As much as the media tries to portray romance as this butterfly in the stomach feeling. Well, that’s actually true at times, but it’s not necessarily always the case. There are hardships and miscommunications, but there are also sweet and fun times. What’s truly important is that the couples communicate with each other. You know, convey their meaning calmly and properly. After all, a lot of problems can be solved with a good talk. But what if the girlfriend is a Noppera-bō and doesn’t have a face?

Discussion Time

As the title pretty much implies, the story revolves around a human and Noppeko’s relationship. She’s a youkai called a Noppera-bō, meaning she doesn't have a face. Regardless of that, she’s in a relationship with a human, and they both live in Zabo town, a place swarming with youkais. Given Noppeko’s lack of facial features, she really can’t talk to her boyfriend. Since she doesn’t have a face, facial expressions are also a no-go. This results in a lot of misunderstanding between the two, but love still prevails at the end of the day.

1. Cute, Lovely Romance

Initially, it seems like the story will be more horror than cute, but that’s not really the case. Even though Noppeko is a youkai, she’s so damn cute. Yes, even if she doesn’t have a face. She’s so into the sweet and cuddly stuff, but she kind of has a hard time expressing herself. You know, because of the face thing. But instead of being frustrated, she just tries to seek attention in different ways. Guess what, all of her attempts are really, really cute too! We mean, she even goes as far as wearing cat ears just because she wants to be petted.

2. It’s All About the Little Things

What’s great about The Girl Without a Face is that even though it’s a supernatural relationship, both of them are mundane. There are no date-slaying monsters or eating humans. Instead, it’s all about the little things. It’s about spending time together, being a bit touchy, and of course the kisses. Even their dates are realistically humane. There’s even once when they are supposed to be returning a CD, but completely forgot about it and just wandered around.

1. Repetitive Introduction

Each chapter of The Girl Without a Face is really short. No, really. Each chapter only consists of around four to five pages. We’re not complaining about that. That’s okay. What we find annoying is that each chapter always starts with “Not to brag, but I have a girlfriend. The thing is she got no face. Every day with her is full of mysteries.” That takes up the first page of each chapter. The fact that it only has short chapters makes it more annoying. The first few are okay, but after ten or more times, it just gets quite annoying.

Final Thoughts

The Girl Without a Face is surprisingly cute. At first, it seems like the series will be pretty scary, but we’re pleasantly surprised that it’s not. Instead, what we get are a cute Noppera-bō and her boyfriend. Their interaction with one another is superb. They’re very lovey-dovey and connect on a spiritual level. As one of the side characters in the series said, they’re pretty much inseparable, and we’re digging it.

Writer

Author: Christian Markle

I am a copywriter, proofreader, and editor. I love watching anime, reading manga, and writing my own stories. Watch out in the future as you may see one of my works one day. Manga and anime were big parts of my childhood. I grew up watching Yu Yu Hakusho, Slam Dunk, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Z. Those were probably one of the happiest and most carefree days of my life. In fact, most of my values are probably molded by manga. No, that's not an exaggeration.

Previous Articles

Top 5 Anime by Christian Markle