OVERVIEW From the same studio that adapted A Promised Neverland, CloverWorks brings us another gem that deserves to be more than just a shadow of the aforementioned A Promised Neverland. But enough of these crappy shadow puns, let's get into the review! Shadow's House is adapted from the manga of the same name, and is a phenomenal combination of moe and dark fantasy. While I am a massive fan of this so called "gap moe", I think that this show will have enough of a dark setting and mystery to bring in people that are not big fans of moe. Since these themes are also prevalent in A Promised Neverland, I think that this show will be unjustly compared to it in many ways. However, that's where the similarities begin and end. While A Promised Neverland (the anime at least) is slow and painful, Shadows House gives us just enough information to keep us engaged in the mystery of the House, while also giving us some tension to rival even the best sports anime. So go into the show with an open mind, knowing that this is probably one of the most unique premises ever in the medium of anime. STORY Shadows house is set in a dark and mysterious mansion that this seemingly set apart from the rest of the world. In this house, are shadows that are constantly emitting soot that dirties their rooms. To manage this soot, they each have a living doll that acts as their room cleaner, servant, and (in a backwards way) shadow. The story follows the particularly interesting shadow and living doll pair of Kate and Emilico as they try to navigate the mysteries of the Shadows House and also climb the social ladder that exists within the house. Not being the manga reader, the anime covers three arcs (up to chapter 47 of the manga) of the manga and then has a filler fourth arc that was created since they did not have enough episodes left to start and finish the next arc. From my limited knowledge, the filler arc changes nothing in the manga except introducing a detail which is a little bit of a spoiler for future arcs. However, in the context of the anime, this spoiler gives the arc just enough to get us over the hump of the arc being an enjoyable waste of time. To me, the story is unique and quite engaging especially for an anime. I rarely see stories in anime crafted around a place that is not a high school with characters that are not pulled straight from a generic isekai. I will not go into any spoilers for the show, but the arcs are engaging and fulfill their purpose in introducing us to the characters and then pushing the plot forward. CHARACTERS While the characters certainly are not the next Eren Yeager (pre-end of AOT) of character development, There is a lot of worthwhile characters that noticeably grow as the show unfolds. This is especially so with the main two characters of Kate and Emilico. While two are almost polar opposites, as the show develops, we can see their relationship grow in ways completely different from many in the Shadows House, which makes watching the two of them a truly enjoyable experience. The two of them also affect their fellow shadows and living dolls, changing them in ways that they themselves did not expect. To this end, each pair has a place in the story making the cast seem refreshing and diverse. (Just to mention, while I really liked characters like Shaun, Kate, Lou, and Louis, my heart cannot be swayed into saying that any other character but Emilico is my favorite. I mean, who can say no to this loveable idiot?) ART & MUSIC I have very little to say about the art and the music besides saying that I REALLY LIKED THEM. This is especially with the music, which gives us a creepy and apprehensive feeling whenever the main theme is softy playing in the background. ReoNa absolutely killed it with the ending "Nai Nai", giving us a feeling almost of hopelessness as we see each pair of shadows and their living doll trapped in their rooms. The opening "a hollow shadow" by Kenichirou Suehiro was also a great way (for me at least) to get hyped for every episode (in a traditional non-shounen way). Finally, getting back to the art, the art style seemed to be faithful to the manga, while also being smoothly animated when the intense scenes played. The color contrasts were also done well to highlight the differences between each of the shadows, and their living dolls. CONCLUSION I am sure that as you read (or skipped to the end, I don't care), you saw my bias towards this show, so let me drop a huge spoiler right here and now: I really liked this show. Even with the filler arc, which is probably the one thing subtracting from it, it was still an extremely solid show with an engaging story, good characters, amazing music, and (probably most importantly) a unique premise. So open the blinds and step out of the shadows and watch Shadows House, because it is a gem that deserves more attention.

Oh no, I made another lame pun.