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In terms of tone & structure, Soara and the House of Monsters is comparable to Delicious in Dungeon, The Knight Blooms Behind Castle Walls, Dinosaur Sanctuary, and Alchemy in No Man’s Land.

So far, this manga is an episodic travelogue that contains neat fantasy world-building. Every few chapters are organized into "Architecture Files"; essentially, the main group stumble upon monsters in desperate need of places to live & work. They brainstorm the monsters’ specialized needs and tackle architecture, engineering, interior design, and gathering materials - all while respectfully working with the unique environments.

The crew tailor the homes to the monsters' desire, and the mangaka gives extensive ... tours of the adorable houses & properties. Time is bent with travel & building at an unrealistic speed, but the zippy pacing is entertaining. It's enjoyable reading the chapters and meeting new monsters - even if at this point the story structure is kind of predictable, there’s still anticipation & surprise.

It’s taking some time for the characters to be fully realized. One hindrance is the dialogue, which can lean heavily on exposition vs. conversation. This isn't always an issue - or rather, the flatness doesn't spoil the fun, because everyone has instant charm [Niko is my fave~]. Even so, the characters & their relationships are slowly developing as their bonds grow stronger. There’s not much fanservice or hints at romance, which is appreciated here.

The real attraction is the exceptional art and whimsical style - sometimes reminiscent of whacky 90's Nicktoons and Cartoon Network. A chunkiness & rounded off or curvy quality. Panels have dynamic perspective and an energetic flow. Similar to One Piece, a playfulness with size & scale. The characters have spunky designs, lively facial expressions, and posing full of movement & personality. Pragmatic costuming reflects different cultures with attention to shape & proportion. The home reveals are always a treat and there's thoughtful practicality to the fantastical designs. It's easy to get lost in the details and rewarding to revisit chapters.

Going along with the somewhat childlike feel is a special nostalgia...a perspective "I want to build a world like this" from childhood realized. A little Beatrix Potter coziness or Lego & Playmobil - that type of imaginative play resonates in this story. It fuels the same pleasant feeling a dollhouse might. Perhaps this goes too far into “juvenile” territory; the tone can be goofy & lighthearted [not to mention the puns] - but despite that fluffiness, the themes are compelling.

Within every chapter are discussions about what it means to have a home and to feel safe & comfortable. Included in this are topics like accessibility & accommodations for all body types, understanding abilities & accepting limitations, and the struggles & joys of connecting with others. There’s an emphasis on ingenuity, teamwork, community, coexistence, and building a better society without expecting anything in return. The characters are admirably proactive, and feel genuine pride & satisfaction in their altruism & hard work.

As the story continues, the world becomes more complex and the main group has an overarching goal with various expected [and unexpected] quests along the way. There's much to explore and history to unfold [can't wait for more Kahyou~]. It would be great to see past monsters again & have them become part of the larger narrative. It has the potential to get better from here - I'm invested and excited to see where it goes!

Story: Good (7/10)
Art: Great (9/10)
Character: Good (7/10)
Enjoyment: Very Good (8/10)
Overall: Very Good (8/10)
Status: On Hold; Waiting for Seven Seas English Volumes

[adapted from my review on mangaupdates.com]

I was pretty excited to read the first volume of this because I love manga about cooking and stories with gay characters. To sum it up: although the cooking scenes are decent, I don't feel the need to continue because I didn't connect with any characters or their relationships.

This is a cooking slice of life that revolves around a middle-aged gay couple. The first volume is mainly focused on Shiro as he works as a lawyer, shops for groceries, and prepares elaborate meals for his live-in partner, Kenji. There are also scenes of Kenji working as a hairstylist. Chapters usually end with the couple eating ... together.

The shopping/cooking scenes are by far the best parts, and there are some interesting meals and cooking tips. This reads like a healthy, practical Japanese cooking blog at times. It could be fun to try out some of the recipes, but to be honest there weren't many in the chapters I read that blew me away or inspired me (especially when compared to other, more creative cooking manga...but I realize this is also a matter of taste). To get an idea of the types of foods cooked, recipes include: strawberry jam, sardines simmered in pickled plums, stewed eggplant and tomatoes, oven-roasted chicken, chestnut rice, etc. etc.

The art style is clean and simple with a pleasant softness. The cooking scenes look impressive sometimes. The characters look fine, but there's not much about their designs, facial expressions, wardrobes, posing/positioning etc. that really stands out. Backgrounds are sometimes detailed (e.g. in shopping and cooking scenes), but more often they're lackluster or blank. The physical copy is cute enough with good-sized pages and a comfortably flexible spine that made reading this volume easy and speedy.

So, for a cooking slice of life with serviceable-but-uninspired cooking scenes, pleasing-but-plain art, and little-to-no world-building, the characters and dialogue should be high quality to make up for it - but, here's where I was really disappointed.

The characters were a huge letdown. I didn't gravitate towards any of them. There were no exciting, funny, or alluring characters to keep the pages turning. I wasn't super enthusiastic about spending time with them. None of the secondary characters were memorable. There was hardly anything fun, compelling, charming, or intriguing about the conversations, interactions, and dynamics between the characters.

Apart from Shiro's cooking talents, he is so unlikeable. He's arrogant, cold, rude...and not much else. He's mean to Kenji and sometimes seems to loathe him.

Kenji is...? He's...more "flamboyant"? He's...into Shiro more than Shiro's into him? He's...a little jealous and possessive? He's...not a particularly well-rounded or developed character (not that Shiro is all that well-rounded but at least he's more developed since more time is spent with him).

There are a lot of homophobic assumptions and stereotypes woven into the storyline and dialogue, and they spill over into the ways the two leads interact with their friends/co-workers and with each other.

There is no love or affection shown *at all* between Shiro and Kenji. Other than living together and stating that they are in a relationship, there is no other indication that these two characters have any sort of chemistry or special bond. No hugs or hand-holding. No sweet words or phrases. No thoughtful or romantic gestures (other than Shiro cooking for Kenji and Kenji being grateful that he has a hot partner that cooks for him). No vulnerable moments together, no intimate conversations, no "weight" from their supposed shared history...

This is apparently a long-term romantic couple living together and there's just...nothing! They don't even seem like friends. They are more like bickering roommates who eat together but otherwise barely tolerate one another. Shiro shows more affection and kindness towards a married woman he met at the supermarket that he occasionally cooks with than his own partner.

I dunno, it kinda depressed me. I felt sad for them both. They seem unhappy, maybe even a little bitter. At the very least, they're in a rut. I think media can explore relationships like that in fascinating ways, but that kind of thing is really not the focus for this story...so, for a simple cooking slice of life manga to center a couple that acts like this towards one another? It was just odd and unpleasant. There were moments I felt like stopping but I wanted to finish the volume I purchased. In the end, I didn't care to learn more about these characters or the world they live in.

There's a lot of appeal for a slice of life about a middle-aged gay couple (bonus points for the culinary angle), so I understand why plenty of people seem to enjoy this. Stories like that are few and far between. Perhaps later chapters are better than the ones I read, so if it still piques someone's interest I say give it a shot. Maybe certain things about this will resonate with others in ways that simply didn't with me. But anyway, this was my underwhelming experience.

Story: Average (5/10)
Art: Fine (6/10)
Character: Very Bad (3/10)
Enjoyment: Bad (4/10)
Overall: Average (4.5/10 rounded up to 5/10)
Status: Dropped after one volume