Welcome to Litsy!

I hadn't picked up a Manga in a while, and this one certainly looked seasonally appropriate when I stumbled across it!

The combination of an eerie and uncanny character and setting with an oddly cozy story and absolutely gorgeous art made for a delightful first book.

Some questions are answered by the end, but many remain, and I definitely hope to continue reading the series!

I have no idea how to explain what this book series is about, but I can list the themes! Stunning art that will stay with me forever is what compelled me to pick it up to begin with. Don‘t expect the screen adaptation to be good, because you‘ll be disappointed. Themes: death, grief, pagan lore, incarnation, the soul, plagues, bonds of love. Some elements of the story made me wonder if the author was referencing Alzheimer‘s.

I think I devoured volumes 4-6 in about an hour. Continuing the mysterious tale, when Shiva‘s backstory is revealed, she and Teacher must make a difficult choice as well as they face a challenge to their relationship .
Themes of death and rebirth feature heavily in these volumes…I can‘t wait to read more!

The end of this beautiful, sweet, sad and mildly horrific manga about a little girl and monstrous cursed soul. I highly recommend this series. The art is lovely and it speaks volumes with very little dialog. 5⭐️
#mangamarch & another #bookspinbingo

3.5/5⭐ I can see that this series is going to deal a lot with liminal spaces and othering. This first volume sets the stage with a beautiful, understated vibe and likeable characters. I melted during the pie scene. The pacing of the ending leading to the next volume was executed perfectly. #buzzwordathon

My local bookshop recommended this one to me and I just adore it. The little girl is so cute and the monster doctor teacher is wholly relatable to someone who also looks after other peoples children and just wants them to be safe and whole. It‘s a very sweet beginning and I‘m excited to be able to read more of it 🖤🖤🖤

This beautiful, cute and charming manga continues. In this world, there seems to be a curse, which transforms humans into demon like creatures. Our two main characters are one of these demons who is different than others and a young girl who seems to be immune to the curse. The core of the story is a dark fairytale. However, the interaction between the two main characters is so sweet. I highly recommend this series! 5⭐️ #bookspinbingo #2!

Utterly adorable. Love the art and the story. Can't wait to read volume 2!

The author kind of throws you into this Inside/Outside world without much information at the front end. But it‘s quite fascinating. The Teacher Outsider creature is so nice to Shiva. Some of the illustrations were so dark I couldn‘t see what they were trying to show, so a little more contrast in some of the art would have been helpful since it‘s already all in black and white. But I want to see what happens next!

This is my last Christmas book gift from my husband. This is the 2nd deluxe Vol of this amazing story. I love little Shiva. The artwork is stunning. Truly a book worth picking up.

This was a Christmas gift and I was blown away by this deluxe edition. Several full color panels and it contains the first three volumes in one. Truly unique storytelling and I look forward to reading more of this one.

Ok, another quick update!
Swallowed Man: really cool concept, but just weirdly boring at places. Very intriguing at others.. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

😵☕️: easy to read, but infuriating. ⭐️ @BethM I was going to send to you when I finished… do you want to try it? Some people do like it….

Lost 🧪: great. All kinds of flaws, but enjoyable anyway. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The GN: pretty & intriguing!

Got the baking book as an #ARC! #earlyreviewers

Listening to Velvet on audio!

A beautiful opening to a story that has so much potential! If my last manga was Miyazaki, then this one is Tim Burton-esque! #manga

Very sweet(with a little bittersweet) fairytale. This is my first foray into manga and I do want to know what happens next and how the story progresses. I'll have to see if my library has the rest available for download.

There are two kingdoms: the inside full of humans and the outside full of monsters who can curse with a touch. This is the story of a little girl who befriends a monster. My first book in this year's #Asianreadathon. 5 prompts, 5 books, 5 different countries. It represents the prompt to read a book in your favorite genre. I have 2 favorite genres but chose fantasy & will probably add a historic fiction book later. This book represents Japan.

Another volume that absolutely put me through the ringer. This storytelling is fantastic! I empathize with the characters so much, and I just want everything good to happen to them. Shiva, Teacher and Auntie's relationship dynamics were so fascinating here. And that cliffhanger! OMG!

Absolutely loved the art and found the whole thing so dark, whimsical and atmospheric. Shiva and the Teacher had such a beautiful friendship. This was a delightfully intriguing first volume!

Sweet and suspenseful #manga

This was so stinking cute! I'm glad I've finally given graphic novels and manga a chance. They've found a special place in my heart.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Im in a bit of reading slump with my novels and such but luckily I love #manga and it‘s been working as a great break from the novels. My sister has been bugging me to read his one and I have to say it‘s absolutely gorgeous so far. THe art is so pretty, it‘s simplistic yet detailed when need be, and I love the creature/child dynamic, he is so protective of her and I love that type of relationship. Can‘t wait to get vol2!

