This manga is one of those "what is the purpose of what i do" type of stories and even with some weird pacing issues in volume 1 starts it's introduction very strong. The synoposis does a great job of summarizing so i'll skip over to the characters and themes it represents.
Now forgive me for being a gamer for a moment, but the characters in this manga remind me of the characters in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty where they all have deep-seated regrets and let their pride guide them through life. They all pushed aside major conflicts in their personal lives and put on appearances for the sake of their community. It's actually really sad to see especially when certain revelations are revealed about the demons of this world, how they're not your average [bad or morally ambiguous] but have as much a place in this world as the humans. You'll get to a point reading this manga and just realize that the only thing that seperates the two species is stagnation and innaction from the human side.
The characters are all very grounded and believable. I didn't find a single moment of the interactions between any of them out of place. It actually makes a lot of sense that i got my first true feeling of genuine fantasy since reading Berserk, seeing at this is based on a novel series and not a light novel. It's grimdark, following a slow paced set up and backstory (which is kind of all over the place but read the original novels for full context) in the lives of the Kadono villagers. The beginning of this story will feel very intimate and without spoiling you will come to feel for everyone that lives here. To me that is a sign of great world-building. When you can impact the reader with events that take place outside of the main casts, that is something not many stories can do and in just two volumes no less is really impressive.
I don't much care for the artstyle if i'm being honest. There's nothing wrong with it per say but it's pretty forgettable. So much so in fact that i'm going to read the novel before watching the anime just to get the full context from which i can tell a lot is missing.
This is a great series and i could care less if people don't see it that way. I will say if you are not adverse to reading then the novel is definetly the way to go. No i have not read it but i've read over 20 novel series and i just know at this point especially when events are quickly paced. That being said i'm sure you can't go wrong with whatever experience you choose to read it in.
