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Mar 26, 2025
I'm so confused, the story abruptly just stops and skips ahead 10 years. There's no explanation to anything or any kind of satisfying ending. We never found out why Chika never became a zombie or why Koishikawa remained sentient and intelligent. I can only assume it was cancelled and the author scrabbled to create one. Which if that's the case, would be a real shame as the premise was interesting and characters, though simple, were charming enough for me to want to know what happens to them.
I'm on the fence about recommending it only because the ending was completely unsatisfying. Don't get me wrong,
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I love a bittersweet ending but here it feels as if half a series is missing. Read it if you like silly fluff, but don't expect to walk away feeling fulfilled in any way.
Oh and the art of Koishikawa sunbathing nude is completely creepy and unnecessary.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Mar 26, 2025
Why can't stuff just be wholesome??
All I wanted was a cute, slice-of-life with a badass female mc and her cute lil' found family. I did not sign up for the blatant shota-baiting, it's creepy, weird and deeply inapproriate. If the author wanted something ecchi or romantic they should've made Olivia and Noah the same age. Every time I think the story has veered away from the creepy pdf file vibes they come right back with a vengeance.
I genuinely want to meet this author to ask if this how they think children and their parents interact.
I voted it 5 stars because when it sticks to
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being a wholeseome fantasy manga it's not bad, the art's lovely and the monster designs are Claymore-level amazing. Unfortunately, I would never recommend this to anyone because I fear it would put me on a list.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Feb 11, 2025
I really wanted to like this manga, it's got all the ingrediants to really hit that sweet spot. A gorey, gender-bending horror set in Rococo France? Sign me tf up.
Unfortunately, it just doesn't live up to its potential. And there's really only one reason for that, it's simply too short a series for the amount of plot Kumiko Suekane wanted to include.
It starts strong, Marie Antoinette and her brother Albert have set off for Versailles when their carriage is attacked by a horde of the undead. Marie perishes and Albert takes her place. Was the horde responsible or did Albert play a greater
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part in his sister's demise? I have to admit, I was hooked. I wanted to see how this would play out. How would Albert cope with his new role? What would happen when his secret's been discovered?
Turns out, not a lot. Albert's ruse is discovered pretty early on and there's no repurcussions. Like, at all. Everyone who finds out gets on board pretty damn quickly. To say it was anticlimactic is an understatement.
Another issue is the sheer number of characters vying for the role of MC. It wasn't so bad at first, but as the series progressed it became more and more bloated and unfocused. This wasn't helped by the introduction of about six new characters mid way through the story. This was a baffling choice only 10 so chapters before the manga finished. As such, none of their back stories were fleshed out. What was the deal with Cagliostro? What was his link to the mort-vivant? Why was he all stitched up? We never find out. And if that's annoying to you, try multiplying that issue by five.
Five volumes simply was not enough to tackle this many characters. We have:
. Albert
. Bastien
. Gerard
. Long haired blonde soldier
. King Louis
. Madame du Barry and her cronies
. Charlotte Samson
. The priest
. Robespierre
. Emile
. Napoleon
. Asterio
. Madame Polignac
And seven of them appear midway through! This might not seem like a lot for 5 volumes, but it really feels like it, especially with the insanely convoluted plot that decides to make an 11th hour appearance. It's such a simple premise to start with but by the end of the series it's so off the rails you'll be wondering if there were any rails to begin with. There's demons and angels swapping bodies left, right and centre, the creation of golems, people exploding into gems, saints getting resurrected and turning into weird worm things. All elements I wouldn't have minded if they had been handled better. But there was minimal build up to the main conflict of the series, which just felt out of nowhere. Nothing is explained, or shown. Which in such a visual medium is a huge shame. It's a horror manga that doesn't show the most potentially horrifying scenes? Such a wasted opportunity.
And don't even get me started on the ending! It had me pulling my hair out it was so confusing and open-ended. I never mind an ambiguous ending, but it has to make sense within the context of the story. And this just... didn't.
