Everything about this is unique, and unforgettable in a way that I haven’t come across with manga before (I’m no expert here, but I’m not alone. My kid agrees and they’ve been a manga freak for years). 

It’s the only manga I’ve read that brought me to tears (the last frame of book 3) and the first I’ve felt compelled to reread right away. The story feels like a fable — there’s a little girl and a weird shadow creature thing that she calls ‘Teacher’ living in a cabin in the woods, seemingly at the end of the world. Teacher refuses to touch the girl because he will pass on ‘the curse’. One day the little girl sets out to find her grandmother, and things start to happen.

The ending felt a bit like a letdown — but talking about it with my kid, the ending was tidy and logical, and any other path probably would have required some kind of deus ex machina which would have been much worse. 

The author was impossibly young when this began (22 by my math!). It’s an incredible feat. Even non-manga fans will likely find this story draws them in. The hardcover series is beautiful and gives the work the physical weight that it deserves. 

I absolutely loved it, and give it my broadest recommendation.