The art was gorgeous and the story was interesting, but overall the worldbuilding and character work fell kind of flat. Couching the concept of framing exorcisms/cleansings as “evictions” is interesting on theory, but in practice it looks the same as any other paranormal case manga with some extra words. Other than the zashiki-warashi, we don’t really see where the ghosts end up or why it’s a better place for them, or how just moving them into a new location is going to stop them from inconveniencing humans. Or is the point to move them to a place where they can inconvenience humans the right way? It sounded like the hanako-San was just being moved to a different bathroom, would she not just cause the same problems there? The premise left a lot to be desired and had way too many holes.

The story boarding was also abysmal, it felt like all the creative juice was spent on making the leads as beautiful as possible and none of it went towards making the panels flow. There were way too many close up panels on their reactions and not enough establishing panels to tell how the characters were moving in the space. The decisions to draw out certain actions (opening a door to discover gift onigiri) over others (main character getting chocked (?) out by a yuki-onna) were bizarre and seemingly random. Continuity between the panels was also lacking, and it fumbled some of the jokes (Nijio falling over from drinking alcohol when we never actually saw him drink from the cup. We only see him hold it and then fall, so we have to assume he must have drank from it). All of this made it kind of hard to follow in some places and not a very enjoyable read :/

I can’t say much about the characters since we only just met them, so of course they’re going to seem thin this early in the game. I did find their relationship to be cute, I liked the handholding bit 🥺 and I liked that Nijio comforted Osuka 🥺 If the rest of the plot wasn’t so bad, I might have been interested to see how they progress lol.

Rounding my rating up to a 3, but actual I’d really rate it closer to a 2.75.

The story follows two male leads as they start living and working together to evict and rehouse ghosts, monsters, and other yokai from Japanese folklore.

The beginning gave me a bit of Jujutsu Kaisen or Supernatural vibes since the story focuses on fighting monsters. One male lead has a presence that attracts ghosts to him and sometimes gets possessed by them while the other male lead negotiates relocation or fights them off. There is a lot of hand holding, too, but it's part of the job!

This story is very episodic, instead of a narrative structure which is fine, but it makes the development of the overall plot and romance to be more slow-paced. There are somewhat romantic moments between the male leads, but they aren't really discussed because they're always interrupted by other things. The romance isn't really developed in this first installment since they're still warming up to each other. And since the story is more focused on the characters working with the different yokai, we don't really learn much about the characters themselves. I found this to be a very quick and enjoyable read.

A workplace rom-com about two guys working for a real estate agency specializing in relocating supernatural entities isn't something I ever would have thought of, but what a delight it turned out to be! The two leads, Osuke and Nijio, are appealing and the cases they work are entertaining. I will definitely be reading volume two when it becomes available.

Received via NetGalley.

This was SO much fun! I read this all in one sitting and am very impatient for the next translated volume to come out now. Osuke and Nijio have a fun dynamic, and I'm looking forward to seeing both of them and their relationship develop more in the next volume. While I felt like we could've gotten to know them a little bit better instead of adding one of the brief yokai missions they went on, it's definitely not a dealbreaker or reason not to read this series. I also love Japanese mythology and folklore, and that combined with the humor of the situations the characters ended up in made for an unputdownable read. However, what stood out the most to me was the art - it conveyed emotion really well, and that was a large part of why the humor was executed so perfectly. Overall, I can't wait for the next volume, and I'll definitely be picking up other works of Ozaki's.

3 stars.

It’s fine, it’s got some interesting ideas but the characters are pretty bland and the pacing is really bad. I wish we got to know the characters better, there’s some hints that there’s something deeper to them but at the moment they don’t really have much personality to any of them. They’re both supposed to be adults but behave more like young teenagers. The pacing is awful, the series is rushing to have scenes and moments way too fast and they don’t feel earned. The implementation of the Zashiki-warashi living with them feels odd, they immediately have a dynamic with him instead of showing them development the relationship. I unfortunately don’t have the interest in the series to continue with it to see if it improves in later volumes.

4/5 - Thank you Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for the free ARC ebook!

This manga was so much fun! The art style is gorgeous and it is such a light, interesting read. It was the perfect amount of serious and cute. It was light while still being interesting and entertaining. I had a few points where I feel like another panel could have been added, either because I felt like I missed something or just wanted a little bit more information, but it was still so good! I will definitely be adding this to my collection!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-arc!
My Noisy Roommate: The Roof Over My Head Comes With Monsters and a Hottie follows Osuke and Nijio who become roommates and work colleagues after Osuke ends up being hired by their eccentric boss in exchange for housing. I thought this was an interesting read, especially with the supernatural elements. The romance isn't shown in this volume and I'm sure it will lead to it eventually. However, I would be okay with it not having romance since the story is what made me want to continue this series. I think if you are just starting to read BL stories, this may work for you especially if you like supernatural/fantasy elements.

A BL manga with a forced proximity trope, throw in horror with a sort-or enemies-to-lovers, and I'm sold. Initially the looooong title kinda scared me, but now I'm looking for more in the series!

initally i thought this storyline would go an entirely different way, but i'm really pleased with how it went. each chapter went a lot faster than i expected and i would like to explore some of the yokai's lives more but i get why the author didn't want to focus on anyone yet.

great art with interesting characters. i feel like the character personality tropes used in this volume are commonly used in modern manga but i didn't mind it. honestly i'm excited to see where this goes next!!

