STORY:
Written by Ryukishi07, who is known for its stories with very dark elements, Iwaihime certainly does not stray out of that.

It has multiple story arcs that all are well tied together, and every one with Ryukishi's signature mood rollercoaster, with slice of life, cheesy and funny scenes intersped and evolving into much darker and sadder elements. Central and unifying them is a thousand year curse that the characters must confront and address.

The writing is well paced and developed, and definitely does not feel like a nearly unreadable wall of text as Ryukishi's many other works in general are known for.

ARTWORK:
Speaking of wall of texts, the artwork is a cornerstone of this novel, unlike typical Ryukishi's works like Higurashi. Characters are very well drawn, tons of beautifully drawn backgrounds, and lots of high quality CGs... Which range the gamut from your typical fan service imagery, to much darker and gruesome scenes.

Overall, I find it very pleasant to look at, as much as or more than to read at.

MUSIC:
Very well made and excuted. Over three dozen songs offering great variety and fits very well with the story's tone, settings, and ups and downs. The darker songs are in particular are well made.

The voice acting included is just as great, conveying the character's emotions just right.

SUMMARY:
Personally I find this to be Ryukishi's best work yet. Enthralling and well packaged together, and a great pleasure to watch, provided one can handle the dark tone of the story. 10/10

I had a stroke while reading this