Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 3

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits #3

by Waco Ioka (Illustrator/Adaptor), Ｌａｒｕｈａ (Designer), Midori Yuma (Based on story by)

Faced with the choice of being married to a strange spirit or being made into dinner, Aoi creates a third option for herself!

Aoi Tsubaki inherited her grandfather’s ability to see spirits—and his massive debt to them! Now she’s been kidnapped and taken to Kakuriyo, the spirit world, to make good on his bill. Her options: marry the head of the inn her grandfather trashed, or get eaten by ayakashi. But Aoi isn’t the type to let spirits push her around, and she’s determined to redeem her grandfather’s IOU on her own terms!

Aoi wasn’t the only orphan her grandfather Shiro took in. Before she went to live with him, he rescued the spider demons Akatsuki and Suzuran and put them to work as unpaid servants! Now Aoi is questioning everything she thought she knew about her upbringing. What was Shiro up to? And more importantly, does that make the spider demons family?!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Supernatural, Shojo

208 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2018

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This installment is suddenly calmer, as the protagonist seems to have acclimated to her new life in the supernatural world and her plan to open a comfort food eatery. We learn more about the Spider Demon siblings and how they knew the late Shiro.



This series is more like 3.5 plotwise but gets bumped up for food quality.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main complaint with this series remains the art. It isn't bad or anything, but it's also nothing special. I do like the characters and their prickly interactions, and the spirit world is always a fun setting. I wonder if I'd have responded better to it if I'd read the light novels, but with no announcement of an official translation of it, I suppose I will continue to wonder. :) I have a good number of ayakashi/yokai, cooking, and/or cozy titles in my manga and light novel libraries that are far better than Kakuriyo, but wouldn't mind keeping on with this one if the well otherwise runs dry.

[Ruthsic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume focused on the spider demon siblings, Suzuran and Akatsuki, and the Aoi's grandfather's relation to them. The siblings are having a fight because Suzuran wants to go to Utsushiyo even though Shiro is dead, and Akatsuki is dealing with his own feelings over that grief. Meanwhile, Aoi's childhood (before Shiro took her in) is once again mentioned, and it is hinted at that Odanna and Ginji know something about something she has forgotten. But mainly, I was invested in the complicated feelings Aoi has about her grandfather now, knowing he had surreptitiously prepared her for dealing with ayakashi without telling her so, but also being the reason she is in Kakuriyo trying to pay off his debts (also, she makes a decision about it for once and all). The world, too, gets a bit wider as we learn a little more about the travel between them.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Viz Media LLC, via Edelweiss.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, so good! I’m really loving it. 5, it keeps getting better and better, stars.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...


Aoi Tsubaki inherited her grandfather’s ability to see spirits—and his massive debt to them! Now she’s been kidnapped and taken to Kakuriyo, the spirit world, to make good on his bill. Her options: marry the head of the inn her grandfather trashed, or get eaten by ayakashi. But Aoi isn’t the type to let spirits push her around, and she’s determined to redeem her grandfather’s IOU on her own terms! If she can just get someone to see past her family background, Aoi is certain she can prove her worth...

The Premise

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits vol 3 is packed with a lot of drama! We have the spider demon siblings which we met and learned about in the previous volume going head to head. Aoi gets embroiled in their estrangement and learns Suzuran and Akatsuki its connected to the past. The Ōdanna asks about her future and gives her advice and an ultimatum. It didn't sit well with me that Aoi was being held hostage for the debt so I really loved the turn of events and how smoothly the Ōdanna made it work. It makes me root for him in the romantic sense even though he may have a long road to walk to convince Aoi.


The Buzz

I loved how everything was connected and intertwined. Because of her talks with the spider siblings Aoi reveals that she remembers a ayakashi from the past. This is that bit of mystery that keeps peeking out from Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits vol 3. I am totally tantalized! Ginji knows a whole lot more than he lets on, but I like that he doesn't allow that to stop him from having a sincere friendship with Aoi. I'm also loving the friendship that is building between Aoi and Oryō because its so bromance feeling! It's a lot of fun and a great contrast to what Aoi has with Ginji.


The Feels

The feels was the best part of Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits vol 3! I really loved how she coaxed the spider siblings to share through food. This was well done and meshed so well with what was happening with the Ōdanna while feeling totally natural. And that end, an end that the Ōdanna orchestrated really makes my opinion of the ogre character totally flip flop around! The point of choice is very important, even with debts. He is prepared to play the long slow burn to get his bride and I'm inclined to be there to see it happen. We also learn a bit about what Aoi can do with food for the ayakashi and I loved this slight bit of supernatural ability and how it was developed.


