Peach Boy Riverside is a unique updated version of a Japanese folktale by the creator of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. The story is exciting and I'm looking forward to reading more.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC.

Honestly I didn't expect what the author and the mangaka had tried to portray, as the cover didn't hint of any gore related scenes at any cost, which goes to show : you definitely can't judge a book by its cover.

More of a sort of Attack on Titan and Japanese Folklore, is the story of Princess Saltherine that is somehow enforced in the high walls of her kingdom. An encounter with a demon slayer who is known as Mikoto. A friendship of sorts sets in the adventures of Sally into venturing and exploring the world.

Honestly, I was pretty meh to the story. The story just felt like an OKAY to me.

Whilst it has a quite interesting premise, with the artstyle being a style that I actually quite liked, there were a few things that felt just a bit off for me. I feel that it was trying to mimic the style of AoT too much in a sense eventhough it has its twist. I would like to see more of the development from the character, but that would be continued in Volume 2.

I'm not sure if I would continue reading this series, but we'll see if my mood brings me to this manga again.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Kodansha for the e-arc!

Peach Boy Riverside was action packed, full of interesting characters and creatures and seems to be heading towards a feel-good, personal growth story! The art, as most manga art, was amazing. I’d love to see a color version, and maybe the final copy will be color, but the world seems like it would be amazing in color. Can’t wait for volume 2.

Fun and action-y although a bit more bloody than expected. I'm just not sure it has that factor to make it stick out and be popular with my crowd.

I put off reading this for a long time but finally, I liked it. I'm not 100% fan of the drawings but the story is promising.
We follow Sarutorine, a young princess who wants to go on an adventure outside the walls of her kingdom. One day, she meets Mikoto who will give her the inspiration she was missing and show her the violence of the outside world. A month after this meeting, she will finally leave. I really liked the characters, especially the friend that Sarutorine makes once she goes on an adventure. It makes me want to continue to follow their adventures. Also, there is a lot of mystery surrounding this young princess and Mikoto. I can't wait to get some answers to my questions. I'm sure the sequel will be even better.
I recommend it to those who are looking for action, adventure and fighting.
3.5/5

Just as a great as the anime was. Made me more excited to get into the series. Love the artwork and storyline. All the characters rock!

Both the story and the characters from the book were intriguing; I didn't quite know what to expect from the story but I was happy with what I got, since it was a very entertaining read. It was a bit confusing at first, maybe even weak, mainly because not much was explained, but that could be due to it being the first volume. It also made the book look a bit weak and stereotypical, but I'm glad it changed.

Our two main characters are Saltherine and Momotaro. I have to admit that Saltherine seemed a bit vain at first but I wanted to see her go out and start her adventure, and especially meet Momotaro, who is a very mysterious and intriguing character. Their interactions are not what I expected and I want to see what's next for them.

The art style was cool but I hated how the female characters were drawn. Why must they all look like that for no reason?

I found out after finishing this that it was inspired from Japanese folklore, which makes me more curious now to continue.

I wish I could add half stars here, this is a 3,5 read for me.

This is the first volume in a series and I enjoyed it, but it was a bit confusing at times (I found the ending in particular confusing) and I hope there will be more world building in future volumes. It felt a bit rushed and developments happened fast. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of the art style/character design (must so many manga artist ps give the female characters large chests for no reason?).

I’m not sure yet whether I’ll continue with the series - I’ll see in the future!

rating: 3/5 stars

This one felt a little bit like chaos in book form, and while I am certainly used to chaos in manga and anime and enjoy it, here there was just a little too much randomness for me to really get into the story. I think part of the issue is also that this is very much an establishing volume, and it was trying to do a lot - perhaps too much - that it felt even more chaotic, and some aspects felt a little rushed. However, if you can buckle up and hold on for the ride and accept that you won't necessarily follow everything this was a fun start to a promising story, and I really liked the art-style in this one.

This has such an interestin plot to be honest and welll executed scenes and pacing mos of the times. However I would say that I didn't really like the lead heroine so much and more like despises her. Her character just made it hard for me read the volume and hoped that the other mc had more scenes.

Peach Boy Riverside is one of this year's most talked about manga's and there is good reason. This story is a great example of classic, well-written, fun, and adventurous manga that is great for readers of all ages. Peach Boy Riverside reminds me why I love manga so much.

I really should have known! It was pretty obvious from the title but I must have been suffering from brain freeze not to have noticed that "Peach Boy Riverside" volume 1 by Coolkyousinnjya and Johanne was a Momotaro story!

Momotaro is a really popular Japanese folk tale about a boy birthed from a giant peach with the ability to slay ogres (or Oni). There is a bit more to it than that but for the purposes of Peach Boy Riverside, those elements seem to be the only relevant ones in volume 1. The setting is a bit weird, kind of medieval, maybe on the mainland of the asian continent but definitely a fantasy land. The main character seems to be a pretty boy Momotaro character, Mikoto, who kills the ogres who besiege a castle town, but is in fact a female character called Sally who lived in the town that was saved and decides to go on an adventure to be an ogre killer, too, and the friends she meets along the way!

It was a slow and confusing start and when it finally got going and got interesting, volume 1 finished, so now I want to know what happen next! The art style was not to my taste at the start but I liked it by the end. It is a good solid start to a manga series - I liked it more than I thought I would!

It does have an anime tie-in so go check that out, too!

