Thanks to Netgalley for providing this e-arc!

This. Was. Great. This manga was so engaging and fun! I'm looking forward to reading more from the mangaka. This doesn't merit 5 stars tho as i find the art style too simple, rendering the few characters we have all to be a bit monotone.

I want a big fan if this story. I might be my fault. I wanted to try a new genre. It just wasn’t what I thought it would be. If you do like this genre you might have better luck.

This is the first volume in a slice of life manga series about a single father trying to keep his young daughter from realizing that he writes a popular and raunchy manga. It is lighthearted and funny, and the art style is very pleasing, making for an easy and enjoyable read.

I’ve also watched the anime preview for this, and am looking forward to it as I think that this story and the jokes would translate a lot better in an audio/visual format.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an electronic copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Koji Kumeta is back! This time we have a perverted manga artist and his daughter.

I am very excited about this manga/upcoming show. I love Zetsubou Sensei and I love the humour and art of this artist. It is really original and tad strange. :P

But just like ZS I think this manga would work better as anime. I have read ZS manga (and still want to continue reading it) and I really like the manga, but it just works better as anime. The story flows better, the jokes pop out more, the characters are more interesting. I still had fun reading Kakushigoto, but I have to say I was constantly looking at the page numbers and wondering why it seemed so endless.

The story is about a man who is a single parent of a girl, his job is a bit unconventional. He draws pervy manga. Since he doesn't want his daughter to know about it or have her bullied because of things, he draws in secret. Pretending he goes to work at x, but in the meantime going to another building to his staff. He puts all his work in a shed far away so that his daughter will never find out. Well, until her 18th birthday as we saw in the beginning. I wonder if she already had a suspicion, but given the last pages, I guess not. I loved her reaction to the manga and what she said. I wonder what happened to her father though since apparently he wasn't the one to give her the key. I guess we will see what happens in the next volumes.

The chapters switch between the dad and seeing him do his work (or try to hide his work and also any merchandise that he spots around which had me in stitches during that festival) and we learn about the manga world, about editors, businesscards, and other writer/mangaka related stuff. And then we have the POV of the daughter as she navigates school and life.

Just like ZS there are plenty of references or hints to culture/etc. things. I had a laugh at all the references, like the fashionista den that the girls went in which was Starbucks.

I loved the relationship between the daughter and the father. They are so cute and adorable together and I love how much the father cares about his daughter, though maybe at times it is a bit too much. :P Then again she is the only one he has left with his wife gone, so I can imagine his daughter is everything to him and he will do anything for her to make sure she is happy and not missing her mom too much.
I was definitely crying when he opened the closet and found all those boxes and how he instantly knew who prepared that.

I had a laugh at how he accidentally had women left and right falling for him due to misunderstandings. :P

All in in all, despite being a bit slow and at times not that funny, I still really liked reading this one and I definitely want more of it in my life. I cannot wait for the anime to start airing.

I loved this manga it was so funny, a dad trying to hide his ‘sordid’ career from his daughter and the lengths he goes to keep it hidden. It’s funny and despite it being about a manga artist who is trying to hide a secret, it’s suitable for most audiences, it’s a great light hearted manga and I loved it.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Kakushigoto: My Dad's Secret Ambition is the first volume in a slice of life manga series whose lead character is an artist / creator for a raunchy manga who is desperately trying to keep his young daughter from finding out what he does for a living. Due out 17th March 2020 from Kodansha Comics USA, it's 187 pages and will be available in ebook format.

This is a sweet manga with a single father bringing up an intelligent and curious daughter and trying to provide for her without her finding out that he writes a popular raunchy manga. Comedy ensues. This is a very lighthearted and sweetly funny situational comic which is well written and well drawn. The plot is simple but entertaining and doesn't feel 'same-y' with different complications coming up (like his new editor deciding on a breakfast meeting whilst wearing a questionable t-shirt featuring some of his work).

There are interludes with background info about manga and the publishing industry as well as famous innovators in the medium which I found very enlightening and interesting and which enhanced my enjoyment of this volume a lot. The language and art (despite the central plot line) are very clean and would be appropriate for most readers.

Very cute. I enjoyed it a lot. The page progression has been adjusted for western audiences, it reads from what westerners recognize as 'front' to 'back'. It should be noted, however, that the individual page layout follows the standard manga format and each half page reads in a circle from upper right to lower right, then the bottom half from right to lower left.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Four stars.