Shadows House

Japanese manga series

  • Dark fantasy[1][2]
  • Mystery[3]
  • Supernatural[4]
Manga
Written bySomato
Published byShueisha
English publisher
  • NA: Yen Press
ImprintYoung Jump Comics
MagazineWeekly Young Jump
DemographicSeinen
Original runSeptember 6, 2018 – present
Volumes18 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Directed byKazuki Ōhashi
Produced by
  • Souta Furuhashi
  • Shiryuu Kitazawa
  • Keisuke Satou
  • Chihiro Kawamura (S1)
  • Hiroshi Kirinaga (S1)
  • Yuuko Matsui (S2)
  • Aina Nemoto (S2)
Written byToshiya Ōno
Music byKenichiro Suehiro
StudioCloverWorks
Licensed byCrunchyroll
  • SEA: Muse Communication
Original networkTokyo MX, BS11, Gunma TV, GYT, MBS, BS Asahi, Wowow, FTV
English network
Original run April 11, 2021 – September 24, 2022
Episodes25 (List of episodes)
icon Anime and manga portal

Shadows House (Japanese: シャドーハウス, Hepburn: Shadō Hausu) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the duo Somato. It has been serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump since September 2018, with its chapters collected in eighteen tankōbon volumes as of September 2024.

A 13-episode anime television series adaptation produced by CloverWorks aired from April to July 2021. A 12-episode second season aired from July to September 2022.

Plot

In a grandiose and dark mansion live the denizens of the Shadow House, attended by their Living Doll partners who endlessly clean the soot their masters emit. Emilico, a young and cheerful Living Doll, is delighted to start serving her mistress Kate. As the two grow closer and are slowly exposed to various events within the House, they start to discover a number of dark secrets.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by the duo Somato (specifically, written and designed by Nori and illustrated by Hisshi),[5][6] Shadows House started in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump on September 6, 2018.[7] In July 2024, it was announced that the manga had entered its final story arc as of the end of its 200th chapter and it would enter on a one-month hiatus. In the same month, in a blog post on pixivFanbox, Somato announced that they would change the serialization schedule to publish two chapters and then go on a break for two issues, continuing that cycle thereafter (the manga had previously had a publication schedule of three new chapters and one-issue break). In that post, it was also noted that the series' story writer has been in poor health since 2023, and their condition had not improved. Somato also stated that the manga has at least one year left in serialization at its new pace.[8] Shueisha has compiled its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on January 18, 2019.[9] As of September 19, 2024, eighteen volumes have been released.[10]

The manga has been licensed for English release in North America by Yen Press.[11]

A ten-page special crossover chapter with Somato's previous manga series, Kuro, titled "Shadows House × Kuro" (シャドーハウス × 黒, Shadō Hausu Kuro), was published in Young Jump Heroine on August 10, 2022.[12]

Anime

In October 2020, an anime television series adaptation was announced on the cover of the manga's sixth volume.[5] The series is produced by CloverWorks and directed by Kazuki Ōhashi, with scripts written by Toshiya Ōno, character designs by Chizuko Kusakabe, and music composed by Kenichiro Suehiro.[13][14][15] It aired for 13 episodes from April 11 to July 4, 2021, on Tokyo MX and other channels.[16][a] The opening theme is the instrumental "A Hollow Shadow" by Suehiro,[18] while the ending theme is "Nai Nai" (ないない) by Reona.[19] The ending song for the eighth episode is the instrumental "My Perfect World" (私の完璧な世界, Watashi no Kanpeki na Sekai) by Suehiro.[20] Aniplex collected the episodes on six DVD and Blu-ray sets, released from June 23 to November 24, 2021.[21]

In September 2021, it was announced that a second season was in production.[22] The main cast and staff reprised their roles. It aired for 12 episodes from July 9 to September 24, 2022.[23][24][b] For the second season, the opening theme is "Shall We Dance?" (シャル・ウィ・ダンス?, Sharu Wī Dansu?) by Reona, while the ending theme is "Masquerade" by ClariS.[26] Aniplex collected the episodes on six DVD and Blu-ray sets, released from September 28, 2022, to February 22, 2023.[21]

English release

Funimation streamed the series outside of Asia.[27] Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified and merged under the Crunchyroll brand, the series became available on Crunchyroll.[28] Crunchyroll also streamed the second season.[29] Both seasons were released on home video; the first one on September 20, 2022,[30] and the second on August 29, 2023.[31]

