"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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ㅤ ㅤ 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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ㅤ ㅤ 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. ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ 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. ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ 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. ㅤ ㅤ