Holiday Review #24: WHOEVER STEALS THIS BOOK

 I was struggling to figure out what to put in this spot so close to the end of our review marathon, but then I stumbled upon this curious little story that's all about the power of books.  What could be more perfect for this site?

WHOEVER STEALS THIS BOOK (Kono Hon o Nusumu-mono wa), based on the light novels by Nowaki Fukamidori with art by Kakeru Sora.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Mifuyu lives in a town that lives for books.  Her ancestors were avid collectors who created their own private library, one that has been locked away from the public for generations after a number of them were stolen.  She's come to hate her family's legacy almost as much as she hates how much the town around revolves around books.  Things only get worse when her dad ends up in the hospital, forcing her to enter her family's library to keep an eye on its keeper, her reclusive aunt Hirune.  During her visit, Mifuyu finds a strange talisman and an even stranger white-haired girl name Mashiro.  The talisman turns out to be a curse, one that forces Mifuyu and Mashiro to enter the stories of the missing books to recover them.

STORY:

I often despair about light novel adaptations around here, but I don't necessarily hate the idea of adapting light novels into manga.  The issues usually lie in the source material, not the format.  This book is proof of this point, as it's adapting an engaging, whimsical series about rediscovering the joy of reading and I had a pretty good time with it.

It helps that Mifuyu is a pretty good heroine.  The obvious question is 'why doesn't she like books?" She never states it outright, but the reader is given more than enough moments to begin piecing it together themselves.  We see flashbacks to her youth, where her older, more misanthropic relatives make two things clear to her: that they value books over people and that other people would only value Mifuyu for her proximity to her family's books.  Sadly, she's taken the latter half of that to heart, and because of that she's been left kind of alienated from her peers and community.  On top of that, maintaining that private library has become a major burden on her family as far as time and money is concerned.  You get the sense that even before her dad landed in the hospital, a lot of that responsibility had fallen onto Mifuyu's shoulders.  That's forced her to grow up a bit faster than she really should, and because of that her imagination has atrophied somewhat.  Lucky for her that there's a friendly, curious fox girl to guide her gently through realities outside of her own!

I do love the central conceit of the story, where these "curses" cause the world of their respective book and Mifuyu's real world to merge until she solves the riddle behind the curse.  This allows the author to explore different genres, from mythological magical realism to hard-boiled Raymond Chandler-style mysteries.  When these worlds begin to fuse, she is forced to engage with the stories even if it's just to save the other townfolk from them.  It's not like she can rely on Mashiro to guide her through things.  While Mashiro is clearly tied to the talismans and definitely some sort of fox spirit, she does not have all the answer for Mifuyu.  Mashiro knows the plot, but it's up to Mifuyu to find and take action against the anomaly that represents the book's thief (and maybe finish reading the book once it's all over).

ART:

Kakeru Sora's designs aren't particularly challenging.  Mifuyu and Mashiro maybe a little more wide-eyed than the norm, but otherwise the character designs are pretty standard and safe.  They are stylized just enough to read as "anime," but don't look all that different from any countless number of manga out there.  That said, their paneling is lively enough to keep things visually interesting, and they get to cut loose a little once the book worlds take over.  Then they get to visualize things like a rain of pearls, a giant black cat blotting out the sky, and Mifuyu slowly transforming into a fox (which would certainly appeal to a particular subset of furries).

RATING:

Whoever Steals This Book has the feel of a fun young adult series.  It's got just enough roots in reality to be relatable, but it's at its most fun when it gets to be fantastical and explore different genres.  In some ways this reminded me of Magus of the Library, and I think this manga would be an equally good fit for a similar audience of younger readers.

This manga is published by Yen Press.  This series is complete in Japan with 3 volumes available.  All 3 volumes have been released and are currently in print.

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