"Shadow House" is a manga serialized in Weekly Young Jump, and its anime adaptation will begin airing in April 2021. Today, we'll introduce what "Shadow House" is, what its appeal is, and who it's recommended for!
What is "Shadow House"? A brief synopsis!
In a large, unvisited mansion, a being covered entirely in black called a Shadow lives, along with his companion and servant, a Living Doll. Shadows and Living Dolls pair up, and the Living Dolls perform tasks assigned by the mansion every day. The pair of Shadow Kate, who is intelligent and thoughtful but also a bit stubborn and prone to worries, and Emilico, who is cheerful and always cheerful, spent their time in the same way. However, when Emilico began to take on tasks outside the room, she began to interact with other living dolls and her world expanded. However, as her world expanded, Kate and Emilico began to notice the strangeness of Shadow House.
The Charm of Shadow House!! A heartwarming comedy featuring the interactions of unique and cute girls.
This heartwarming story follows the interactions between Kate, a shadow who is intelligent, thoughtful, and kind, but also a bit stubborn and prone to worries, and Emilico, who is cheerful and innocent. Shadow Kate has no face and her expression is hidden. She rarely shows her true personality, making her emotions difficult to read. However, Shadow's peculiar trait is that when she's in a bad mood, soot comes out of her head, making it obvious when she's in a bad mood, which is adorable! It's also heartwarming to see how Kate is encouraged by the cheerful Emilico. Shadow House is the perfect show for anyone looking for a heartwarming story like this!
From the very first episode, the story is filled with a mysterious worldview and various settings!
Shadow House starts off with a heartwarming episode, but from the very first episode, you can see that it has a very unique and mysterious worldview. What are shadows? Why are they paired together? Are there no other characters? Even in the first episode, various mysteries are scattered throughout. While the initial focus is on the interactions between Kate and Emilico, there are moments from the very beginning that suggest something is up, stimulating the imagination.
As the world expands, a unique worldview becomes clear!
At first, you might think this is a slightly unusual, heartwarming comedy, but its strangeness gradually becomes clear. The "Living Dolls" don't look like dolls at all, and there are so many rules about them that they seem almost brainwashing-like, like a black company. Some people might even think that this mansion is a black company or something. As the story progresses, this gradually becomes clear. It contains an intricate setting and hides surprising truths.
As the plot unravels, major changes will occur in the story!
What exactly are Shadow and the living dolls? What is the purpose of Shadow Mansion? What is the purpose of the events held there? As various questions are unraveled, a slight spoiler reveals that a certain power structure has been established within Shadow Mansion. As the characters approach this mystery, major changes will occur in the story. The characters' mindsets and goals have changed significantly between the first and latest episodes.
The story unravels the mystery of Shadow Mansion in a suspenseful dark fantasy!
After the protagonists, Kate and Emilico, begin to question the mansion's ruling structure and its black-business-like nature, they begin to delve into the mansion's secrets and hidden darkness. From there, the story unfolds as a battle of wits and battles utilizing the Shadows' abilities. A new story unfolds, in which they gather allies behind the scenes, like a resistance. However, this was clearly the intention from the beginning, and the story is well-crafted.
What other works is Shadow House similar to? If you like this work, I recommend it!!
Shadow House combines many elements, and while there are no works that are completely similar, there are some that share some similarities. Fans of the following works will surely find this work interesting.
Rozen Maiden
Serialized in Monthly Comic Birds and Weekly Young Jump. Characterized by cutely designed Gothic Lolita dolls and a mystical worldview, this is a battle story. The anime was adapted into two seasons and a special edition, becoming a huge hit. Shadow House also features similar fashion, and battle elements are added midway through, so there are strong similarities to Rozen Maiden.
GOSICK
This anime is based on a mystery novel. Set in Europe after World War I, Kazuya Kujo, a Japanese exchange student, encounters and solves various incidents while being manipulated by the wayward and selfish girl Victoria. The story shares a gothic style and also contains elements of mystery. The relationship between Kate and Emilico is somewhat similar to that between Kujo and Victoria.
The Promised Neverland
This work is serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. The first season of the anime aired in 2019, and the second season began airing in January 2021. If there was one work that bears the most similarities to Shadow House, it would probably be this one. The children seem to be living happily surrounded by their sister and fellow orphans, but in fact, the facility itself is a meat processing plant. This suspenseful dark fantasy follows the children as they work together to outwit the adults and seek an opportunity to escape. The plot, in which the protagonists discover the orphanage's structure and rebel, is a perfect example of this. In fact, Kaiu Shirai, the original author, sent a comment on the Shadow House obi strip.
[Shadow House] Summary of the Work's Appeal
I've summarized the appeal of "Shadow House" and who I recommend it to! It's hard to understand what kind of work "Shadow House" is just by reading a little bit, but it's easier to understand if I think of it as a combination of Rozen Maiden and The Promised Neverland. While not strictly speaking, this anime is recommended for fans of those two works and those looking for something similar. It will be airing from April 2021, so be sure to check it out!
