Totsukuni no Shoujo

This is such a find! A sad and beautiful story about a little human girl and a monster, who takes care of her, living together in a forest, because… Don’t want to spoil anything, don’t know enough yet, but I urge you to check this out, at least for the art, if nothing else - it's lovely and it's unique. Also there’re plenty of things to talk about besides retelling the plot.

The second name of this manga is Siúil A Rún (Go, my love), the name of an Irish song, also sad and beautiful, about a lover, who left for war, and about the wish for safety. I’ve already mentioned “sad” twice, editorial remarks on the first pages of this manga say the same, and it’s not an overstatement – there is this calm, all-engulfing feeling of fragility and impermanence in the everyday (initially everyday) actions of the heroes, that we witness. It may be ok, but it’s a small light in the night, will it last? You know it won’t, the time runs out as you mark it. As seasons change, things will end, the flowers of today will wither.

It’s not that I can say much besides metaphors about the plot anyway. There’re only 4 chapters, and a lot of time has passed since the last. So why write a review? I know that the more advanced members of Mal scoff upon such things, but I do want more people to know about this manga, the available chapters are substantial (>30 pages each), and I was so impressed, that even if this manga flops or disappears immediately, I’ll have good memories left (so I kind of just wish to share a good thing). Also it’s worth to mention that this work seems to follow the delayed exposition pattern: we start with a closed-off point of view, focused on the immediate small events of the life of the main heroes, and there is effort to make the little girl’s days normal, so it will take time to learn the secrets of their world. It looks though that there will be violence, there’re topics of death and fear of otherness already present, and there is a scary curse.

Delayed exposition stories have failed me before, this I confess, and I have a small fear that this may go the “evil humans, misunderstood monsters” route or ends prematurely (I’ll update the review then), but so far the premise seems to be well thought-out and powerful, there’re hints on an important flashback, and a new character is lurking around.

The biggest problem for this manga is that it outwardly overlaps with popular Mahou Tsukai no Yome: this is another Mag Garden publication, that is female-oriented shounen and has a tall horned male monster taking care of a human girl. But internally Totsukuni no Shoujo is very different, I say it as a person, who doesn’t like Mahou Tsukai no Yome for the strange relationships it offers, and absolutely loves this. For starters, there’s no romance or even a possibility for it between the main characters in Totsukuni no Shoujo - the age difference is too big, so it has a parent-child dynamic (or, more specifically caretaker-child, a bit colder), secondly, it's much more scary, and, lastly, the plot looks like something more focused. So, in short, only characters look the same, and maybe the curse aspect, that can be seen as magic.

Talking about characters: we have a sweet good little girl, an ideal child, no surprises here, and a big wendigo-like monster, who is surprisingly inhuman, not only in appearance – for example, he doesn’t eat. The biggest mystery lies within him, but it seems that he also has experience, but not knowledge, so it will be a journey of discovery for both. I think that both mains are likeable, and there is not too much doting, which is good.

The art is amazing. Since there’s no other manga by this author translated, I checked the author’s profiles on mangaupdates and pixiv. It looks like he likes to draw anthropomorphic animals (mainly male figures with animal heads) and monsters. This is what makes me worry about the plot, and I also am not yet sure if people well be drawn well, on the other hand it gives hope for good monster designs.
Most of his work on pixiv is very good smooth digital art. And the art in this manga is stylized, but it also has this painting or illustration feeling, that sets it apart. It’s soft, but it isn’t made of long flowing strokes, but instead is sculpted with small strokes, reminiscent of line art. There were a couple of hard to read panels, but mostly it’s readable and pretty. The forest is especially well done.

All in all, I have high expectations for this manga. High worries too – it needs to become more tense and epic later, and female-oriented works tend to underachieve in this regard. I am also unfamiliar with other mangaka’s works, so it is hard to say how he handles stories. On the other hand, even the few available chapters are a treat, so I will be content I've found it in any case. And if the rest is good, this will be a contender for 9/10.

Copycats are a dime a dozen when it comes to anime and manga. With the advent of a successful series, oftentimes a publisher will seek content of a similar formula with hopes of capitalizing on the trend set by its predecessor. I'm sure you're aware of where I'm going with this: The Girl From the Other Side is clearly a ripoff of The Ancient Magus' Bride (Mahoutsukai no Yome)... or is it? Well, I'm here to tell you that this is, in fact, far from the truth. While it's clear as day that Comic Garden was hoping to emulate the success of Mahoutsukai, what we've received is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, "copycats" have never fared well with fans of the medium, and most will immediately write them off as the inferior product without even giving them a fair chance. However, those who opt to give The Girl From the Other Side ("Totsukuni" from here on out) a shot will realize it's magnificently penned story, and that its similarities to Mahoutsukai end with the cover image.

