Love On The Other Side Manga Review

-Written by: Will

Over the past year, as I’ve read more and more manga, Nagabe has become one of my favorite creators. The author’s detailed art and antique European settings make for beautiful books about the different kinds of love. This is illustrated wonderfully in their popular manga series The Girl from the Other Side, and is cheerily applied to anthropomorphic animals in The Wize Wize Beasts Of The Wizarding Wizdoms. Now with Love On The Other Side, Nagabe has put together an all-around endearing short story collection.

While the short stories don’t share any plot, characters, or world, each story focuses on a human and some form of beast. The bonds between the two run the gamut from two friends, a guardian and their steed, to even a predator and prey. As always, Nagabe approaches each relationship with nuance, with special attention to characters and their inner struggles. It can be difficult to tell an entire story in a small amount of pages, but I guess Nagabe has a knack for short-storytelling.

Everyone will have a different favorite, and all are good, but for me I really enjoyed Midnight Waltz. I loved the bat-looking vampire and his struggles to act human. I also find bats to be really cute, so who knows.

Readers should be advised that there is one story, The Wolf-Man and the Girl-Wolf, that pulls a Bunny Drop manga. It only happens in that single story, so don’t think it applies to the whole book. Nagabe has a track record of keeping an appropriate level of innocence to romances, and that remains unscathed after this book.

Despite that hiccup, Nagabe has put together another lovely book. Waiting for the next volume The Girl From The Other Side can be tough, and this provides a good supplement. I feel we need more artists like Nagabe who can be successful with an art style all their own. If you’re already a fan or want a peek into Nagabe’s work, this is a good place to start.