Ghosts, can’t live with them… and you really can’t live with them!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Aya Shouoto
Translation/Adaptation: JN Productions
What They Say
Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate that exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Aoi is the human Omamori-sama, or guardian of the house, who can transform into a powerful spiritual being. But once Momochi House had chosen Aoi as its protector, all evidence of his existence in the human world was erased, and he has never been able to leave. Can Himari break Aoi free?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Himari now has a goal in her new life at Momochi House. Aoi, once entering the house and turning into the Omamori, can’t ever leave. He’s bound to the house and his prior existence outside of the walls has been forgotten. It explains why he longs for intimacy and Himari’s presence, yet it also explains why he fears for her safety. If she had arrived first as she was supposed to, Himari would have been the one trapped.
The tragic nature of Aoi’s life hits Himari hard. With both being kindred spirits trapped in a strange situation love is sure to follow, and by the end of the first chapter Himari is already taken with her housemate. Even then she still shies away from his intimate yearnings.
The majority of this volume is made up of short story chapters. One sees Aoi gaining another shikigami from the ayakashi in the house, adding another handsome houseguest for Himari. It’s a touching story that reminds me of Natsume’s Book of Friends in it’s themes. The next chapter has Himari and an exhausted Aoi fighting off a water demon who lurks in the dark recesses of the house. The nymph brings up an unknown danger if Aoi overuses his powers, yet we don’t learn what the consequences of those actions will be. It’s just another concern for Himari to worry about.
The art in this series continues to be lovely. All of the boys have the same delicate features, which is typical in shoujo, and the shikigami boys haven’t had much character development yet. Viz continues to include a few color pages at the beginning of this volume, which is always a welcome surprise from them.
The volume closes out with the most plot movement we’ve seen yet in this slow paced series. Himari’s short break from school is over and she begins to attend a new school in the area. She’s accepted right away into the class, much to her relief. However, once the students find out where she’s living they all want to see the haunted house. Four of them follow her back home and after a quick and silly attempt to hide her house guests she learns that one of her new classmates is a ghost. Momochi House’s spiritual energy can turn even benign spirits hostile, and suddenly Himari finds herself in a race against the clock to find and banish the ghost before it harms her classmates. We’re left on a cliffhanger with yet another introduction from a mysterious new character watching the scene unfold.
In Summary
Himari continues to learn what it means to be the master of a house full of ghosts. We learn more about how Aoi came to be the Omamori and how he’s survived alone, but his past and his future are still largely unknown. Between the frivolous moments of cute happenstance lie a lingering and growing concern for Aoi’s well-being. The volume really starts to pick up just as it comes to a close, with Himari caught in a race to discover which of her new classmates is hiding a secret. While Momochi House isn’t going to set any new standards in supernatural romance, it continues to be a safe, inoffensive story with lovely art.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B +
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: B +
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: October 6th, 2015
MSRP: $9.99
