Of Swords and Parasols

Kuro is a seemingly young woman who travels through a vaguely fairy tale-like land resembling the early 20th century carrying a coffin on her back. She wears large glasses, a hat, a tie, and a man’s pants and coat, so she’s often mistaken for a boy. Or a vampire. The coffin is full of bats, and her travelling companions are a hard drinking, snarky bat named Sen and two little cat girls named Nijuku and Sanju. She found the twins in the basement of a dead mad scientist who had created them.

Take Kino no Tabi and toss it in a blender with a side of Hans Christian Andersen and The Brothers Grimm, along with a dash of the gothic, and this is what you’ll end up with.

Kuro is very devoted to her status of Stoic Loner, and isn’t sure what she thinks of her Cute Accessories ruining her mojo. Like all true world weary travellers who acquire cute accessories, she’s just there to keep an eye on them until they figure the world out for themselves because they don’t have anyone else. She’s searching for a witch for unknown-but certainly not pleasant –reasons, and it’s indicated that she no longer has a home to go to. In the spirit of Magic World Mojo, she once had a bright “color”(aura?) that has been turned black, and anyone who tries to fix it gets the black on them.

The art is very chibi, and the book is told in 4-panel layout style. Even though it’s only 120 pages, it takes a little longer to read than most 200 page manga does. So far, it’s largely Kuro and Sen, later joined by the twins, travelling around their odd little world and meeting people and changing their lives as they get closer. Almost a bizarre yet charming and whimsical slice of life.

It…it has a girl dressed like a boy (but not on purpose, they’re just comfortable travelling clothes) who carries a coffin, gets mistaken for a vampire, and has a hard drinking, snarky bat and magical catgirls as her travelling companions. I don’t know what else to say.