This was really a manga with a lot of highs and lows for me. Let me just say first that I liked the second half way more than the first half, though there is undoubtedly a charm throughout the whole story. The biggest strength of this manga is by far the art, Irie does a fantastic job bringing every panel to life and since our characters can use magic that means there's all sorts of fantastic looking sequences. For the most part the characters are great as well, and I really liked the developing relationship between Hibi and Ran.

So, elephant in the room. Outarou was the worst and he kind of ruined the early manga. Really the problem is that I think I'm supposed to find the scenes with him and Ran charming or romantic. Nothing could be further from the truth though, almost every scene with Outarou in it was just painful. I mean even if you ignore the fact that Ran is even younger than she looks, he STILL acknowledges that he's too old for her and goes after her with gusto anyhow. Even after he finds out she's actually 10 he doesn't even slow down, just keeps sticking his tongue down that throat. It's creepy as heck.

Using magic in your story is a double edged sword. On one hand, it allows for fantastic visuals and some very creative scenarios. On the other hand there's a whole lot of "uh, because it's magic" going on in the story. Magic is cool and all buy it does let the author be kind of lazy with the storytelling as a whole.


Three quick points:


Overall I still give the whole thing an 8/10. Despite the flaws and the fact that I hated Outarou this was still an enjoyable manga once you got past the opening slump.

... Last updated on October 30th, 2016, 7:40pm

I read these reviews and steeled myself for soft porn and an annoying protagonist. I got neither. This story is beautiful. Outarou's selfish obsessive love was the perfect contrast to highlight the healthy nourishing love exhibited by Hibi. Both loves were real but one relationship obviously displays the better dynamic.

The progression of Ran's mental maturity was incredibly vivid against a dazzling magical backdrop. In fact, the emotional changes all the family members and supporting characters experience are so wonderful I want more even of those side stories that gave us glimpses into their lives. What a family. What a read. I was impressed by how easily I fell into its rythymn. I want to read it all again. And I will. :3

Well-executed storytelling, beautiful, clean art that deserves its own paragraph and entertaining engaging characters. Who could ask for anything more? Well. I could ask that it be animated.

... Last updated on February 11th, 2015, 3:43pm

I love the setting and the art in this manga ,you read the manga and you feel the magic all the time .
It's hard to believe sometimes it's happens in Japan ,feels like British book . Very beautiful and enjoyable.

The skill that goes into the art of this story is amazing. The artist somehow manages to convey concepts such as innocence and otherworldly beauty. My favorite example is when Ran wakes up in the playboys garden, and he's left speechless by her. We are shown why he is speechless through the art, with no words necessary to guide us to that. Her beauty and her guilelessness is all expressed through the drawing.

As to the plot, I have to agree with philip72. It's a very calm and well-paced story. It's still early, but there is a lot of potential, and the style suggests that it will capitalize on that.

This one has delicious art but the story is subpar.

I know people will argue that the main character is 10 years old so acting like a little brain dead brat is ok. However, It still does not excuse for her extremely idiotic actions which leads to the deaths of many crows and fatal injuries of her own family members.

The author also tried really hard to make Outarou likable while drawing scenes of him being a complete dick to everybody and a creepy pervert to Ran. This puzzles me; why did the author paint him as an asshole if you want us to sympathize with him? My guess is that the author, like many girls, finds bad boys appealing. Bad boys who, for some miraculous reason, will devote to you and you only. Horrible taste if I might say. She did try to salvage his character at the end but a good author should know that cheap writing shot never works.

Oh did I mentioned that Outaro ( a ~ 30 yr old man) still kisses and gropes Ran all over even after he finds out that she's only 10?

... Last updated on September 11th, 2015, 2:24am

I really do love this story, and it's for feel-good reasons that stand out to me more than anything else about it. It is flamboyant, outrageous and unpredictably playful - so much so that its magic is charming, and the characters grow on you with every chapter. Ran is so pure and naive it's not of serious and heartfelt nature. This story speaks of childhood and a love for fantasy, I would hardly call it a "slice-of-life" because it's as far-stretched from that as you can get. Perhaps mild undertones of reality would be appropriate. As far as character development goes, the story focuses more on the strength of character bonds and friendship rather than actual dynamic growth.

... Last updated on August 29th, 2023, 1:18am

this series is a lovely fantasy slice-of-life, with gorgeous art, and wonderful characters. Then there's outarou, who actively dislikable: an incredibly strong character, but one whose mishandling could kill the series. As it is this is a top rate story (c19). however, moreso then other series, this could drastically change.

I usually like manga that teaches you something, but for my own enjoyment I can read light stuff like this. It won't give you moral lessons but rather would give you feels. Though there are erotic moments here and there, it shows women not as source of lust but as source of beauty and life. This crosses with Ran's mother using her powers to create blossoms and birds: it's almost as her powers are coming from her ultra-femimine attitude. I guess that, without telling a word, this manga teaches you the image of naturally attractive female and of female gender role. To know more, just observe Sango, for example. But there are more different images of being woman: being playful, being relaxed, being innocent and kiddish. All kinds of female characters you wont find anywhere else are in this manga. Perfectly drawn in an unusual style which suits it so well!
(This describes the first part of manga, and you be ready to meet something really different after a certain point.)

The character growth...it is there. Who actually said that it should be main character's growth? Ran changes people around her, staying herself at the same time.

The other kind of feel comes later, and it's the feel of human struggling to survive and save own personality and life, to be able to continue to love. But I won't spoil it, though that's the part of story I enjoyed too, in a different way.

... Last updated on January 21st, 2014, 4:44am

I really disliked the main relationships between pretty much everyone esp Outarou. It's a shame since I adore the art and inspirations from myths and fairytales. Also keep in mind the MC is only approx elementary schooler so this is going in a weird direction regardless of magical shoes.

The story got significantly better after a certain section, because of the event, it seemed that Ran got her shit together unlike the earlier chapters. There was not much a consistent storyline, it seemed more to focus on random events occurring in the characters lives with a few main plot lines sprinkled in. Favorite character I liked the most is the brother. Cause he literally was logical unlike the mom and sister. I wished there was more info on the family relationship. More perspective from the brother and how he views his family, specifically his mom.