Shadows House

This anime is very strange but it keep you on it in so many ways. The story is about a high society family of human shaped shadows, the adults are separated from the children, because first, they have to learn how to behave as an aristocrath, and the shadow kids, have to educate their "living dolls" too. The ost and animation are amazing, that sometimes it reminded me to the film Spirited away. A curiosity about it is that the first episode is only about Kate and Emilico and it was made so good that you don't get bored with only two characters in 23 minutes. Of course some episodes can be repetitive or hard to get but not to make the story bad. In my opinion you should give it a try. I can't give it 10 points because of some nonsense spots (probably for the hand of CloverWorks studios) and personally I didn't like how the season ended. 9/10

Shadows House is a worthy watch for anyone, who wants some cute characters in an unsettling situation. However, the anime stays faithful to the manga only for 10 episodes. So, I recommend stopping there and reading the manga. (Below the next section I'm telling a bit about episodes 11-13 without spoilers) -->If you're gonna READ THE MANGA, A few chapters are a must read,which the anime skipped. *Episode 1's opening is different from chapter 1 and ending is slightly different from - chapter 7. *Episode 2 skips chapter 9. *--->MAJOR CUT<---- Episode 4 cuts chapters 19-20. Read chapter 18 just in case, since the episode takes some panels from it. (Can read before watching the episode) The last chapter adapted semi-closely is chapter 47 in episode 11 that is affected by the MAJOR CUT from episode 4. After this, the entire episode adapts only chapters 47,51 and 61 while skipping overall 12 chapters at once, and it can be only felt as a rushed way to bring everything together for the anime-only-plot that starts at the end. Now the last 3 episodes of the anime aren't at all horrible, a bit awkward yes but not nearly as bad as Cloverwork's other stuff like The Promised Neverland season 2 or Wonder egg Priority's ending. The crew clearly tried with this one as they either realized they had too many episodes or they just didn't want to leave it on a cliffhanger. Also apparently the people/person the manga has stated that they are going to try to write this in for season 2, so lets hope it works. Overall I really, really LOVED this anime. I originally did actually stop at episode 10 when episode 11 hadn't even aired as I was near the edge of my seat at the end of it. If this doesn't tell you how good it was, I don't know what else to tell you. It has a very good ending and soundtrack overall, very classy music. Fits the theme well. The art is very pretty and detailed and the animation isn't stiff. There are lots of different characters with different personalities and they are really fun and interesting. And man, the story is just starting and is surrounded in mystery that'll be revealed slowly. Score for episodes 1-10. Story: 10. Art: 10. Sound: 10. Character: 10. Enjoyment: 10. Overall: 10 Score for episodes 11-13. Story: 5. Art: 8. Sound: 10. Character: 4. Overall: 4.

Ah yes Shadows House, one of the most underrated animes of spring 2021. I'll keep this review as short as possible. First off, i think that this show is a must watch. With it's unique story, shadows house manages to keep you intrigued the whole 13 episodes without once feeling bored, to the limits that you would feel every episode to be 5 minutes long its crazy. Animation and art wise, it's really good aswell. Animation stayed constant throughout the entire 13 episodes. Art is pretty too, character design was beautiful, nothing generic. In terms of sound, it's amazing. Of course don't expect an aot or fate ost level it's still amazing nonetheless. Characters were nice despite it being 13 episodes. Our main characters aren't bland and has sets of personality that are again, nice. Flaws that i have with the series has got to be the last 3 episodes which were pretty rushed, though there's more, i'll keep it at that to avoid any spoilers. Overall, it's a very solid 8/10. Would have given a 9 if it wasn't for the above flaws that i have stated. Just watch the gaddamn show, if u loved promised neverland, you'll definitely love this one too.

