Kajimoto, Volume 9 Cover, Kuchi Ga Saketemo Kimi Ni Wa, Jump Comics, Shueisha.
Even If You Slit My Mouth – Information
Author of Story: Akari Kajimoto
Chapter Count: 11 Volumes, 80 chapters + extras
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Depictions of mutilated appearances, horror stories / folklore references, creepy imagery
- Blood
- Death, dying, murder, and tragedy
- Very minimal fanservice
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Plot Summary
Even If You Slit My Mouth is a unique romcom and horror-inspired story that focuses on the main heroine, Miroku. This unique woman is actually a “kuchi-sake onna,” or “slit-mouthed woman” in English. This is a malicious creature of sorts that is well known in Japanese folklore; and an urban legend that has been very popularized in media.
If you aren’t interested in the folklore origins, feel free to skip the next 3 paragraphs; but they do provide a bit of characterizing information related to the heroine.
The kuchi-sake onna lore has a few variations, but typically aligns with some main characteristics: she is a beautiful, pale woman with long black hair that usually wears a mask or covering on her face. Her art of scaring usually consists of asking people “am I beautiful?” If they answer no, she will kill them.
If they answer yes, she will remove her facial covering to reveal her mouth, which has been slit from the sides to her ears (in some variations, she also has many sharp teeth).
She will then ask the question again. If they answer no the second time, she will kill them. If they answer yes, however, she will slit their mouth similarly to hers (in some variations, she won’t kill you if you answer yes twice).
The origins of the slit mouth woman vary, ranging from an adulterous woman who was punished by her spouse, to a victim of mutilation simply due to jealousy. The methods of escape from her attack also vary, such as saying certain replies to her questions, using distractions, or even bribery in the form of money or hard candy.
Kajimoto, Volume 1 Cover, Kuchi Ga Saketemo Kimi Ni Wa, Jump Comics, Shueisha.
So, Even If You Slit My Mouth begins by introducing the slit mouthed woman named Miroku and her contract fiancé, Koichi Sano. They have agreed that they will live together as a couple during a trial period, in which Miroku must successfully scare Koichi.
If she doesn’t, she’ll be forced to become his wife in order to stay alive (as a ghost/urban legend, she can disappear if people are no longer afraid/aware of her). This marriage can protect her life, since the Sano family manages superstitions related to urban legends and hones a special power in the form of words.
Miroku wants to successfully scare Koichi so that she can get back to enjoying her hobbies of scaring people without worry of disappearing. Koichi, however, has other plans to make Miroku fall in love with him, so they can be happily married! The two have one year to compete and fulfill their goals.
This story is really wholesome and cute considering the horror story origins of the main character and other side characters. Because of the horror aspects, I wanted to recommend this manga during the spooky season!
However, although there are horror-related inspirations, creepy moments, and some tragic backstories… Even If You Slit My Mouth is also a slow-burn romance with lots of interesting characters and great humor!
Why I Enjoyed Even If You Slit My Mouth
There are tons of reasons I enjoyed this series! It’s a fun take on urban legend references that many readers will recognize, while still creating a story that feels unique and engaging.
The story usually has much stronger rom-com vibes than horror vibes; after all, the plot focuses more on falling in love, and the main character seems to only enjoy scaring people (rather than killing them as the original lore describes).
As long as you are not extremely squeamish or easily disturbed, you can easily enjoy this cute supernatural story. The way the author creates characters using Japanese folklore or urban legends is really fun and creative!
I really loved seeing these characters come to life with unique, funny, and distinct personalities. They have their own interesting characteristics in addition to the features known through their origins and urban legend stories.
If you are someone who finds urban legends and mythologies interesting, you’l likely enjoy Even If You Slit My Mouth. Even if you aren’t able to identify all of them on your own, the story usually mentions their origin or legend name, making it very easy to do outside research.
I personally know of a few Japanese folklore creatures and urban legends, but it was fun to learn about even more and look online for a bit more background. You can still enjoy the manga without any extra research, though!
Besides all the fun supernatural character designs, the male lead of Even If You Slit My Mouth named Koichi (a human) is very likable, too. He isn’t overly perfect, and has a wholesome dedication and love for the heroine. He’s so calm and collected; it makes his reactions and dedication to Miroku even more entertaining!