The Visuals

We meet a new ayakashi that is super sweet!! One thing that I look forward to in each volume is a new kind of yokai appearing and Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits vol 3 didn't disappoint! In fact, I loved the balance between many yummy food preparations, a little bit of action when an enemy appears and the growing relationship between Aoi and the Ōdanna. I feel like the art is a bit more lush with backgrounds and more thoughtful framing of the visuals. Getting a look at the spider demons in their yokai form was a visual treat too.

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits vol 3 is totally developing the way I hoped it would!! I can't really believe how depthful its become so fast. The food angle is especially strong in this volume and was a highlight for me as its not something I've read in a manga before. But I'm totally here for the friendships and the potential romance that is building... I'm super excited for vol 4!!


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.

______________________
You can find this manga review and many others on my book blog every Monday @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews at the bottom of the page.

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[Rereader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm growing more and more fond of this series. I love Oryo living with Ginji and Aoi now that her career is on the line, karma is bitter sweet for sure. Honestly, my favorite parts with her are her demanding food and banging on the table shouting. From an outsider's perspective, it'd look like Aoi was taking care of a child and Aoi's annoyed expressions emphasize that.

But can we talk about Aoi for a moment, mostly about how much I love her? Seriously, she does not take any crap from anyone and straight-up picked up Akatsuki when he was in his spider form to bring him inside. Not only that, she also got so fed up with him she physically forced him to drink something to recover his spiritual power. I also love how she's not afraid to talk back to Akatsuki when he was being a jerk and did her best to help him reconcile with his sister. She may not be the most deep or badass female character, but I really do enjoy her and her interactions with the other ayakashi.

The only complaint I have with this volume is something that I may or may not mentioned before, but the action sequences can be very confusing to read. Sometimes I have to reread a panel to grasp what happened because it was clearly drawn or have to move on and accept that I don't quite get what happened. I'm not sure whether this is the fault of the illustrator not clearly depicting action scenes or whether the light novel this series is based off of didn't have clearly written action scenes. This isn't a death sentence for this series for me, as I obviously enjoy it, but it can take me out of the moment if I don't understand what's happening in an action scene.

Complaints aside, I am thoroughly enjoying this series and look forward to more. Aoi finally got her restaurant! I wanna see what it's gonna be like!

[Shu Wei Chin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Links to my reviews for each available volume as follows:
Volume 1: 4 best nine-tailed fox character stars
Volume 2: 4 Beauty and the Beast but make it Spirited Away stars
Volume 3: 4 how can spiders be this endearing? stars
Volume 4: 4 foodie stars
Volume 5: 5 just who is Aoi's grandpa, Shiro? stars
Volume 6: 4 pretty art stars
Volume 7: 5 I need more of Kakuriyo stars

The series is picking up its pace and exploring multiple character and world lores, which I am so here for! I think this bumps it up to a 4.25 to 4.5 stars ✨ (why can't we have half star increments on Goodreads?)

I think it might be worth mentioning that if you have severe arachnophobia, please be aware that spider demons play a significant part in this volume. While I find Aoi's interactions with them absolutely hilarious and adorable, and admittedly I also looove how these demons are depicted in the art, they might not be for everyone.

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/mjnZoWzcGwg

The ending of this volume had so much heart and was deeply touched by the message of letting go of regret from the past so that you can live freely in the present. I thought the entire volume was good, but that last bit of seeing Aoi back "home" and beginning to work through the death of her grandfather really hit me. Very touching and compelling storytelling!

I LOVE the banter between Aoi and the Ōdanna because Aoi is so unrelenting! LOL! I can't get enough of her strong will and how she really refuses to stand down, BUT! Also that she is so kind and deeply cares about the relationships among the people she's met.

One case being is the demon spiders and how she couldn't rest about them fighting. She definitely could have and not even got involved because she is a human after all and these "matters don't concern her," but I love how Suzuran speaks the truth of how they (Aoi and the spider demons) are like family. Once again, we're seeing the power of cooking and food to unite people together in being honest and open about their feelings in a way where we see everyone differently. That was especially true with Akatsuki, who made me smile so much on page because he is so grumpy but he's secretly so very caring!

While it's been subtly woven in, the mystery about the ayakashi that gave Aoi food as a little girl is really getting some focus. I feel that maybe the mysterious mask is Ōdanna because of the way he and Ginji have talked, but I'm not 100% certain. I'm curious to know how it would affect the marriage prospect though because Aoi already doesn't seem to want to get married. Would she definitely NOT want to if she finds out?

I really really enjoyed this volume so much! It has definitely been a surprising gem for me!

[JoAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third volume in, I'm ready to mention a few things. I'm not the biggest fan of panel transitions, it's weird in that sometimes I'm not sure if I read this square or speech bubble or the other... the layouts are not as intuitive as some other series I've read. Sometimes I also feel the closeups are too close? Need to zoom out so I can see more of what we're supposed to be looking at.

But other than that I'm enjoying revisiting this series in manga form after watching the anime a few years ago. It might not be the deepest story out there (yet?), but it still entertains and makes me eager for more.

[Link · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was a wonderful one and I really enjoyed it!

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the character development in this volume very much. Aoi grows a lot, and learns more about her grandfather in this novel. I am enjoying what is currently happening in the series, and I am ready for more!

[ambyreads✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars ｡･:*˚:✧｡ since this is the third novel there is not much I can really say, but I’m really enjoying this series so far. All the characters are super adorable and I’m loving seeing all the cooking and homey vibes of this bed and breakfast.

[Jemailyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆

Oh, I know Odanna's favorite food. It's the entrails of a human girl who has the power to restore an ayakashi's spiritual power, otherwise known as TSUBAKI AOI. 😂

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this! We are focused on Akatsuki and Suzuran's story in this one. When they actually turned into Spider Demons I had to laugh. There were a lot of lighthearted and funny moments. I love the art and the expression of all the characters in the story. I like that Oryo is warming up to her and she is sure to have a friend in Akatsuki who has a short temper which makes him fun to read about. There was an intriguing talk between the Odanna and Ginji. What does it all mean?

I wish that Aoi was delayed a little more in the last chapter. I won't spoil it but finally, I think she will be opening her restaurant. The wind demons and another exciting guest will sure to be patrons at her restaurant.

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of chapter 14 suggests something extremely mysterious and interesting regarding Aoi’s past and her connection to the Odanna. What trauma could she be forgetting, I wonder? And perhaps that has something to do with why Shiro changed so much of himself and his life style to take her in?

Around this point in the manga, it’s been about one month since Shiro’s passing, and Aoi is continuing to learn new things about Shiro’s personality, his habits, his stories, his past. So many things that make a person want to ask this person about these experiences, or what made them do X considering Y, but Shiro is gone, and Aoi will never be able to speak with him again. I love how the story carries Aoi’s weight of losing Shiro, how her feelings are complicated and unsure. This manga understands grief and healing, and they’re always standing directly behind the forefront. That forefront being… good food.

[Ozsaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the storylines with the spider demons. Some fun ideas, and love the cooking.

The only thing that bothers me is the repetition of the main theme of Aoi needing to pay her grandfather's debt. It's not just repeated throughout the series, but within each volumn.

Still a good series, and will get the next one.

[L.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

These chapters focus on the relationship between the spider demons, Suzuran and Akatsuki, and Shiro (Aoi's grandfather). Lots of cooking and eating of yummy food. Aoi makes the decision to move forward and open a small restaurant for ayakashi. Her childhood trauma is still a mystery. She is slowly making more friends.

[kyky · Rating 5 out of 5]

minor spoilers?? one, PLEASE TELL ME PEEWEE WILL BE LIVING IN THE COTTAGE WIHT HER. Im gonna cry if not. two, it's the way the odanna was like "wait bestie you're coming back?!!?!?!?!?!?" an icon i love him

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead for the first two.

And indeed, the story merely continues. Suzuran still hiding from the man who wanted to buy her, and quarreling with her brother, where Aoi learns more about her grandfather's past. Aoi's past is revealed enough, with an aayakashi playing a significant role, that with a few scenes where she doesn't feature, we realize a connection that she doesn't. Aoi smooths over quarrels and considers going back to the human world.

[Jinghay (these.blank.pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably my favourite volume so far! 🥹 Reading it with Akatsuki and Suzuran's VAs singing their song in the background just hit differently~

Rating: 4.5/5

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a new favorite ^_^

[Teeny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the anime but this is already better than the anime.

Also, can someone license the light novels?

[Rachel]

another fun one!!!

[Judyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3 Stars
(Contains light spoilers.)

Aoi ends up helping this spider-yokai couple at the inn. There's tension and misunderstandings, and one of them works at the inn. Aoi gets between it and so tries to help them resolve their issues. This involves going back to the human world, which is dangerous for the yokai, and could mean an escape for Aoi.
It says a lot that Aoi decides to go back to the yokai inn. She's seemed to have grown closer to the ogre, as well; they've formed some kind of friendly understanding through all this.
The end of this volume felt a bit like an ending, even though not much has been resolved. It felt like Aoi had accepted her position, that she's at the inn for good and will continue finding her place there, whatever it is.
But it's clearly not the end, I have two more volumes to read right now. Honestly, the characters and plot felt rather forgettable to me in this volume. I'm very meh about this series, but I guess I'm going to try for a bit longer.


