The Demon Prince of Momochi House Graphic Novel Volume 12 cover image

She reaches her 16th birthday, and 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. 12 (Chapters 43 to 46) opens, Amane, the previous Nue of Momochi House, has returned.  Now, that his shikigami, the masked spirit named Kagura, has also arrived, what will they do.  Will they haunt Momochi House or will they do the things of which they once dreamed... together?

Then, Aoi is called upon to help an old acquaintance, a high school student named Hayato Hidaka.  His mother believes something is wrong because Hayato has gone to school on days when there are no classes, and he also sleeps a lot.  Aoi enters Hayato's dreams where he discovers a shadowy spirit and perhaps... a trap.  Can Aoi solve this wide-ranging mystery?

THE LOWDOWN:  The Demon Prince of Momochi House manga is infused with a sense of magic and mystery.  Practically every page of this delightful series is populated by ayakashi (yokai).

The Demon Prince of Momochi House Graphic Novel Volume 12 resolves the case of the previous Nue and his shikigami.  Actually, the characters are seemingly quickly dispatched to whatever is next for them, almost as if creator Aya Shouoto is ready to move on to the next story.  That next tale, concerning Aoi and Hayato, seems a little dry and confusing, but it quickly becomes an engaging mystery that readers will want to solve.

JN Productions' translation is strong on the Aoi-Hayato story, and letterer Inori Fukuda Trant offers stylish lettering and word balloons that brings order to the disorder.  Vol. 12 has a killer of a cliffhanger to make readers return for the next volume.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of high school 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