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妖怪にとり憑かれて、高校入学以来、7日間保健室登校の芦屋。どうにかしたいとすがったのは、四畳半の茶室「物怪庵」の主だった――。さまざまな理由で、現世(うつしよ)に迷い込んだ妖怪を救い隠世(かくりよ)へ導く、不機嫌主(あるじ)のモノノケ奇譚、第1巻登場です。

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 21, 2014

12 people are currently reading
198 people want to read

About the author

Kiri Wazawa

114 books22 followers
Kiri Wazawa (Japanese: ワザワキリ, Wazawa Kiri) is a Japanese mangaka.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
Profile Image for Lois Bujold.
Author 191 books39.3k followers
April 5, 2019
I read the 51 extant chapters in English translation on Crunchyroll, after watching what appears to be the one-season anime. Enjoyed both, but the e-manga so far ends on a cliffhanger in mid-story-arc. The anime (subtitled) is available on Amazon as a DVD, and makes a reasonably rounded tale, but no sign of the manga in any venue but Crunchyroll, so far.

Yet another tale of a Japanese youth who starts seeing yokai, traditional Japanese demons/spirits-of-place (no relation to the Western idea of demons.) Interesting-compare-and-contrast to Elegant Yokai Apartment Life and Natsume's Book of Friends. Really, there ought to be a online support group for these people... The excellent Mushi-Shi hits some of the same buttons, although with a more original take.

Mononokean is maybe one step down in... mm, complexity? from Natsume, but escapes that empty-bundle-of-tropes vibe that some retreads have. Or I would not have been engaged enough to end up zizzing through it.

In this one, 15-year-old half-orphan Ashiya runs afoul of a yokai, and encounters the mysterious Abeno (any relation to Abe no Seimei not yet implied), who is the titular morose master of the Mononokean, a mysterious magical tea room (traditional chamber for the tea ceremony, not a small restaurant) that appears to be sentient and communicates through a wall scroll (complete with emoticons, sometimes; these demons keep up to date.) Abeno, another human, has the job of running a gate to send yokai who request or require it back to the Underworld, although he can only do so twice a day, and it exhausts him. Abeno turns up as a fellow student in Ashiya's classroom, although I would be much more surprised, at this point, to learn he is actually 15 than that he isn't. There's something going on with that boy...

After a number of interesting excursions, the manga is just getting down to the mysteries of both characters' backstories when it cuts off. I really want to know more about Abeno.

Recommended if you can deal with the frustration of an unfinished story; otherwise try the anime.

(The "unfinished" problem is not only because I have lately accessed a mine of more recent works; many manga and anime, like many F&SF book series, end up getting truncated mid-flight by being dropped by publishers, or for other reasons. Descendants of Darkness for an earlier example. "Unfinished but ongoing, aka there is still hope," is newer to me.)

Ta, L.

Later update: I'm now up to Ch. 66 or so on the Crunchyroll e-manga app. Chapters update monthly, which is a bit agonizing. The story is developing very well, the mysteries-of-character deepening. I was delighted to learn a second anime season was in train, well up to the excellence of the first in sticking to the manga and not wandering off the rails, so far, into filler episodes. I assume it'll be the usual 12 or 13 episodes of the way "seasons" are often packaged in this medium -- more like "quarters", really -- but the anime storyline, currently up to about ep. 10 on C'roll, is now close on the heels of the manga and may have to wait developments like the rest of us. I hope it becomes popular enough to continue.

It's holding up extremely well so far to rereads and rewatches; I raise my recommendation a notch or three.

L.

Later still: the anime, which had been doing an excellent job tracking the ever-more-engrossing manga, departed badly from the storyline in the final three or so episodes of the second season that looks unhappily as if they were faking up some closure because no third season is planned. Drat. And they'd been doing so well...

