Once upon a time...
There was a little girl named Shiva.
Shiva lives in a small house in a land of "Outsiders", with a figure she calls "Teacher". The tall, dark, mysterious yet homely Teacher is an Outsider: said in books and fairy tales to be cursed by a god of dark, in recompense to being banished from the human world by a goddess of light. Outsiders can spread the curse and make more monsters by touch, so Teacher will not ever let tiny Shiva touch him. They share a special bond nonetheless; one that is warm, cosy and comforting without the need for physical contact. Human and inhuman are happy together.
But outside the Outside world - a "light" kingdom inhabited by none-cursed humans, the Insiders - there are people, soldiers, who want to kill any Outside creature they come across; out of fear, and desperation to eradicate the curse, the contamination, the plague. Shiva is a normal child in extraordinary, supernatural circumstances. She loves sugary tea, and knows someone who is "cursed", who looks like a traditional monster, but would never hurt anyone. The two are a harmless family, living in peace.
Beware, light child - in her surroundings and in hearts - who walks the lines between day, night and twilight, you will become a target for those on the Inside who fear what they don't understand.
Who are the twisted ones in this tale?
What a lovely, eerie, spectral, non-traditional fairy tale about getting lost in the dark, dark woods.
'The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún Vol. 1' is a nice blend of light and dark - literally contrasted as two different kingdoms here - of sweet and sinister, with layers, that can be read through like a ghostly tapestry in under half an hour.
What I didn't get from another fantasy manga, 'The Ancient Magus' Bride', I got from 'The Girl from the Other Side'. There's no romance, nor any of that disturbing subtext that's not subtext; the little manga about a little girl living near dark wood with a scary-looking demon man who isn't so scary after all has all the simple beauty of an ethereal pearl.
The adorable little girl, Shiva, shows more assertiveness and survival skills than the female protagonist, Chise, in 'The Ancient Magus' Bride'. She and Teacher have a healthy, almost equal relationship; that of a guardian for an angel and her whims. Teacher cares about his charge, but he keeps secrets from her. Important secrets she will need to know in order to survive in a cruel, scary, scared, divided world. The risk of sacrificing her carefree innocence will be proven essential to take.
Funny how I found the unintentional creepiness in 'The Ancient Magus' Bride' to be far more unsettling than the intentional creepiness in 'The Girl from the Other Side'. The former is the real horror story. Heck, the latter is an all-ages manga! Nothing objectionable in it.
A great reflection on what constitutes light and dark, good and bad, normal and strange. A mirror on the fear of "Outsiders", or to put it another way, the "Other". 'The Girl from the Other Side' is a quiet, enchanting fairy tale for both the kid at heart and the adult in mind, reminding us of both the simple things in life, and of its darkness, which comes in many colours.
Final Score: 4/5
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