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

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

The story is about a cursed figure called "Teacher" and a little girl named Shiva.

Its a touching story with INCREDIBLE art! I cant emphasise enough how good the art is. The black-and-white style of the manga really helps emphasise the diffrent moods throughout the story. The ambience is dark and mysterious, yet light-hearted and beautiful.

The story itself is similar to old folklore and fairy tales. The character design of Teacher especially feels very familiar. The choice of making Shiva in lighter colors is really fitting.

At first glance, it seems lika a beautiful story about life, but it holds deeper, more sinister themes ... as well.

The story offers complex characters with diffrent motives.

I think the manga can set a mood that animation cannot in this spesific case. Having the manga as a story format fits so well with the storytelling.

I would highly recommend reading it if your a fan of penn art, fantacy, father-daughter relationship or old folklore.

Okay, it was a very different experience. Totsukuni no Shoujo is unique, whether in its character or its story. It's hard to find something so different in an ocean of clichéd manga.

I really liked the story, especially at the beginning, as it was kind of a dark slice of life. In the middle (volumes 4 to 6), it really caught my attention, the plot was evolving very well, no matter how many doubts there were, it was really very good. At the end (volumes 10 and 11) it seemed to me that the author was a little lost, I'm almost sure that not even he ... understood everything he wrote haha. As much as this bothered me a little, because honestly, I'm not a big fan of interpretative endings; I still didn't think the ending was bad.

I'm sure that if Totsukuni was a kind of dark slice of life, with simple and well-written plots, as well as being longer, it would have become one of my favorite manga. Anyway, it was great to discover this work, I'm seriously thinking about giving Nagabe's other manga a chance.

I'm a sucker for child-like tales being adapted into a full-blown series with a pinch of adult element inserted into it and Totsukuni no Shoujo is exactly one of those. It tells the simple story of a little girl (Insider) who doesn't remember anything about her past, living in the dark side with "Sensei" which the Insider thought as "evil" (Outsider) who also doesn't remember anything about his past. The story tells us about their struggle living in the Outside, finding the truth about their past, and their effort to just live simply in peace; which is certainly not possible for them.

The slice-of-life aspect in ... the very first few volumes were absolutely sweet and heartwarming. The main characters tell each other stories, they bake together, they fight and reconcile, and so many others. How the author presented the story with the least text possible was an incredible storytelling method, I love it with all my heart. In many point of the story, you'll be astonished by the one-page art and how it can tell a thousand of words without any text at all. The theme of the story perfectly conveys the innocence of the little girl and the desperation of "Sensei", who always feels like that he isn't enough caring for the little girl. I would also like to commend the simple world building and politics in the series. It was by all means not complex or complete, but it felt enough with what was going on and it complements the story well. It was also a necessary touch for the story, which I have to rant about without spoiling anything.

As the story goes, things suddenly become a completely different feel in almost every aspect, and this is where I'm utterly disappointed at where everything is going. I knew something have to change, but the way the author did it was odd and quite possibly even contentious. Maybe it's just me wanting those sweet moments to stay forever and surely it's not just the reading getting too much information at once while getting presented with unreasonable twists, right? No. Something feels flawed at what was happening in the last few volumes, it doesn't feel like I was reading the same manga with the weird tone going on; I myself don't get what the author is trying to tell during those chapters. There was a lot of chance to deepen the world outside the main character, but the author failed to do so, for unknown reasons I don't know myself. When you finish, the entire work felt incomplete. There should be something... Something missing. What is it?

Story aside, the art and the interactions between the two main characters are still something to be praised about. Emotions are conveyed in a smart way with the unique art and it still exists despite the story going downwards. Let me repeat myself, the first few volumes are soul-stirring, but as the story is concerned, it's an absolute hit or miss. You will either love everything, or you will question what the actual fuck is going on. Either way, I admit it's a unique read and you should give it a chance.