Shadows House

Shadows House (シャドーハウス) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the duo Somato. It has been serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Young Jump since September 2018, with its chapters collected in seventeen  volumes as of May 2024. An anime television series adaptation produced by CloverWorks aired from April to July 2021. A second season aired from July to September 2022.

Plot
In a grandiose and dark mansion live the denizens of the Shadow House, attended by their Living Doll partners who endlessly clean the soot their masters emit. Emilico, a young and cheerful Living Doll, is delighted to start serving her mistress Kate. As the two grow closer and are slowly exposed to various events within the House, they start to discover a number of dark secrets.

Living Dolls
Living Dolls are the servants of the Shadows, with each Shadow master having their own Doll. The Doll and their master have an identical silhouette and differ merely in their presence (or absence) of a face and their clothes. The Living Dolls are revealed to be humans that have all been abducted from a place called Mirrorside Village next to the Shadows House. Due to the Shadows House's production of charcoal for the village as an energy source, the villagers are all brainwashed into believing that letting their children work for the House is an ultimate bliss. All children from the village are trained by the school to be selected for by the third-floor Shadows, with the exception of Emilico.
 * Emilico (エミリコ)
 * Kate's Living Doll, named after the protagonist of a storybook Kate enjoyed. Emilico is characterized by her cheerful, optimistic and kind demeanour, as well as her tendency to try and help anyone she can. Outside of being Kate's Living Doll, she is a member of Cleaning Squad 10 with Lou, Rosemary and Mia, and later becomes its leader. Despite sharing very different personalities, she and Kate get along very well. As they pry deeper into the secrets of the Shadows House, she begins to regain memories of her former life as a tightrope walker in a travelling circus, when she was invited to enter the House by Shaun, Lou, Ricky and Rum.
 * Kate's Living Doll, named after the protagonist of a storybook Kate enjoyed. Emilico is characterized by her cheerful, optimistic and kind demeanour, as well as her tendency to try and help anyone she can. Outside of being Kate's Living Doll, she is a member of Cleaning Squad 10 with Lou, Rosemary and Mia, and later becomes its leader. Despite sharing very different personalities, she and Kate get along very well. As they pry deeper into the secrets of the Shadows House, she begins to regain memories of her former life as a tightrope walker in a travelling circus, when she was invited to enter the House by Shaun, Lou, Ricky and Rum.


 * Shaun (ショーン)
 * An intelligent and steadfast boy who is John's Living Doll. While initially put under the effects of the brainwashing coffee, a fist-fight with John brings him back to his senses. He becomes Emilico and Kate's closest companion alongside his master as they rebel against the Shadows House. His original name is John, and he used to be the oldest of three siblings and the head of their class back in Mirrorside Village.
 * An intelligent and steadfast boy who is John's Living Doll. While initially put under the effects of the brainwashing coffee, a fist-fight with John brings him back to his senses. He becomes Emilico and Kate's closest companion alongside his master as they rebel against the Shadows House. His original name is John, and he used to be the oldest of three siblings and the head of their class back in Mirrorside Village.


 * Lou (ルウ)
 * A quiet, obedient and extremely beautiful girl who is Louise's Living Doll. While portrayed as listless most of the time, Lou is very determined and resolute when she sets her mind to things. Her original name is Louise.
 * A quiet, obedient and extremely beautiful girl who is Louise's Living Doll. While portrayed as listless most of the time, Lou is very determined and resolute when she sets her mind to things. Her original name is Louise.


 * Ricky (リッキー)
 * Patrick's Living Doll who is first portrayed to be just as arrogant and prideful as his master, but as he warms up to the rest of the debutante class shows a more sensitive and kind personality. He later becomes enamoured with Lou. His original name is Patrick.
 * Patrick's Living Doll who is first portrayed to be just as arrogant and prideful as his master, but as he warms up to the rest of the debutante class shows a more sensitive and kind personality. He later becomes enamoured with Lou. His original name is Patrick.


 * Rum (ラム)
 * A shy, reserved Living Doll who seldom converses with anyone, even her master Shirley. After failing the debut, Rum is seemingly destroyed as a defective tool, later speculated to have been turned into a Faceless. She is revealed to have retained her sense of self thanks to Shirley, and becomes an insider for Kate's rebellion. Her original name is Shirley.
 * A shy, reserved Living Doll who seldom converses with anyone, even her master Shirley. After failing the debut, Rum is seemingly destroyed as a defective tool, later speculated to have been turned into a Faceless. She is revealed to have retained her sense of self thanks to Shirley, and becomes an insider for Kate's rebellion. Her original name is Shirley.


