Takafuyu Hanabishi (left) and Suzuko Takigawa (right)
Tokyo, 1920. For certain reasons, Suzuko Takigawa, the daughter of a marquis, was born in Asakusa and enjoys collecting ghost stories. One day, she is invited to the residence of Viscount Murotsuji and catches sight of the evil spirit of a geisha. At the same time, she meets a young man named Takafuyu Hanabishi. He used a mysterious spirit dressed in juunihitoe and “fed” the evil spirit to it… Suzuko finds the slippery Takafuyu creepy, but for some reason he asks her to marry him…! What is the future that unfolds when these two, burdened with a past and fate from which they cannot escape, are joined in marriage?Hanabishi Fusai no Taima-chou ("The Exorcism Book of Mr. and Mrs. Hanabishi") is a novel series written by Kouko Shirakawa (author of Raven of the Inner Palace) with illustrations by Tokihito Saiga. Koubunsha began publishing the series in 2022.
Hanabishi Fusai no Taima-chou provides example of:
- Age-Gap Romance: Suzuko is 17 and Takafuyu is 26 when they get married.
- And Now You Must Marry Me: Takafuyu pulls this ultimatum on Suzuko by threatening to expose her past if she doesn't agree to marry him. Although to be fair he really had no other choice, as he has to marry the bride Awaji no Kimi chooses for him.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: The theme is downplayed, considering how the main characters are aristocrats, but many of the aristocrats in the series aren't shown in the best light, from being overly concerned with family honor to downright predatory behavior like forcing themselves on maids.
- Author Appeal: The author is a big kimono enthusiast and it shows. The story also revolves around ghosts and helping them move on, which is a theme shared with Raven of the Inner Palace.
- Barred from the Afterlife: For reasons unknown, Awaji no Kimi is unable to pass on.
- Battle Couple: Downplayed, as Suzuko and Takafuyu never actually fight anyone, but they do face off against ghosts together.
- Big Eater: Suzuko loves to eat and would pretty much drop anything for good food, much to the amusement of her sisters and Takafuyu.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: The Hanabishi family is incredibly messed up, even without the Awaji no Kimi thing. The grandfather and father were fighting over religious matters, to the point where the grandfather decided to sire a new heir to succeed him instead of his son. Because the men of the Hanabishi family can only marry the brides chosen by Awaji no Kimi, the grandfather decided to force himself on his daughter-in-law instead of finding a new bride. Takafuyu was born from this (in the family registry, he is officially the son of his mother and her husband, who is his biological brother). His grandfather (biological father) doted on Takafuyu heavily and mistreated his son and grandson (Takafuyu's brother Saneaki) terribly, which caused the servants to be cold to him as well. The grandfather died a few years later, and Takafuyu was immediately given to another family to be raised by them. Some time later, his parents drowned themselves in the sea, and Saneaki hung himself, forcing Takafuyu to become the head of the family.
- Bittersweet Ending: Most of the chapters (with the possible exception of Volume 2 Chapter 3) have this ending. The ghosts are freed from what's tying them down (either by having their problems resolved or by getting eaten by Awaji no Kimi), and the living get some measure of peace, but it doesn't change the fact that their loved ones are dead, or that they would never get justice.
- Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Played with frequently. Suzuko is not always as gentle as she seems and is in fact quite blunt, while Takafuyu is the one who acts patient and supportive. The trope is played straighter when Takafuyu has to deal with his own issues.
- Career-Ending Injury: After having something thrown at her face by a drunken customer, Kimiko Mikura can no longer work as a geisha. Even after the scar healed, she is too traumatized to appear in front of customers again.
- Child by Rape: Takafuyu is the result of his grandfather forcing himself on his son's wife, because he didn't want to go through the trouble of having Awaji no Kimi select a bride again.
- Conspicuous Consumption: The nobility has to maintain their image by dressing expensively and buying expensive things like jewelry, or else they would be the subject of rumors and gossip. This puts strain on families that aren't very wealthy.
- Even though the Takigawas are in poor financial straits due to Suzuko's father, the family head, borrowing and spending money freely, Suzuko is still made to dress in the fanciest kimonos and jewelry to maintain the Takigawa family's image whenever she goes out.