SPOILER WARNING: CloverWorks, I'm done watching any series that you animate and produce, first the Promised Neverland, then Wonder Egg Priority, and now Shadows House, when will you ever learn your lesson? Although this series only made me hate CloverWorks even more, the earlier parts of it were honestly pretty good. The plot of Shadows House seemed similar to the Promised Neverland, but unlike that series, it focuses more on a noble family of humanoid-like shadows and their dolls for servants. At first, it focused on introducing what the dolls do, how they relate to their shadow masters and even brought on some unique traits that make the dolls who they are as characters. Then, it focuses on a hierarchy of the family, showing how they do things in the Shadows House until an individual event causes the central shadows to rebel against the house itself. From there it went from a unique story with a unique concept to creating an anime original ending to end producing the series before it can continue. As an anime-only watcher, I want to watch a full story, but when I do my research on specific series and hear what people think about the latest episode, it makes me start to dislike the anime. The story is simple, the two central characters, Emilyko and Kate are living in the Shadows House while they start to get along as equals. Along the way, Emilyko makes friends with the other dolls and does work while maintaining a status quo in the family. Although the story is simple, it includes other aspects, such as the antagonist of the story and even special powers that the shadows can use. Specific plot points in the story felt slightly rushed when it started, but towards the end, they rushed it so often that they wanted to conclude the anime by proving that they achieved nothing after the main arcs. The characters themselves are focused on individuality and how they feel going through the tasks of the Shadows House. In a few parts, it features the dolls and shadows mimicking each other like puppetry, however, Emilyko's character was a contrast as she was positive twenty-four-seven, taking away the dark atmosphere in the area, and I found that well-written. As for the older characters, specifically the antagonist Edward, he was annoying and only thought of himself, but after he was defeated, he still didn't change, proving that the later episodes had no impact on him. Another aspect that I didn't like was how the characters got a bit of development, but it never fleshed out the remaining members. Unless they announce another season, I'm not satisfied with how they left the remaining members untouched. The animation itself was simple at times, but in a few parts, it was well animated and showed the beauty of the characters. That's only it, and nothing else was exciting, but the way they made soot move felt unique and creepy at times. The soundtrack itself takes the cake as the opening has no vocals, giving it an Addams Family vibe and showed how it can sound good without vocals like Cowboy Bebop. The ending is one of the best I've heard this spring season, the buildup towards the more exciting parts of the song stunned me, I never thought such a method made the song sound amazing. Overall, even though the characters have great designs, it brought another simple concept like shadows and turned it into an anime, I give the author props for that choice. The story, however, deserved much more and didn't have to end without anything achieved, if they leave it like that, then they can set up another season of Shadows House. I don't recommend this series if you're starting to get fed up with rushed stories in anime, but I would watch it for its unique charms. This will probably be the last CloverWorks anime I'll watch since they always mess up many series, I'll probably just quit watching the anime they produce.