It's still worth watching for the pretty (it does wonderful things with color), but be warned, at the end you'll want to switch to the manga and then reload your brain with the real storyline to continue. To my relief, the e-manga appears to still be ongoing chapter-by-chapter monthly on Crunchyroll. There are some major mysteries of character yet to be revealed as of Ch. 67, without which I wouldn't consider the story told, and the artist appears to be in no hurry to get there.

L.
151 reviews37 followers
Read
January 3, 2022
my sister: gets crunchyroll premium for 30 days

me: i think i can catch up with this entire series in 30 days, no problem hahahaha (it might be a problem)
//
this is a cute series intro. gives me major cardcaptor sakura vibes but with demons and spirits instead of magical cards. i’m interested to see where it goes from here
Profile Image for Guguk.
1,343 reviews81 followers
June 2, 2018
Untuk vol.1 - 7 (on-going) yang sudah terbit di sini~ ┬┴┤▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄)╯

Gambar: 4☆ .... silumannya unyu-unyu, para manusianya juga (^//^), latar belakang & lain-lain semua oke!

Cerita: 4☆juga! Kumpulan kisah siluman yang mengalir tenang: berbagai siluman datang dan pergi lalu kadang-kadang datang lagi, membuat ceritanya menyambung antar-bab, serta mengungkapkan karakter para tokoh-tokohnya dengan 'santai-tapi-nancep-di-hati'.

Mulai dari Ashiya yang polos, bukan tipe tokoh utama yang 'aku akan menyelamatkan dunia!'. Namun, sikap Ashiya yang berhati-hati serta berusaha mencerna hal-hal baru yang dihadapinya itu bikin dia terlihat seperti bukan tokoh utama, sekaligus membuat pembaca merasa sayang dengan kebaikan dan kepolosannya (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)❤

Interaksinya dengan Abeno juga menarik, kadang seperti atasan-bawahan, kadang seperti teman, tapi tak pernah terlihat seperti pasangan XD terasa sekali bromance-nya❤
Walau digambarkan masih menyimpan rahasia, pemikiran Abeno ditampilkan kepada pembaca, sehingga 'hati'-nya terasa akrab. Abeno bukan tipe 'tokoh-sok-dingin-sok-misterius' yang bikin bosan pembaca dengan kemisteriusannya. Malah caranya yang tsundere, yang berusaha melindungi Ashiya itu terlihat lucu-lucu-menggemaskan~ (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄) //mabuk

Lalu, dua tokoh favoritku! ❤ Moja-Moja, si siluman Bola Bulu tukang nemplok pundak, dan 'Mbak' Mononokean -- yang kata editornya: "tipe mbak-mbak ngemong" (*aku sangat setuju! (≧▽≦)) -- ruangan yang bisa berpindah dan 'bicara', kadang lucu kadang menenangkan.

Belum tau bakal tamat di volume berapa.., tapi aku akan mengalir~ mengikuti lanjutannya.. (^///^) //ifGodwills
Profile Image for huna.
234 reviews20 followers
February 27, 2022
Super fast-paced for the first volume! I miss the cute fuzzball which keeps clinging on Ashiya awww adorable!! What I love about this series is firstly, the concept. I find it interesting to read about yokai and reading this story, it is as if they're not that different from humans. They have desires and emotion too, just like us.

Next, the characters' dynamic. Ashiya Hanae, the protagonist, is a normal high-school student who can see yokai. He is loud, carefree and is seen as a coward because he gets scared easily every time he sees a yokai. Despite that, he's really understanding especially when it comes to the hidden feelings of the yokai. Meanwhile, the other main character is Abeno Haruitsuki, the master of Mononokean. He's calm and dedicated in doing his work as an exorcist. He gets worried easily and also deep down feels scared, but always controls his facial expression as to show his professionalism. When Ashiya and Abeno work together, they make a great duo even though they fight (because of funny reasons) most of the time.

Compared to the anime, I like that the manga has small version of the characters during funny scenes. I laughed a lot and feel warm inside from all these adorable moments. I'd also highly recommend for manga readers to watch the anime if you want to feel more suspense!
Profile Image for Utha.
824 reviews402 followers
July 12, 2017
Awalnya iseng comot karena baru volume 1, eh ternyata ceritanya seru juga.

