Shirley

Third Mori Kaoru review, this will be brief. Just like Emma, Shirley is a maid show set during the Victorian era, yet rather than a historical romance it is a slow paced and lighthearted slice-of-life read, without fanservice or conflict.

Iyashikei lovers (especially fans of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou) may appreciate this much but overall, I recommend it to everybody who craves for a short and easy read without violence.

Outside two standalone stories included, the manga is devoted to the intertwined lives of 13 years old orphan Shirley Madison and 28 years old Cranry Bennett, a cafe owner.

After advertising for a maid in order to release some burden from her hectic lifestyle, Cranry takes in little Shirley, a decision that proves beneficial for both.

• Shirley is an adorable girl but her true noteworthy trait is being precocious, for she shows to be quite competent as a maid-for-all-work, especially impressive given the enormous amounts of work maids-of-all-work had to bear.
• Her mistress Cranry is also a fascinating character and an oddity for Victorian times, a strong woman marching to her own beat and desiring to conserve her independence emotionally and fiscally (to the extent of refusing suitors).

The two ladies' chemistry and time spend together drives the work, and they gradually forge a wonderful bond not unlike that of sisters. There are also foundations for character-driven drama unrelated to their relationship, but this has yet to be shown and might be included in a future release.

The artwork is functional, overall good and greatly detailed quite some times, especially in tools and clothing (this is Mori Kaoru we are talking about). There are also some great backgrounds and parts are also quite cinematic, e.g. key details frequently made for good contrasts with blank space.

However, although it might be unfair to compare the artwork to that of her other larger works, Mori Kaoru appeared to have prioritised her larger pieces over Shirley. There were occasions where panels were drawn in a relative rush, evident in e.g. backgrounds that devolved from functional to seriously lacking needed details.

Nonetheless, the occasional drop in quality did not affect me too much, for I was in bliss over the slice-of-life. Shirley's true drawback is the short number of chapters plus the ongoing status, but one won't spend too much time reading up to the final chapter.