“Shadows House” is what happens when a pretty awesome idea is held back by unfocused writing and inorganic infodumps. I wasn’t expecting this show to be that much right up my alley. A slow burn mystery. Questions piling on with each episode. Every answer is earned and not given. Methodical world building. The MC is more passive than active but we can’t have it all. And then… episode 10 happened and destroyed everything but I’ll get to that. Before we start I would like to explain something. I will be talking about “plot” and “story”. Many people use those terms interchangeably. I’m not one of those people, so to make sure everyone is on the same page… I use the definitions for “plot” and “story” as Lisa Cron describes them: “What happens in the story is the PLOT, the surface events.” “STORY is about how the things that happen affect someone in pursuit of a difficult goal, and how that person changes internally as a result”. The story in this show is a rather simple one. A story about one unique resident of the house ruled by mysterious creatures with mysterious powers. Her living and learning her role in that world. Simple, not very flashy or grand but enough for a good plot. And here lies the problem. I would divide those 13 episodes into 4 parts. Episodes 1-4 are a slow methodical, incremental world building. We see Emilico (the MC) learning the ropes of her duties as a “Face” and “Living doll”. Those are pretty solid. With each episode questions about the house and its inhabitants pile up and we get surprisingly little answers. Episodes 5-9 are the Debut episodes. Those are more focused on a sort of a survival game. On paper it’s a solid idea and it even doubles as another way to pile up questions about the house. Unfortunately those episodes are also unfocused and a bit lazy in the details. At one point the dolls are given a time limit to “save” their masters. This should work as a drama point that would add stakes and urgency to the plot. It doesn't. Despite having a strict time limit and a rather challenging mission, most of the time everyone is surprisingly calm and doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. Those episodes work more as relationship building episodes rather than a tense survival situation, that is according to the rules of the house. Episode 10 is the episode that destroys most of the mystery about the origin of the Shadows and Dolls. And does it incompetently. Episodes 11-13 are the "Defeat the BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy)” episodes and are surprisingly adept at using tension and twists. It was a nice surprise after the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot that Episode 10 served. There are actually a number of mysteries in this show. 1. What are the Shadows? 2. What are the Living Dolls? 3. Why Living Dolls require food. If it’s a doll then a chemical source of energy is not very efficient. 4. Why do Shadows have an almost symbiotic (parasitic?) relationship with their dolls and how it’s managed? 5. Why do shadows emit soot? 6. Why do some Shadows seem to have supernatural powers and others don’t? 7. What are the veiled dolls? Those are just some of the mysteries that we are presented in the worldbuilding episodes. Later that list expands but mentioning more would be spoiler territory. I like how each episode gently adds a mystery or two to the stack. It’s done in an interesting and actually mostly organic way. Because our POV character is a Living Doll we get new information as she stumbles on new situations or people related to them. Does it slow down the pace? A little, yes. I’m not going to lie to you that this is a fast-paced show, but the slow burn is actually preferable in a mystery show like this. It gives You time to soak in everything that is going on and reflect on the mysteries themselves. Emilico as a character is a hit or miss. Depends what you like. She’s cheerful, curious, thinks outside the box and is a bit too compassionate for a creature that is called a Living Doll. Unfortunately she doesn’t grow in her personality. She starts this way, and actually ends the season the same way. No new traits. Just a cheerful, optimistic Living Doll that wants everyone to be friends. Even when episode 11 gives her revelations that should shatter her perspective on herself, the Shadows House and the whole situation she finds herself in. That revelation doesn’t seem to have any effect on her, or others. Despite being rather powerful and important for the existence of Living Dolls, everyone just acts like it’s nothing. It’s the biggest letdown when it comes to her character. I was hoping for growth and not stagnation. The Debut is also a mixed bag. There are some pretty good ideas when it comes to strengthening the relationships between the dolls and their masters but there is just one problem. The hedge maize. The dolls get a quest. Find their masters. Seemingly simple but there is a catch. They only have 2 hours to do it. The person giving them this mission, despite wanting them (or at least a few) to fail does give them proper clues to that mission. I really liked that. Yes, the man is an asshole but he does give them a fighting chance and mostly doesn’t interfere with anything. That said, those 2 hours are the problem for the type of plot we are presented with. The setup is that the situation is pretty bad. They have limited time and on top of that they have more rules to follow if they want their masters to complete the debut successfully. All that screams urgent. And yet, no one acts like it is. Yes, they verbalise the direness of the situation but they don’t really act like that. They move slowly, monologue and even have conversations between each other. I’m not saying they should run around like headless chickens but at least a little tension would be nice. This feels more like a picnic or a simple, child friendly scavenger hunt than a test, with the futures of the dolls and their Shadows on the line. Apart from that the debut is a solid arc. Everyone has a chance to show off their personalities and uniqueness. The characters stop functioning like background NPC and evolve into more fleshout and actually supporting cast members. Even if the ending is a bit heavy handed. Now for the worst part of this whole season. Episode 10. Who the hell thought that having an episode that destroys most of the mysteries by a dumb, badly written, inorganic infodump was a good idea? I jest. We all know who did that. The effing, lazy writer. We had 9 episodes of a slow burn, during which mysteries started to pile up. We get more questions than answers. I loved that. Apart from the problem of barely having any clues for solving them of course. And at least 3 of the most interesting mysteries get effing spoiled in episode 10. What are the Shadows? What are the living dolls? Why do Shadows need the dolls? We get answers for those questions in a fucking exposition dump, and not even an organic one. People who already know all that give those dumps to people who already know all that. WHY? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? It destroyed my will to watch the rest of the episodes. Yes, it presented some other questions in the place it answered but they are far less interesting. I wouldn’t mind this info dump that much if it was organic and logical. Why not let Emilyco find some sort of journal or a log with information (System Shock style)? It would still be lazy AF but at least it would be logical. There is no reason for people who know everything to infodump each other. I could write an essay about how this episode shits on everything competent writing stands for, but I doubt many people would read this. Moving on… Episode 11 has mostly the same issues as episode 10 but at least makes it a little more organic. Yes, there are a ton of info dumps but at least they are as a conversation between people who know somethings, the those who don’t. Not the best way but at least more logical so in contrast I’m not against it as much. Plus it starts the final arc - the BBEG arc…

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from this series. I started watching it because of a TikTok featuring a couple that caught my eye though they don’t appear until the second season. And since I’m a crumb-hunter, I ended up watching both seasons just to get to their part. The story turned out to be really enjoyable. Not overly complex, but definitely original. I really loved how the characters and situations aren’t sexualized at all — that’s something I truly appreciate. Some moments even felt genuinely sweet and touching. I’m also a big fan of the kind of music this genre usually has, and this one didn’t disappoint. If you liked The Promised Neverland, there’s a good chance this one will be for you too.

