The Girl Without a Face Japanese Manga Thoughts

 

   I don't know much about Tearontaron as an author but I picked up his/her's manga titled The Girl Without a Face by chance. I'm not sure if this is the author's first manga or not but the art stood out to me. Also, the manga is a one shot; making me more inclined to buy a physical copy. 

   A human boy has a girlfriend that he spends everyday with. He loves her so much that he gave up living in the human world to be with her. They only problem is...... SHE DOESN'T HAVE A FACE. 

      This manga is comprised of many short stories revolving around the strange relationship between a human guy and a Yokai. These stories are very simple but have parts that are cute. Maybe even funny considering the idea that dating a no face girl isn't normal. She doesn't have a mouth which means she can't talk and her actions are weirdly cute . However, the sweet part of this manga is the boyfriends ability to understand his girlfriend even without normal communication. Plus you start to get used to their relationship dynamic, causing the girl to feel more and more human. Both their love for each other actually was strong enough in the story to make you visualize what her facial expression would look like if she had one. Most of the book is told from the boyfriend's view point. Then toward the end, the view point switches to the faceless girl. The Girl Without a Face is really just a slice of life manga that mixes in supernatural elements lightly as a world builder. If you give this manga a read, you will be going"awww" ing all the way to the last page. 

    The art has a youthful Shoujo look to the drawings. I wouldn't call this manga a shojo manga completely but it has a lot of romance that's amplified in the big round face of the boyfriend. The world of Yokai kinda blends into the background then comes forward when the two are walking around the neighborhood. I liked how the festival and lake scenes were presented as scenery in the story. Art is the big factor that make stores like these even work. 

    Some people might be put off by a story about a girl missing a face. I'll tell you that the story isn't scary at all. You will get cavities from the sweet moments more than anything else. ENJOY!!!