Tentang Ashiya yang ditempelin siluman. Eh silumannya ternyata cute banget, haha. Terus dia bisa lepasin siluman karena ketemu Abeno yang nempelin flyer di UKS.

Ala-ala bromance-nya juga kocak... :))
Profile Image for rain.
740 reviews432 followers
Read
January 4, 2022
this is giving noragami vibes but the demons are fuzzy and lovable. looking forward to reading more 🥳
Profile Image for Khari.
3,119 reviews75 followers
March 29, 2025
最所の巻を読んでいろんな感想が出てきた。

一つ、この漫画家の絵はステッキ。可愛くてやわらかくて好きだ!

二つ、この漫画のキャラは面白くてたまらない。あしやは子供ぽくて笑わせる。あべのはかっこいいだ。。。けど何かミステリアスの過去がバレバレだ。その謎の過去を分かる時まで待てない。

三つ、友人帳と違ってこのシリーズの妖怪はもっと可愛い。最初の妖怪もじゃもじゃが言語で表現しなっかたから絵だけでコミュニケーションしたんだ。可愛かった。ギギギ子分も話せなかった。これがあしやの妖怪映るの弱さかどうかまだ分からないけど、とにかく言葉をつかえないの妖怪は可愛い。

うん。次の巻読みたい!
Profile Image for duniamimpigie Anggi.
Author 2 books54 followers
June 5, 2020
Ahirnyaaaaa bisa baca iniiii!!! Wuhuuuu~ dikarenakan ada penjual buku daring yang menjualnya dengan harga sangat miring /uhuk/ Tapi baru punya sampai jilid 5 sih... Nanti, tenang, bakal dikumpulin pelan-pelan...

Gambarnya biasa aja ya. Mungkin karena saya bukan tipe yang terlampau menggemari garis tipis-tegas-tajam macam ini. Tapi ceritanya dodol banget sih (iya, iya, saya yang baru punya sampe jilid 5 belum berhak ngomong soal cerita :p)
Kalau soal gambar tipe garis tipis, saya lebih suka gaya Midorikawa Yuki yang lebih lembut. Tapi gaya gambar Mononokean ini gak mengurangi minat, cuma bukan favorit aja hehehe...

Terus... Btw, lho? Ini bukan BL ya? /pasang muka polos/
Profile Image for Nicholas Driscoll.
1,428 reviews15 followers
May 30, 2018
友達から借りたの妖怪漫画です。話はよくある妖怪について話感じがした。誰か若者が突然妖怪を見えるになって、色々問題に落ちるの話です。やっぱり不思議な
カッコイイ妖怪を片付ける人は主人公のクラスメイトとか、色々なやっぱりなイベントが出てくるけど、キャラクターも妖怪も良く描いているし、面白いアイデアも出ました。そして読みやすい。楽しかった。

This one seems pretty familiar to me, even though I haven’t read a great deal of yokai manga. The main story seems pretty cliched, but the characters are pretty likable and the art is quite good. I am curious to read more, but it hasn’t really grabbed me yet. Still, some of the humorous bits are really fun, and it’s pretty easy to read.
Profile Image for eka.
147 reviews1 follower
August 15, 2020
THIS IS SO CUTE. it has a basic storyline of humans being able to see demons and returning them to the underworld but it's also really entertaining.
Profile Image for Janette Ayala.
375 reviews12 followers
August 8, 2021
3.5 me gustan las historias con youkais y está me encantó, promete ser interesante y cómica 👌🏻
Profile Image for Okuta Otherside.
137 reviews24 followers
October 6, 2017
This book catch my eyes after I saw the cover and the summary when my favorite manga publisher decided to published this manga in my country. The story is about Ashiya, a high schooler that get a problem with a monster that love to get hold of him. The monster itself is cute but because Ashiya is a normal human so the interaction between them is draining his energy. And then enter Abeno, Ashiya's schoolmate that is a deliquent in class but his real identity is the master of Mononokean, a place where he work as jack all trade for the monsters. Ashiya who accidentally see Abeno secret work then ask him to get rid the monster that was stalking and sticking to him. Abeno then help him and as the result make Ashiya to be the worker in Mononokean to pay his debt.
The story is heart warming, cute, and full of fantasy. The artwork also looks so pretty. If you fans of manga with monster like Kekkaishi by Tanabe Yellow, you'll enjoy this manga too! Check this manga out if it's out in your country!
Profile Image for Cintia.
77 reviews
August 3, 2021
This is the kind of youkai-themed manga you need on stormy days.
Profile Image for Amy.
989 reviews44 followers
June 6, 2020
Yeah, this is freaking cute!!! This manga has similar elements with Natsume's Book of Friends, but the characters here are more hilarious and relaxed... I can't remember the characters' names, but they are just adorable! Especially the yokai! It's about this little yokai shrine, who accept yokai's request to accomplish what the clients want. I guess this series is quite underhyped, hopefully, more people will pick it up! 4 stars!

22/4/2018
This is one of the cutest yokai manga ever. The tone is more upbeat than Natsume Yuujinchou, it is funnier and more fast-paced. I like the art style a lot. 4.5 stars!

7/6/2020
This manga is quite light-hearted but also heart-warming at the same time. Love it!
Profile Image for Satangan.
329 reviews58 followers
September 5, 2021
I finished reading the whole ebook series.

****** Spoiler ********

It makes me want to buy the paperbook version now.
I watched season 1 and 2 of the anime.
Then read the manga from there because I had already read the first half before the anime came out. The ending was kind of unexpected, but nice and kind of saw it coming when his influence was not his own but his dad's powers. Especially since seasin 2 of the anime last episode changes the whole scene from there (should pick up from chapter 54 and read on to chapter 92). The series is cute, full of fluff, yokai/demons, drama, and a little darker side somewhat. It all wraps up in the end with a kind of fluff hanger ending, it's happy but leaves you wondering what happens to the underworld situation.

I have more to say but. I will reread this series.
1,270 reviews8 followers
May 23, 2019
3.5. I’ve watched several of these types of shows and while Natsume is still my favorite, I can’t seem to get enough of the simple plotline. Human can see demons(yokai!). The demons are super scary!!! Well, maybe they’re just misunderstood? Let’s figure out how to help them in single stand alone episodes that may or may not have an over-arcing plot by the end of the season....

Anyway love the mononokean room with its little imessage scroll, Abeno’s reactions to Hanae’s stupidity, also Fluffy, and something about it has me coming back even though on the face of it the story has all been done before. There’s just enough going on I want to find out where it is going.
Profile Image for Mark.
1,284 reviews
July 10, 2017
"The Morose Mononokean" is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kiri Wazawa. Its main character is a high school student name Hanae Ashiya, who has ability to see spirits from the other world (yōkai). For this ability, he is recruited to be part-time employee of the Mononokean. Some jokes in this first volume were funny but many fall flat.
Profile Image for Vil.
25 reviews
March 23, 2023
Już kiedyś czytałam pierwsze tomy tej serii, ale historia zdążyła mi trochę wyparować z głowy. Jako że mam już wszystkie pod ręką, zaczynam mały maraton z Posępnym Mononokeanem. Ocena pierwszego tomu mówi sama za siebie - polecam, bo nie brakuje w nim komediowych, jak i bardziej wzruszających momentów. Poza tym od początku relacja głównych bohaterów to złoto.
Profile Image for Q☼.
356 reviews
August 24, 2023
One of my favorite anime of 2020. At the time I thought surely a third season would be forthcoming by now but apparently not, so here I am, finally reading the manga. I love Ashiya and Abeno's dynamic so much and ofc I always have a soft spot for stories about youkai and ayakashi. It feels like meeting old friends again.
Profile Image for Sandra (I don't read, I devour.).
164 reviews3 followers
August 18, 2024
I've seen two seasons of the anime already, and wanted to pick up the manga just in case anything was added, or different in the manga.