This feels like a missed opportunity. I personally do not what the best course would have been, but I know this can't be the the best way. Shadows House has a very strange but creative premise. When I first read the synposis, it felt like a gate was just opened in my brain. I couldn't even imagine all the endless ways this story could go. However, I did not imagine it would take the superpower shounen route. It could have been a drama about scheming nobles, with the dolls adding an extra layer of complexity to the interactions and social relationships. It could have leaned harder into the mystery aspect, withholding information about the shadows as you slowly watch our cast unravel the secrets of the house. It could have been a horror, with a different artstyle and slightly different premise. The shadows could have been a more paranormal entity. The possibilities are actually endless. Shadows House DOES touch on all these ideas. It does incorporate slight aspects of drama, mystery and even horror. In fact, it is at its strongest when it leans on them. However, it was really jarring seeing the superpower concept pop out of nowhere. Of course there's the typical tournament arc because every show needs the Chuunin exams these days. It's still a good show because of its premise and the fact that it does lean into its strengths sometimes. However, it is undercut by its shonen-esque atmosphere. This is a decent show that could have been a masterpiece if the unorthodox premise was fully embraced and built upon.

When i started the first season i did so with the mindset that if its good enough ill watch second straight away. If not ill wait a bit. Well this review will only cover season so it ended up not jumping straight to the second. Not that it was bad. But just did not end up enjoying it as much as id hoped. Felt that it was pretty slow moving. Characters arent that interesting that got me invested in them. Music was bland. So was the OP/ED. Theres this interesting mystery behind the shadows and the world. It was one of the things getting my attention to start watching. Im still interested in that. Feels like something that could end up really exciting. But the events so far didnt quite get me that excited and again felt very slow. Its not bad. Its a decent watch and ill get around seeing more of it to hopefully get more exciting development of the story behind the shadows. As 7/10 as they come. Ok watch.

(This review covers both seasons 1 and 2) Hey kids! Do you like gothic mystery with a side of mild eldritch horror in the mix? Do you like the original Brothers Grimm fairy tales or the ones by Hans Christian Andersen? Do you want something that harkens to all you Victorian era loving Hot Topic goth kids? Do I have the show for you. Shadows House is an anime based on the ongoing manga by Somato. It centers on a mysterious Western-style mansion high atop a cliff, where mysterious, faceless beings known as Shadows, whose entire bodies are as black as coal and emit soot depending on their emotional state. Because they have no faces of their own, they have servants known as Living Dolls, with each shadow being assigned their own individual Living Doll. Such is the case for young Emilico, a bubbly, curious blonde girl who lives to serve her more stoic, quiet mistress Kate. But Emilico can't help but wonder just what Shadows House is all about. Who are the Shadows? Why do they emit soot? Why are they revered as nobles? Why must living dolls not think of "trivial matters" i.e. anything that isn't serving their masters? What even are the Living Dolls? Shadows House is full of mysteries, and Kate and Emilico soon find themselves uncovering all sorts of terrible secrets. If I were to describe Shadows House as a show, it'd probably be a mix of something like Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, Jane Eyre, and to a lesser extent Hansel and Gretel, since the former two are gothic, atmospheric mysteries with dark understones and the latter is about children being trapped by a wicked villain for unscrupulous purposes. The whole series feels like an old Western fairy tale given new paint, with the animation reflecting this. I haven't read the manga, though I do want to at some point, the animation, done by CloverWorks, manages to really bring Shadows House and its creepy atmosphere to life. Everything about Shadow Houses' production feels ornate, from the patterned embroidery on the Shadows' clothing to the gardens and long hallways, it really oozes that Victorian gothic aesthetic. Of course, the animation itself is no slouch either. It's not exactly a sakuga-fest bursting with kineticism, but the actual character movement does its job well, and nothing looked off-model to my eyes. The music also manages to be similarly eerie and creepy when it needs to, and fairly versatile even without going for that vibe, using everything from low cellos to high violins. Both sets of openings and endings are also well made and well sung. The core of Shadow House's whole premise is its cast of characters, namely the fact that every single shadow is paired with a living doll who is supposed to serve as their face, so you'll be seeing a lot of pairs in this show. There's a lot of characters in the show, and some manage to receive some development while others don't. Part of this is deliberate, as the truth behind why the shadows and Living Dolls are what they are is one of the main mysteries of the show, but even with 26 episodes, Shadows House doesn't get to give every single named character their time in the limelight. I did find the main ensemble to be interesting to follow, both the shadows and their Living Dolls, and they manage to carry the show just fine, with their development culminating quite a bit in season two. Some of the side characters get some time to do stuff as well, but the rest of them just either take up space or only do very little before getting shunted into the background. I found Edward in particular to be rather grating, as he's just your typical cartoon villain who hates the heroes and plots against them for seemingly no reason. He probably has more to him in the manga. Also, I liked Emilico just fine, but I can see some people finding her perpetually sunny personality to be a little too saccharine and cutesy for their tastes. I'm normally not one for mystery series, and seeing as Shadows House's anime is based on an ongoing manga, not every plot thread is going to be wrapped up or followed up on, which is inevitable when adapting a manga that hasn't ended yet. I will say that season two's finale did leave me wanting, not only because it introduces a new character and setting up a new plot thread that we know will never be adapted into anime, but the actual ending itself was really abrupt and made no attempt to hide its "read the manga!" message. There were also points that had me really confused, such as having Kate know certain bits of information while not showing how she managed to learn said information in the first place, an example being when she tries to rile up Barbara early in season two by using a certain someone against her...even though there was nothing in the show that explained how she even learned about said person beforehand. I don't know if the anime accidentally left out some details for the sake of pacing, but it just felt odd to me. Even so, my gripes with it and its cliffhanger ending aside, I did enjoy my time with Shadows House, enough that I do plan on reading the manga when I have the time and funds. It's a slowly-evolving mystery series that really feels like a Western fairy tale in all the best ways.

