Dolls, Vol. 3

Dolls #3

by Yumiko Kawahara

These science-fiction morality fables explore the strange and codependent world of dolls and the people who own them, and question the dark side of love and pride. Rated for teens.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 1997

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

(1) The first story about some patients who might or might not have suffered with a strange illness which will one day turn them into trees, and the living Dolls who serve as those patients' companions, is really humorous.

(2) The second story about a fan club for the Dolls is pretty humorous too.

(3) The third story is the family drama with a middle-age idol with his pre-teen daughter and a Doll who looks just the same with the daughter, some part of the story can be uncomfortable when the daughter reveals that when she was a little girl, she wished to marry her own father one day and was actually upset when she later realized she couldn't do it. Of course, you can view this as an innocent comment from a little girl, but still.

(4) I like the last story: Storm the best. Again this story involved a pre-teen girl (who has a strong talent for fortune-telling) and a Doll who looks just like her, but this time, child-kidnapping in the past is mentioned in the story, leaving the girl and her well-off parents still struggling with the aftermath of the girl's kidnapping.

It's a light-hearted story that touches upon serious topics of trauma, destiny, loss, end of childhood and the bittersweet of growing up and the story handles these issues quite well.

Edited@09/06/2022: I'm re-reading this series because I'm writing a fanfic....

[Emi えみ Takami 鷹見 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is gorgeous, but I didn't really enjoy any of the stories this time.

[Lovely · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite manga of all time~ this series is a collection if short stories that also serve as morality plays~ I would recommend this series to anyone who likes light horror, fantastical realism, or beautiful artwork~ I've read this series countless times and they never get old ♡

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my least favorite of the Dolls series. This one was largely about the people and less about the dolls, and that's not my favorite. Especially didn't enjoy the one where the dad had a thing for 13 year olds. That one was the worst.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh…

[Edie Walls · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say I wish the darker stories in these collections would go darker. The art is very pretty though.

[Nicolle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quiero una, sufro, son tan lindas

[Engel Dreizehn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous art work and rich but narrative feels "fluffy" and too sentimental at times.