Creative Staff
Story/Art: Somato
Translation/Adaptation: Taylor Engel
Lettering: Lys Blakeslee
What They Say
A family of “faceless” nobles reside in a secretive mansion alongside their living dolls, who act as both servant and face. Although Kate Shadow and her living doll, Emilico, hope to be one such pair, their impending “debut” and its possible consequences have cast an ominous cloud over their blissful existence. Strange monstrous creatures roam the halls, while rumors of discarding defective dolls circulate…Fearful of losing her place at the house, Emilico struggles to learn exactly what it means to be a Shadow’s face!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The mansion begins to reveal its true nature and it ain’t going to be pretty. Emilico is just like any other girl who wants to know more about the world around them. This takes her to places that perhaps she isn’t ready to visit. Reading about her, you want the best for her. She has the loveable traits of a protagonist. She helps anyone that is in need. But all of this carries a lot of risks. All of the faces have a purpose and Emilico forget her place in the world. Forgetting your place in the world is a great chance to explore what is usually not seen. Emilico’s journey is the beginning of her demise. It’s great to have good intentions but there is a cost to them. And those costs are shown brilliantly.
Something horrifically magical is about to happen but unfortunately, there isn’t much to this volume. The seeds are being planted for that great event to occur. It sucks the air out of the room at the times. As the girls learn more about the mansion, they bit off more than they chewed. They don’t realize it yet but the mysteries of the mansion are maybe something that needs to be kept hidden. But this is a supernatural series and of course, they are going to be revealed in due time. I hope that the book doesn’t keep these cards close to its heart for too long.
One of the mysteries that needs a bit more of the spotlight and comes into play is the relationship between Emilico and Kate. It takes a backseat while Emilico explores the mansion and Kate is forgotten. And then out of nowhere Kate appears and Kate and Emilico have to be judged as if they are one unit. This clearly isn’t going to work since Emilico went on a grand journey and forgot that Kate existed. Because of this, it looks like life at the mansion is about to get worse for Kate and Emilicio. The first volume went a great deal to building up a relationship between the two. But it became nonexistent in this volume. And it matters more in this volume because of their uncanny exam. They both had an interest in making sure that they passed but it just didn’t seems like a priority.
In Summary:
Volume 2 takes a stroll along a giant dark path so that the future can be bright. It has some moments where it shines greatly. Emilico’s fate is about to hit the top of a roller coaster at full speed. To some, that may be a great thrill but others are going to be on the edge of their seat. The signs that there is going to be a terrifying event are still being delayed and promised for later. The appetizer that we got in this volume isn’t enough to satisfy my need for that gruesome event.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: 11/22/2022
MSRP: $13.00 US/ $17.00 CAN
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.