 * Mia (ミア)
 * A sassy and playful girl who is Sarah's Living Doll. She is the second-in-command of Cleaning Squad 10 below Rosemary, and a mentor-figure to Emilico upon the latter's arrival into Shadows House. When Emilico becomes the leader of the squad instead of her, Mia shows hints of jealousy.
 * A sassy and playful girl who is Sarah's Living Doll. She is the second-in-command of Cleaning Squad 10 below Rosemary, and a mentor-figure to Emilico upon the latter's arrival into Shadows House. When Emilico becomes the leader of the squad instead of her, Mia shows hints of jealousy.


 * Rosemary (ローズマリー)
 * A sisterly and gentle girl who is Maryrose's Living Doll. She is the former leader of Cleaning Squad 10 and a mentor-figure to both Lou and Emilico upon their arrival into Shadows House. Refusing to go to the adults' wing, she commits suicide with her master.
 * A sisterly and gentle girl who is Maryrose's Living Doll. She is the former leader of Cleaning Squad 10 and a mentor-figure to both Lou and Emilico upon their arrival into Shadows House. Refusing to go to the adults' wing, she commits suicide with her master.


 * Barbie (バービー)
 * A violent, brusque and bad-tempered girl who is Barbara's Living Doll. Due to her master being the head of the Star-bearers and the Shadows House's largest soot producer, she is also the head of all the Cleaning Squads. Before debuting, Barbie used to be a cheerful and innocent girl who was best friends with Rosemary. However, Anthony's departure and Rosemary refusing to divulge anything to her resulted in her becoming cold and harsh.
 * A violent, brusque and bad-tempered girl who is Barbara's Living Doll. Due to her master being the head of the Star-bearers and the Shadows House's largest soot producer, she is also the head of all the Cleaning Squads. Before debuting, Barbie used to be a cheerful and innocent girl who was best friends with Rosemary. However, Anthony's departure and Rosemary refusing to divulge anything to her resulted in her becoming cold and harsh.


 * Anthony (アンソニー)


 * Belle (ベル)
 * Belle is the name shared by a pair of twins who are Isabelle and Mirabelle's Living Dolls. Uncaring and arrogant, they used to be on Rum's Cleaning Squad and bullied other Living Dolls, but were later moved to Emilico's after Rum's departure. After accidentally breaking the bottles of coffee that were meant to brainwash the children, they are punished to clean the soot room filled with clingers. The effect of the clingers and cyclical vomiting eventually causes one of the Belle twins to die, leaving only one twin to act as a Doll for two masters. Grief-stricken at the loss of her sister, Belle eventually grows closer to Emilico and her kindness.
 * Belle is the name shared by a pair of twins who are Isabelle and Mirabelle's Living Dolls. Uncaring and arrogant, they used to be on Rum's Cleaning Squad and bullied other Living Dolls, but were later moved to Emilico's after Rum's departure. After accidentally breaking the bottles of coffee that were meant to brainwash the children, they are punished to clean the soot room filled with clingers. The effect of the clingers and cyclical vomiting eventually causes one of the Belle twins to die, leaving only one twin to act as a Doll for two masters. Grief-stricken at the loss of her sister, Belle eventually grows closer to Emilico and her kindness.

Shadows

 * Kate Mirror (ケイト・ミラー)
 * The Shadow of Emilico. Her intelligence and calm demeanour make her an expert at problem solving and keeping a clear head in difficult situations, effectively the opposite of Emilico's more outspoken and naive personality. While somewhat distant at first, Kate quickly grows attached to Emilico, enjoying their time together. She immediately takes it upon herself to break Emilico's brainwashing, and uses her soot powers to save her on multiple occasions. Suspicious about the Shadows House and its hierarchy, Kate slowly gains allies with Emilico to organise a rebellion against the manor. Kate is revealed to be the daughter of Lady Catherine, a human noble who once lived in the Mirrors House and subsequently became a Shadow. Her soot ability enables her to move objects from a distance.
 * The Shadow of Emilico. Her intelligence and calm demeanour make her an expert at problem solving and keeping a clear head in difficult situations, effectively the opposite of Emilico's more outspoken and naive personality. While somewhat distant at first, Kate quickly grows attached to Emilico, enjoying their time together. She immediately takes it upon herself to break Emilico's brainwashing, and uses her soot powers to save her on multiple occasions. Suspicious about the Shadows House and its hierarchy, Kate slowly gains allies with Emilico to organise a rebellion against the manor. Kate is revealed to be the daughter of Lady Catherine, a human noble who once lived in the Mirrors House and subsequently became a Shadow. Her soot ability enables her to move objects from a distance.