All in all, it's a solid premise that's hamstrung by the fact the manga is only 5 volumes long. Realistically, a story this complex with so many side characters needed to be at *least* 10 volumes long. Not the length of a simplistic, read-it-in-a-day romance manga. (which fyi, i love!)
The only reason I rated it five out of ten is because the art's cool and the story had so much promise.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Dec 23, 2024
This was so close to being great, but the side characters are so annoying and one note. The romance between Kuranosuke and Tsukimi was sweet and wholesome, I just wish that there was more closure with their relationship. I don't need to know if they got married or anything but I would've liked for Tsukimi to tell Kuranosuke her feelings.
My last gripe with the series is that Inari got off too lightly for the bs she pulled in the series. It would've been satisfying to see her taken down a peg or two.
This was a short but sweet review, but so is the
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series. If you like fluffy, wholesome romance you can't really go wrong with this one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Dec 15, 2024
In the Plutarch's comparative biography of the lives of Theseus and Romulus, he poses a question- if parts of a decaying ship were to be replaced until none of the previous ship remained, would it still be the same ship? Personally, my answer would be yes- but in name only.
In HnK Phos is Theseus's ship. Over time, parts of their body are lost only to be replaced by the material on hand. In HnK this takes on a horrifying new dimension, when the gems lose body parts they also lose a chunk of their memory. The larger the body part, the more extreme the
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memory loss.
Phos loses major body parts, wiping away huge chunks of their memory. By the end of the story, the reader is left questioning whether it's still the same character we started with. Is Phos still themself? We don't really know, and neither do they.
Identity is a major theme of this story, the gems live in a society where your role is decided by your physical capabilities. So what happens when there's outliers? Phos is not only one of the youngest, being a mere 300 years old, but also is physically weak. Despite this, they're determined to fight, even though they can barely hold a sword.
The theme is further explored with several characters, the most notable ones being Ghost and Amethyst. The former is a dual-layered quartz whose physicial form manifests itself in a dual personality. And the latter, being a pair of identical twins.
Aside from existential dread, the main "anatagonists" of the gems are the Lunarians. These beings appear regularly to snatch away the gems and it's not really made clear as to why a bit later. Aside from the gems and Lunarians, the only other other inhabitants of this world are Sensei and the Adamirabalis. I won't go into further detail on either because it's best to see their stories unfold for yourself.
I could sing the praises of the series, but it's nothing you haven't heard already. The art is unique, it's just stunning. The story is bittersweet and at times thought-provoking. The body horror is top-notch and actually very effective at points, despite the lack of gore.
*****
Sounds great, so what stops it being a 10 star?
Well for starters, there's simply too many characters. They get introduced at such a high rate that their development suffers for it, the time skips don't help either. With gaps that span a 100 years or more there's plenty of scope for change. It's done to make Phos feel increasingly disconnected from the group but it means that it can be hard to get attached to characters.
The second issue is the pacing, everything seems to happen in quick succession and not a lot of time is devoted to Phos getting used to the changes they're undergoing. This issue really becomes apparent in the latter half of the series, I can't say much without spoiling the story but everything feels rushed. Stuff that should be allowed to unfold organically is brushed over with break neck speed in order to reach the conclusion of the series. This had to be my least favourite part and imo could've been relegated to an epilogue at the end of volume 13.
Having said all of that, I still thoroughly recommend it. But make sure to have tissues handy when you do, it's a real tear-jerker!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 12, 2024
A bittersweet fairytale about coming to terms with the struggles of life. It's somewhat similar to Spirited Away, in that both protagonists in the course of their journey through another realm learn to move forward in life, no matter how difficult it may be.
Both Poyoko and Eba are so adorable, you simply can't help but root for them. The "bad guys" known as renaughts feel like embodiments of those horrible intrusive voices that plague us in our darker moments. I really liked the resolution with the main antagonist and honestly the flashback to their past made me tear up.
It would easily be 9
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stars, if not for the conclusion. Not sure what I mean? Read it to find out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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