Set in a mysterious mansion, Shadows House focuses on the denizens of the titular household each having their own Living Doll that regularly clean up the soot emitted from the bodies of their Shadow masters or mistresses. The series mainly focuses on the young Shadow, Kate, and her Living Doll, Emilico, slowly developing a bond together. But as the two spend more time within the mansion with other Shadow and Living Doll pairs, they come to realize some rather dark secrets involving its denizens. Shadows House is a series where first appearances can be deceiving. While seemingly starting off as a sort of slice-of-life series involving the everyday happenings within the mansion, the series gradually dabbles into elements of mystery and drama as episodes progress. Delving into elements of said mystery would be major spoilers for what the series as a whole potentially offers up in later episodes and beyond. But what is explored about the true nature of the Shadows House and its denizens offers some engaging plot developments, themes, and world-building that help further flesh out the series. The only setback with this mystery is that its story continues beyond what this first season offers up and while a second TV season aired last year that continues the story of Shadows House, its manga source material is still ongoing as of the time I write this review. To my understanding, the final three episodes of the series have a story arc exclusive to the anime that may or may not sit well with fans of the manga series. The major element of the series that serves as its highlight are the bonds between the Shadows and their Living Dolls. The Living Dolls are expected to serve as a sort of personal tool for the Shadows they serve and mimicing their actions while communicating with others due to the Shadow's lack of a face. The five pairs of young Shadows and Living Dolls focused on, alongside Kate and Emilico, are shown to have varying degrees of personality and chemistry between one another, each Shadow having different perceptions of how they view their Living Doll and having varying degrees of development as they undergo the trials of the nobles throughout the middle part of the series. Our main pair of characters, in particular, undergo a good deal of development throughout Shadows House with Kate becoming less reserved and growing trusting of Emilico as their bond develops. Visually, Shadows House employs a gothic and regal aesthetic to go along with the mysterious, classy environment that the denizens of the titular mansion strive for. The settings and attire of the series appear inspired from Western Victorian Era attire that look accurate to the setting of the time period that Shadows House is seemingly emulating. The highlight of the show's animation comes from the unique nature and abilities of the Shadows. Their bodies emit soot depending on their emotional state and each one demonstrates unique abilities utilized during later episodes of the series. The series does a great job animating these elements to the Shadows while still retaining the anime's overall animation quality. Overall, Shadows House makes for an engaging mystery-drama exploring the developing bond between Kate and Emilico, as well as the true nature of the titular mansion and its inhabitants. Being based on an ongoing manga series, the series does suffer from the typical shortcomings of being an adaptation with lacking a proper conclusion and not having all its story elements fully fleshed out. But the mentioned second TV season does continue the story, which I hope to have the opportunity to dabble into at some point.

* I gave this review months later after watching this anime* The first time i watch this anime its really confusing from like episode 1-3, but i decided to kept going because i got good recommendation from other people about this anime and its true once you get into it, the anime is really wholesome, the character building is amazing you really get to know each character until like around episode 11+ this show starts to crumble and all of that character building was for nothing. The climax didnt feel like a climax and i didn't get and exitement nor what i was expecting from all of that character building, Honestly overall its a good anime but i feel like the ending is too rushed. Note : This my first review ever and my english is not my first language im sorry if its bad, ill try to improve in the future

Based only on the anime (spoiler free). I love the idea, the story is very interesting and manages to keep building on it's mysteries. However, almost until the end i suffered from the pace of the narration. In term of content this could have been done in 8-9 episodes. I'd say that roughly 30% of what you see is basically useless. Things like: we're in a hurry, but let me waste 3 minutes recapping what happened until now. Or, a door opens (everybody see that) and someone exclaims ''Ooooooh! The door opened! hihi..''. Honestly, around episode 5-6 i almost considered dropping it, but i went on and in the end is kind of worth it. Hopefully in the next season (if ever) they will avoid pointless transitions or characters just stating/thinking the obvious for several minutes.

