By: Kaoru Ohashi

The Story:

Shadow and Maria run a pawnshop where strange trinkets have the power to grant the wildest dreams of their customers. However, dreams come at a heavy price and, most of the time, they end up giving up something that they never should have parted with in the first place.

My Thoughts:

While I was browsing through the manga aisle recently, my eyes almost immediately caught the sight of this manga. The title is already eye catching so I didn't even think twice of buying the first (and second) volume at once (eventhough I never heard of it before). And you know what, it was all worth it. Okay, so the graphics might be simple and 'standard', definitely not as pretty looking as (shall we say) Petshop of Horrors (cuz I think that's the manga that this one is trying to emulate) but the stories are still fresh and interesting. Every chapter is different and the only link with one another was to the Shadow & Maria Pawnshop, and in some ways, more darker than POH. It's no secret that the person behind the shop is the devil (cuz the mangaka make it clearly so) but the way things are 'handled' are sometimes spooky & even gory-like. Don't believe me? Then I dare you to read this one. Muahahahaha.. (evil laugh effect).

My Ratings: * * * *