Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 13, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2019

Volumes: 15+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volumes: 1. 12. 14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she's never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Review:

The plot line in which Himari gets separated from her body lasts much longer than I expected, and then goes into a whole other plot with Kasha.

It's kind of hard to worry too much about these characters, as I have such little doubt that they're not going to be okay, and I think I'm just having a hard time caring or connecting with them at this point.

Aside from that, Himari gets to watch and worry for the first half of this volume. And then things get switched around, and so she worries and tries to do what she can to fix things. She's put through a test to save Aoi, and it looks like some questions regarding Aoi might be answered in the next volume. At least, his relationship with Kasha, and why it's so twisted.

I don't mind this series, but I really wish I liked it more, that I cared more. I'm just ehh on it right now, I guess.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 12, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2018

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 11. 13.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate which exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Out of his attachment to Amane, the previous nue, the shikigami Kagura created a false version of Momochi House’s guardian. But now that Amane has returned, what will happen to the current residents of Momochi House?

Review:

After how underwhelming the previous volume was, I'm not feeling all that strongly about this one, either. It just isn't hitting me like it's trying to, I think, when I have a hard time believing it. The only thing I think has actual sinister possibilities is how Aoi can't leave, and his relationship with the Nue, but most of that is being ignored for now.

After the mess with the haunting, we get an odd couple chapters where Aoi shares a recurring dream with Hayato. It's a little unsettling, but mostly just sad. Because we know it's not going to last, that Aoi is the only one who will remember it.

After that, Aoi and Himari get into a little spell where they're stuck together. The cliffhanger is actually surprising to me, but I'm still wary, doubtful. While it might still be interesting, it's likely not going anywhere actually serious.

Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 11, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 10. 12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Review:

Momochi House is under attack in this volume. Crazy things are happening in the house, attacking and turning dark, staining some yokai. When we meet the cause of it, they claim that Aoi is an impostor, not the real Nue.

Amidst all that, we're learning some ominous things about Aoi and the Nue, and Himari is still determined to save him. The more we learn about the position of Nue, the more bad it seems for Aoi.

Aside from those dangers, there's Aoi and Himari's relationship. I like the idea of their relationship, and I enjoy how sweet and naive Aoi is—not understanding why they shouldn't sleep in the same bed, for example. But they still seem so awkward together, to unsteady, and Himari is constantly getting embarrassed and pushing him away, that it's driving me crazy. What's the point of being together if they're not actually growing closer?

The dangers aren't much of a worry for me. Even the scare in the middle of this volume—it was handled too easily for it to be real. And it was actually more anticlimactic than anything, which is a little disappointing.

I enjoy this series, but it also bothers/frustrates me at points.

Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 10, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 9. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate which exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Himari makes her way into the depths of Momochi House in search of a way to free Aoi. She is attacked but is saved by the Guardian of the Gate. Hoping to get his hands on the Momochi name, the guardian tries to get Himari to marry him. Naturally, Aoi has no intention of letting him have his way!

Review:

Now that Aoi has confessed his feelings to Himari, we get to see them dealing with their new relationship. It's new to both of them, and mostly Himari doesn't know how to act around him. And now that they're “settled”, of course they have to throw in a new boy to cause some drama. We meet Hakka, who's determined to win Himari, and competes with Aoi. It's nice to see the Nue take over during this, and then conclusion is also better than I expected.

I can't help but think of Nue and Aoi as one person, even if they have slightly different personalities. Himari doesn't consider them one, and I'm waiting for the problem in that to become apparent.

We get a glimpse of some trouble brewing at the end of this, though no real idea what it means.

In the second half of the volume, we get to see Ise's past. I still don't really have a feel for either of Aoi's shikigami, but it was still nice to see how Ise ended up there. It was a fitting story for him, and I do like seeing how close they are.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 9, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 4, 2017

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 8. 10.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate which exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Thanks to Himari’s journey in the spiritual realm, Aoi is able to remember his past. While preparing a party to celebrate, Yukari tells Himari that Aoi shares a special connection with her parents…

Review:

We come to the conclusion of the arc involving Aoi's parents. It's rather sad, mostly. It's a sad ending for the little girl, and it's really bittersweet for Aoi. It's both good and bad.

Though, mostly, I'm wondering why we didn't see more of the connection between Aoi and the Nue. It was hinted earlier that Himari needs to not separate them so much, and yet nothing happens regarding that.

After that, the house throws a surprise party for Aoi. Himari even finds some magic fireworks. It's a nice reprieve, but it also ends up giving Himari a new insight into Aoi's point of view, the reason he's stayed so content in that house for so long--his purpose. It's sweet, but it's also a little sad, given the reason he was hanging on.

This volume was really good. It was at times depressing and beautiful and touching. I'm not sure where else this series is going, but I am enjoying it so far.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 8, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: 11+

Volumes: April 2017

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 7. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate which exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Since his battle with Nachi, Aoi has been unable to transform back from being the Nue. Aoi must recover his lost human memories, and Himari enters the spiritual realm to retrieve them.

Review:

Himari goes on a quest to discover Aoi's past, hoping it will let him return to his normal form. It's interesting to see her interactions with the Nue, since he's so different from Aoi. It makes me wonder, though, since it seems like the Nue is actually a different side of Aoi, not a different person all-together. Himari seems very determined to have only Aoi, and not any of the Nue.