Since there's no shortage of comparisons between the two aforementioned works, I first need to elaborate on the differences:

- Totsukuni is a low fantasy story with a touch of influence from Norse paganism, while Mahoutsukai is high fantasy, inspired by fairy tails and Celtic mysticism. The former focuses on an otherwise normal medieval setting inflicted with a curse, while the latter is set in modern times and treats magic as commonplace.
- Shiva (Totsukuni) is a young child, while Chise (Mahoutsukai) is a teenager.
- The relationship between the two protagonists in Totsukuni is strictly familial, while Mahoutsukai employs elements of romance.
- Mahoutsukai focuses more heavily on character interactions and relationships, while Totsukuni's focus is on the mysteries of the world and its curse.
- Mahoutsukai boasts a wide cast of characters, while Totsukuni prioritizes the two protagonists.
- Totsukuni follows a linear storyline, while Mahoutsukai pursues an episodic formula.
- While both stories have occasional slice of life bits, they're much more frequent in Mahoutsukai. Totsukuni's dismal tone is relentless, and you never truly feel at ease.
- The art of Mahoutsukai is much more realistic, while Totsukuni's artwork is heavily stylized and unique.
- While both stories are under the same publisher, Totsukuni feels like it belongs to a seinen serialization, rather than shounen (this is just my opinion, of course).
- Not that it matters all too much, but I keep seeing others say that both stories are female-oriented, of which I strongly disagree. Mahoutsukai's author is female, while the creator of Totsukuni is male (I actually saw someone in the recommendations section incorrectly state that it had a female author), but both stories can be appreciated by anyone.

So now that you understand that the only real similarity between the two works is the dynamic of a mystical horned man/creature and a young human girl to whom he acts as a teacher, let's get to what I love about this manga.

Totsukuni is a somber, low fantasy tale with a setting very similar to that of 14th century Europe in the wake of the Black Death. Now for those who may be unfamiliar with the term, low fantasy, or "intrusion fantasy" is when you have an otherwise normal world in which some mystical or magical element intrudes on their way of life. In this story, it's referring to the curse that plagues the kingdom (and this curse is where I've drawn many similarities to the outbreak in medieval Europe). I also mentioned that the story also has ties to Norse paganism and mythology, but it's never showcased in a "magical" way. This is primarily seen through the design of the creatures that result from this world's curse, and their ties to the earth that slowly become more obvious over the course of time. While the groundwork of the story might not be particularly unique or revolutionary, it comes as a breath of fresh air in a genre that's so commonly littered with cliches and tropes.

The story begins with the introduction of a young child named Shiva and her mysterious "Sensei," a strange yet eloquently spoken humanoid creature with pitch-black skin and horns. He is an outsider: a cursed being who will transfer his affliction via any contact with a human (or as they're called, "insiders"). Aware of the circumstances, he makes it clear to Shiva that she must never touch him for any reason, and as he shows a deep affinity for the child, he puts her well-being above everything else. From the get-go, author Nagabe employs a "show, don't tell" tactic, and he slowly unveils the details of the world little by little, rather than through long-winded exposition. The relationship between Shiva and Sensei is natural from the start, but only through delving further into the story will one begin to understand how they ended up in their peculiar living arrangement. Furthermore, the use of cliffhangers works toward making this a wonderfully addicting read, and as the mysteries begin to unfold, the picture becomes far grimmer than one might expect from the start. I might also add that the manga includes a few small elements of dramatic irony; while the story is usually either told from the perspective of Shiva or Sensei, the reader is often given insight to events happening in the world around them, helping to build the tension leading up to our protagonists' inevitable revelations.

Moving on, I must say that the art of Totsukuni is absolutely spectacular. Similar to that of old children's picture books, it possesses an elegant, painterly quality that feels truly unique amidst the generic design of other fantasy works of recent years. I, for one, am a huge fan of heavily stylized designs that take risks, stepping outside the norm of what we see in most anime and manga. Each panel is simply gorgeous, and while the tone of the art is bleak and dreary, it works wonders for the dark fantasy setting, perfectly emulating the kind of serious and melancholic mood I would expect for such a tale. Just go and take a look at the first chapter; skim through a few pages and you'll see exactly what I mean. I understand that art is subjective and that people have varying tastes, but I personally can't help but praise the style of this manga, and to be completely honest, this has very quickly become one of my favorite series, aesthetically speaking.