Shadows House caught my attention early last month. The synopsis sounded interesting, unique, and had reminded me of The Promised Neverland. If you've watched TPN, you will definitely enjoy this anime. It has kids going through a tough situation, as well as elements of mystery and suspense. STORY- 8/10 The plot is very strange and unique. You won't find anything like this anywhere else. With only the limit of 13 episodes, the producers managed to make a well-paced mystery story with suspense, plot-twists, and character development. The show starts out a like a slice of life, with the main character connecting with her Shadow Master through conversations, cleaning, and helping her throughout the day. It quickly picks of pace after that. Up until the last couple episodes, it stuck with the plot from the manga. The ending was anime-original though, and it felt a bit rushed, with them dumping answers to some of the mysteries to quickly, instead of letting it unfold naturally. I haven't read the manga, but I could see some loss in quality story-wise. I like to compare this to the ending from Erased. It wasn't the best, but the series was still super good because of the episodes before. The plot was enjoyable overall, even with the ending. I think that the average watcher will still finish this series with satisfaction. ART- 9/10 The art style is very similar to that of The Promised Neverland. The quality stays consistent throughout the whole show. There a few instances of CGI when one of the characters plays the piano. It wasn't terrible, but it certainly didn't look amazing. All of the characters have distinct designs which correspond with their personalities perfectly. The backgrounds, such as the Shadow Masters' rooms, portray the theme and mood of the show flawlessly. Sound- 8/10 I watched the series with Japanese VAs. All the character's voices fitted their character marvelously. The background music helped portray the mood, but most of it isn't especially memorable. I don't think I'd look up any of the tracks and listen to them, except for the OP & ED. The OP is a instrumental with a lot of feeling, and the ED is just a masterpiece. You have to go take a listen at least once. One episode ended with a major plot twist about a certain character, and the ED was different that time. It showed the state of the mind of that character with a passionate, eerie, and emotional piano piece. CHARACTER- 10/10 I love the characters. They are well-rounded; each one has flaws and strengths. The main characters all go through development as they bond with each other and strive to solve the mysteries of Shadows House. The antagonist had a motivation, although it was a bit cliche: he wanted to rise in rank and gain power. There was a major plot-twist involving one of the characters that left my mind reeling. Very fun to watch. ENJOYMENT- 10/10 I love this show. I, personally, can't get enough of mystery shows. This show was a perfect mystery series to watch. I highly recommend this anime to anyone that loves the mystery, suspense, and the slice of life genres. This show will stick with you for a long time.

This anime is pretty underrated ngl. If you liked The Promised Neverland then I'm pretty sure you'll like this anime as well since the art style looks pretty identical as well as the mystery aspect of the show. The characters in the show are pretty good, especially the shadow people since they had to rely on their personality since we can't see their face. Personal favorite is John, loved that fucker. I would say the only thing holding this back is the ending since it felt pretty anticlimactic since nothing really changed nor progressed the story. Though I am looking forward to the next season since the plot did intrigued me throughout the first season. I recommend giving this go If you're into animes that involve mystery. Also the ending song is a banger so I also recommend staying for the credits.

Man- this show really gave me something to think about. I haven't gotten around to reading the manga yet, but that's definitely on my to-do list now! Shadows House is a strange but not unwelcome blend of slice of life, horror, and mystery thriller. It's sense of general levity is always underlaid with something sinister, and it really draws you in. The concept is already strong- it's general enough to hold a basically infinite amount of possibilities. I will say that it falls off a bit towards the end, as it tries to cram in a hecc ton of plot and exposition that was built up throughout the story, but it's a slight hindrance to an overall good story. The characters are a bit gimmicky, but enjoyable enough, and their interactions are really fun to watch. Overall, this is a really enjoyable show, highly recommend!

Story and characters: This show is full of mystery. Everything takes a while to start making sense. Many of the characters have oddly strong personalities, which is unnatural since they are childlike, but it seems necessary for the story to move on. The plot develops slowly so some audiences may find it unexciting. I think it is worth some patience. Art: So rich and detailed, it fits the atmosphere of mystery so well. You can tell it took a lot of work to be done and the result was amazing. Sound: I found nothing to complain about it. I consider the ending song one of the best of the season. Overall: I think this show is great and has a good premise and potential. The characters are interesting, and so is the world they are in. I can't talk about it because there is so much mystery to be spoiled.

