Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits Graphic Novel Volume 5 cover image

She inherited something great and terrible from her grandfather, Shiro, his ability to see the spirits known as ayakashi (yokai).  Aoi Tsubaki, however, also inherited his massive debt to the ayakashi, and now, she’s been kidnapped and taken to Kakuriyo (the spirit world) to settle that debt.  Kijin a.k.a. “the Ōdana,” who is an ogre and the owner of  the inn, “Tenjin-ya,” wants Aoi to marry him to settle the debt's her grandfather owes him... or she can be eaten by demons.  But Aoi is determined to settle those debts on her own terms.

As Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 5 (Chapters 20 to 23) opens, Aoi is concerned about Yūgao, her little restaurant behind Tenjin-ya.  So far her customer base consists mostly of yokai who stay at Tenjin-ya, and Sir Byuakuya, the inn's manager, may cut Yūgao's budget.  However, two surprise customers may change Aoi's fortunes.  The first is Hakkabo, the badger demon and novelist.  The second is a mysterious girl who holds a traditional handball and suddenly appears at Yūgao's front door.  And she loves sweet red beans.

[This volume includes end notes.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits manga is turning out to be as good as I thought it would be.  This series, which is a manga adaptation of Midori Yuma's light novel series, Afterlife Inn Cooking, is of interest to me because I am a fan of yokai manga.

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits Graphic Novel Volume 5 focuses on Aoi's efforts to make her restaurant, Yūgao, more successful.  Over the years, my VIZ Media rep has sent me review copies of manga that have culinary themes to one extent or another.  I like to read about Aoi's cooking efforts, and while I enjoy the yokai, her love of feeding everyone is a joy.

Tomo Kimura's light and sugary English adaptation is as good as Aoi's cooking must be.  So let's stay curious about the many wonderful places and dishes in the world of Kakuriyo.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of yokai manga will want to read the Shojo Beat series, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits.

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8 out of 10