Overall, if you're a fan of fantasy, I strongly recommend giving this series a chance. If you were initially skeptical or hesitant to try it due to its apparent similarities to Mahoutsukai no Yome, I hope I was able to explain how drastically different they are at their core. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, but this is one of those rare cases where I felt I needed to defend this work in particular, due to the obvious bias that comes from assuming something is just another copycat. I've thoroughly enjoyed every page of Totsukuni, and I eventually plan to collect the entire series in print. Volume 8 is easily my most anticipated release at the moment, and I can't wait to see where the story takes me next.

I picked this up on a whim and...wow what a find!
This is a very western fairytale that's dark with both it's story and art.
I'd recommend this manga to newcomers who want to get into the hobby of reading manga and don't want to be scared away with how "weird" manga can get.

This is a dark yet very sweet story that's pretty unique, its a better Ancient Magus' Bride without the romance.
The relationship between Shiva and Teacher has a very cute father/daughter feel to it.
Teacher is a creature known as an outsider that takes care of little girl named Shiva.
The relationship between them is pretty sweet as they sem to have a good bond.
There's even a moment in volume one where he shields her from the truth because he didn't want her to be sad and he tries to make her a pie to she should feel less homesick.

I look forward to reading more of this story.

I really love the dark story book sketch art this manga has, it sorta reminds me of that indie game horror 'Never Ending Nightmares'. You can see the amount sketch lines that create darkness and the absence of it. This would look amazing if the anime adaption stayed true to the art style.

Right off the bat, I'd like to go ahead and just say this is probably not the kind of manga for a large majority of users on this site, especially younger ones. For one, it's likely that it's tagged entirely incorrectly, since I'd much sooner give it the tags of fantasy drama but potato, potahto, no? All that being said: this one is a rather unique read.

Imagine handing your good old book of Peter Rabbit into Tim Burton's hands and asking him to add to it. Then get rid of any stripes or Halloween decorations he might've put in, sprinkle it with some depth, and you basically got this.

Though there is no end nor sequel yet in sight (the updates are fairly slow), it is worth the read for the air of serenity it creates and the drama it still manages to mix in. The world built in the story is just a tiny bit complex at times, enough so as to cook up the story further but aside from that, the focus is majorly on the two main characters and their relationship, as they go through the trials of life they've chosen together - the life they, in fact, shouldn't spend together.

The art is the part which caught my eye initially, since it's a mix of accurate beauty and messy detail that I honestly find better than most manga. Again, that being said, the art doesn't resemble your typical manga, so if you're hoping for any kind of beauty or cuteness you'd find in, say, moe style of K-On! or Your Lie in April, you're likely be disappointed - the art is quite more realistic than that.

I end this review with nothing but praise for this manga. It isn't action packed, it doesn't appeal to readers with pandering content or sexual appeal, and it lacks any cliches typical for this media you can imagine. Though much might be turned away by that, I honestly find that to be the main reasons I love it so much.

My favorite Manga of ALL time. Absolutely. I've read a lot, but nothing surpasses this for me.
I just love the general concept of 'forbidden love'. In a sense that a dark or evil creature, horrific and shunned, somehow against odds is touched by a smaller and often more fragile soul. Nagabe's mind is brilliant how he portrays these 'forbidden love' stories in his other books too. I genuinly enjoy reading all of them. Even if the concept itself is used dosens of times, the way Nagabe approaches it is unique. For me, these stories surpass any of the other more popular Shonen. And yet again even if the concept itself is used before, I think its more powerful because of how misunderstood it is.
(Fun fact, it is what "The Ancient Magus Bride" was inspired from. So if you know that anime/read the manga, you'd probably enjoy reading these! The concept is the same, but the story is still very unique.)

Everytime a new volume is released, I sit on the edge of my chair on how the story unfolds, and it sometimes leaves me in tears.
So if you like a small heartwarming story that turns out into bigger, greater things, connection-wise, then I recommend giving this a go.
The art is different from a lot I've seen and it really fits the grim and obscure side. But then there's also the light and such comforting aspects. The balance between black and white elements are used so brilliantly to narrate the story.
And despite Nagabe is a more smaller author, I really hope he grows bigger to reach more people to tell his kind of love stories. I'm so happy and lucky to own them, which I also own the Vol. 8 Limited edition of Totsukuni no Shoujo, which includes artbook and Movie. The short movie is incredibly touching too. I suggest to watch that too if you like the manga!
I'm really curious where it will all go from here.

