Saraiya Goyou
House of Five Leaves

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**Story: 10/10**

This manga has everything I love; great characters, complex themes, plenty of conflict, and a mystery to uncover.

The story features social misfits who have found a family within each other. The main theme is forgiveness; forgiving yourself and being forgiven by others. The characters develop throughout and have to overcome their past in order to live in the present. While there are some comic moments, this is a serious drama that really speaks to the human condition. The message of friendship is an uplifting one though and the ending will leave you with a smile.


**Art: 9/10**

Natsume Ono is known for her unique style that ... can be a bit jarring at first, especially if you're used to reading series that have beautiful and pristine art. Her work is more sketchy than streamlined and she uses big eyes and wide mouths to convey the powerful emotions of her characters. Quite a few times I found myself tearing up because of how well she draws facial expressions. You can really feel their despair.

I particularly love the use of shading. There are a lot of black and gray tones used for the dim nighttime scenes. This creates a slightly sinister environment that matches the tone of the story.

The backgrounds are very well done and you can tell that Natsume Ono has paid attention to historical accuracy of the Edo period. I would spend a lot of time taking in all the details. Each chapter page is drawn using a thicker pen or brush so that it almost looks like a painting, which further lends a historical feel to the work.


**Characters: 10/10**

The story is about a kidnapping group, so the characters are morally ambiguous, but you still like them because Natsume Ono shows the motivations behind their behavior. Many of them have tragic pasts which makes it easy to empathize with them.

Main cast:

Yaichi- the anti-hero whose past is veiled in mystery. He is a study in contrasts; outwardly charming, but inwardly contemplative and depressed. Women are naturally drawn to his vulnerability.

Masa- an awkward ronin with a social phobia. He acts as the comic relief of the story, but he also says some pretty profound things due to his honesty. He’s a very loveable character and a personal favorite of mine.

Ume- an ex-gang member who got out of that life in order to raise his daughter Kinu. His bar is the meeting place of the Five Leaves. While he can be a bit brash, he has a good heart and takes care of everyone in the group.

Kinu- a cheerful teenage girl who serves the customers in her father’s bar. The Five Leaves was formed because of her, but she isn’t directly involved with the kidnappings.

Take- a former geisha who uses her physical beauty as a lure for the men they kidnap. She’s flirtatious and enjoys drinking sake. She has a past connection with Yaichi.

Matsukichi- a quiet man who serves as the spy for the Five Leaves. He used to be a solo thief, but is now an ornament craftsman. He feels indebted to Yaichi.

Ginta- a teenage boy who joins the Five Leaves as a negotiator of ransoms. Yaichi dislikes him because he comes from a similar background. He's the first to discover Yaichi’s past and true nature.


**Enjoyment: 10/10**

I ended up reading all day to finish the series and I loved every minute of it! This is something that I will re-read many times throughout my life.


**Overall: 10/10**

This is a true masterpiece that I can't praise enough. I felt so many emotions while reading and really connected with the characters.


Closing thoughts:

House of Five Leaves is licensed and can't be found online (except for a preview of chapter 1 on the the Viz site), so you will have to buy it. It’s absolutely worth the investment if you like samurai dramas, unique art styles, or character driven stories.

I am reviewing with only one volume read to give some impressions to future readers - will update as I read more.

This is a slowly developing, subtle story. Not an action or violence filled manga, pure drama. The main character is intriguing, a shy, unimposing, depressed samurai who has trouble holding a job. A change of pace from the typical samurai fare - and it makes it seem a bit more interesting - you know there had to be more than the honor bound fantastic warriors typically portrayed. I find myself curious as to what will happen next, and where the story will ... lead, but not in a "can't put it down" type of way. Supporting characters seem to be rounded well, and generate enough interest to balance the main plot.

The art is a bit weak for my taste. I consider it blurry, where I prefer crisp. The one action sequence so far was ill defined, I had no idea what had happened, had to piece it together from subsequent panels.

A solid effort, will continue reading - I have the second volume on order.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead, continue with caution.


This is my first review, so feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Story: 9/10
- The story is simple yet relatable. Easy to follow and intriguing. Depicts the life of a samurai trying to make a living while not being able to land a job due to his posture.

Art: 10/10
- The art is the first thing that caught my eye when reading this manga. It is somewhat bizarre and at first glance can feel a bit creepy. However, once I began paying attention to the art, I fell in love with it. It is truly a masterpiece. Natsume Ono is perfectly able ... to convey emotions and feelings through her drawings.

Characters: 10/10
- House of Five Leaves has amazing characters. Incredibly written and relatable characters. Some of my favorites include Masanosuke, Yaichi-dono, and Ume. The main character has problems with communicating and is often shy and quiet, whilst most other characters are the opposite of that.

Enjoyment: 8/10
- I really enjoyed reading each chapter and volume of this manga. While at times it did feel slow and bland I never considered it boring. I love the constant teasing of Yaichi's past till the very conclusion of the manga.

Overall: 9.15-9.3/10
- Is this manga perfect? No. Nothing can be perfect. Is it worth the read? Absolutely. This manga is phenomenal. It's definitely worth the money. House of Five Leaves has become one of my favorite mangas.

What a truly fantastic manga.

The art is extremely well done. There is little action, and when there is it is over in one or two panels - but this fits well into the story. A lot of the faces are similar but do not fall into the common issues some manga has where everyone is indecipherable. You can clearly tell who is who throughout the story. One of the areas the art excels at is in visualizing subtle emotion, truly one of the best I've seen where a range of emotion can be applied to the characters face with such nuance and lack of ... over exaggeration. Many other elements about the character style are unique and fits well into the "slow burn" groove of things. It is beautifully done.

The story is just as fantastic as the art. Each character really feels alive with their own emotional scale and investment. None feel overplayed, and even the side characters feel just as much like they exist as the main cast. Unlike so many other manga, there is conflict / doubt / love/ etc. but through a realistic subtle tone with nothing being overblown or yelled in your face. The progression of the story and its elements are really beautiful and have a satisfying ending while not feeling out of sorts with the pacing and tone of the story itself.

Absolutely recommend this as one of the best, mixing mystery / slice of life / time-period / drama genres into a great samurai story.