Here’s the thing about the Elegant Yokai Apartment Life – when the anime came out, I knew that it was an anime adaptation of a light novel.

But for some reason, it somehow slipped from my mind.

It was only when I did a quick googling about the manga that I remember that the original source material for the anime is a light novel.

If you’ve been reading my blog long enough, you know that I tend to favor light novels over manga if the light novel also has a manga adaptation.

But for some reason, I end up doing the opposite for the Elegant Yokai Apartment Life. Rather than getting the light novel, I ended up buying the manga instead.

So, why am I getting the manga version of the Elegant Yokai Apartment Life instead of the light novel version?

Unlike most light novels that have a manga adaptation, only the manga version of Elegant Yokai Apartment Life gets licensed in English.

Will we get the light novel available in English anytime soon?

To be honest, I don’t know. But if you ask me, the manga version isn’t that bad either.

This will be the exception to the rule where I will get the manga only because the light novel version isn’t available in English.

What Elegant Yokai Apartmet Life manga is all about

Here’s the book description that I got from Bookwalker.

Yokai, ghosts, and humans living together in harmony? Yushi Inaba was taken in by his uncle’s family after losing his parents in an accident three years ago. Now sixteen and eager to make it on his own, he hopes to move into dorm upon entering high school. But by a cruel twist of fate, the dorm burns to the ground! After searching high and low, Yushi finally manages to find an apartment at the too-good-to-be-true price of 25,000 yen per month! Sure enough, there’s one condition: the apartment is haunted! Surrounded by a gaggle of colorful tenants, Yushi’s “normal” high school life begins! Waka Miyama delivers an elegant comic based off of the popular novel series by Hinowa Kozuki

What got me to read the manga

As you can tell, I already watched the anime before. So, it makes sense that I will buy the manga after that since I already know what to expect.

But it took me years to finally get the manga, though.

Will I still be buying the manga if I have never watched the anime before?

Of course, the answer is yes. I enjoy reading supernatural manga.

And I do find the concept of having to live together with a bunch of yokai is fascinating too.

Let’s be clear that the concept of coexisting together with the yokai isn’t anything new. But this manga has its own spin when it comes to this concept which is worth checking out if this is the kind of manga that you enjoy reading.

What makes Elegant Yokai Apartment Life manga worth reading

When you think of the main character for this type of manga, you tend to associate it with someone who can see these things all his or her life.

It’s not wrong to think that way since supernatural manga tends to have a character with that kind of trait.

This is where Elegant Yokai Apartment Life differs from your typical supernatural manga.

Unlike most supernatural manga, the main character, Yushi Inaba, can’t see and has never seen a ghost in his entire life.

It was only when he started living in that apartment building that he can see ghosts and yokai of any type.

As you can already guess, it was freaking him out to the point that he almost bailed out.

So, it’s interesting to see how Inaba reacts to all these things as he tries to get used to living in that kind of environment.

Of course, we will eventually reach the point where we get to see him getting the hang of it and live like every day is a typical day to him.

Even with a different trait in the main character, the rest of the story will still have the same element as the rest of supernatural manga.

Heartwarming stories with a mixture of humor in between.

And let’s not forget that the main character suddenly gains a strong spiritual power as a result of his or her encounter with the yokai.

You will still see those elements present in this manga despite a slightly different twist on the main character.

What I didn’t expect when I read this manga

Think that those mouth-watering food scenes only exist in manga like Shokugeki no Soma and Restaurant From Another World?

Well, you’ll be surprised to find out that you’ll be seeing plenty of those scenes in this manga as well.

Sure, it may not be that many since this manga isn’t a cooking manga. But with food being the center cause of celebration of any kind, you’re bound to see a lot of delicious food along the way.

While I already know about the mouth-watering food scenes thanks to the anime, I still never expect that I would be literally in tears every time I see those scenes in the manga.

What can I say? I love delicious food, that’s why.

Who should read this manga

If you have never read supernatural manga before, you probably tend to associate the manga with having spooky things.

Well, you’re not wrong in that sense. After all, this type of manga does have tons of spooky things, with many of them being like the ones in Japanese folklore.

But here’s the thing about supernatural manga in general. They’re not as scary as you thought despite the characters having to interact with the supernatural beings.

In fact, most of the stories can be rather heartwarming which can be unexpected if you’re new to this type of manga.

And what about those who enjoy reading supernatural manga? It’s obvious that you should add this manga to your reading list.

Where to buy Elegant Yokai Apartment Life manga

As you always, you can buy Elegant Yokai Apartment Life manga on Amazon. This is where I got mine.

You can get the manga right here:

Buy Elegant Yokai Apartment Life Vol.1 manga on Amazon

Can’t buy the manga on Amazon? You can also get the manga on Bookwalker.

Buy Elegant Yokai Apartment Life Vol.1 manga on Bookwalker

Prefer to buy the manga in Japanese? You can get the print version of the Japanese manga right here on CDJapan:

Buy Youkai Apato no Yuuga na Nichijou Vol.1 manga on CDJapan

Over to you

What do you think about Elegant Yokai Apartment Life? Are you interested in giving the manga a try after reading about it on my blog?

Let me know in the comment below.

P.S I know that none of the books that I write are in the supernatural genre. But if you’re in the mood of reading a psychological suspense light novel with a little bit of romance in it, then you’re likely to enjoy reading my book, The Diary of Modern Cinderella.

Want to give this book a try? You can download the sample chapter right here on my Payhip store:

The Diary of Modern Cinderella on Payhip

Love what you read so far? Don’t forget to use the coupon code SEKINAMAYUBLOG to get 25% off when you buy the book at my Payhip store.

The book is available for sale on other retailers and in print as well. Here’s a list of retailers that sell my book:

Other places to buy The Diary of Modern Cinderella