What is the theme of the girl from the other side?

In a faraway land, a blonde, little girl lives with a demon in the middle of the forest. Known to her as Teacher, the dark horned figure that protects the child was subjected to a curse, which started to devastate population as a result of a war between two gods. The White God, angry at the destructive power of the Black God, decided to banish the latter, building a wall between them and thus dividing the world into two realms. The Inside is a kingdom protected by light, while the Outside was left for the monsters created by darkness to roam free. Shiva – the little girl — and her dark companion live in The Outside, scavenging for whatever food and supplies those who fled from that side of the world left behind. But what is a little girl doing alone in a cursed place? Why is the Doctor, a cursed monster, trying so hard to protect the wellbeing of a mere child? And who are the real monsters in this story: The people who inhabit the light or the darkness?

Heavily influenced by traditional folktales, The Girl from the Other Side is a gripping narration full of evocative images and sensations. When you first step into the story, an immediate feeling of nostalgia shakes you to the core. Who hasn’t wanted to go back to the time when we all enjoyed fairytales? Nagabe’s narration gives the reader the haunting, fantastic impression that is usually attributed to stories catering to children. Nonetheless, the author takes a further step and goes back to that medieval, European fairytale we all know and love: dark, twisted, and eerie.

Set in a fantasy world with no clear timeframe, the tale takes place in what appears to be a medieval village, but there is a twist to it: Nagabe also imbues the setting with a strong post-apocalyptic undertone, most likely due to the fact that the first contact the reader has with the story takes place in the Outside, where every human setting has been left to decay in its reigning darkness. At the same time, plenty of binary oppositions drive the overall development of the volume, as it typically does, not only in traditional narratives, but also in practically every single one of our traditional religions. In a previews interview, Nagabe has revealed that the driving force of The Girl from the Other Side is “gentleness”[1], but it is rather obvious that the opposition of light and darkness is a central piece of the tale too.  At the same time, paying attention to good and evil, as well as innocence and cruelty, is also very much essential to understand the narration and the extent to which said gentleness can be represented. All these contrasting elements lead to the convergence of suffocating, crude moments and heartwarming scenes, intertwining in an engrossing dance of antagonising feelings. To sum up, Nagabe creates a rather colourful palette of shades of grey, resulting in the addition of another layer of meaning and intention to those typical fairytales the story takes after.

Not surprisingly, that rich variety of shades of grey can also be applied to the illustrations, which rely strongly on the opposition of black and white. Said contrast is taken to such a point that certain panels are almost completely black, especially when the author wants to highlight the gloomiest and most sinister facets of his universe. On the contrary, the most innocent and adorable exchanges between Shiva and the Teacher are mostly white. A brilliant use of polarisation, but also a rather risky decision, as certain panels are so dark that they can be hard to interpret. Continuing with the illustration, and despite the small downside of saturated contrasts, the volume is fairly easy to read, even to those who are not particularly familiarised with the characteristic structure of manga. In terms of its written body, and in addition to said structural simplicity, the text and illustrations are exquisitely balanced, making The Girl from the Other Side a quick, but utterly absorbing read. While the panels are straightforwardly organised and easy to follow so that the reader does not get lost, unfortunately, that is not always the case for the written content itself. If you are looking for a work that reveals every piece of information soon after the beginning of the story, this might not be the right series for you. Only one or two small yet central pieces of information are given to the reader in this initial tome, so expect to be left in a fairly intrigued, but confused state when you finish it.

Overall, The Girl from the Other Side is a haunting fairytale, with a gripping plot, complex characters and a dark, suffocating atmosphere. Bearing in mind that this is only the first of nine volumes —at least for the moment—, the volume might appear to be a little lacking in terms of content and plot. Fear not, dear reader, because this is what I would call a slowburn read: it will sneak into your heart and leave you waiting for more. There are still so many questions to be answered that you will not be able to stop yourself from buying the rest of the published tomes.

The Girl from the Other Side is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be picking up The Girl from the Other Side? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

See also

Once upon a time…

In a land far away, there were two kingdoms: the Outside, where twisted beasts roamed that could curse with a touch, and the Inside, where humans lived in safety and peace. The girl and the beast should never have met, but when they do, a quiet fairytale begins.

This is a story of two people–one human, one inhuman–who linger in the hazy twilight that separates night from day.

[1] Minako Nakamura, “I want to cherish ‘gentleness’ with both the art and the story” – an interview with Totsukuni no Shoujo author Nagabe, Pixivision, 2nd January 2017, https://www.pixivision.net/en/a/2008?p=1

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