Manga: Species Domain

Species Domain Vol 1
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Offering a fresh twist on monster girls, Species Domain is chock-full of elves, dwarves, demons, and more.

It's a hilarious tale of beings born into the modern world with familiar mythological features—but without any of the magical quirks and powers that come with it. It’s not easy being pointy-eared or sprouting wings when your classmates are still predominantly humans, all awaiting your big magical debut, which will never come!

Every so often, a child is born with the features of a legendary being. From long, graceful elvish ears, to burly dwarven muscles, or an oni’s horns, you never quite know who, or what, you’ll see walking down the street these days. However, none of these individuals are born with the inherent traits their species are known for, and no one is more painfully aware of this than Kazamori. Born with the appearance of an elf, everyone expects her to wield magic, but she just can’t do it! Kazamori has managed to hide this fact until now, but when an ordinary human who can use his own science-based version of magic learns the truth about her, what’s a young elf girl in high school to do? 

I had never heard of this manga before, and I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't been sent it to review...but you guys know how much I love elves and other mythical creatures so I as soon as I read the synopsis, which is above, I was like HELL YES! I started to read this, and it wasn't long before I was completely hooked! It's such a great twist on changelings, and I love the world the book is set in with all the different beings, I love how they have slotted in to the world and aaahh it was so much fun! 

So we follow Kazamori, an elf from the other realm that's come to our world as a changeling. She, along with every other changeling and mythical being in the world can't use magic, and this is something that really bothers Kazamori. She keeps herself distant from the other students, trying to maintain her Sylven image, and to make sure no-one knows that she can't actually use magic, despite the other students best efforts to befriend her. But a chance encounter brings her closer to Ohki, a student who doesn't believe in magic but in science. He's pretty nifty with his science, and some of the things he pulls of with science...well Kazamori is convinced it's magic, so she enlists his help in obtaining a device to make wind, the magic she's so sure she should have. But when the other students start to get the wrong idea about the time they're spending together....she has no choice. She has to make friends. 

This is genuinely such a fun manga, and it had me laughing so many times! I ended up completely hooked and I was so sad when the volume ended because I'm intrigued to see where it's going to go next! This is the first rom-com manga that I've read and I am loving it so far! 

I'm not going to lie, I ship Kazamori and Ohki so badly already just from the one volume! I'm intrigued by the history of the world and the setting, and I loved reading all of the scientific explanations for his devices that Ohki threw out! I really love Kazamori and I feel for her and how she must feel and the expectation she must feel too, and I can relate to her a little bit too. She made me laugh more than once as she tried to remain aloof from the others, and I loved watching her have to make friends with the others! 

I'm so curious about all the other characters in their group/club too! They seem like they're going to be a fun bunch to read about! Species Domain is a great start to a fun new series, and I'm excited to see more from it!