The Demon Prince of Momochi House Graphic Novel Volume 11 cover image

When she reaches her 16th birthday, Himari Momochi learns that she has inherited an old house located deep in the woods.  She has never seen this domicile, which is called “the Momochi House,” and does not know that it already has three inhabitants.  One of them, 17-year-old Aoi Nanamori, is the “Nue,” the “Demon Prince” of Momochi House, which acts as a barrier between the human world and the spiritual realms.

As The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 11 (Chapters 39 to 42) opens, Aoi as the Nue has made the crafty ayakashi known as the “Guardian of the Gate” into a new shikigami named “Hakka,” via a contract.  It should be a time of settling in, but Himari finds herself plagued by troubling dreams, some filled with darkness and shadows.

Soon, lesser yokai start coming from deep within the Momochi House, raising the alarm that the house is being “stained black.”  After some investigation, Aoi, Himari, and company discover a dark entity that claims to be the real nue... and that Aoi is an impostor.

[This volume includes the bonus manga, “Valentine's Day.”]

THE LOWDOWN:  I usually describe The Demon Prince of Momochi House manga as being one of those manga and fantasy comic books that are filled with a genuine sense of the supernatural.  Every page of this delightful series is infused with a sense of magic and is populated by ayakashi (yokai).

The Demon Prince of Momochi House Graphic Novel Volume 11 is a tale of loyalty – genuine, but misplaced.  Vol. 10 focuses on a budding romance and on an interloper (Hakka), but now the binds of friendship, of loyalty, and of contract shape much of the plot in Vol.  11.  This is a way that creator Aya Shouoto can emphasize the importance of relationships in The Demon Prince of Momochi House.

JN Productions' translation captures the sense of mystery and magic through this story line.  Letterer Inori Fukuda Trant unveils stylish lettering and word balloons that fit the magical mystery tour tone that plays throughout Vol. 11.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of high school-age supernatural romance and of yokai fiction will want to visit the “Shojo Beat” title, The Demon Prince of Momochi House.

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7.5 out of 10