In Southeast Asia, the series is licensed by Muse Communication.[32][33] Both seasons were broadcast on Animax Asia in the region.[34][35]

Reception

Manga

By October 2023, the manga had over 2.7 million copies in circulation.[36] By July 2024, it had over 3 million copies in circulation.[37]

Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network gave the first volume a B+ rating. Silverman highlighted the relationship between Kate and Emilico, and praised the series for its Victorian-inspired setting and detailed artwork, commenting that it "calls to mind such well-known texts as Snow White and Through the Looking-Glass", also stating that Emilico resembles John Tenniel's illustrations of Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.[38] Reviewing the second and third volumes, Silverman commented that while the first volume served as an introductory book, the second and third volumes are much more plot-packed, also praising the new introduced characters, and expressing that the worldbuilding "continues to be excellent."[39] Antonio Mireles of The Fandom Post gave the first volume a B– grade. Mireles commented that, although the first volume does not make a strong first impression, he felt the series has potential to develop further. He praised the relationship between Kate and Emilico—"explored by great artistic expression due to the nature of the Shadows".[40] Reviewing the first volume, Danica Davidson of Otaku USA lauded the series for its setting and artwork, commenting that it "does a good job of showing us a world gone by." Davidson also praised the "own unique blend" between the "wholesome feeling" of the older clothing, living styles, and characters, and the series' own "sinister and creepy" premise, ultimately calling the first volume "an interesting start."[41]

Anime

Allen Moody of THEM Anime Reviews gave the series five out of five stars. Moody praised the series for its premise, setting and characters (highlighting the character of Kate), also positively comparing it to The Promised Neverland for the "atmosphere of claustrophobia and menace". Moody finally commented: "The first two seasons of Shadows House may have been mostly stage-setting, but I'm eager to see the rest of this saga unfold."[42]

The first season's ending theme song, "Nai Nai" by Reona, was nominated for Best Ending Sequence at 6th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2022.[43] The second season's opening theme, "Shall We Dance?" by Reona, was nominated for Best Anime Song at the 7th edition in 2023.[44]

Notes

  1. ^ Tokyo MX listed the air dates for the series on Saturday at 24:30, which is effectively Sunday at 0:30 a.m. JST.[17]
  2. ^ Tokyo MX listed the air dates for the series on Friday at 24:00, which is effectively Saturday at midnight JST.[25]

