Shadows House

This anime series is set in a large mansion. It is inhabited by 'Shadows' people so black they appear featureless. Each of the shadows has a 'Living Doll' who acts as their personal servant. When not serving their own master or mistress the dolls clean the house; an endless task given that the shadows emit soot. Our protagonists are a young shadow named Kate and Emilico, her living doll. During the first season the young shadows and their dolls must undergo a series of tests during which they learn more about the nature of the house and its various inhabitants. Without going into any detail that might spoil ones enjoyment the second series reveals more secrets and new dangers.

I really enjoyed this series. The central premise is creative and interesting. We are gradually introduced to the world and its characters and there is no real rush to reveal major secrets. The main characters are likeable; it may be centred on Kate and Emilico but the secondary characters, mostly their friends but also some antagonists, are well written and interesting too. The character designs are great; the human looking dolls contrasting perfectly with the featureless black shadows. The story progresses well with plenty of excitement. It neither feels too rushed nor does it drag. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anime fans looking for something a little different; I hope we get another season.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

This Review is by NerdBot .

At first, the story starts out very cute and kind of happy-go-lucky. Emilico is charming and clumsy and constantly messing up Kate's things as she tries to serve her. But as we get closer to the "debut" things change... Things begin to turn sinister... Enter: Edward.

Edward is in charge of the debut. He's also a deranged social climber and will stop at nothing to get into the good graces of Lord Grandfather, who is basically like a Shadow version of The Godfather. The debut, which is originally supposed to pick the Shadow/living doll pairs most worthy to serve Lord Grandfather, becomes rigged by Edward, and as such, becomes more entertaining for Lord Grandfather and his band of Shadow aristocrats on the third floor to watch and make bets on who will make it out alive.

From there, things only become darker, as we watch Emilico and Kate try to figure out the mysteries of this Shadows House.

"Shadows House" is absolutely beautiful, the characters are cute, and there is so much character development. The bonds between the Shadows and the living dolls are strong and believable and you genuinely want them to survive every obstacle hurled their way.

The series is 13 episodes long, and unfortunately ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but hopefully a second season will be announced soon! Fingers crossed!

I love the whole concept of Shadows House. Everything is very well done, from the characters to the story. While it did have very few flaws and misgivings, they are nothing compared to the overall mysterious tale of Shadows House!

Imagine that your personality is a shadow that tries to control your appearance, which is separate from your personality.

From the same studio CloverWorks, this anime gave me The Promised Neverland vibe. It took place in a confined place, had many children being under guidance of adults, and had a bigger force at hand. However, the premise of Shadows House is still unique, and an interesting one.

The animation was solid as usual from CloverWorks. Our main girl was especially cute, as well as other characters. They all had great eyes and smiles, but not creepy like Promised Neverland.

The story was a fun thriller with mystery in between. The first 5 episodes were a bit slow, as the rules were slowly introduced to the audience. Also this was where characters were set up. Then the rest of the series was a test where the characters had their relationships and themselves challenged. I found the dynamic between characters entertaining, and the way the characters bond with each other endearing and justified.

The mystery was revealed bits by bits throughout the test. I had a prediction regarding the living dolls, and in the end I was right (it's actually pretty obvious). Still, the way the mystery was revealed kept my watching and wondering for more.

Overall, fascinating premise with exciting thriller and endearing character dynamics. Hopefully Season 2 will expand the universe more and won't get Promised Neverland's treatment. 8/10.

So much that there's not much to say but try it for yourself! This could have been a classic tale like Snow White, the beauty and the beast... Everything is just right, pacing, dialogues... but you got to know that Japanese amines are known to "explain what they see", which is usually not seen as a good thing in our western productions. The idea is so original, in fact, it's the first time "ever" as far as I know that those ideas are exploited. Well, I just love it, I hope you will as well!