is a

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...

manga written and illustrated by

Mitsukazu Mihara is a Japanese illustrator who helped to influence the Gothic Lolita look through her illustrations, particularly as the cover illustrator for the first eight volumes of the ''Gothic & Lolita Bible''. In 1994, she won a contest in the Japanese mang ...

. Known for her short stories and characters dressed in the Gothic Lolita fashion, Mihara continued her use of death-themed material in ''Haunted House'', a volume of

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

chapters focusing on the teenage protagonist's attempts to find and keep a girlfriend despite his gothic family. Shodensha published ''Haunted House'' in Japan on October 8, 2002.

Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed J ...

licensed it for an English-language release in North America, along with four of her other works, and released it on October 10, 2006. English-language critics were divided on whether it was enjoyable or repetitive, with several comparing it to the Addams Family.

Plot

''Haunted House'' consists of one-shot chapters connected by the teenage protagonist, Sabato Obiga—his first name refers to

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

. In each, he attempts to find and keep a girlfriend, whom his gothic family inevitably frightens away. His family is made up of his father, who works at a bank; his mother, a reader of poetry; twin sisters Lisa and Misa, both of whom create

voodoo doll The term Voodoo doll commonly describes an effigy into which pins are inserted. Such practices are found in various forms in the magical traditions of many cultures around the world. Despite its name, the dolls are not prominent in Haitian Vodo ...

s; and their

black cat A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...

. In ''Haunted House'',

continued her use of death-themed material—also seen in her other manga '' The Embalmer'' and '' R.I.P.: Requiem in Phonybrian''.

Release

Written and illustrated by Mitsukazu Mihara, ''Haunted House'' was published in Japan by Shodensha on October 8, 2002 ().

licensed it for an English-language release in North America—along with four of her other works: ''The Embalmer'', '' Beautiful People'', ''

IC in a Sunflower is a science fiction ''josei'' (targeted towards women) manga written and illustrated by Mitsukazu Mihara. It is a collection of seven, unrelated short stories which appeared in the Japanese manga magazine ''Feel Young'' from 1994 to 1997. The ...

'' and ''R.I.P.: Requiem in Phonybrian''—and released it on October 10, 2006 ().

Reception

Critical reaction to ''Haunted House'' was mixed. Critics drew comparisons between the manga and the Addams Family. The Comic Book Bin's Leroy Douresseaux felt that her elaborate art partially helped to counterbalance the morbid material, and rated the manga 5/10. While enjoying the occasional "cute and mildly amusing moments", Ryan Huston of MangaLife felt that the gothic stock elements, repetitive plot and "lackluster" art hurt the volume. Conversely, Katherine Dacey praised the "elegant, stylized character designs" and enjoyable story, though she commented that the "moral is delivered a little too neatly". Another reviewer greatly enjoyed the comedy aspect of ''Haunted House'', though wrote that "it was an acquired taste".

References

External links

''Haunted House''
at Tokyopop's website * {{Mitsukazu Mihara 2002 manga Comedy anime and manga Horror anime and manga Josei manga Mitsukazu Mihara Shodensha manga Tokyopop titles