A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

[Fi's Journey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this. I see there is a bit more filler in this manga than in the anime. It's nice to see what Aoi and the Odanna think or say that didn't show up in the anime. I'm interested to see If there's more to come in this series.

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read earlier this year, adding late oops.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits Story and Art by Waco Ioka, Midori Yuma, & Laruha

Official Synopsis:
Aoi Tsubaki inherited her grandfather’s ability to see spirits—and his massive debt to them! Now she’s been kidnapped to Kakuriyo, the spirit world, to make good on his bill. Her options: marry the head of the inn her grandfather trashed, or get eaten by demons. But Aoi isn’t the type to let spirits push her around, and she’s determined to redeem her grandfather’s IOU on her own terms! Aoi wasn’t the only orphan her grandfather Shiro took in. Before she went to live with him, he rescued the spider demons Akatsuki and Suzuran and put them to work as unpaid servants! Now Aoi is questioning everything she thought she knew about her upbringing. What was Shiro up to? And more importantly, does that make the spider demons family?!

Genres: Supernatural, Japanese Folklore, Fantasy, & Romance
Book Style: Manga (Japanese Comics - Read Right to Left)

I decided to read Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits Story and Art by Waco Ioka, Midori Yuma, & Laruha Vol.3 because I've already read Vol.1-2 and loved it also I wanted to check out more manga stories about Japanese Folklore. Once I started reading I was sucked into this story and curious what's going to happen to our main lead. This story follows a young women named Aoi who can see yokai that most people can't see at all. Aoi get's kidnaped to Kakuriyo, the spirit world with only 2 options to pick: marry the head of the inn her grandfather trashed, or get eaten by demons. After her grandfather, Shiro Tsubaki died she must pay off all of his debts to Tenjin-ya inn somehow Aoi must figure out how to make money in the spirit world to get back to her normal life. My favorite characters are Aoi Tsubaki because she's a strong woman who keeps a strong will and won't give up also she's a great cook, and she does her best to be nice to everyone human or not. Ōdanna because he's mysterious, he actually cares about people who are important to him, he really likes Aoi's cooking also being nicer to her too, and letting Aoi pay her debts off before marring him is an option. Ginji (Nine-Tailed Fox) because he's very kind, willing to help out anyone who is human or not also help Aoi pay off her grandfather's debts by opening an inn, and he has the abilities to change forms. My favorite parts of the story are when Aoi helps out the Spider Demons; Suzuran (Sister) & Akatsuki (Brother) to stop fighting by letting Suzuran go to the Human world even though Shiro is dead to visit his grave and to see what the human world looks like now and finding out Aoi's grandfather Shiro saved the Spider Demons; Suzuran (Sister) & Akatsuki (Brother) from exorcist when they where children then giving them a home but Suzuran didn't mind helping out Shiro but Akatsuki didn't really like him so later on they went back to Kakuriyo so Aoi is kind of apart of the Spider Demon Family by having the same "grandfather". Another part I really like was when Ōdanna gave Aoi food ideas to open her inn with Ginji to pay off her grandfather's debts without marriage being the only way to pay it off and letting officially open her inn by helping Suzuran get to the human world (this time Aoi came back to Kakuriyo willingly to pay off the things she now owes and also she has nothing really left for her in the human world). I feel that Aoi and Ōdanna might end up together even though she might actually pay off all of her grandfather, Shiro Tsubaki debts. In this volume we got to find out more mysterious secrets about Shiro, like him helping out the Spider Demons, having Aoi cook sweet foods so she can not get eaten by Yokai, and we find out Aoi has a mysterious past as a child before she meet Shiro but I'm not sure what it is yet. The art style is beautiful with traditional Japanese Folklore designs for the Kakuriyo world and characters which are each unique! I can't wait to read Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits by Waco Ioka, Midori Yuma, & Laruha Vol.4 because I want to know what's going to happen to between Aoi and Ōdanna because it seem they opening up to each other and to find out about Aoi's mysterious past as a child also to see if she really pays off her debts. I would recommend this book to people who like Japanese Folklore or people who want a not so normal romance story!

[Courtney Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kakuriyo tells the story of Aoi, a girl with the extraordinary ability to see Ayakashi creatures. She is adopted as a child by a older man she calls grandfather and after his death she burdened with repaying his debt by being betrothed to the Odanna, a leader in the Ayakashi world. She refuses to simply be married and instead proposes to pay the debt back on her own by working in the Ayakashi world, which proves to be difficult as Ayakashi would rather 1. Eat her and 2. Her grandfather had many enemies who do not want to offer any help to his relatives.

