Kataribe no List

Interesting concept, slightly sloppy execution.

Kataribe no List uses a wide collection of Brothers Grimm's fairytale collection "Kinder und Hausmärchen", such as Little Red Cap, Little Rose Briar and others. The twist? Those tales are connected to items, which grant their user a special power, similar to the premise of the tale. And so it happens, that our sleepyhead Akitsune Hiwatari crosses paths with a young girl called List, a collector of said items. And all of a sudden the world changes for Akitsune...

It's been quite a ride with this manga. Generally speaking, the story is fast paced and a rather quick and enjoyable read. The characters all have their own (cliched) personalities, which can be seen from the very beginning. Even though there isn't much character development on both sides (except for the MCs and one, two side characters), most of the the characters are fleshed out well enough right from the start to make them grow on you. This even goes for the bad guys. I couldn't help but feel slight sympathy towards them at times.

The problem with the manga though, is the execution and especially the narration and its pace towards the end. You can't help, but at times the narration feels elliptic and rushed in key moments, which is rather off putting. It gives off a feel of missing out on something important, something that explains some actions and motivations (of one key player in particular) a bit better, but there simply isn't anything. One or two additional chapters in the last volume to give room for explanations would've been sufficient. Therefore the climax still pulls off an emotional ride, but it could've been even more impactful if it wasn't as rushed as it is.

All in all it was a lovely and mostly light-hearted read for the time being, but the impression of it will probably fade after time.

Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Wolf and the 7 Little Goats, as well as other Grimm’s fairytales are brought to life in this work, but with a spin. Although their tales manifest as various ordinary things, such as a watch or a doll, the magic of their stories shine through interesting and well-crafted series of events, while some of the main characters even make an actual appearance. This is a seemingly cliché story, but it balances its genres correctly and give out a lot of enjoyment.

The premise itself is pretty simple; good guys trying to prevail over the bad guys by trying to gather the magical artifacts first more or less. However, it is so much more than that as the story brings new characters and twists and it is always developing with a steady pace and nice surprises. As answers to questions are given, more questions rise and so on and the reader is almost never left feeing bored. With a great mix of action and well-timed comedy, it manages to keep the interest up and while it could be predictable at times, its fine use of story elements and the mystery of it all do not make it look shabby.

The fairytales were also handled in an interesting way, by twisting them into something darker, making them into something more than what they are thought to be. They are given more attention and are not lifeless to use them however they wanted; the owners had to understand their pain and problems if they truly wanted to get along and I was excited to see that there is another side to the simple tales. Unfortunately, not many fairytales are shown and many less have their story told, but the ones that do definitely delivered.

The best part would be the characters since they are all so likable. The manga does a great job at showcasing the main cast and the various supporting characters, mainly because the story had the right amount of comedy, drama and craziness to make it work. They can make the reader laugh with them or feel sad easily with every situation and some characters had great background and development. Contrast to that, they are not all developed well and enough is left to be desired, especially when the work tries to make some of them more mysterious than what we see in the end. As the tale tries to make connections everywhere towards the end, it relies heavily upon small hints and scenes along the way that cannot carry the whole weight of them, so the result is having half-baked stories. But generally, it is their personality and their interactions that make them all so fun to watch.

The worst part, on the other hand, would be the climax, not as much because of the content, but because of the pacing. As revelations come one after another, it just seems like they were rushing to get done with it and tried to throw a lot of plot twists to make up for it. It is not necessarily bad, since both the story and characters had already succeeded into pulling the reader in, but it is not as good as it could have been if more development was allowed to finally connect the ending dots and not make them seem forced.

The art is simply very pretty and it sets the tone for the story; normal proportions, big eyes, fine details, and over-stylized at times (which is not a necessary evil), while the backgrounds are usually simple, but with some great piece of art with too many details or it is a grand picture in some pages which stand out. The characters are unique of various ages with distinct features and all of them have many different details and although not many of them felt original, they fit perfectly. Thankfully, the art was consistent and since the manga is short there was no development.

Consequently, this is a great choice for something fun and interesting with a hint of fantasy. To be honest, I found this to be my Pandora Hearts dose (for anyone who has read it), but in a much lesser scale. This work was just reminiscent of turning in every corner and seeing something exciting, which is always a nice feeling to have when reading/watching something. So, if you have some free time, it is worth checking out.