Shadows House Volume 5 Review

“For living dolls, happiness is serving the Shadow family!”

Young Shadow Miss Kate and her ‘face’/living doll Emilico have passed their debut and entered into the next stage of their progression up through Shadows House. Kate plans for them to become Star Bearers, the chosen elite who keep order in the Children’s Building, and learns that those who can manipulate their soot (as she can) are held in high regard. The Star Bearers also deliver the weekly doses of special coffee to the living dolls – and Kate’s suspicions that the coffee is drugged and saps all who drink of it of any will or thoughts of their own have now been confirmed.

Kate negotiates carefully with her fellow debut mates, including the boisterous but good-hearted John (who has declared that he loves her) and his living doll Shaun, planning to learn as much as they can – without arousing any suspicions. But a sudden invasion of coagles wreaks havoc, all the sooty creatures merging together to form one giant monster. Luckily, inventor Oliver brings out his mobile soot recovery machine – and Emilico doesn’t hesitate to wield the suction nozzle to bravely combat the giant coagle.

But then there’s the robed and masked Phantom, who makes a second appearance. Is this mysterious Shadow a foe or a potential ally? And when the Star Bearers are discussing the extraordinary events (the smashing of the special coffee bottles, the invasion of coagles) and the name of the previous leader of the Star Bearers ‘Christopher’ is mentioned, it provokes a very dramatic reaction.

So much happens in this volume that I’m only outlining the first few chapters here which are packed with fascinating information, as we learn more through the experiences of Miss Kate and Emilico about the complex societal structure of Shadows House. Many new characters are introduced, some of whom may turn out to be allies, others potential rivals and enemies. If you’ve seen the anime series, you’ll realize that this is where the manga reveals its more horrific side for the first time, with some genuinely disturbing images showing how the living dolls whose bodies are invaded by coagles and are ‘soot-sick’ are subjected to a brutal water-cleansing regime. There’s so much more detail here than the anime could pack in (even though it did a good job), so it’s essential reading if you’re already hooked!

There’s nothing quite like Shadows House around in manga at the moment; its blend of gothic horror (with many suitably dark and creepy images from Somato) with the feel of a classic children’s tale is quite unique. Thus far we’ve only seen a little of the complex world of Shadows House and the brief glimpse of what lies outside at the end only raises many more questions demanding to be answered.

Yen Press have produced another attractive volume with colour pages at the beginning and end, this time focusing on the characters with headshots of all the residents of the Children’s Building featured at the end, some of whom we have yet to encounter in the manga. Taylor Engel’s translation continues to work well, dealing expertly with the story-specific terms, and there’s a story summary included in the colour pages at the front for those who might have forgotten the vital issues. Volume 6 is due out in March 2024.

This volume offers a bewildering amount of story development and new information for its main protagonists to absorb. It’s laying the groundwork for revelations to come, and the sense of growing menace makes some sections an uncomfortable but fascinating read. There’s also a revealing chapter at the end in which Shaun and Emilico escape up onto the roof and gaze up at the stars. There they feel free enough to discuss the extraordinary facts they’ve learned about themselves as ‘living dolls’ and to wonder what their futures may hold, given that they can’t remember anything about their past lives.

Our review copy for this title was provided by the publisher Yen Press.