Living dolls work, speak, and talk like humans act as servants for a noble family called shadows in a show called Shadows House. Shadows House is a story where the truth and lies are merged, so no one questions anything. Corruption seeps through the lives of living dolls and shadows. Living dolls each have a noble master they serve. Living dolls were made to mimic their masters perfectly as in height, hair, gender, etc.. No one can see the faces of shadows because they are pitch black, so their living dolls serve as their faces. Living dolls are mimicked after humans, they have an uncanny resemblance. They exhibit attributes such as having distinct personalities and looking exactly like humans. This show is a must see for people who enjoy a mystery where lives are on the line and one mistake can cost everything.
At first glance, any watcher would imagine a typical trope of servant and master. Our tale begins in a gothic, dark manor named Shadows House. The mansion is cut off from the rest of the world for some odd reason. Shadows produce a substance called soot when they experience negative feelings. Each shadow produces a different amount of soot or no soot at all. Some shadows have shadow powers. Shadow powers differ and can be mental or physical. In rare cases, a shadow’s power can be in its own category. Their living dolls clean their masters’ room. Living dolls must fulfill their duty to Shadows House by cleaning the manor’s children wing and working on teams to finish their chores. A chunk of the conflict comes from the living dolls arguing and fighting one another. They are only meant to serve Shadows House as dolls, yet they behave as humans.
This series balances the themes of friendship and rebellion with the oppressive rule of the adults. Shadows House centers on a female pair called Emilico , a living doll who is a ray of sunshine and Kate, a rebellious clever shadow who seems to know more than she leads on. This dynamic duo forms a bond of friendship and love surpassing one of master and servant. Kate learns to enjoy the presence of others while Emilico learns to be more secretive towards others. Together they overcome their perilous debut, outbursts, and fights. They rally allies and uncover the manor’s corrupt secrets such as who everyone worships truly is. The manor’s head is Lord Grandfather, leader of the shadows. Lord Grandfather is said to be the creator of living dolls. They uncover what Shadows House truly is and why it exists in the first place.
Besides the plot, the excellent production and animation plays a role in enjoying the experience. Cloverworks, an animation studio, animated the two seasons of Shadows House. Cloverworks has a light simplistic artstyle. The pitch black soot of shadows contrasted with their vibrant clothes provides a jarring contrast. The artstyle lures watchers in enchanting them with a false sense of security. It makes the show seem lighthearted and innocent like Emilico.
The anime uses music to ensnare the audience and scare them. The gentle soft melodies keep the audience distracted while the sinister adults toy with the naive children. Season two’s opening song is sung in a soft, sweet voice almost in a haunting whisper. The artist, Reona, seems as if they are attempting to tell the audience a secret, but can not. It sounds cheerful, but has bittersweet undertones. For example, “Let’s laugh at our sorrows; living is like being a marionette” show how some characters are aware of their tragic fates while others live as puppets unaware of their impending doom. However the line “Shall we dance let’s dance, despair, desire this is the life—shadow life” acknowledges that characters fight for change and share their pain together.
Ultimately, you should watch or at least give Shadows House a read( buy the manga) or watch it on streaming services like Crunchyroll. It is a prime example of how corruption, rebellion, and bonds of trust create complex people and shape their thinking. From a political standpoint, you can compare Shadows House to real life governments. Many of the themes correlate to real life. If you are new to anime or would like to watch a show where children rebel and realize how filthy their environment truly is, please pick up Shadows House.
Matilda Boahene – St. Ignatius College Prep – DMSF Class of 2030
Photo Credit: Matilda Boahene