This particular book does a good job at doing what it's doing, introducing the characters. There are still some introductions to be made of course, but our two main characters are established. So far, it's right on track with the anime.
Profile Image for c.
40 reviews6 followers
October 30, 2024
i hope to finally be able to finish this entire series! it's incredible- i first started this a long while ago and have never read through all 18.5 volumes before. here's hoping lol (sorry this isn't a review)

specifically about volume 1: really strong start to the series! i remember being hooked immediately when i first read this. i like the unique concept a whole lot :-)
Profile Image for Sleepy Ash.
163 reviews27 followers
October 6, 2017
Picked this up because we have started watching it in anime society. I think it's a really interesting beginning and I can't wait to see where it will go. The characters are really likable and (not surprisingly ) I've already got a ship though I don't think this one will ever sail.
Profile Image for Kate (Looking Glass Reads).
467 reviews23 followers
June 1, 2018
I love finding new manga to read, things I’ve never heard of, things that are harder to find. One such manga is currently available through Crunchyroll (I definitely recommend taking a peek at their manga section). The Morose Mononokean Vol 1 by Kiri Wazawa is a lighthearted, fluffy manga about a boy who becomes part-time help for an exorcist.

Ashiya’s been ill since the beginning of the school year. The cause? A demon that’s attached itself to him, one no one else can see. No one except the young owner of a mysterious tea-shop, that is.

The main characters, Ashiya and Abeno, are both high school students. One is an exorcist looking for help, the other a student plagued by a demon that has been slowly sapping his strength and leaving him quite ill at the beginning of his first year of high school. When Ashiya meets Abeno, he quickly finds himself as part of staff helping demons and humans alike with their problems.

The demons of this world are very varied in appearance and abilities. They are incredibly varied in appearance, but all range from pretty cute to downright cuddly. These aren’t the sort of terrifying, magical demons that are found in other stories. They’re cute supernatural being most others cannot see who, largely, just want to go back home to demon world. Exorcising demons is just as much, if not more, of a task of helping these demons as it is saving humans.

This is an interesting spin that isn’t often seen in these types of stories. Demons are portrayed as more misunderstood than dangerous, at least so far. They are understandable, with personalities, motivations, and desires that are quite universal in nature. I liked this aspect of the story, as well as the great misunderstanding of the main character at the beginning of the volume.

We don’t know a whole lot about demons or the world they come from yet. Abeno’s abilities aren’t wholly explained, nor is the reason why Ashiya can see demons when most other people cannot. While we don’t know a lot about exorcisms, demons, or the demon’s world there are hints at what might come. The first volume ends with the main character about to go on his first solo mission, and I’m very interested to see what might become of it.

It is often the smaller things that I appreciate in manga, especially with the art. One of the aspects I enjoyed about this volume was the portrayal of the mother. Many mother’s in anime aren’t overtly distinguishable from older siblings. It’s nice to find a mother who looks older than 25 every once in a while, and this manga didn’t fall into that trope. Overall, the art was very enjoyable. The demons are unique, varied, and range from pretty cute to downright cuddly.

This is largely how I felt about the manga at large. It was warm, cozy, and great fun to read. I was invested Ashiya and Abeno, but also in the individual demons and their plights.

The Morose Mononokean Vol 1 by Kiri Wazawa is currently available to read on Crunchyroll. There is no print release currently, but Crunchyroll’s manga section does have the first ten volumes and keeps up with simul-pub chapters. So check this out if you can. This is a very enjoyable, somewhat fluffy manga, and I will absolutely be reading further volumes in the series.
Profile Image for Hana Eka.
1,387 reviews5 followers
October 25, 2017
Sudut pandang baru untuk kata "exorcist".
Nuansanya lembut dan hangat.
Buku pertama dengan yokai baik.
Para penggemar Natsume Yuujincho kemungkinan besar suka akan manga satu ini.
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