An interesting take on the dystopian genre. Shadows House, just like the recently aired Promised Neverland, deal in a twisted world and society, and have innocent, but rebelling children that want to take control over their own lives. Shadows House, however, stands out in its premise: living dolls and shadows! It's quite interesting how there's an entire plot built on these two things, and how their worlds are dictated by shadows. But, what exactly are shadows? What the hell is soot? What is the objective of Lord Grandfather. Like any dystopian story, there's a lot of mysteries that get slowly unfurled and uncovered as the story progresses. The relationship between living dolls and Shadows are a lot more interesting that the dull, master-servant relationship present in a lot of fantasy stories, where there's a mystical beast, some sentient weapon bound to the hero or protagonist that acts as a companion. Even something like Navi and Link are just quite dull, because we all know that these things are just support characters and sometimes comic relief for the main character. Shadows house does something really interesting because despite it having a master-servant relationship between Living dolls and shadows, there's a lot more to the relationship than just that: they are two sides of the same coin. One cannot just discard a living doll if they dislike it, and likewise, a living doll is stuck with their shadow master. Such is the relationship, and thus, it makes for a very interesting way of viewing how shadows interact with their living dolls, how shadows interact with other shadows, and in turn, how living dolls interact with other living dolls and shadow masters. Pair this pair-like relationship between each main character of the story with the set of mysteries in the shadow house, and also, maybe the unhidden horrors, and you really have a super unique premise and strong characters. I do admit, some of the characters could have been developed more, but just being able to see the different perspectives of how the shadows interact with their living dolls alone, pared with how differently they act when others are around is more than enough for decent characterization. Again, I wish that there was more time focused on that, but the story must progress, I suppose, and I still find most of the characters to be likable. Rum not being one of them, by the way. Of course, our main characters, Kate and Emilico are also decent. Kate's a good character, period, but Emilico is clearly the "protagonist" of the story, with her likability among shadows and living dolls alike, as well as her unyielding desire to never give up, make sure everyone's happy, and so overall, she's quite a dull character, but at the same time, to be expected. Kate, like many of the other characters in this show, does not get as much screen time as I liked for being the shadow master to Emilico. At the same time, there's just that semblance of tension present in dystopian stories that is not just present in Shadows house. Whether it be during the debut, where supposedly, characters should be struggling to survive, or when they break rules to achieve an objective or find out a secret, as all dystopian stories tend to have, there's no real high tension risk. Even when these characters get caught in the act, it feels more like a "oopsie, I ate a cookie from the jar" done by a kid rather than the risk being literal death and execution. This is the one problem that I find to be rather glaring. While there are some violent undertones, and the shadow house a myriad of lies and horrors, the overall theme of the story is really happy and lacks that tension something like Promised neverland creates quite well with avoiding the caretaker. I did not find much of that tension even with direct confrontation with Edwards. I don't really care that the shadows and living dolls work together when they are supposedly enemies, as that's a clear theme in the story, but it does seem like a lot of obstacles that they encounter that should be difficult and challenging are trivialized and always go their way. And that's another problem with the story. On one hand, you have a "Lord grandfather" that has the all powerful control over the shadows, but on the other hand, there are clear cracks in the system that he creates, perhaps on purpose that are excessively exploited by everyone in the house that has half a brain. He clearly advocates for complete loyalty, yet at the same time, allows for disloyalty. There's essentially too much freedom given to the shadows and Living dolls that I find to be a bit contradictory to the entire theme of the story. However, that being said, I enjoyed the story. It's a fresh perspective of the western dystopian genre with a uniquely japanese twist

When I first saw the name I was curious and when I saw the cover it was too late - I was going to watch it. The asthetic of the show draws you in and it's a good thing it does because I might've skipped this show otherwise. So what is Shadows House? It's a mystery with very subtle hints of horror. It's not difficult to feel that something is not right even with Emilico blasting you with positivity from the very first episode... Honestly, I did no like her at first but she grew on me (the characters in general grow a lot and I enjoyed watching them alone or interacting with each other). But her being genki to the bone didn't detract from the sheer intrigue of the setting. Who are the shadows? Who are the dolls? What about humans? Is soot a sort of virus? Fascinating and intriguing, the show reminded me of Neverland but if Neverland is akin to an abusive parent who goes wild with a certain regularity, Shadows House is a foster parent who, you think, may or may not be planning to sell you to a Nike factory in China. Both are good, by the way (the shows, not abusive parents). While Shadows House might be a bit too positive and subtle at times, there is a lot to like here otherwise, whether it's the style or the plot. Why am I praising this but not Odd Taxi (an amazing show from the same season) or even Neverland? Because Shadows House deserves more attention. I don't need to tell you that Neverland is good *cough* the first season *cough* but do give Shadows House a chance. it might pleasantly surprise you.

