This is one of the best Touhou doujins that I've read recently. It surpassed my expectations on almost all accounts; the story is touching and the art is gorgeous. Not to say that it isn't flawless, there are a few hiccups, but they pale in comparison to the bigger picture.

The story itself sounds really simple on paper; Hourai, one of Alice's dolls, becomes self-aware. But, since Hourai doesn't know how Alice will react to her new-found consciousness, she decides to keep it a secret. Of course, it wouldn't be any fun if anyone wasn't aware of this juicy little secret. Enter Marisa, who almost immediately becomes Hourai's target of animosity (never really met her, but she hates her... huh), which causes her to discover what Hourai's hiding.

The big questions are raised pretty subtly in the first chapter: just how did Hourai become sentient in the first place? Was is just out of love for her master, or maybe for something more sinister...? And if this happened to Hourai, what are the odds of it happening to Alice's other dolls? It's these almost semi-unimportant questions that just lay in the back of the readers' minds as they read and go unaddressed until the last volume, which is rather disappointing. I would have liked a bit more build-up instead of having everything brought out in the open at the last minute. That's the only flaw with the story that I noticed; I was almost too busy looking at the pretty art.

Which brings up my most anticipated topic: the art. Its really pleasant to look at, and it has a significant effect on the atmosphere, which can range from bright and fluffy to dark and somewhat scary. But what I found the most interesting were the character designs. All the characters, with possibly the exception of Alice and the dolls, have a different wardrobe in each volume. Its refreshing to see them with various outfits and hairstyles rather than the same thing in every other Touhou-jin. Also, it's very detailed, both with the characters and the environment.

I suppose I could harp on how their hair styles change everyday (why would anyone do that?), but hair styles aren't a subject I'm adept with, so I'm probably making too much of a big deal out of it. I personally didn't mind, in fact I like the diversity, but since someone may be bothered by this small lack of consistency, I had to bring it up.

Normally, I would hardly feel compelled to give a doujin a rating, especially a Touhou-jin at that, but this one is simply too good to pass up. As with other Touhou-jins, knowing a little about Touhou will help understand what's going on. Thankfully, this doesn't affect the funny bits; after all, no good joke requires the audience to research it.

... Last updated on May 21st, 2012, 7:39pm