We get to see Aoi's past in this volume, as well as meet his parents. It makes me sad for little Aoi, but it also makes me wonder what his parents' view of it is. I'm curious to see what happens next. The series doesn't seem to be ending soon, so I'm curious where it will go next.

Manga Review: He's My Only Vampire, Volume 5, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: 2015

Volumes: 10.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

"Forget all love and thirst only for blood..."
Acquiring a third Stigma took a heavy toll on Aki's body. To help him recuperate, Kana and the others plan a trip to a cozy hot-spring resort deep in the mist-shrouded mountains. Little do they know, this outing will open the sinister door of Aki's "original sin," and his hidden past will finally come to light!!

Review:

We’re finally getting some development here!

There’s some fighting, some fluff, some politics in the first half of the volume. But the really interesting stuff is when we get to see what happened between Kana and the twins when they were little, as she finally gets to remember what happened.

It’s dark and sad, and I feel so bad for Aki. It makes me wonder about Eriya, as well. It ends with a cliffhanger, and I’m sure it’s going to go in a new direction in the next volume, as Kana wakes up and something comes of what she remembers now.

I’m not in love with this, and I’m only slowly continuing the series. I want to love it, but it’s just okay to me. I am intrigued, though, by this new development. I hope to read the next one at some point.

Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 7, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate which exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Aoi’s powers have weakend, and he begins to recall fragments of his childhood. Someone from the past has infiltrated Momochi House and is after Aoi!

Review:

Mr. Nachi turns out to have had a very important role in Aoi's life, which I wasn't quite expecting. He's a much more interesting antagonist than I thought he would be.

Himari is deceived a few times, and even Aoi doesn't remember enough to know beforehand. It's a surprise to all of them, and it's an interesting reveal for Aoi's history and why he went to the Momochi house in the first place. I'm mostly intrigued by Nachi's motivation, though, why he did it and what he's wanting to do about it now. It does make me want to hug Aoi even more than before, though, which I didn't think was possible. The hinting of romantic feelings between him and Himari, too, is just mean.

That cliffhanger, too. I'm really wondering what's going to happen from here. I think this should show more of the specific differences between Aoi and the Nue in the next volume, though.

This series is surprisingly good, in more ways than I expect, each time. I'm looking forward to the next one.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 6, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 4, 2016

Volumes: 9+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate which exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Himari is still coming to terms with Aoi’s rejection of her love confession when Takamura Nachi, the Classical Literature teacher, shows her a mirror that is said to reflect the true feelings of its beholder…

Review:

After that last cliffhanger, it's no surprise that Himari is bummed out, though Aoi is acting perfectly normal. Realizing why Aoi responded the way he did is only more sad than anything, though a bit annoying.

We meet a new character in this volume, a teacher, and he's got an interest in ghost stories. Particularly the Momochi house yokai stories, though Himari does her best to brush him off and mislead him. There are a few new yokai and cursed item chapters throughout, including a yokai who's like a mother to Aoi but dislikes Himari no matter how nice and helpful she is, but mostly they're making Himari reflect on what's happening, and what she needs to do to fix things.

Then there's that new cliffhanger, involved in the teacher, that is sure to be intriguing. I'm also interested in how it's hinted at Aoi being remembered by old classmates and friends, particularly that Himari wants Hayato and Aoi to meet again. I'm sure that's going to connect with her figuring out how to get him out of the Momochi house, so I'm looking forward to that progressing.

This is a fun series, more thoughtful and plot-moving than I expected. I still find Aoi adorable, and I am still reading.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 5, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2016

Volumes: 9+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.

Volume: 1. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she's never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate that exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. The waters of the seven sacred falls have become polluted, and Himari, Aoi, and the shikigami cross over to the spiritual realm to find the cause. But during an attempt to purify the waters, Himari is taken away by the dragon god!

Review:

Yukari’s backstory gets explored in this volume. We find out where he came from and he learns to relax and get comfortable where he is now. Himari plays an interesting part, as she gets an inside look at what happened with him.

The second half of the volume is taken up with a love curse that Himari has stumbled upon, and how to get around it. There are so many romantic hints in this series between Himari and Aoi, and it just bothers me that most of them are ignored or don’t work out. I really like those two together, and I think Aoi is adorable. I want some nice romance here! And that cliffhanger is just mean.

This series is fun to read, but rather forgettable. I really hope it gets better, but I’m sticking with it.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 4, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2016

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Review:

The guy from the cliffhanger just ends up breaking my heart in this volume. Ugh.

Hidaka questions Himari about her ring from Aoi, because he recognizes it. When Himari finds out that he’s supposedly cursed, she takes it upon herself to help him, even when he pushes her away in fear of her getting hurt. And this leads to discovering that Hidaka knew Aoi when they were little, and it just breaks my heart a little. I didn’t want it to end that way, and I just want to hug Aoi even more now.

After that, the ayakashi that was cursing Hidaka joins the gang at Momochi House, and he causes a little bit of trouble, but mostly he’s just an adorable little kid. Because of the trouble, though, we do get to see how Aoi really feels about Himari, and he’s so cute. I just love Aoi. The cliffhanger this time, though, looks to be leading to a backstory on Yukari, one of Aoi’s shikigami, and I look forward to that. The shikigami don’t stand out much yet, and I would like to get to know them better.

I am enjoying this series. It’s good, if a little sad at times. I look forward to the next one.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!