とつくにの少女

TOTSUKUNI NO SHOUJO

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
11
RELEASE
March 5, 2021
CHAPTERS
53

DESCRIPTION

In a world split between the Inside and the Outside, those living in both realms are told never to cross over to the other side, lest they be cursed. A young girl named Shiva lives on the other side, in a vacant village with a demonic guardian known only as “Teacher.” Although the two are forbidden to touch, they seem to share a bond that transcends their disparate appearances. But when Shiva leaves Teacher’s care to seek out her grandmother, the secret behind her mysterious living arrangement comes to light.

(Source: Seven Seas Entertainment)

CAST

Sensei
Shiva

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO TOTSUKUNI NO SHOUJO

OVA FantasyTotsukuni no Shoujo

Cover Art for Totsukuni no Shoujo (2022)

OVA DramaTotsukuni no Shoujo (2022)

Cover Art for Totsukuni no Shoujo: ordinary

MANGA DramaTotsukuni no Shoujo: ordinary

Cover Art for Totsukuni no Shoujo [dear.] Bangai-hen

MANGA DramaTotsukuni no Shoujo [dear.] Bangai-hen

REVIEWS

greyleaf
90/100
Not quite the "Mahoutsukai clone" you're expecting...
*Cross-posted from my MAL review, which was written as a response to a handful of folks assuming, solely by the cover, that this was a ripoff of The Ancient Magus' Bride

Copycats are a dime a dozen within the realm of anime and manga. With the advent of a successful series, oftentimes a publisher will seek content of a similar formula with hopes of capitalizing on the trend set by its predecessor. I'm sure you're aware of where I'm going with this: The Girl From the Other Side is clearly a ripoff of The Ancient Magus' Bride (Mahoutsukai no Yome)... or is it? Well, I'm here to tell you that this is, in fact, far from the truth. While it's clear as day that Comic Garden was hoping to emulate the success of Mahoutsukai, what we've received is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, "copycats" have never fared well with fans of the medium, and most will immediately write them off as the inferior product without even giving them a fair chance. However, those who opt to give The Girl From the Other Side ("Totsukuni" from here on out) a shot will realize it's magnificently penned story, and that its similarities to Mahoutsukai end with the cover image.

Since there's no shortage of comparisons and assumptions that the two works are similar, I feel the need to elaborate on the differences (Note: bear in mind that I'm keeping a neutral stance on Mahoutsukai and in no way intend to let biases [whether good or bad] affect these points):
- Totsukuni is a low fantasy story with a touch of influence from Norse paganism, while Mahoutsukai is high fantasy (not in always setting, but in tone), inspired by fairy tails and Celtic mysticism. The former focuses on an otherwise normal medieval setting inflicted with a curse, while the latter is set in modern times and treats magic as commonplace (for certain individuals, that is).
- Shiva (Totsukuni) is a young child, while Chise (Mahoutsukai) is a teenager.
- The relationship between the two protagonists in Totsukuni is strictly familial, while Mahoutsukai employs elements of romance.
- Mahoutsukai focuses more heavily on character interactions and relationships, while Totsukuni's focus is on the mysteries of the world and its curse.
- Mahoutsukai boasts a wide cast of characters, while Totsukuni prioritizes the two protagonists.
- Totsukuni follows a linear storyline, while Mahoutsukai pursues a more episodic formula.
- While both stories have occasional slice of life bits, they're much more frequent in Mahoutsukai. Totsukuni's dismal tone is relentless, and you never truly feel at ease.
- The art of Mahoutsukai is much more realistic, while Totsukuni's artwork is heavily stylized and unique.
- While both stories are under the same publisher, Totsukuni feels like it belongs to a seinen serialization, rather than shounen (this is just my opinion, of course).
So now that you understand that the only real similarity between the two works is the dynamic of a mystical horned man/creature and a young human girl to whom he acts as a teacher (in one way or another), let's get to what I love about this manga.