"I wish, I wish, I wish in vain, I wish I had my heart again,
And vainly think I'd not complain" - Siuil, a Run.
There's a reason why this great song is essence and always there around the books. So touching.

I'm not very far at all, so think of this as my initial impressions. I wish I could review volumes individually, but here we are.

The girl from the other side is a bit bland, but the charming character interactions make up for it for me. The art is the worst part, but the story isn't much better.
It's very hard to distinguish characters from backgrounds sometimes due to the amount of black everywhere.
Honestly, this should've been a one off. Even by the second volume, the story is obnoxious, pretentious and a bit ridiculous. It is overrated, but it holds some value-

The first volume, at least.

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 gets a 10/10 due to bias.

"The Girl from the Other Side" is, without exaggeration, one of the finest manga I have ever read. Here's why you should read it.

-Art-

It's unusual to start with the art but here it's well deserved. This manga looks unlike any other I've read - its style is quite reminiscent of 19th century childrens books and western fairy tail artwork and it pulls off the style superbly. The colour scheme and small details perfectly compliment the simple but subtle story.

-Story-

The story of TGFTOS will be quite familiar in tone to anyone who has read a western fairy tale - innocent and sweet on the surface, but with far more sinister undercurrents underneath.

While the story itself is certainly enjoyable and suspenseful enough, what really kept me going through this manga was the interactions between the girl and the outsider. More is told through the artwork and silent panels than by dialogue.

A new manga published in Mac-Garden very similar to Mahoutsukai no yome( Ancient Mangus Bride) if u like Mahoutsukai no yome you gonna like this.


Story
Slow pace and kinda magical. If you think long and hard, your will find out I've seen this type of story before but not in a manga. Feels like a classic fairytale in a manga form and feels really original. There is a lot of suspense with the whole "curse" its going and that because the story doesn't give you what you want but only what you need to know.
8/10

Art
This is the best part about the manga. This is not your classic manga art with big eye cute girls. Its simple, a few touches of screen tone and it feels old n rusty and European. And thats great. The art compliments perfectly the story and all the feel of this manga, makes it a more unique of an experience and makes you want to read more. No other art style is more feating than this right here.
10/10

Character
Nothing really ground breaking about them, the cursed characters are pretty mysterious. The human character and really human like character. They fear the outside world, trying to defend their selfs from the curse. The little girl is a normal little girl. That actually fine. I thing the point of this manga is not to get attached with the characters but to experience the whole thing.
7/10

I enjoyed a lot. Its an easy read and take you in to a big journey in a small scale world. If you like fantasy and unique art this is the perfect manga for you.

This is such a wonderful story that it brings the capacity of artwork enjoyement to a whole other level, this gives a feeling of necessity and how having someone to really care about is something that can completely change your life, the atmosphere that reding this story gives is one of the most beautiful experiences one can find in this medium.

The story focuses on a black person that is called teacher through the series and his shining relationship with shiva a little girl that behaves like a girl of her age would do and makes him feel comfortable with himself and his life with her as the center of it. Teacher truly cares about Shiva like a family and only wants what's better for her, she does things that i really love because of the feeling of familiarity that it gives, take as an example when she says "let's have a tea party" that's something that feels and gives an atmosphere of familriaty and house life in family, i'd really love to have a child as lovely and kind hearted as her. Also Shiva has a grandma that's really the only "human" with which she can count because she has always been with her and has treated her as her family too.

The art is just on another level, the artwork of this is truly game-changing and makes everything better, the use of colors and especially how they're used gives the fairy tail like atmosphere of the series a new meaning making it more impactful and stimulating, the way the characters are designed and depicted gives the artwork behind them the recognition they deserve and let us see the amount of work that has been put into it to just make this possible.

It isn't commom to read a series so gorgeous and beautiful as to let you speechless but this time it has been done with mastery and a sense of meaningful purpose that gives everything that can be experienced feel more real and natural than they would have been without it.

The characters feel like normal people in an unconventional way, the characters are different to normal people but behave with intelligence and a sense of surviving similar to how humans do it. The relationship of Shiva and Teacher is the most important point of the whole series and it's done with such mastery and sense of neccesity and knowledge on how it needs to be done in order to be as coherent and cohesive as it could possibly ever be.

I enjoyed having the experience of being able to read this series because it was such an amazing, impactful and beautiful read that gives some meaningful tips on how a real relationship between people that care for each one as family should be and it makes it a worthy series.