achieves what it set out to do splendidly, it's generally strong in basically every aspect, and so deserves at least a 9.

With that said, it ...

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May 4, 2021

Garbaz

Recommended

At least three times while reading this manga, I though I had an idea where things are going, and every time it turned out completely differently. Whether that is quality or a fault, I do not know, but the story of Totsukuni No Shoujo certainly is as unique as I've ever seen from a manga.
Though I must admit that the end had me lost a bit. It certainly is very poetic, but also, at least to me, is a bit too vague and unclear.

At least as unique as the story, the art style of Nagabe, despite differing in almost every regard from the traditional manga, ...

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Nov 12, 2021

Firechick12012

Recommended

I don't quite remember how I first learned about Siuil a Run: The Girl From The Other Side, but I think it might have been seeing a review of the first volume a few years ago. I was intrigued by the premise, and wanted a new manga to read. But as soon as I read the first volume, I immediately sought out every other volume that had been put out, and continued to do so until the very end, which just got released recently. Then I saw the absolutely marvelous 10-minute OVA put out by Wit Studio, which I already did a review of, and ... I don't think I need to belabor my feelings on that here. This year, the manga officially concluded, even though there's going to be a special 12th volume that focuses on side stories and some new material. There's no word on when that'll be out, but you can bet I'll be devouring that like a wolf when it comes out. That being said, you'll notice that I gave it a slightly lower rating than the OVA, and trust me, this doesn't mean I think the manga is bad or anything. Far from it. But now that I've read the entirety of the manga, I do have a lot to say about it.

An unnamed fantasy world is divided in two: The inside and the outside. The outside is populated by black, monstrous beings known as Outsiders, and if a human were to ever touch them, they would be cursed and turned into an Outsider as well. As such, humans fear the outsiders, retreating into the local kingdom while the areas infected by the curse lay abandoned. Oddly enough, a little girl named Shiva is adopted by an Outsider simply known as Teacher, and the two of them live a tranquil, happy life in a tiny cottage in the woods. But their bliss is short-lived when pursuers, Outsiders and soldiers from the inside, intend on using Shiva for their own ends, and will stop at nothing to capture her. What could both sides want with Shiva? Does she have some sort of connection to the curse? What even is the truth behind the curse? What secrets does Teacher hold, and with the Outsiders questioning if he's truly one of their own, what even is he? Can the two of them truly find peace in a world that's plagued with terror, or is their tale doomed to end in tragedy?

One thing you'll notice about the art for this manga is that it really does an impeccable job of setting the mood and atmosphere. From the heavy usage of grey space, to cross-hatching for shadows, and a mixture of thin and thick likes both for backgrounds and characters' bodies, it truly makes you feel like you've been transported to a largely abandoned world, giving it a very unsettling atmosphere, which is fitting for the story and its overall themes. That being said, with the story having very few humans in the story, their facial features are often drawn as very simplistic, with only the bare minimum needed to give a sense of their expressions. Shiva's especially, since she's often drawn in a chibi style, which does get more detailed whenever she's drawn closer to the frame. It's not like the mangaka intentionally skimps on details, mainly preferring to save them for when they're absolutely necessary, which works depending on the situation. There is an emphasis on body language being indicative of a character's mood, and considering most of the cast consists of demonic beings that don't have human faces, Nagabe really puts this to good use here.

But no matter how good the artwork is, a story can't work if it doesn't have an equally good cast of characters backing it up, and thankfully, The Girl From The Other Side understands this wonderfully. The two main characters do an excellent job of carrying the manga, even though some of the more important actions are carried out by other characters when it comes to learning about the true nature of the world they live in. Shiva is more than just a bratty child and Teacher is more than just a demon who takes care of her. Every character has a role to play here and serve their purpose well. My only gripe is that I wish Nagabe had given most of the characters names. We only know certain characters by their titles or familial relations, like Shiva's aunt, the king, or the head priest, and because of that, along with how the human designs are simpler than those of the monsters, it can be hard to tell who's who most of the time. Granted, one character's name is kept a secret deliberately, that much is fine, but I think, had Nagabe given other characters names, it'd be easier to keep track of them. Since the OVA only focuses on Shiva and Teacher and nobody else, it manages to avoid this problem by sticking to just one part of the story.

However, that's not the only flaw The Girl From The Other Side has. Believe me, I really wish I could exalt this as a masterpiece, as it has a lot that really appeals to me. It's a series that's wonderfully told and constantly evolving. But I think it starts to slip a bit during some of the final chapters, when Shiva's true nature really comes to light. Without spoiling anything, the later reveals just seem to contradict each other, and it does leave a lot of questions and subplots unresolved. The final few chapters are less impressive than the rest of the series because of trying to tie up loose ends in ways that seem contradictory. Personally though, the final arc is more of a minor annoyance than a reason not to read this manga. Plus, the final volume does say there's going to be a 12th volume that'll not only feature some side stories, but some new material that, for all we know, may or may not resolve those lingering issues.

With all this in mind, what's the verdict? Basically, Siuil a Run: The Girl From The Other Side is a fun, spooky, engaging manga that, although it has a shallow ending and leaves some things unresolved, absolutely deserves the love and recognition that it gets. It didn't overstay its welcome, I can't wait for the 12th volume, and I definitely can't wait for the new OVA by Wit Studio due to come out in March 2022...assuming they don't get crushed by their recent financial troubles, that is.

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Poll: Totsukuni no Shoujo Chapter 49 Discussion Ittan_Momen - Apr 19, 2021	15 replies	by Absurdo_N »» Oct 4, 4:47 PM
Poll: Totsukuni no Shoujo Chapter 12 Discussion Stark700 - Apr 16, 2017	2 replies	by Meroxy »» Sep 5, 10:29 PM
is this worth reading and where to read? akivab - Sep 24, 2021	3 replies	by TheRoseBride »» Aug 9, 2:23 AM
Poll: Totsukuni no Shoujo Chapter 38 Discussion crocodileman94 - Jun 6	0 replies	by crocodileman94 »» Jun 6, 1:46 PM
Poll: Totsukuni no Shoujo Chapter 45 Discussion Ittan_Momen - Oct 27, 2020	9 replies	by boumboumboum »» Jun 5, 4:01 PM

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The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún
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The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún
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