Totsukuni is a somber, low fantasy tale with a setting very similar to that of 14th-century Europe in the wake of the Black Death. Now for those who may be unfamiliar with the term, low fantasy, or "intrusion fantasy" is when you have an otherwise normal world in which some mystical or magical element intrudes on their way of life. In this story, it's referring to the curse that plagues the kingdom (and this curse is where I've drawn many similarities to the outbreak in medieval Europe). I also mentioned that the story also has ties to Norse paganism and mythology, but it's never showcased in a "magical" way. This is primarily seen through the design of the creatures resulting from this world's curse, and their ties to the earth that slowly become more obvious over the course of time. While the groundwork of the story might not be particularly unique or revolutionary, it comes as a breath of fresh air in a genre that's so commonly littered with cliches and tropes.

The story begins with the introduction of a young child named Shiva and her mysterious "Sensei," a strange yet eloquently spoken humanoid creature with pitch-black skin and horns. He is an outsider: a cursed being who will transfer his affliction via any contact with a human (or as they're called, "insiders"). Aware of the circumstances, he makes it clear to Shiva that she must never touch him for any reason, and as he shows a deep affinity for the child, he puts her well-being above everything else. From the get-go, author Nagabe employs a "show, don't tell" tactic, and he slowly unveils the details of the world little by little, rather than through long-winded exposition. The relationship between Shiva and Sensei is natural from the start, but only through delving further into the story will one begin to understand how they ended up in their peculiar living arrangement. Furthermore, the use of cliffhangers works toward making this a wonderfully addicting read (and somewhat torturous, given the recent chapters and wait for volume 8), and as the mysteries begin to unfold, the picture becomes far grimmer than one might expect from the start. I might also add that the manga includes a few small elements of dramatic irony; while the story is usually either told from the perspective of Shiva or Sensei, the reader is often given insight into events happening in the world around them, helping to build the tension leading up to our protagonists' inevitable revelations.

Moving on, I must say that the art of Totsukuni is simply spectacular. Similar to that of old children's picture books, it possesses an elegant, painterly quality that feels truly unique amidst the generic design of other fantasy works of recent years. I, for one, am a huge fan of heavily stylized designs that take risks, stepping outside the norm of what we see in most anime and manga. Each panel is absolutely gorgeous, and while the tone of the art is bleak and dreary, it works wonders for the dark fantasy setting, perfectly emulating the kind of serious and melancholic mood I would expect for such a tale. Just go and take a look at the first chapter; skim through a few pages and you'll see exactly what I mean. I understand that art is subjective and that people have varying tastes, but I personally can't help but praise the style of this manga. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, this is one of my favorite series I've read thus far.

Overall, if you're a fan of fantasy, I strongly recommend giving this series a chance. If you were initially skeptical or hesitant to try it due to its apparent similarities to Mahoutsukai no Yome, I hope I was able to explain how drastically different they are at their core. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, but this is one of those rare cases where I felt I needed to defend this work in particular, due to the obvious bias that comes from assuming something is just another copycat. I've thoroughly enjoyed every page of Totsukuni, and I eventually plan to collect the entire series in print. Volume 8 is easily my most anticipated release at the moment, and I can't wait to see where the story takes me next.
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baba13
100/100
A Modern Fairy Tale That Blends Japan with Irish Tradition
Introduction

I am not sure how I got introduced to this manga in the first place. I think I randomly saw the cover for volume 1, the art style immediately gripped me, so I just got it and the rest is history. I started around 2017 or 2018 but have been following its volume release, for years at this point. So, volume 11 arrived, and I said to myself, " I need to reread the series before volume 11" because they had so many major revelations and a lot nuance that escaped my brain, due to the passage of time. Not sure why it took a while for me to start this reread, but I knew this was a perfect time. I am so glad that I was patient before devouring volume 11 because this was a beautiful ending to this masterpiece.