Saltherine was a sheltered girl. She was a prisoner without bars because she wanted to know what was outside the gates of Aldarake. She failed numerous times trying to escape her father’s clutches but always ended her being brought back to her father.
The only good thing from her last failed attempt at escaping was to gain a friend. She doesn’t realize that he is a guy and assumes that he is a girl because of his appearance. Her expression when she realized that he was a boy was priceless. She trusted strangers easily and wouldn’t heed others’ warnings.
She met both Mikoto and Frau by chance and became friends immediately. This speediness was not only relevant to the relationships but also the pace as well. Things would progress so fast in the blink of an eye, which made me wonder about their sudden magical abilities that seemed to materialize out of nowhere.
Mikoto didn’t stay with Saltherine for long. He was a traveler and a boy on a mission. He has an enigmatic aura around him. Since this is only Vol 1. we never get to know more about him, but I can see him having a strong background to explain his past and his powers.

Frau, on the other hand, was a sweet, reliable friend. She was a demi-human of the Hare Folk. Demi-humans are considered mortal enemies to humans and aren’t allowed into their homes. Saltherine couldn’t understand why people hated the frau when all she wanted was carrots.
Both Saltherine and Frau become best friends after they put their lives on the line for each other.

Besides demi-humans, the other threat to the Kindom of Aldarake and humanity, in general, was the ogres. They came from an alien planet and wanted to conquer Aldrake and its neighboring countries. They were all one-horned, and it was easy to spot them in the manga because of this trait.
Altogether, this manga laid some of the groundwork for the series. We were introduced to the main characters and learn about how they get tangled with an ogre invasion. There were the Royal Guards who appeared briefly and played a specific role in the book. I think they are important to the arc and can expect them in the future volumes. The art was very expressive. You could see the glee on Mikoto’s face or the helplessness in his victims and the other emotions running through the story reflected throughout the manga.
I had problems with how fast things were going with not many explanations to back up Saltherine’s abrupt powers.


(Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the eARC of the manga.)

Initially I was very confused with the plot around the story. However the more I read the better it got, I really liked the art style and facial expressions of the characters. I’ll try not to spoil since I believe it’s worth the read.

Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley and Kodansha for providing me with an e-arc of the book. This review is based on my personal opinion and enjoyment of the book.

The book was a bit random but I was able to finish it.

This was really cute and fun- the art style is also very good! Sadly however, it just wasnt my type of read and took me a while to get through

It’s interesting to see a story inspired by the Japanese folktale Momotaro, but the inspiration is very loose. If you weren’t familiar with it already then it’s very unlike you would connect the dots.

As a story on its own…. It’s okay. It definitely has promise to grow, but the first volume is ma only an establishing volume, where we are introduced to the characters and setting. The character designs and art are beautiful, it’s creative and visually appealing, but the elements might be more developed in later volumes down the line. Overall, it’s an okay start, and I hope it gets better.

Peach Boy Riverside, Volume 1, by Coolkyousinnjya is a manga style graphic novel. Saltherine, princess of the Kingdom of Aldarake, dreams of traveling the world, a dangerous dream in a land where monsters roam the countryside! A chance meeting with a wanderer named Mikoto gives her hope that she might still find excitement in her life. But then she discovers the wanderer’s true identity: Momotaro the Peach Boy, demon slayer of legend! Though terrified by his bloody profession, Sally feels driven to follow Momotaro and learn more. But is this curiosity, or a magical connection that goes deeper than either of them realize?

Peach Boy Riverside is an interesting and entertaining graphic novel. I liked the introduction to the characters and the way world building was woven through the story without feeling overwhelming or like it was missing something. I thought the art style matched the story ad mood very well, and that everything came together quite nicely. I really enjoyed getting to know Saltherne and the characters around her, and I felt like I got a good amount of action and character development in this volume while still wanting more. There was a good balance here- leaving me very eager to figure out how everything will all be revealed and what the next adventure will look like.

3.5 ~4 stars

So I saw a few weeks back, in search of my next anime fix that a new one named 'Peach Boy Riverside' was streaming. Its name and set-up didn't sound that unique or different from other seinen though. So I shelfed it for later. Imagine my surprise when I found Netgalley was offering the volume 1 of its manga for review. Coincidence? I think not. Safe to say I clicked to request. I mean whom am I to fight with fate.

First things first, I didn't know but it is a retelling of Japanese folklore "Momotaro'. Hence the name Peach Boy. I didn't know much about that tale but it doesn't matter. It doesn't take away from the experience of the manga. The only thing I am irked about is a few pages where they regaled that story was missing from my copy.

Since I went into it pretty much blank, it made for a pretty entertaining experience. Our peach boy, Mikoto is a lone traveller, an ogre killing machine, who moves on to kill more on his way. The thing making him apart from other heroes is his bloodthirsty lust for killing more monsters. Not much other than that is known or told about his character. I think their goal was to make him seem mysterious but cuz of this, he seems 2-D. Here's to hoping that change in the next volumes.

Princess Saltherine Aldarake or ex-princess Sally was an aspiring traveller, who after a brief brush-up with Mikoto decided to finally take the next steps towards her own adventure, picking up a harefolk demi-human, Frau-chan on the way. But of course she's not all she looks on the surface.
The pace and action of the story was good. My favourite was Frau-chan. She looks cute like a rabbit but can kill and fight like a savage.

I will definitely read the next volume. Or just switch on the anime version.

While not my particular taste, the pacing, humor, and action will satisfy my patrons. There are certain new and engaging elements that help this story to stand out, and I foresee it being very popular.