References

  1. ^ MassLunar (August 2, 2020). "Critique Manga Shadows House #2". Manga Sanctuary (in French). Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  2. ^ Kuraka, Ryu (September 25, 2022). 女性W主人公の時代到来？ 『リコリス・リコイル』と『シャドーハウス』の共通点. Real Sound (in Japanese). Blueprint Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  3. ^ Chapman, Paul (December 20, 2020). "Gothic Mysteries Abound in Shadows House TV Anime Teaser Trailer". Crunchyroll News. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  4. ^ Chapman, Paul (October 15, 2020). "Supernatural Manga Shadows House Announces Anime Adaptation". Crunchyroll News. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Sherman, Jennifer (October 15, 2020). "Shadows House Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  6. ^ はるのおと (April 10, 2021). 自らもとことん参加、ソウマトウが語るアニメ「シャドーハウス」スピード感ある制作の舞台裏. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  7. ^ 「黒」のソウマトウがYJで新連載、顔のない一族とその世話係を描く. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 6, 2018. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  8. ^ Pineda, Rafael (July 18, 2024). "Shadows House Manga Enters Final Arc, Goes on Hiatus (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  9. ^ 「黒」のソウマトウ、顔のない一族とその世話係の奇妙な生活を描く新作. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 18, 2019. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  10. ^ シャドーハウス 18 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  11. ^ Mateo, Alex (December 20, 2021). "Yen Press Licenses Shadows House, Mato Seihei no Slave, Magical Explorer, More Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  12. ^ Somato [@somatoma] (August 10, 2022). 8/10発売ヤングジャンプヒロイン2（ヤングジャンプの増刊）に #シャドーハウス 特別編 という形で10P描きました！何の説明もないのですが本編と全く関係のない前作「黒」とのコラボ漫画です！！ (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Mateo, Alex (November 4, 2020). "CloverWorks to Animate Shadows House TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  14. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 19, 2020). "Shadows House TV Anime Reveals Staff, Cast, Teaser Video, 2021 Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Pineda, Rafael (January 7, 2021). "Shadows House TV Anime Premieres in April". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  16. ^ シャドーハウス (放送情報) (in Japanese). Tokyo MX. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  17. ^ シャドーハウス. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Dennison, Kara (April 10, 2021). "Spooky Anime Shadows House Previews Creditless OP/ED, Blu-ray Cover". Crunchyroll News. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  19. ^ Loo, Egan (March 8, 2021). "Shadows House Anime Unveils More Cast & Staff, Ending Song Artist, April 10 Debut, New Visual". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  20. ^ Credits from 手のひらの上 [In the Palm of His Hand]. Shadows House. Season 1. Episode 8 (in Japanese). May 30, 2021. Tokyo MX.
  21. ^ a b Beveridge, Chris (January 28, 2023). "Aniplex Japan Reveals Final 'Shadows House' 2nd Anime Season DVD/BD Release Artwork". The Fandom Post. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  22. ^ Loo, Egan (September 11, 2021). "Shadows House Anime Gets 2nd Season". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 11, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  23. ^ Mateo, Alex (January 5, 2022). "Shadows House Anime's 2nd Season Premieres in July". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  24. ^ シャドーハウス 2nd season (in Japanese). Tokyo MX. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  25. ^ 「シャドーハウス」2nd Season. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  26. ^ Loo, Egan (June 2, 2022). "Shadows House 2nd Season Anime's Full Promo Video Reveals July 8 Debut, Songs by ReoNa, ClariS". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  27. ^ Mateo, Alex (March 26, 2021). "Funimation to Stream Shadows House Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  28. ^ "UPDATE: Funimation Titles Now Available on Crunchyroll (3/16)". Crunchyroll News. March 1, 2022. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  29. ^ Mateo, Alex (June 22, 2022). "Crunchyroll Announces Release Schedule for Summer 2022 Anime Season". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  30. ^ Mateo, Alex (September 22, 2022). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, September 18–24". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  31. ^ Mateo, Alex (August 29, 2023). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, August 27–September 2". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  32. ^ "Must-Watch for the Long Weekend! New Anime Series of Apr 2021 Distributed by Muse Communication is Now Announced! 18 New Series Recommended to Quench Your Thirst for New Anime". Muse Communication. March 31, 2021. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  33. ^ Pineda, Rafael (May 30, 2022). "Muse Asia Licenses Shadows House Season 2 Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  34. ^ Pineda, Rafael (September 7, 2021). "Animax Asia Airs Shadows House Anime on September 20". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  35. ^ Pineda, Rafael (June 30, 2022). "Animax Asia Airs Orient Part 2, Shadows House Season 2 Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  36. ^ Shadows House Official [@shadowshouse_yj] (October 23, 2023). 出張中で全然告知できずすみません！　#シャドーハウス 15巻大好評発売中です！　ついに累計270万部突破！！　美しく儚い白…今巻もこだわりのカバーに注目です！ (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Twitter.
  37. ^ 表紙＆巻頭グラビアは長濱ねるさん！ 「週刊ヤングジャンプNo.33」は本日発売. Manga Watch (in Japanese). Impress Corporation [ja]. July 18, 2024. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  38. ^ Silverman, Rebecca (July 30, 2022). "Shadows House GN 1 – Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  39. ^ Silverman, Rebecca (May 17, 2023). "Shadows House GN 2–3 – Review". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  40. ^ Mireles, Antonio (October 3, 2022). "Shadows House Vol. #01 Manga Review". The Fandom Post. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  41. ^ Davidson, Danica (November 22, 2022). "Shadows House Is Atmospheric, Wholesome and Sinister All At Once". Otaku USA. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  42. ^ Moody, Allen (October 17, 2022). "Shadows House (Seasons 1 and 2)". THEM Anime Reviews. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  43. ^ Schneider, Michael (January 18, 2022). "Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2022 Nominations Include '86 Eighty-Six,' 'Jujutsu Kaisen,' 'Oddtaxi' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  44. ^ Eisenbeis, Richard (March 4, 2023). "All the Winners of the 7th Annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.

Further reading

  • Paquot, Valentin (June 20, 2020). "Au pays des ombres vivantes avec les créateurs de Shadows House" (in French). Le Figaro.
  • Official manga website at Young Jump (in Japanese)
  • Official anime website (in Japanese)
  • Shadows House (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
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