Plot

The plot though interesting, by far isn’t the heart of this story. Just look up Seven Seas Entertainment synopsis and it does a much better job, of establishing the broad strokes than I can. To me, it serves as more of a backdrop to the main central thrust of the narrative which is the relationship between “Teacher” (who is an outsider) and Shiva (who is human). They have this interesting parental dynamic, to me felt cute, realistic, and just raw. The series shines when these two are on screen. Though this is sold as a Drama, Fantasy and Mystery one aspect that is weirdly negated is that large spans of the story are a Slice of Life. Nagabe is such a talented author and just knows to pace a scene perfectly. It never bogged down, it has a lot of breathing room but it doesn’t feel slow at all. He is excellent at conveying the right sense of exposition, never too much but never making you completely out of the loop. The highlight was the character work, Shiva and Teacher are so compelling to read. The teacher acts like a doting father and Shiva is that mischievous and beloved daughter figure. Though they are not biologically related they are as tight as that, the bond between the two is just beautiful. Honestly feel the character work in general is underrated. Sure, some appear very briefly, but honestly, Nagabe uses his time so effectively they don't feel one-dimensional. Most of them have a sense of history and some depth to them. Their reasonings are usually sound from their perspective. The saying less is more is preached here, and he uses that for his worldbuilding. This is not the aim of the story, so it's not a super unique premise (nor world) but it feels like a Fairy Tale, so it doesn't need that elaborate history. But it does have some lore drops throughout the story, especially during the latter half, which I loved.

Art

Though Nagabe is not the most detailed artist, he conveys what he intends so masterfully. Just from page 1, this beautiful dark fairy tale vibe is instantly evoked. It's fantasy but feels more classical, just read it, and you will understand that feeling. One aspect about old fantasy which I love is that it feels timeless story, and this is very much the case here. Furthermore, I think he is one of the best artists in terms of conveying shade. The atmosphere makes you completely enraptured. Doesn’t matter if it’s a spread, or a small panel the attention to detail is amazing.

Panelling

What’s more impressive than the technical art, is how it all panelled and framed. This is always an aspect of storytelling for manga that goes underappreciated. Just as a whole the artist just knows his craft. It's hard to describe, but man it's so brilliant. Sure, it's not as inventive as some of the panel work in I am a Hero or Hiroaki Samura's works (Blade of the Immortal author). It just has such a seamless quality to It. For example, in volume 1 they only have one double spread. The double spreads, in general, are very sparse, when they are featured it's usually a big impact scene. He is excellent when depicting comedy, or even just using small frames for action sequences. They a certain chase sequence it felt like it came from Osamu Tezuka at moments, which is high praise from me.

Conclusion

Overall, this is just a masterpiece. Hard to communicate how good this manga is, so all I will say is if your fan of the following: Neil Gaiman, Fairy tales, fantasy, atmospheric art, and father-daughter relationships I think you will particularly love this manga. Regarding the ending, well it delivered big time for me, and I doubt people will be disappointed. Can’t wait to reread this again, in the future.

Note: I just read Volume 12 Side Stories, which was a delightful read.
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CinccinoHome
100/100
How a human and a monster find love and happiness against the tides of fate.
"The Girl from the Other Side" revolves around a human and a beast that form an unlikely relationship with each other, forbidden to ever make direct physical contact. Much like "Light of the Firefly Forest", the manga asks us as readers to reflect on the importance of touch and physicality in our relationships, and how we often take physical intimacy with our friends and family for granted.
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The manga also delves into themes of parenthood, how love between guardian and child, and vice versa, is reflected not just in their words, but in their experiences, their actions, and the sacrifices they make for each other. Despite being a pseudo-horror thriller at times, with suspenseful undercurrents pervading the atmosphere, the manga still manages to have some really heartfelt and cute moments.

Watching these two support each other, lean on each other, and give each other purpose made my heart grow three sizes. Their interactions are truly endearing - they are genuinely sweet without ever coming across as insincerely saccharine.
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The art is masterful. Most manga are predominantly white, with characters and backgrounds denoted by black. This manga is predominantly black, with the main girl and other purities denoted by white. This inversion of common manga art style is precisely what makes the art so evocative - the beautiful, inky shading and juxtaposition between light and dark.
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Without spoiling anything, I imagine the ending will be controversial for people. It's strange, it's vague, it's anticlimactic, it's purposefully ambiguous as to be both therapeutic and frustrating. But I'm ok with it, because I savored the journey itself - the tea parties and the burnt apple pies alike.
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Haunting yet bittersweet, tense yet wholesome. A bizarre yet wonderful dichotomy. In a dark, twisted world where everyone is either a human or a monster, our two main characters occupy a space in between. So hand in hand, they weather the storm of life, together.
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