He looks relaxed and cool appearance-wise, but he’s 100% cute marshmallow. He’s also pretty funny personality-wise to the readers (even breaking the fourth wall when I least expect it)!
The supporting characters in this story are also incredibly likable. We even get some short side stories that will touch your heart and help build more character depth for the main two.
I teared up at many of these side stories! Besides the supporting characters who get a bit more character depth, many of the other smaller side characters are also likable, funny, and have great designs!
Most importantly, the romance in Even If You Slit My Mouth is very cute. I love slow burns, and I really like the dynamic of the main two characters. Koichi is very open and declarative of his feelings, whereas Miroku starts off much more hesitant and is sort of a tsundere.
Usually I hate when characters continuously deny their feelings, but Miroku doesn’t deny them in an annoying way. She actually begins to become fond of Koichi, just while still claiming she will scare him. It’s cute and humorous, rather than irritating like some manga plots are.
Koichi is also such a fun character in the romantic aspects. He seems so cool and unhesitant, as if he’s confidently on the offensive to make Miroku fall for him; but then we see his character is really just innocent, sweet, and sincere.
I also love when mangas continue the romantic relationship and plot even after the ship is sailed. We get to enjoy these characters even further into the story, although the entire plot is not solely focused on romance. In fact, it actually delves deeper into more characters’ backstories and origins, and sort of helps explain things a bit further.
I like romantic stories with thicker plots, so Even If You Slit My Mouth was a very enjoyable read! This series also has a very cute ending—it was a perfect finish for this wholesome romance. Look forward to it!
Any Cons?
The first con is that there are multiple age gaps in Even If You Slit My Mouth, although most of them are a more supernatural sort.
With our main characters, Koichi is 17 at the start of the manga, and Miroku is, well, a ghost. So she’s sort of ageless, or perhaps many years older. She mentions being most famous in her scaring tactics around 1979 during the Showa period.
It is even shown that Koichi met her when he was much younger. So it is clear she’s been alive much longer, but physically does not age since she is a supernatural creature.
Obviously, this age gap is a bit unavoidable considering the main character is a yokai, haha. It isn’t written to have a huge focus in the series or anything, and doesn’t really make you feel uncomfortable at all.
There are more age gaps in Even If You Slit My Mouth that work similarly (showing a relationship between a supernatural creature and a human) as well as one between two humans in a side story. If age gaps really throw you off no matter the circumstances or time period, maybe beware.
Kajimoto, Volume 4 Cover, Kuchi Ga Saketemo Kimi Ni Wa, Jump Comics, Shueisha.
The second con is a bit smaller—I could just be whining unnecessarily, but I don’t really care haha. There is one character whose design may make some readers uncomfortable. As you probably know, anime and manga commonly exaggerate women’s bodies, and for the most part this manga hadn’t done so for most of our characters.
Unfortunately there is one character whose features, clothing, and interactions with other characters felt very objectifying and unnecessary.
This aspect of the character’s design doesn’t correlate to her urban legend, and seems to just be a distasteful stylistic choice. It isn’t as extreme as some other manga titles do with this sort of thing, but that doesn’t make it okay nonetheless.
I may sound like a stick in the mud including this con here but after reading manga for many years and constantly seeing female-presenting characters depicted in a negative or extremely sexualized way, I’m just tired of it.
Lastly, if you have trouble with understanding family trees or keeping up with character names and identities, some parts of Even If You Slit My Mouth may become confusing for you.
Final Thoughts
Even If You Slit My Mouth is a very well-rounded and unique story. It has romance, comedy, tear-jerking backstories, creepy scenes, and very interesting characters. All of these aspects of the manga feel pretty balanced, and keeps you engaged with the plot all the way through.
The urban legends and how they are included throughout the story is also a very cool factor of this manga that really makes it stand out. This aspect really made the romance unique and interesting too, so overall I really enjoyed it!
If you’re looking for more creepy horror reads, be sure to check out my horror manga recommendations (a special non-romance recommendation post for April Fool’s Day).
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Kajimoto, Akari. Even If You Slit My Mouth, Manga Plus, Shueisha, 2021.