(no spoilers) "Don't fret over trivial matters". You will hear this phrase many times while watching this show. It is the Shadow House's Prime Directive, its Alpha and Omega. There is a reason for that that I'm not going to spoil, and this reason is gradually disclosed. In a sense, this phrase is the central mantra of the show. Shadows House is an anime with a very original story, some non pretentious philosophical and existential comments on the individuality (or *non* individuality) of self and on free will, and finally a rather scathing critique of classism, social prejudice and discrimination. I read that the first 10 episodes follow the manga and the last 3 largely don't, but I cannot compare the latter to the manga since I have not read it. I gave the story a "9" both because it is a very well and solidly written show and due to how original and "different" (in a good way) I thought it was. The art & animation was quite good but not exactly dazzling. The animators handled the "dolls" well (though rather conventionally) but I think they did the best work with the "Shadows". They had almost nothing to work with, since their entire body was pitch black. And yet somehow -with the help of their voice actors- they managed to give them personality, mannerisms and character! Sometimes less is more, and this is one of these cases. The background art was Victorian-like, dark & moody but quite detailed, and I don't think any low or mid grade CGI was ever used. I think the art is worth an "8". The music and songs were a perfect fit for this show. There was't an episode I skipped either the OP (instrumental) song or the song (with lyrics) of the ED because I loved to listen to them every week. The intermediate music of Kenichiro Suehiro was also very good and a nice companion for this show. I think the music is also worth a "8". All the major characters were well developed. The characters of some adults were not, by design, since some secrets about them are reserved for the (potential) season 2. But the major characters of the children were fleshed out more than adequately. The two main leads Emilico and Kate are the most well developed characters, followed by John & Shaun and the story's antagonist Edward. The characters get a "8" as well. I rated enjoyment with "7" simply because it is not the most cheerful and enjoyable anime of the season, at least according to my opinion. All that soot and darkness might turn your mood a bit sour if it's already sour-ish. Thankfully there was the bright "sunshine" Emilico in every episode, to blow away the soot and light up the darkness! She is not the brightest bulb in the box but she is literally the heart and "light" of the show. One last comment about this show's genres : MAL has listed Shadows House as a "Slice of Life, Supernatural, Seinen" show. While not *strictly* episodic (particularly during the first half) it is clearly not a slice of life show. It also turns episodic during the second half. I am not sure if it should be considered a seinen or shounen show - that would depend on the precise definition of the terms; strictly in terms of age it seems to be perfectly OK for children 13+, for instance. What's certain, though, is that it indeed has quite a few supernatural elements but above all the primary genre is *mystery*, which is not even among the listed genres. Overall I think Shadows House is worth an "8", and I really hope we get a second season.

This show starts out as something special. In a setup vaguely reminiscent of Haibane Renmei, the main character is 'born' into a society filled with supernatural mysteries and must learn her place within its hierarchy. Where Haibane did this with people falling out of the sky into a kind and nurturing environment, Shadows House has Emilico awaken as a 'living doll' who exists only to serve her shadow-faced mistress in a mansion filled with nobles obsessed with kicking each other down to advance their own status. Over the first five episodes, Emilico stumbles through this unforgiving environment, learning its rules, and encountering the strange powers and creatures at work around her. For those five episodes, this show is a solid 8/10, maybe a 9. It doesn't last, unfortunately. At the mid-point of its 13-episode run, the pacing grinds to a halt while the characters spend the next five episodes wandering around a garden maze. After the show's initial setup of gothic supernatural mystery, this section feels like nothing so much as a shonen battle school exam, while various nefarious factions plot away in the background. I was not expecting to be making comparisons to Naruto or Bleach when this show started, and the transition is every bit as jarring as that sounds. It develops the languid pace of those shows for a while too, despite it not having hundreds of episodes to burn. Things improve somewhat once they're finally out of the garden maze, but by that point there's only three episodes left. I worried that we would never get answers to any of the story's many mysteries, but what ends up happening might be worse. In a painfully blunt piece of maid-and-butler dialogue, two of the villains just go ahead and tell the viewer the answers to almost everything. There's no slow, dramatic reveal. No shocking consequences. They just spell it all out for us like they're discussing the weather, and so it has no impact. Meanwhile, Emilico and her mistress spend the final few episodes dealing with other problems. It seems like this will have lasting repercussions at first, but it all leads to a damp squib of a denouement that just returns everything to the previous status quo. It's a real shame to see a story with so much potential reduced to yet another glorified advert for an ongoing light novel series.