- In The Ostentatious Emerada, Viscount Murotsuji (whose family isn't particularly wealthy) managed to get the money to buy the emerada ring by telling his steward that he needed the ring to socialize with the nobility.
- Costume Porn: Suzuko's kimonos are lovingly described in lavish detail.
- Evil Hand: In Lovers' Suicide in Early Summer Rain, a hand is haunting a house belonging to the Fujizono family. The hand belongs to Masukichi Yamabe, a deceased driver who was obsessed with his mistress and attempted to have a double suicide with her.
- Family Extermination: Suzuko's adoptive family in Asakusa were all killed brutally. Her main goal is to find their murderer.
- Family Theme Naming: Takafuyu's brother, father, grandfather, and the family heads before him all had the character "実" in their names. Takafuyu does not, indicating that his grandfather/biological father disowned his older son and wanted the family line to continue with Takafuyu.
- Food Porn: The food is likewise described vividly.
- Fourth-Date Marriage:
- Suzuko and Takafuyu only knew each other for a month, tops, before they decided to hold a private marriage ceremony at the Hanabishi estate.
- Takafuyu's brother, Saneaki, wanted to marry the maid Raku despite only knowing her for six months (supposedly). However, she rejected him due to the difference in their social positions.
- Haughty Help: The servants at the Hanabishi estate treat Takafuyu with the bare minimum of respect. This is due to the fact that most of them sided with his parents during the conflict between them and his grandfather, who made Takafuyu his heir instead of his father. It's unknown if they know about Takafuyu's true parentage.
- I See Dead People: Both Suzuko and Takafuyu can see ghosts.
- Innocently Insensitive: Viscount Murotsuji asks Koman, a geisha, to give him back the ring he gave her, despite knowing her mental state and circumstances at the time. He doesn't seem to realize how condescending and insensitive his actions were.
- Jacob Marley Apparel: How most ghosts appear in this series.
- Maid and Maiden: Suzuko and Taka. Even after Suzuko gets married, Taka follows her to the Hanabishi house.
- Missing Mom: Suzuko's mother died when she was very young and she barely remembers her.
- Monstrous Cannibalism: Awaji no Kimi needs to eat ghosts—specifically ghosts that died tragic deaths.
- Mysterious Past: Very little is known about Awaji no Kimi or why she became an evil spirit—not even her real name is known. This is why the Hanabishi family has been unsuccessful in their attempts to exorcise her for centuries.
- Neverending Terror: The people of the Hanabishi family must find ghosts for Awaji no Kimi to eat for the rest of their lives or they will be cursed by her.
- Nobility Marries Money: A common motif in the series.
- In Golden Blooming, Mioko Mikura was forced to marry a rich man much older than her because the Mikuras were impoverished.
- Picky Eater: Awaji no Kimi won't just eat any ghost. She prefers ghosts that live tragic lives and carry strong grudges.
- Quieting the Unquiet Dead: The conceit of the series.
- Rags to Riches: Suzuko lived in the Asakusa slums for most of her childhood until a Takigawa servant spotted her and recognized her as her father's child.
- The Roaring '20s: The series takes place in 1920.
- Shotgun Wedding: Takafuyu and Suzuko have a quick but official ceremony at the Hanabishi estate, much to the ire of Suzuko's sisters.
- Sleeping with the Boss: Suzuko's father seduced her mother, a Takigawa family maid, and conceived Suzuko.
- Suicide Pact: Everyone believes that Nobuko Fujizono and her driver, Masukichi Yamabe, were having an affair and eventually decided to commit suicide together, but in reality, Yamabe had a one-sided love for Nobuko and Nobuko never reciprocated his feelings. After Yamabe was fired, he kidnapped Nobuko and took her to the train tracks, where he attempted to have a lovers' suicide with her but failed, as he was the only one killed.
- Their First Time: Subverted. In Volume 1, Suzuko and Takafuyu were about to have sex for the first time after they got married, but Suzuko ends up falling asleep, either from tiredness or nervousness.
- Through Her Stomach: Suzuko gradually warms up to Takafuyu as he keeps bringing her to good restaurants.
- Unfinished Business: The main reason why ghosts stay behind in the world of the living is because they're fixated on some sort of unfinished business they had when they were alive.
- Vacation Episode: The couple and their servants go to Awaji Island, the hometown of the Hanabishi family, in Volume 3.