 * John (ジョン)
 * The Shadow of Shaun. Unlike Shaun, John is free-spirited and honest, preferring to dive-in headfirst into a problem without prior thoughts. He falls in love with Kate at first sight and proceeds to propose to her. Like Kate and Emilico, he and Shaun get along very well and care for each other greatly. His soot ability is collecting a massive amount of soot on his fist and launching it. He is able to destroy objects as tough as a giant boulder at close range but his ability gets progressively weaker as it travels forward.
 * The Shadow of Shaun. Unlike Shaun, John is free-spirited and honest, preferring to dive-in headfirst into a problem without prior thoughts. He falls in love with Kate at first sight and proceeds to propose to her. Like Kate and Emilico, he and Shaun get along very well and care for each other greatly. His soot ability is collecting a massive amount of soot on his fist and launching it. He is able to destroy objects as tough as a giant boulder at close range but his ability gets progressively weaker as it travels forward.


 * Louise (ルイーズ)
 * The Shadow of Lou. She has an open, ditzy and narcissistic personality, making her very fond of Lou for her face. While selfish and initially seemingly uncaring towards Lou, she begins to appreciate Lou's human qualities and care for her wellbeing. Her soot ability allows her to control others if her soot is consumed.
 * The Shadow of Lou. She has an open, ditzy and narcissistic personality, making her very fond of Lou for her face. While selfish and initially seemingly uncaring towards Lou, she begins to appreciate Lou's human qualities and care for her wellbeing. Her soot ability allows her to control others if her soot is consumed.


 * Patrick (パトリック)
 * The Shadow of Ricky. Like his Living Doll, he is prideful, arrogant and always tries to create an air of nobility around himself, yet secretly gentle and sensitive. Unusual for a Shadow, Patrick relies heavily on Ricky to make decisions and how to present himself. Due to his weak soot powers compared to the rest of the debutante class, he grows very insecure about himself. He falls in love with Emilico due to her kindness during the debut.
 * The Shadow of Ricky. Like his Living Doll, he is prideful, arrogant and always tries to create an air of nobility around himself, yet secretly gentle and sensitive. Unusual for a Shadow, Patrick relies heavily on Ricky to make decisions and how to present himself. Due to his weak soot powers compared to the rest of the debutante class, he grows very insecure about himself. He falls in love with Emilico due to her kindness during the debut.


 * Shirley (シャーリー)
 * The Shadow of Rum. Silent and seemingly lacking a personality, Shirley was not able to fully mimic Rum due to her being an introvert. She is the only one to fail the debut and seemingly dies, but actually reverts into back into her morph form. As a morph she has been able to sneak around the house and collect information regarding the truth about the Shadows. Her soot ability is shape-shifting into objects and beings around her size. When she transforms into a ribbon and wrap around Rum's finger they are able to communicate via thoughts.
 * The Shadow of Rum. Silent and seemingly lacking a personality, Shirley was not able to fully mimic Rum due to her being an introvert. She is the only one to fail the debut and seemingly dies, but actually reverts into back into her morph form. As a morph she has been able to sneak around the house and collect information regarding the truth about the Shadows. Her soot ability is shape-shifting into objects and beings around her size. When she transforms into a ribbon and wrap around Rum's finger they are able to communicate via thoughts.


 * Sarah (サラ)
 * The Shadow of Mia. Sarah is cruel, selfish and only concerned about elevating through the ranks of the house. She secretly physically abuses Mia in order to motivate her to become better for her sake. Throughout the story Sarah has always looked down upon Kate but this becomes full hatred after Kate becomes a group leader, later becoming a spy for Edward.
 * The Shadow of Mia. Sarah is cruel, selfish and only concerned about elevating through the ranks of the house. She secretly physically abuses Mia in order to motivate her to become better for her sake. Throughout the story Sarah has always looked down upon Kate but this becomes full hatred after Kate becomes a group leader, later becoming a spy for Edward.


