Kikeiji/Hikigaeru Shoujo

Kikeiji is about Hiroko, a young girl eagerly counting down the days until her first sibling arrives, and her mother, who watches over her with tenderness. As if to shatter that modest happiness, one day Hiroko’s limbs suddenly begin to shrink. This mysterious illness, which even doctors are at a loss to explain, gradually erodes Hiroko’s very spirit. Meanwhile, the limbs of her long-awaited younger sister... More than its shocking title or the drug-related scandal that briefly appears in the story, this thought-provoking work shakes the very foundations of our beliefs about love. What is family? What is a mother’s love? What is a sibling's love?



The coupled work is Hikigaeru Shoujo. An innocent girl who feeds and dotes on the toads in the pond, and her mother, who raises her single-handedly. A sudden tragedy strikes these two, who had been living quietly and cheerfully despite their poverty. The toads she once loved and raised lend a hand to the girl, whose heart is consumed by the grief of her mother’s murder. The souls of the girl and the toads eventually join forces, transforming the girl into a supernatural entity… A delicate girl, free from impurity and sin, and a mother who loves her just as innocently—the senseless misfortune that befalls them. Though they may seem to have nothing in common at first glance, this second work is a natural pairing. Don’t miss this bizarre tale of a mother and daughter, filled with love and redemption!



(Source: Mandarake, translated)