* Thanks to the publisher Kodansha Comics via Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This is a very fun manga about a man who finds himself working for a ghost real estate agency.

He has to work with the mysterious tattooed hottie. I'm guessing this will turn romantic in the future. I wouldn't mind either way. These two work really well together and have a nice, fun developing relationship whether it's romantic or not.

I really enjoyed the supernatural element. It was something a bit different. The different spirits and their stories were interesting. The zashiki warashi was definitely my favourite.

Ohhhh this was so much fun! I love the supernatural concept and how they have to relocate the spirits. Nijio and Osuke being opposites is fun too. I can't wait to see how their relationship changes in the next volume. Also curious about the new characters to come as well.

Thank you netgalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

Reading thiabwas enjoyable from first page to last and I love the idea of real state agent for relocating ghost what a fun and unique concept, I look forward to reading more about the adventures and characters building from each volume 😀

I love me some manga! And this one had a great blend of humor and drama! The dynamic between the two MCs was a delight! The seriousness. The "oh no this is SCARY!" one. But we also find that sometimes they're swapped -- who was once brave is now freaked out. I'm excited to see where it'll go! I'm a big fan of yokai manga (Kamisama Kiss, Demon Prince of Momochi House, Book of Friends, etc) and this one did not disappoint!
Osuke reminds me a little bit of some shoujo heroines that I've seen and loved: Nanami (Kamisama Kiss), Tohru (Fruits Basket), Himari (Demon Prince of Momochi House) in his fear, his strength, and his determination to keep on going!
Nijio is closer to the love-interests in the different manga (like Tomoe, Kyo, Aoi Nanamori) in a wonderful and sassy-yet-caring blend. When he holds Osuke's hand?! SO CUTE.

⭐ Rating: 4.5/5 stars
🗓 Publish date: June 25, 2024
🌈 Representation: BL/achillean

This was a fun and engaging manga with great art and characters. I loved the way Japanese folk lore was woven into the stories. I think this would be a great read for Halloween, but also works well for anytime you want something both eerie and silly.

The chemistry between the MCs was captivating and really makes me want to read more. I feel we're in for a slowburn and I love that! Definitely looking forward to the next volume!

Thank you to Kodansha comics and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts shared are my own.

This was a super fun manga and I plan on following along with the series.

One of our MCs is thrust into a world of ghost hunting when he suddenly needs a cheap place to live. Its fun, quirky, and I look forward to continuing on with the story.

Perfect quick manga read, I thought the pacing was great and the illustration style is really good! I’ll 100% be reading the next one. And I will be buying this for my store!

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

So Osuke Kuroe has no where to live until he’s approached by a strange man and offered a place to stay. The catch? He has to stay with Nijio Yuki, a gorgeous but weird man. When his room becomes freezing and a dark haired woman stalks him in the dark, Osuke realizes something’s not right.

It turns out that the strange man and Nijio seek out spirits and work out bargains with them to move them to better places. The plot is so good! I love Japanese lore and this one has quite a bit! Osuke, it turns out, can help Nijio with the spirits so the two become partners.

I can kind of feel the vibe between Osuke and Nijio and I absolutely cannot wait to read more about these two! What a fun manga with gorgeous artistry!

𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: June 25, 2024
𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣.

Manga tends to take tropes to extremes, and the forced proximity one is no different. Imagine being unable to live in your own home or do your job without the fear of being possessed by ghosts, unless you remain in the vicinity of a handsome stranger you happen to work with? Yep, that’s My Noisy Roommate.
Recently evicted, Osuke is worried he’ll have to return to live with his overprotective/domineering siblings when he’s approached by a shady looking real-estate agent. The man shows him an amazing apartment, and it’s within his budget, but there’s a catch. He’ll have roommates—a ridiculously attractive tattooed bad-boy, and a murderous ghost. Luckily for Osuke, this all ends up being the world’s worst job interview, because Divine Inspiration Real Estate needs a medium for its undead tenants—and he’s it.
Overall, this story was very fun. I loved how it dived into Japanese folklore; including Yuki-onna, kappa, and Teke Teke. Many of the ghosts and demons presented are traditionally more horror based, so it was amusing to see them used in a more comedic role. I will say that this manga does feel very episodic in this volume, and only introduces some overarching mysteries and themes in the later chapters, so expect some cliff hangers going in.
Personally, I really enjoyed My Noisy Roommate. The story was interesting and the art was pretty incredible. I will absolutely be picking up volume 2 when it’s available.

Such a cute read. I loved the idea of relocating spirits to more fitting home rather than just hunting them down. The characters are lovable and I am excited to see more of their adventures.

Honestly, this was just alright. The stories are rather interesting and I like the premise of re-housing ghosts and monsters. I wish we knew more about where they are moving them too and how they know it won't make problems in the future.
The main characters are bland at best, but honestly really started to annoy me. The entitlement and weird thought processes just didn't work for me. Unfortunately, I don't think I care enough to continue and see if he improves.