 * Maryrose (マリーローズ)
 * The Shadow of Rosemary. Initially introduced as a caring individual towards her juniors, she is revealed to have been the perpetrator of both ghost incidents that have happened since Emilico's arrival. As a special morph she can remember her time as a morph and knows the truth about the house, carrying out the incidents in order to lure out like-minded people to escape together and postpone her advancement into the adult wing. In the end, she was caught by Kate and handed over to the Star-bearers. After a brief fight with Edward and losing, she and Rosemary seemingly commits suicide and jump off a bridge.
 * The Shadow of Rosemary. Initially introduced as a caring individual towards her juniors, she is revealed to have been the perpetrator of both ghost incidents that have happened since Emilico's arrival. As a special morph she can remember her time as a morph and knows the truth about the house, carrying out the incidents in order to lure out like-minded people to escape together and postpone her advancement into the adult wing. In the end, she was caught by Kate and handed over to the Star-bearers. After a brief fight with Edward and losing, she and Rosemary seemingly commits suicide and jump off a bridge.


 * Barbara (バーバラ)
 * The Shadow of Barbie. As the leader of the Star-bearers she is in essence the head of the children house. She is able to produce an enormous amount of soot and is seen as an invaluable asset. However since only children can produce soot for the house, her advancement into the adult house is constantly delayed.
 * The Shadow of Barbie. As the leader of the Star-bearers she is in essence the head of the children house. She is able to produce an enormous amount of soot and is seen as an invaluable asset. However since only children can produce soot for the house, her advancement into the adult house is constantly delayed.


 * Isabelle (イザベル) and Mirabelle (ミラベル)
 * The Shadows of the Belle Twins. Like their Living Dolls, they are selfish and rude and enjoy bullying the Living Dolls of other Shadows, typically using their soot power which gives them the ability to control any human's movements. With the death of one of their Dolls, the twins now share the same Doll. They eventually grow to trust and like Kate.
 * The Shadows of the Belle Twins. Like their Living Dolls, they are selfish and rude and enjoy bullying the Living Dolls of other Shadows, typically using their soot power which gives them the ability to control any human's movements. With the death of one of their Dolls, the twins now share the same Doll. They eventually grow to trust and like Kate.


 * Christopher (クリストファー)

Adults
The adults of the Shadows House are its masters and live separately from the children and their Living Dolls in the adults wing, also known as the Great-Grandfather's wing. They consist of all those who have passed the debut and underwent unification with their Living Doll, creating a "perfect existence" of a Shadow with their Doll's face. Members of the adults wing are organised by rank into three different floors, with those on the third floor able to live alongside the Great-Grandfather and thus possess the highest authority.
 * Edward (エドワード)
 * The newest caretaker of the children's wing and a member of the second floor. He was first introduced as the judge of Kate and her class's debut. Wary and highly suspicious, he believes Kate is a dissident trying to destroy the house. His goal is to advance to the third floor so he can be closer to Great-Grandfather. His soot ability is to manipulate sound and vibrate air using soot.
 * The newest caretaker of the children's wing and a member of the second floor. He was first introduced as the judge of Kate and her class's debut. Wary and highly suspicious, he believes Kate is a dissident trying to destroy the house. His goal is to advance to the third floor so he can be closer to Great-Grandfather. His soot ability is to manipulate sound and vibrate air using soot.


 * Aileen (アイリーン)
 * A member of the second floor. She and Gerald cooperate with Edward in setting up the debutante and advancing to the third floor. Her soot ability is to create crows from soot that can be used to deliver messages.
 * A member of the second floor. She and Gerald cooperate with Edward in setting up the debutante and advancing to the third floor. Her soot ability is to create crows from soot that can be used to deliver messages.


 * Gerald (ジェラルド)
 * A member of the second floor. He and Aileen cooperate with Edward in setting up the debutante and advancing to the third floor.
 * A member of the second floor. He and Aileen cooperate with Edward in setting up the debutante and advancing to the third floor.


 * Ryan (ライアン)
 * A member of the third floor and a hot-tempered and violent man. He was first introduced as one of the observers of the debutante.
 * A member of the third floor and a hot-tempered and violent man. He was first introduced as one of the observers of the debutante.


 * Dorothy (ドロシー)
 * A member of the third floor and a voluptuous and ruthless woman. She was first introduced as one of the observers of the debutante.
 * A member of the third floor and a voluptuous and ruthless woman. She was first introduced as one of the observers of the debutante.


