How is that a most beautiful young woman lives in an evil mansion known for hosting unspeakable monsters? This question, sir, is not the one I will answer. Instead, I’ll answer why you should pack you bags and move into that mansion full of monsters as soon as possible.

Story 5/10

There isn’t really a story per se because Magetsukan Kitan is a succession of small episodes which are funny for the most part. So despite the fair number of chapters, there is very little progression over the course of 47 chapters. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that Magetsukan Kitan is boring. I absolutely enjoyed reading how the main character makes the acquaintance of the notorious members of this mansion in hilarious stories.

Art 7/10

You could say that the art style proceeds from the end of 90s - beginning of 2000s. I am personally keen on the style of this period, that may be due my Madeleine de Proust of some sort. The atmosphere in the mansion is transcribed decently. However, don’t expect to find here the right material if you came here because of the harem tag. Although the art is decent, the general atmostphere of the manga is about gag and fun.

Characters 5/10

Don’t expect huge character developments. While the backstories of most of the inhabitants of the mansion will be unveiled at some points - these are surprisingly more serious and constrast with the overall funny tone of the manga, these parts don’t last but in a few pages during the resolution of the episode. Of course, as you get to know them better, you will learn that these despised monsters have a gentle side to them and can be even more friendly and reliable than real humans.

As for the MC, he is the 90s-style clumsy young man who came to Tokyo searching for a job. He falls for the lovely landlady and will try to seduce her by trying to be manly. While what lies under the interactions between both characters might be obvious, it is still funny to see how they struggle in spite of evolving in a ‘hostile’ !environment.

Overall & Enjoyment 8/10 or 5/10

Depending on whether including the last stories in the grading, I might end up giving a very different score. I liked the first chapters the most because gags were simple and efficient. But I regret the turn that the story took into so-called ‘dark’ sub-stories by the end. I think the violence that it brought wasn’t necessary and didn’t succeed to bring more substance to a manga that should have sticked to what it did best : upfront gags and funny ecchi. Instead, the violence that appears in the last chapters mostly feels out of place, I confess I was saddly left with a bitter after-taste.

• Review
• Manga
• Comedy
• Ecchi
• Supernatural
• Monster