My Noisy Roommate: The Roof Over My Head Comes With Monsters and a Hottie Volume 1 Review
I never believed in apparitions or poltergeists… I was never scared of them either… but if this carries on… I might change my mind. Osuke after another sleepless night.
Osuke Kuroe is looking forward to becoming independent from his family and living in his own place – but a disastrous leak in his new rental means he suddenly has nowhere to go. Strange, then, but lucky that a real estate agent suddenly introduces himself, offering him just what he’s desperate to find: an affordable new place to live in with… just one condition. Seizing this opportunity, Osuke signs up. Imagine his surprise when he discovers there’s already another occupant – Nijio Yuki – and that he’s very good-looking! Nijio explains to the bemused Osuke that sharing the flat with him is the one condition – but seems so aloof and unfriendly that Osuke wonders if the arrangement is doomed from the start. And then there’s his bedroom. Whenever night falls and he tries to sleep, the temperature drops and he suffers from sleep paralysis and terrifying nightmares. After a fortnight, his ability to work is suffering from lack of sleep.
Next night, when Nijio hears Osuke call out for help in his sleep, he goes in and feels his forehead, then his hand to check on his temperature. Osuke instantly feels better; there’s something about Nijio’s presence that keeps the night terrors at bay, so he swallows his pride and asks him to stay for the rest of the night.
Has some latent supernatural skill been awakened in Osuke? He goes straight back to the real estate agent but the only advice he gives Osuke is to say, “Help me” to Nijio if the same thing happens again. But when Osuke goes on to work, he’s utterly terrified as the apparition of a woman suddenly appears. His boss takes this opportunity to sack him – so Osuke returns to the haunted flat, jobless, and utterly dejected – only to see the ghostly woman yet again!
Definition of “Noisy Roommate”: an affliction which although not fatal… can cause long-lasting discomfort. (Source: Digital Daijisen Japanese Dictionary)
My Noisy Roommate is the first manga by Kaho Ozaki (who also publishes under the name Raku Kutsumura) to be published in English – and it’s a really good-looking piece of story-telling; her art is very attractive, as are her two main protagonists: Osuke and Nijio! Even though there are hints of Boys’ Love, they’re just hints (the mangaka has written both shojo and BL) so the comparisons made on the Kodansha blurb to Fangs (Billy Balibally) and The Dragon’s Betrothed (Meguru Hinohara) are not quite accurate. Kodansha’s own Elegant Yokai Apartment Life (Hinowa Kouzuki and Waka Miyama) seems to me to be closer in spirit (sorry!) – so if you’ve enjoyed that series in manga and/or anime form, you’re certain to love this.
At first the format seems as if it might be ‘ghost of the week/chapter’ but the mangaka is more skilful than that, weaving in character and plot development (intriguing hints at/of future developments!) and introducing new characters as the story progresses but not in a formulaic way. The price for free lodgings for Osuke is to form a yokai relocation duo with Nijio. “When it comes to ghosts… they just won’t leave you alone once they’ve got a taste of you,” the friendly real estate agent tells him. It seems as if he and Nijio make a good team – there’ll even be a salary involved; all they have to do is move into a property and sort out any spirits or yokai haunting the place. Whether it’s a haunting, a zashiki-warashi or an urban legend like Hanako-san, the two will be employed by Divine Inspiration Real Estate to negotiate evictions with spirits (and only in tough cases resort to forcible evictions). Even though it’s not in-your-face scary, it has some genuinely unsettling moments, especially in Chapter 2 ‘The Red Room’, so fans of the supernatural will not feel short-changed.
And it looks so good! The translated full title refers to ‘a hottie’ – obviously Nijio – but both the protagonists are attractively drawn and convincingly brought to life. This is one of the most easy on the eye manga I’ve read in a while and is recommendable on the artwork alone. Yes, there is a little BL-teasing but what’s not to like when it’s so subtly done?
Kodansha’s trade paperback edition comes with four handsome colour pages at the front and is translated expertly (as usual) by Leo McDonagh; helpful translation notes are also provided. The lettering by Dietrich Premier works very well to convey all the different voices (supernatural as well as human).
A great new series for supernatural manga fans – not just for the quality of the art but also by the way the story unfolds. I’m looking forward to seeing the second volume of this ongoing supernatural series (which, sadly, isn’t due out until February 2025). Recommended!
Read a free preview on the publisher’s website here.
Our review copy from Kodansha was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.