 * Joseph (ジョゼフ)
 * A member of the third floor who is always seen with a monocle and a pipe. He was first introduced as one of the observers of the debutante.
 * A member of the third floor who is always seen with a monocle and a pipe. He was first introduced as one of the observers of the debutante.


 * Sophie (ソフィ)
 * A member of the third floor who is typically calm and listless, but shows a maniacal hunger when confronted with soot. She was first introduced as one of the observers of the debutante. Her soot ability likely has something to do with butterflies.
 * A member of the third floor who is typically calm and listless, but shows a maniacal hunger when confronted with soot. She was first introduced as one of the observers of the debutante. Her soot ability likely has something to do with butterflies.

Manga
Written and illustrated by the duo Somato (specifically, written and designed by Nori and illustrated by Hisshi), Shadows House started in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Young Jump on September 6, 2018. In July 2024, it was announced that the manga had entered its final story arc as of the end of its 200th chapter and it would enter on a one-month hiatus. In the same month, in a blog post on pixivFanbox, Somato announced that they will change the serialization schedule to publish two chapters and then go on a break for two issues, continuing that cycle thereafter (the manga had previously had a publication schedule of three new chapters and one-issue break). In that post, it was also noted that the series' story writer has been in poor health since 2023, and their condition had not improved. Somato also stated that the manga has at least one year left in serialization at its new pace. Shueisha has compiled its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on January 18, 2019. As of May 17, 2024, seventeen volumes have been released.

The manga has been licensed for English release in North America by Yen Press.

Anime
In October 2020, an anime television series adaptation was announced on the cover of the sixth volume of the manga. The series is animated by CloverWorks and directed by Kazuki Ōhashi, with scripts written by Toshiya Ōno, character designs by Chizuko Kusakabe, and music composed by Kenichiro Suehiro. It aired from April 11 to July 4, 2021, on Tokyo MX and other channels. The opening theme is the instrumental "A Hollow Shadow" by Suehiro, while the ending theme is "Nai Nai" (ないない) by Reona. The ending song for the eighth episode is the instrumental "My Perfect World" (私の完璧な世界) by Suehiro. Funimation licensed the series outside of Asia. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll. In Southeast Asia, the series is licensed by Muse Communication. It was broadcast on Animax Asia in the region.

In September 2021, it was announced during a livestream that a second season was in production. The main cast and staff reprised their roles. It aired from July 9 to September 24, 2022. For the second season, the opening theme is "Shall We Dance?" (シャル・ウィ・ダンス?) by Reona, while the ending theme is "Masquerade" by ClariS.

Manga
By October 2023, the manga had over 2.7 million copies in circulation.

Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network gave the first volume a B+ rating. Silverman highlighted the relationship between Kate and Emilico, and praised the series for its Victorian-inspired setting and detailed artwork, commenting that it "calls to mind such well-known texts as Snow White and Through the Looking-Glass", also stating that Emilico resembles John Tenniel's illustrations of Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Reviewing the second and third volumes, Silverman commented that while the first volume served as an introductory book, the second and third volumes are much more plot-packed, also praising the new introduced characters, and expressing that the worldbuilding "continues to be excellent." Antonio Mireles of The Fandom Post gave the first volume a B– grade. Mireles commented that, although the first volume does not make a strong first impression, he felt the series has potential to develop further. He praised the relationship between Kate and Emilico—"explored by great artistic expression due to the nature of the Shadows". Reviewing the first volume, Danica Davidson of Otaku USA lauded the series for its setting and artwork, commenting that it "does a good job of showing us a world gone by." Davidson also praised the "own unique blend" between the "wholesome feeling" of the older clothing, living styles, and characters, and the series' own "sinister and creepy" premise, ultimately calling the first volume "an interesting start."

Anime
Allen Moody of THEM Anime Reviews gave the series five out of five stars. Moody praised the series for its premise, setting and characters (highlighting the character of Kate), also positively comparing it to The Promised Neverland for the "atmosphere of claustrophobia and menace". Moody finally commented: "The first two seasons of Shadows House may have been mostly stage-setting, but I'm eager to see the rest of this saga unfold."

The first season's ending theme song, "Nai Nai" by Reona, was nominated for Best Ending Sequence at 6th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2022. The second season's opening theme, "Shall We Dance?" by Reona, was nominated for Best Anime Song at the 7th edition in 2023.