In volume 3 Aoi continues taking care of the young proprietress out of the kindness of her heart and also finds herself in the middle of an argument between Suzuran and her brother, the general manager. They fight over Suzuran wanting to move back to the human world in order to live out her life goal of visiting the grave of Aoi's grandfather, whereas her brother is hesitant to let her go. They battle verbally and physically and during their arguing and Aoi's attempt to reconcile them, it comes to light that Aoi's cooking is actual special in that it restores the spiritual power of Ayakashi. This is why they've been so drawn to her for her entire life, and why her cooking seems to quell any threat against her. To help her, the Odanna gives her a beautiful bowl to cook in and the opportunity to get her restaurant off the ground as long as she gets Suzuran to the human world safely. Once she does, she has the choice: She can return to Kakuriyo with the Odanna or stay in her own world where she has nothing left.

This series is cute. I like it. There's nothing groundbreaking or must read about it, but I find it to be very fun and I am invested in Aoi at this point. She has a backbone yet she tries her best to be kind to everyone, whether they deserve it or not. I find it endearing and I will keep reading this whole series and probably seeking out the anime!
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[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok it finally had more of a hint of romance in this volume, though it was much more overt in the previous volumes. The Young Proprietress has fallen ill, not so mysteriously after she got in a hell of a lot of trouble in the last volume for trying to expose Aoi to the other demons (so they would eat her because she was jealous of the attention the Odanna was giving her), while she and the Odanna were in the capital visiting Suzuran, the spider demoness. So Aoi is taking care of the Young Proprietress and feeding her all types of ice cream to tempt her palate, but it just seems to increase her appetite and she demands more and more food. The prince of the demon world has been stalking Suzuran and wants to take her for his wife, but she doesn't want that, so she is rescued by the Odanna and she is taken back to the inn. Suzuran and the General Manager (her brother Akatsuki) get in a big fight over her moving back to the human world. It seems the two of them used to be taken care of by Aoi's grandfather Shiro before he adopted Aoi, and were later taken in by the Odanna. Suzuran had kind of fallen for Shiro before and wanted to live there, even after she had found out that Shiro had died.

My favorite part was when Aoi taught Akatsuki to make Chinese Chive dumplings for his sister. They looked so tasty! Eventually the Odanna asks Aoi to help Suzuran to escape after the prince demands her back at the inn, and they escape into the human world. By letting her go back to the human world, the Odanna has given Aoi time to grieve for her grandfather and fulfill his dying wish (to have homemade food made by Aoi brought to him - at his grave). Suzuran wants to stay at Shiro's grave and watch over it. Aoi decides, all on her own, to go back to the demon world and set up her restaurant, which the Odanna grants. I liked this volume the best because you could see the Odanna's heart melting a little bit, as well as Aoi's (not completely, as they are Japanese after all, but enough). The next volume should be awesome! Highly recommended for ages 14+, 5 stars!

[Megan Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aoi Tsubaki decides to help take care of Oryo despite their personal issues and learns that her cooking contains a restorative effect on spiritual power which gives her more value in this land. As she works to design an appropriate menu and get the gardeners, groundkeepers, and other local yokai on her side, Aoi is drawn into the conflict of two spider demons. Suzuran and Akatsuki were adopted by Shiro in the past linking them together and she hopes to resolve their conflict, so they are not burdened by regret once they separate as Suzuran is determined to return to Utsushiyo (the human realm). When fabric demons storm the hotel looking for the missing bride of their prince, the Odanna promises that Aoi can open her restaurant if she safely delivers Suzuran to where she wants to go. This process gives Aoi time to reflect on what it means to return to the Tenjinya Inn.
* * * * *---------------* * * * *---------------* * * * *
It’s odd that the forced to marry your kidnapper plot is a slow burn romance manga. Still, the readers have a slightly better overall picture, and the edges of character personalities are softening. Here we learn about the complicated relationship between demons and humans in Japanese folklore and that the odd behaviors of Shiro might reveal hidden motivations. Our protagonist is always too distracted by reacting to current drama. This means she has no long-term outlook or plan except that being forced upon her by others. Only her kind intentions are so obvious, you still end up rooting for her. Sadly, it remains a series where if people would just talk about a few things many issues could be resolved in minutes only they intentionally obfuscate events in the name of protecting someone (which has the opposite effect). I also question the need to repeat the same scenes (dream sequence, overall premise, etc.) without any additional context. It makes it seem like there is not much happening in the narrative and muddies current action.