I know I shouldn‘t be laying on the couch all day reading... but sometimes it happens anyway. 😅

My library is having its employees participate in the Read Harder challenge (these are work tasks I can get behind, amiright?) and one of them is to read manga. I don‘t normally, but this one has been adorable.

It‘s about a cursed being protecting an abandoned child.

#manga #readharder

Reminiscent of the fairy tale picture books from my childhood, Nagabe‘s “The Girl from the Other Side,” is a gorgeously illustrated comic with a seemingly simple (at first) story.

4 🌟!! I've been wanting to read this book since forever ago and it's sort of what expected and a bit more. I really like the scratchy, almost minimalist art style. I really love the designs and contrast during important moments. Still, the story is a little slow and it makes you wonder where exactly this is going #manga #nagabe #fantasy

I picked this up in the New YA section of my local library, as well as the next three volumes. I really enjoyed this story and can‘t wait to see what happens in the next one!

Since so many littens rave about this manga series I picked the first two volumes up at #ACen today. It'll give me something to read on the way back to the hotel tonight.

Volume 4 of this fantasy manga series isn‘t in the Litsy database, but it continues strong. Teacher, the gentle monster, is such a great character. Shiva, the human child, is as sweet as ever. The ending is a shocker, so beware. The adorable panel above is especially for the #knittersofLitsy.

Omg I loveee this book!!! @MiyakoBunny I think I saw it on one of your posts. I picked it up at the library and zoomed through it! It was one of the best decisions I‘ve ever made! I should have known that you only read the good stuff!!! Now I just hope that Book 2 is available! #recommendsday #litsylove

How best to describe this? A menacing idyll, maybe. In a house in the woods near an abandoned village a little girl lives with an non-human being she calls "Teacher" and waits for her auntie to fetch her. Teacher is kind, but who (and what!) is he and what is he keeping from her?

I like the low-key artwork, though occasionally the pictures are too dark to see clearly what's going on.

As for the cliffhanger ending... we've already got vol. 2!

I realize now that I have posted my quotes and review about volume 1 under volume 2. Oops. I‘ve now got volumes 2 & 3 in hand, but the first one is back at the library.

Okay so it's 1pm in the afternoon and it's not morning at all...but I was up until 3:30am reading last night and today is a day off. Don't judge. (I've been up for a bit but just getting going now)

Another reading day for me. 🙌 I want to finish one of my many books I'm currently reading today (I bit off more than I can chew and gotta slim the 'currently reading' pile down)...but first coffee, some oatmeal, and a new #manga for me to read. 😁

Beautifully illustrated and hauntingly written, Nagano creates a world that feels like an eerie faerytale. The relationship between Teacher and Shiva is very sweet, very heartwarming. The book has a slow, sleepy pace until the last third of the book when things begin to get dangerous. I‘m very interested to see how the story continues in the next volume, as there‘s a bit of a cliffhanger on this one. #comicsread2018

I met up with a friend for board games, treats, and conversation at Barnes & Nobel - a bad idea.

I am def intrigued and looking forward to the second volume in this new series. It reminds me of Ancient Magus Bride but I like the story better. I think. Not really sure what the story is yet 😁 4/5 stars ❤️

I didn't read as much in February as I did in January, but I enjoyed most of my picks. I loved Ancient Magus' Bride and Girl from the Other Side. Killer Within was a great follow-up to Killer Instinct!

I have about 70 pages left in Hex, but it's already a February favorite. However, it's gotten to a point where it's too disturbing to read at night. I kept dreaming about finding Katherine standing at the foot of my bed!

#feistyfeb #bestoffebruary

This is a dark, but charming story that reads like a fairytale. We meet Shiva and "Teacher" at the beginning of the book. They live on the Outside, while the humans live on the Inside, a walled-off town that keeps them safe from the curse and the Outsiders who carry it. The art and story are both lovely. We don't learn a lot about why things are the way they are, but the ending intrigued me enough to pick up volume 2 in May.

I got #bookmail and stopped by B&N today!

I won If We Were Villains in a GR giveaway. I'm excited to read this dark mystery!

My Rue Morgue order arrived. I bought their 2016 Halloween issue (always fantastic) and was happy to find a great list of horror podcasts. I also got another issue from their Rue Morgue Library. BTW @Liberty, next month they're releasing issue 9 - Shark Movie Mania!

I'm probably going to read the 2 manga (B&N) tonight.

Cute little story hooked me right away