For fans of ‘The Girl from the Other Side’ (‘Totsukuni no Shōjo’) who were looking forward to an anime adaptation, the series is still hard to come by.
Of course, first a small animated short came, and already in 2022 witstudio repeated again adapting the manga from Nagabe in a slightly longer format. In Japan, ‘The Girl From the Other Side‘ was released directly to DVD, but in the rest of the world we have been able to enjoy it in divided streaming as a small miniseries through Crunchyroll.
walking between two worlds
Just over 70 minutes long, the story focuses on Shivaa little girl who has been abandoned in the forest and rescued by a very strange but nice monster. The inner world is inhabited by humans, while monsters live outside and can curse you just by touching you... but Shiva is welcomed by this creature, which he begins to call “Professor“and who starts taking care of her.
‘The Girl From the Other Side’ is a charming tale, but also very melancholic and even heartbreaking. It has many elements of a classic tale, and everything in the atmosphere and the slow tone with which it is narrated has that essence of a classic fable with a much darker touch than what is initially seen.
Nagabe’s original drawing is beautiful, and Wit Studio have managed to find a good balance when converting it to anime, with a very organic and loose line and a soft color that gives the feeling that we are living inside an illustration. All the animation is full of movement and texture, and although the style may seem simple at first glance, each shot is a small work of art from start to finish.
If you liked the style of Ghibli’s ‘The Tale of Princess Kaguya’, ‘The Girl From the Other Side’ walks very close and very tenderly, even resorting to very chaotic pencil-animated sequences during the most introspective moments.
‘The Girl from the Other Side’ is a captivating and tender story, especially because of the precious relationship that Shiva and Professor develop, but in which darkness is not lacking either. The world that the miniseries presents to us is hostile and with monsters of many aspects, with a good balance between a beautiful atmosphere of almost traditional fantasy and its points of gothic terror full of macabre creatures.
Like the protagonists of ‘Beyond the Garden’, Shiva and Professor embark on a journey through the forest to face the creatures that may be in it. and it is a journey worth following simply because of how beautiful and evocative it is.
Yes indeed, logically a small miniseries does not cover the depth of a manga series of 11 volumes, with which a lot of material is lost. If what you expect are deep explanations to all the mysteries that are presented to us, such as what happened to Professor’s past, the origin of the curse or who that “mother” is, you will be very disappointed.
And if you’re expecting an absolutely happy fairy tale ending, ‘The Girl From the Other Side’ leaves you feeling bittersweet and a little broken inside… but in a strangely satisfying way.
‘The Girl from The Other Side’ is a melancholic and tender tale where its protagonists and their visual style shine above all else. It’s a perfect introduction to the story, and definitely leaves Wit Studio wanting to dare a full adaptation in the future.
In Espinof: