I think this title is going to become my go-to recommendation for a mystery manga, because wow what a delight of a read! This volume had me hooked from the first few pages, and it did a fantastic job of keeping up that intrigue till the end. The murder mystery that we're faced with was really interesting, and it felt like I was trying to solve the mystery alongside our main characters. That ending made me desperate for more, and I cannot wait till the second volume comes out!!

Members of a University's Mystery Club take a week long trip to a deserted island where a gruesome multi-murder took place a year back. They're staying in the late architect's decagonal house that he built on the island separate from the house where the murders and arson took place. Can they solve the murder case while also watching their backs—maybe not everyone in the house can be trusted!

I cannot wait to read more of this series. This story is interesting and mysterious, and I can tell already that it's going to get really good. This first volume was a page turner for me, and I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC!

5/5 stars

I received an ARC of this manga, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

The members of a university Mystery Club head to a deserted island during spring break. They will be staying in a ten-sided house built by an eccentric architect. The architect actually lived in a mansion on the island until he was recently murdered along with his wife and servants. The club members have a great opportunity to look more into the case...that is, if they all survive their stay.

I have never read a "whodunit" manga before, but this was absolutely amazing! Reading this made me feel like I was playing a game of Clue. The story is intriguing, and I am hooked!

The mystery itself has piqued my interest. Some suspicious deaths, an accident that might have actually been a murder, strange letters with ominous messages... This first volume outlined what we're dealing with, and I'm sure it will get even more suspenseful in future volumes.

The artwork is stunning! It was atmospheric and haunting, and it really added to the mood of the story. It would be so cool if this ever got animated! The cover alone is gorgeous, and the story's artwork doesn't disappoint.

The characters are all unique, though not much is known about them yet. They have very different personalities, and their relationships with each other are a little strained. I'm curious about what they're hiding!

All in all, I enjoyed this read. For some reason, this manga actually reminded me a little of Bungou Stray Dogs which is a series I adore. Warning: this volume ends on a cliffhanger, and it's driving me crazy that I will have to wait a while for the next volume! I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a murder mystery or a fascinating read!

A great, fast paced manga that literally gripped me from the very first page. I need more volumes immediately.

First of all, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Kodansha for providing and giving me the chance to read the e-ARC of this interesting book.

Disclaimer: This is an honest review from me as a reader, and it is not because of receiving the ARC or so on. Also, this review is not influenced by my mood, as I read this out of the blue and not forced by anyone/anything (need to clarify this because I am a mood reader most of the time).

Summary:
Seven members of a university's mystery club go for a week-long vacation on Tsunojima Island where the owner of the island was brutally murdered alongside his wife and housekeepers. Soon, they find out that someone, maybe from their own group of friends, is intending to kill them. But who is that person, and for what reason?

Meanwhile, a former member of the mystery club, who did not join the vacation receives a letter blaming her for the death of a girl. She realizes that there are a lot of coincidences between the dead girl and the murder that happened on the island. With the help of some acquaintances, she is determined to find out who is behind the secret letters and the motive of that person.

Trigger Warnings: Death, Violence

Ratings:

1. Artstyle: 5/5⭐
I honestly love the art style! This manga has the art style that I really like and that is the first thing that hooked me on the story. Sometimes, I am a bit picky when it comes to reading a manga because the art style does not really suits my preference, but this one just clicked with me. At the first sight of the cover, I was already in love and I could not stop adoring the illustration. It really suits the mystery vibe and all the characters are beautifully drawn, with such details that are also mentioned in the book as an extra information. The panels are also neat and clean which make the experience of reading the story feels even better.

2. Mystery: 4/5⭐
As this is the first volume of the series, the mystery is still at the introduction part where the problem arises in the story. Questions are still vague and the characters are still trying to figure out what will happen during their vacation on the island. From this volume, we have a rough idea on where the story is heading, and the connection between these characters with the murdered family. I really like how this volume was ended because it has the suspense that will build your curiosity to continue reading, and to see whether the theories that you had in mind is correct or not in the next volume.

3. Characters: 5/5⭐
We have variation of characters in this story that can be found in most books with a group of friends. Each of them has their own personality that is shown to the reader. There are a narcissist, an introvert, a hot-headed guy and a cheerful one. This variety of characters is also important because we can see how each characters approach the problem, and what they are actually hiding among themselves. After all, everyone has their own secrets, so I would love to know more about these characters. Also, I love how all members of the mystery club inherited the name of the mystery writers such as Agatha Christie and Edgar Allen Poe. It reminds me of the manga, 'Bungo Stray Dogs' which makes me even more interested in this story.

Overall rating: 4.7/5⭐
I have not read the novel yet but so far, the story in this manga is progressing really good and everything is so smoothly narrated. I am a fan of mystery manga and I will gladly recommend this to my friends. This one is going into my wishlist for physical copy and I am looking forward to the next volume. Hopefully it will be as exciting and mysterious as this one!

Members of a university mystery club visit a ten-sided house on a remote island where an unsolved grisly mass murder took place the year before. However, as they explore the house and try to unravel its secrets, they discover there may be a killer in their midst.

The Decagon House Murders Volume 1 by Yukito Ayatsuji (writer), Hiro Kiyohara (Artist) is a clever and engaging whodunit murder mystery. It’s based on the classic novel by the same name and adheres to the “honkaku” tradition, meaning that the audience is given clues and invited to solve the story’s mystery before it ends.

Think of it as a game of Clue or an Agatha Christie novel. In fact, the story gives nods to the author by nicknaming one of the characters after her and even references her novel "And Then There Were None" in its opening prologue.

On top of that, the artwork is beautifully atmospheric, and it's what drew me to this manga in the first place.

All in all, Volume 1 was a fun start to the series and I’m really interested in seeing where the story goes since it ends in a serious cliffhanger. This story very much feels like a homage, a love letter to its genre, so I strongly recommend it for fans of good old-fashioned locked-room mysteries.

I love murder mysteries so this seemed right up my alley. I have never read manga outside of the normal fantasy/horror genres so this was a great change of pace for me, I really enjoyed it. I have since learned this is based off a novel of the same name so I am interested in maybe picking up a copy before the next manga volume comes out.

This book has a wide cast of characters, but they are all characterized distinctly with unique personalities. I enjoyed all the different interactions, I think what makes murder mysteries so fun is having a wide cast of characters that all have different takes on the mystery. I am invested in the mystery enough that I can't wait to pick up the next volume!

I also really enjoyed the art style. I would like to pick this one up physically so I can see the art in full detail!

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Kodansha in exchange for an honest review.

Having read the novel version of the Decagon House Murders earlier this year and being very impressed, I was really excited to see a manga was being produced. I am pleased to report that it did not disappoint! This is a fantastic adaptation of the book's content and a really fun way to experience the story. The character designs are great and, as someone who struggled a little bit with character names in the book, I found it actually helped me tell characters apart much more easily. I also found the subplot a lot more interesting in this format than in the novel. This volume covers a decent amount of the first book and seems like fantastic value as it told more of the story than I was expecting. I 100% recommend this, both as a way of consuming the story and for the story itself. This is a brilliant murder mystery and the manga format only adds to the enjoyability. I am eagerly awaiting the other volumes.

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc~

Okay so I'm not fully sure but I think for now its a 4 star. I really like whodunit type manga so I was really happy to get to read it and it didn't disappoint. The plot was intriguing. I feel that at this point of the story there is no one I'm attached enough to say that I like their character but with the characters as they are I think they have the potential to grow on me. I ate the story up. At this point of the story their isn't really any action but I still found it engaging to read about.

It was a really fun read and I need another volume right now. The manga is based on/retelling of a classic Japanese mystery novel of the same name. I haven't read it yet but seeing as how there isn't a second volume out yet I'm considering trying to pick up the novel to see what would happen next.

Thank you so much to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.

Right off the bat this manga gives off strong Danganronpa vibes, and it does not disappoint ! I am a lover of mystery and whodunit. Coming up with theories is just always fun for me, so this series is just right up my alley. The fact that the main character's survival depends on them figuring out the mystery just makes it that much more intriguing.

At first it seems like the story is going to be contained to the island that the main cast travels to right at the beginning. However, it actually flips between the island and several characters on the mainland. This gives us multiple threads of the mystery as different characters discover different information.

Do not expect a lot of action in this volume, as it is heavily dialogue based. There's a lot of world-building, character backgrounds, case background, and you can definitely tell that some people are hiding secrets. It ends on the perfect cliffhanger, and I 100% want to continue with this series. The story is 5/5 for me.

The art in this is also incredibly detailed, and there is a pretty heavy use of shadow. The characters look great, but you can tell the tropes they are based off of. Regardless, the art is also a 5/5 for me. I love when the quality stays fantastic for the entire volume.

Okay so I'm supposed to be on a Netgalley ban, but here we are. When I saw this, I immediately had to request it. A couple of months ago, I received the novel this graphic is based upon from Netgalley, and I absolutely loved it. Like top 10 books of 2021 kind of loved, so of course I had to ask for this. To my joy, I got accepted.

This story follows a group of university students who are all members of a murder mystery book club, they all have nicknames that correspond with famous mystery writers and they are on their way to a mystery that is a little closer to home. This group is a mixed bag definitely, and their dynamic is immediately set out as they reach the island. This island happens to be the former home of one of their old classmates, Chiori, who died while on a trip with them all, and after her death, her parents were murdered and their home burned to the ground. Now, the murder mystery group are staying in another building on the island. An eccentric decagonal house with seven bedrooms for seven guests, a kitchen, a bathroom and a central hall. When they wake up one morning, they are greeted by a number of plates laying out victims one through six, a detective and a murderer, hinting that something sinister is about to happen on the island.

Back on the mainland, a former member of the club receives a letter stating "The Chiori who you all murdered was my daughter". Is Chiori's father still alive and is he the one threatening to hurt the members isolated on the island? How do these letters tie to Chiori's accidental and tragic death and why have they come at the same time the current members are on the island?

While reading the novel, I never thought how good this would play out in a manga format and all I can say is that it definitely does. I think I almost enjoyed this format more than the novel. This manga not only modernises the story a bit more, but it also makes it possible to imagine the quirkiness of the house they are staying in and to see more details than I maybe saw while reading the book. I'm so happy I got to read this as it's been years since I've properly read a manga-style book. I would really recommend this to those who are fans of murder mysteries as this is a really good one. Although I know what happens ultimately, I find myself waiting in anticipation for volume 2!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this first volume of the manga adaptation of The Decagon House Murders, Yukito Ayatsuji's classic Japanese whodunit. Through the streamlined text and Hiro Kiyohara's art, the iconic mystery works well as manga. The characters are clearly delineated, their relatively archetypal personalities come through strongly in the art.

By its nature, the book is fairly exposition-heavy, but that's true in the original version, too, and I found the info dumps ameliorated by the artwork, which, obviously, illustrate the histories and theories as people relay them. It keeps the pace from feeling too slow or stagnant, as well, even though this first volume is mostly set-up for what's to come. Artistically speaking, the style feels pretty detailed and full, which I like for a mystery; it's like there might be a clue in any panel, and there's plenty to keep your eye on. The first panel of the Decagon House interior is particularly striking, and on the whole the story is even more gruesome and chilling when it's depicted through drawings along with the text.

I do feel like the solution will turn out to be a bit too guessable in this version, but it's hard for me to really judge that, given I already know the story. Having read several other reviews, by people who aren't already familiar with the original, I might be in the minority on this one.

Regardless, and especially with the dramatic ending of this volume, I can't wait for Volume 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ahhh, to be young and ambitious… university students who formed a mystery club decide to go to this island. Why, you ask? Well, that island happens to be the sight of a gruesome and still unsolved murder spree that occurred the previous year. Of course, the uni students feel they can do better than the police and set off on a mission to solve that murder! If you think that it will not be easy and that they will start to be murdered one by one, you’re right. But the publishers promise this is the last thing you will guess correctly! The Decagon House Murders is described as “clever enough that you’re unlikely to guess, but simple enough that you’ll kick yourself when it’s revealed.”

No wonder the novel is one of my favourite books and favourite shin honkaku novels ever. Of course, when I saw it as a manga, I needed to read it, and let me tell you, I HATE … that this is a trilogy. I need to have all three volumes on my shelf now - Hiro Kyiohara brought both the story and the characters created by Yukito Ayatsuji to life in the best - and most gory - way possible! I am in love!

I highly recommend this manga and will be counting the days until the subsequent two volumes are out!

Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Kodansha and NetGalley or providing me with a copy of The Decagon House Murders, Volume 1

I absolutely loved this!

As this is Volume 1, it focuses mostly on setting up the characters and the background of the story. In one plot you have members of a university murder club who have arrived on a remote island that had been the scene of a brutal murder/arson a few months previous and seem to be setting up an "And Then There Were None" style murder mystery. In the other, you have two former members of the club who received notes about another crime related to the murder/arson on the island.

While I have not read the novel this manga is adapted from so I can't speak to the accuracy, I found the formatting within the manga to be super easy to digest and loved the split stories.

I also loved the artwork! I sometimes get confused about characters in with art based media that have huge casts but I thought all of the members of the murder club were represented in ways that showed off their distinct personalities. And I loved that they had nicknames based on classic crime novelists, some of which were new to me names that I will definitely be checking out.

Overall, I had a blast reading this and might have screamed a little when I reached the end and realized there was no more because that cliffhanger! I immediately ordered this volume as well as the original novel and will be eagerly waiting for news of Volume 2.

A few weeks ago I read the novel version of this manga and loved it. Thank you Netgalley for this e-Arc and the opportunity to review The Decagon House Murders vol. 1😍

Rating: 4.5/5

The art is ✨Chefs kiss✨

Without comparing it to the novel, I just want to say I really enjoyed this manga. The storyline and character are very interesting and I'm looking forward to buying this volume and also the second volume.
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📜Spelling issues 📜

I know that this is an Arc so I understand that there are spelling mistakes, but I still want to point that out.

1. In the character name information part, Hungarian was misspelled as Hugarian so I hope they pick this up and

2. Sempai - I don’t think this is the appropriate spelling even though phonetically it sounds like there's an m in there, the correct spelling should be Senpai.

Personal rating: 4.5/5 stars.

Firstly, I would like to thank Netgalley &Kodansha for providing me the e-Arc of this beautiful book.

TW: murder, violence
This manga's cover is stunning ❤. I adore the art style and its what makes me attracted to the manga in the first place. The character design is beautiful and suits the vibe of the original book. I was aware the manga is based on the original novel by Yukito Ayatsuji and I would love to read the book someday because this volume showed how good it is even if its early in the story.

Summary:
The mystery club, "Dead Man's Island" went to Tsunojima Island where a gruesome murder of Nakamura, his wife and his servants happened a year ago. The architecture of the late Nakamura's Blue Mansion was unique as it was build in a decagon shape which garnered many attention on the late Seiji Nakamura's eccentricity. 7 members of the club with various nicknames after famous crime authors went to the island for a week trip for a club project. With no coverage and phone services, they stayed in the island but a forewarning of suspicious cards indicating there will be victims, detective and murderer caused panic amongst the members. The line of trust and betrayal becoming thin thus what exactly these cards meant for them. What brutal fate will these characters faced while on the island and how the other 2 members not on the island could help solve the Tsunojima's Island mystery.

Thoughts:
I am very invested in the story early on and enjoyed this one a lot. I keep on reading between the lines of each sentence. The mystery is very intriguing so far as we have the massacre of Nakamura's and his servants. The mystery still remains unsolved and this certainly piqued my interest on the motives of the killing.

The cast of characters we have were very interesting. I love each characters had nicknames after famous authors like Agatha Christie (which is my favourite author of all time, bonus point to that), Edgar Allan Poe, Gaston Leroux, and some of authors that now I want to read from like Ellery Queen, Van Dine, Baroness Orczy and John Dickson Carr. The nicknames may reflect on their personality, if this is true then I will say its brilliant to have these characters named this way.

So far, I really like Agatha (personal bias aside), I think she is very elegant yet thoughtful and actually very adept in the situation in the house.
Ellery Queen seems to be the person potrayed as narcissictic yet clever in his thinking and deduction. Knowing that the author, Yukito Ayatsuji is married to Fuyumi Ono, another author of a series called Ghost Hunt ( which is my favourite series ever), I got the same vibes of the character Ellery Queen to Kazuya Shibuya from Ghost Hunt 😁. This is really fun to read to me since I got to see the similarities of a favourite character.

Other characters were described well too and one that stoods out the most to me now is Morisu which is a member not on the island with them but off island with Conan (another member) where she kind of went investigating the Tsunojima Island's mystery after receiving a letter from a dead man.

The dual narrative sets the story in motion, keeping the momentum and tension forward so we will want to read this story continously. This is briliant in my opinion.
By the end of the volume, something sinister happened and I'm looking forward what will happened next and how they will deal with this situation.

I will definitely get a physical copy of the manga once its released because this manga had the same vibe of And Then There Were None (which is actually mentioned in the manga itself).

Highly reccommended to those people who loves crime, mystery and thriller because this definitely got my brain running and I love that I get to investigate alongside these characters. The mangaka also did a very good job in making the manga atmospheric and the detailed drawing on the house are stunning! Looking forward to Volume 2 😁

I really like Ayatsuji, a wonderful representative of Japanese crime literature. His books excite fans of the genre, even if they are as classic as possible in the setting of the story.
Yes, "Murders in the Decagon" (in Bulgarian the book is published by Millennium Publishing House) is a classic in the genre - a lonely house on a lonely island, built in the shape of a decagon. Several students, big fans of crime fiction, went on to unravel mysteries. Then things get rough.
The manga adaptation is wonderful, the story (as far as I can remember the small details) goes closely through the book. The characters look much more successful as in the atmosphere of the story than those in the adaptation of Another (well, yes, the goal is for the main female character to look a lot like a living doll, but something could be devised against the male main character's baby look).
Now I'm angry that at the moment the book is not at hand to check immediately what was the secret of the Decagon xD

The opinion is in Bulgarian, sorry for the translation errors. I am adding a link.

When you read a mystery and detective book it is always with that cliffhanger and suspenseful ending right? Ah, I need to know what happened next! When is the next volume going to be available? This makes me on edge. How am I supposed to remain calm? I'm positive there's a lot of things this book stored since it's just the beginning. I need to know what comes next.

(TW: Death, Violence)

Thank you to Netgalley & Kodansha for giving me the e-Arc of this manga.

Artstyle: 5/5 ⭐️
Plot: 4/5 ⭐️
Characters: 5/5 ⭐️
Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐️

The Decagon House Murders is based on a novel by Yukito Ayatsuji. The story starts off with 7 K-University students from the Detective Club, who went to an abandoned island called “Tsunojima Island” for a week. Tsunojima Island is famous for its decagon house architecture where even the layout of the house is in decagon plan and also famous for the mystery murder of the Nakamura Family. During their stay on the island, they are out of reach from the outside world. The mystery begins when 7 sets of names consist of 1 Detective, 1 Killer and 5 Victims are laid out on the table in the next morning. Situation became tensed as none of them did it then who? Is this a prank or a tragedy will happen soon?

Each of the characters name are based on the famous mystery/crime writers, which I love it so much. I can’t choose any favourite because each of the character have their own personality and vibes. I love how the artstyle could convey the personality of each character. I tend to find myself to be in the story as if I’m a part of the character and it automatically makes me become a detective too. Even though it is still in Volume 1, i somehow could figure out how the story progress in this volume. However we’ll see how the story go in the next volumes and I am hoping for more twist in the future. Volume 1 is more focus on the characters and the mystery of the heinous murder. I am truly looking forward reading Volume 2 and definitely will invest my money to own the physical copy of the manga!

For those who love mystery and crime books, you totally need to cave in for this masterpiece.

The decagon house is a manga that is based off of a novel, having not read the novel I can not compare the two on how accurate the manga is to the novel. I have ordered the novel now and pre-ordered the manga because I fell in love with the plot. To start my review off I want to say how amazing the art style is being so detailed and really bringing the story to life. The art style really fit the mood of the story and complimented it well. The story starts with you meeting 6 of the main character from their colleges detective club/mystery novel research club. With one more introduced a few pages later in the manga making it 7. All of these club members go by a nickname which are all western authors they admire. Once the get to the decagon house (a house they are going to stay at for a week for vacation) things start off a little uneasy and seem to get worse. In the next chapter you meet two more past members of a club and you start to uncover more thing about where the club members are at and a past event that happened to the club.