Elegant Yokai Apartment Life is one of the latest series to join Noeve Grafx's catalog. The series is part of the publisher's XS collection, a novelty available recently.
Elegant Yokai Apartment Life
Elegant Yokai Apartment Life is a shonen by Kozuki Hinowa and Miyama Waka completed in 24 volumes. Although the series was released in 2011 in Japan, the first volume is only available since April 15, 2022 in France. Indeed, it is published by Noeve Grafx in the XS collection.
"Yūshi Inaba, 16, is not the luckiest teenager. Orphaned by his uncle, he hopes to gain his independence by living in boarding school… which is ravaged by flames! He finally finds a room at a (far too) low price, and for good reason: the place is haunted!
The elegant old house in which he moves brings together humans, yōkai and various spirits. It is in this atypical but strangely warm cohabitation that a new life begins for Yûshi!"
For those who could not wait for the release of the second volume to know the continuation of Yūshi's adventures, the series is available in anime. Indeed, the latter is available on Crunchyroll since 2017 and has 26 episodes.
The XS collection?
We have mentioned this collection several times, but what is it exactly? The publishing house Noeve Grafx, had announced the launch of an edition at a low price but of good quality. And here it is now on the market! What about the price? If we tell you that all the volumes of this collection will be sold at 3.95 €, without time limit? This is good news, we agree! At present, 9 series will integrate this collection. The first 3 series are available since April 15, 2022: Elegant Yokai Apartment Life, Coppelion and Hôzuki the Stoic. The second wave this summer will include Sweetness & Lightning, Peachboy Riverside and Mardock Scramble. Finally, the third wave will take place in autumn and will offer Aho Girl, Are You Lost? and Capeta.
An original work
So yes, works dealing with Yokai, ghosts and other spirits is not original, we agree. However, unlike the other works, our characters do not aim to exorcise or purify these spirits. On the contrary, they have lived in harmony with them for decades. And even more, they protect them when they are in danger. Surprising isn't it? That's what we liked about this first volume. Indeed, we discover this world at the same time as Yûshi Inaba, the main character of the series. He did not imagine for a second that his first year of high school would begin in this way. And yet, following a fire, he finds himself in a haunted house. He discovers a world that was totally unknown to him. How to differentiate a human from a ghost? Well, it's not as simple as it finally seems and that, Yūshi will learn over his meetings. One of the big highlights of this series is that the storyline is light, simple while being catchy. Indeed, in this first volume, 3 months will pass between the first and the last page of the story. Although the volume is not long, the story is not too fast. Indeed, the author dwells on important points and accelerates the pace when more "banal" situations arise. This first volume therefore flies over this new universe that is offered to us. Since the series has 24 volumes, we should learn more about the yōkai as well as the other characters and their abilities fairly quickly.
An intriguing first volume!
In addition, the graphics are also very appreciable. The pencil strokes are fine, the drawings are clean and we can easily distinguish the different characters. Also, the boxes have enough detail to make us a little more intrigued by the story. Regarding the characters, we meet a number of them in this first volume. Between the other inhabitants of the haunted house, the various spirits who also live there and Yūshi's classmates, you will have to be attentive to remember who is who. However, some reminders are made regarding the main characters. And here again, a very large panel is available to us. Men, women, children, animals, spirits, … All are represented and each has an importance. From a successful novelist to an exorcist, an antique dealer, a cook… and even a she-wolf protecting a child and his dog! And their status or appearance does not matter since they are all comrades, even our dear Yūshi, who has recently arrived. This cohesion within this haunted house is very inspiring and allows us to reflect on everyone's place. Indeed, despite the "light" side of this work, more serious subjects can be addressed. In this first volume, we are told about the past of Kuri, a ghost child who unfortunately died at the hands of his mother. Not a very cheerful business, we grant you. However, everyone's reactions to this story and the actions of the child's mother over the pages do not leave indifferent. We will not tell you more so as not to spoil the discovery of these events. Finally, this first volume ends with an action full of suspense whose outcome we can't wait to discover! Eagerly the publication of the second volume in France. To conclude, this first volume is a very nice discovery. The scenario is interesting, the drawings are of quality and the different characters are endearing. What more could you ask for for a first volume?
