WELCOME TO GHOST MANSION VOL. 1 / Story and Art by NEBUKURO / Translation by MOTOKO TAMAMURO & JONATHAN CLEMENTS / Letters by AYOUB BENSIDI / Published by TITAN MANGA

Kaoru Shinonome grew up poor, and was too busy working freelance jobs supporting her family to have fun. This made her determined to scrimp and save, putting her life savings down to buy a huge, run-down condominium. It’s a fixer-upper, but Kaoru is sure that once the mansion is repaired, she’ll be able to spend the rest of her life living off the rents and never have to work again!

There’s just one problem. Kaoru didn’t think about why the old condominium was selling so cheaply. It turns out that it is haunted!

Stuck with a 35 year mortgage and unable to get anyone to rent from her, Kaoru comes up with a bold scheme. There’s a lot of lonely ghosts, spirits and monsters out there who need a place to stay. Why not in her condominium? Unfortunately, the local exorcist has some pretty firm beliefs about “why not,” and is determined to stop Kaoru’s scheme before she scares up any more tennants.

This first volume of Welcome to Ghost Mansion surprised me. Based on the first few stories and the art, I expected it to be a formulaic ghost-hunting manga, albeit one with a comedic concept. Kaoru starts seeking out ghosts and coming up with ways for them to pay the rent. Then the high-school age exorcist shows up and the series simultaneously becomes more of a screwball comedy while also delving more deeply into the lore of how ghosts work in this reality. From that point on, the book becomes far more unpredictable and defies all the conventions of the horror, detective and comedy genres.

The artwork features a similar mix of styles. One might expect this to be a typical light manga based on the cover. Yet there are some pages depicting the ghosts that look like something out of Uzumaki. This too helps to keep things fresh, drawing the reader in and pushing them forward.

While horror fans seeking something different will get the most out of Welcome to Ghost Mansion Vol. 1, I believe it has broader appeal than that. Most Manga fans will get a kick out of this one, as it is often spooky but rarely scary and the jump-scares set up some honestly funny jump-laughs. The book also ends on an exciting cliffhanger and a mystery that left me eager for Vol. 2.

Welcome to Ghost Mansion Vol. 1 arrives in stores on January 28, 2025.