An atmospheric, creepy story about a murder and a group of teens who delight in the mysterious and the occult. When they decide to camp on the same island a murder was committed… things take a turn.

I loved this manga volume so much. It was a perfect introduction to the story and the characters. We’re given just enough information about the plot and the characters that we understood them but at the same time, everyone and everything was still clouded in mystery. That just kept my attention locked from page one until the end.

I am chomping at the bit to read the second volume in this series. I can’t recommend this one more if you’re into murder mysteries, creepy settings, a deserted island and a dead girl come back to haunt everyone.

5/5⭐️

TW: death, fire, torture, gore, murder, dismemberment, drowning, blood, violence.

Thank you NetGalley for supplying me this arc in response for an honest review.

While I have not read the source material and cannot speak to how close it stands, The Decagon House Murders Vol 1 is an amazing start to what will hopefully be an exceptional series.

Despite not a lot of action happening the plot is engaging and kept me wanting to know more about the past of Tsunojima Island and the mystery society that has traveled here while on spring break. The art style is beautiful and shows clear story telling to aid and guide the main story along while engaging me into the mysterious murders that took place on the island.

I loved the dual storylines of the society on the island and the two members who stayed behind but have their own, linked, mystery to solve.

Despite this mystery not having a lot of action and it’s mainly people voicing theories and accusations, the way it all ties together left me wanting more and more to understand who is the culprit (culprits?)

Each character has a famous mystery authors name (giving me slight bungo stray dogs vibes), a fun detail for mystery die hards, the pages of character design sprinkled in between chapters also gave a nice introduction and another excuse to look at the amazing art done by Hiro Kiyohara.

Overall, I loved this volume and definitely recommend for anyone who likes manga mysteries or mysteries in general and will definitely be picking up future volumes.

trigger warning
<spoiler> mention of rape, mutilation, trauma, grief </spoiler>

Seven friends travel to a deserted island to spend the spring holidays there, maybe even write some short stories for the club they're all part of. The first morning, they discover something weird that might mean someone will get murdered...

This is an adaptation of a crime classic of the same name, one that I read in winter. Don't ask me if it was end of last year or beginning of this year, time is really weird.
I have this thing where I forget details of crime novels so I can read them again and again, and while I retained some memory of what happened in the novel as it hasn't been that long, I do not know everything and am interested to see where this goes.

I like the drawings, they're not only detailed, but I found them to be very lifelike and not stiff at all. Earlier today I read a graphic novel where the postures of the people didn't feel that fluid and genuine, I liked this here much more.

The only thing that took me back for a moment was the attractiveness of every single character, but then that's not that untypical for manga. I just didn't see the people in my mind like this when I read the novel.

Volume 2 will go instantly on my want to read list, and I am going to recommend this to a friend who might enjoy it.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

The Decagon House Murders, Volume 1
by Yukito Ayatsuji (writer) Hiro Kiyohara (artist)
Review

‘They’ll come knowing nothing, suspecting nothing, throwing themselves into the decagonal trap!’

I’m a pretty big mystery fan, although my tastes run more to cozy, small town mysteries as opposed to ‘impossible crime’ murder mysteries, so I picked this new Kodansha title looking for a change of pace….. I had no idea how fascinating and exciting it would turn out to be! I consumed the whole thing in one sitting!

10 players. One detective, One murderer, Five Victims.
Who will make it out alive?

This manga is an adaptation of The Decagon House Murders novel by Yukito Ayatsuji, which is a best seller in Japan! And anyone would be able to see why!

The story follows what initially seems to be a strange group headed for a mundane getaway. Eight members of college club for mystery-lovers travel to a ten-sided house, on a remote island with a horrific and of course, mysterious past! A perfect chance to flex their junior detective skills and see if they solve this whodunit!

‘to me, mystery novels are just a bit of intellectual sport.’

A recluse and brilliant architect, Seiji Nakamura, his wife, their live-in housekeepers, The Kitamuras and their occasional groundsman, Seiichi Yoshikawa were all found murdered or missing, their murders were spread over several days, were all different and strange things were done to some of the bodies. The police were all stumped on what could have possibly happened, but the Mystery Novel Research Association, are all pretty eager to get into the facts of these gruesome murders and sus out both the cause and the perpetrators.

But now that they’re here on Tsunojima island, what’s stopping them from becoming victims to the mystery themselves?

I really enjoyed the set up of this story, and how it’s unfolding so far! The art is amazing, with the characters being drawn so prettily and expressive! I love how different each character is, and that as members of the Mystery Novel Research Association, the take their names from mystery authors in the past that they love so we end up having Ellery, Carr, Leroux, Poe, Agatha, Orczy, Van being a few names that the main characters are using! I also enjoyed that it wasn’t all doom and gloom, lots of lighthearted moments mixed in between! I’m really looking forward to the rest of this series! I’d definitely recommend this to both manga fans, whether you like pretty art, great stories or if you like gothic, horror and persons who like mysteries (This is an exciting format for it!).

Many thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I can hardly wait for volume 2!

Having not read the original novel I don’t know if it’s a faithful adaptation but I really enjoyed reading the manga. The pacing was good and the art style was lovely. I don’t know that I’d feel the need to read the next volume cause detective books aren’t normally something I read but if I was at a loose end for something to read I might do.

The book starts with two college aged men nearly getting into a physical altercation on how mysteries should be written. That's a sold from page three for me. There's something so pure and fun about hyper-fixated interests in manga and I love a good protagonist or three in that sort.

As the book description says - a mystery club from a university is off to an isolated island to investigate a strange ten sided house. What they don't mention right out of the gate is the huge personalities and the delightful interplay of the characters. Each is named - or at least pseudonymed - after classical western mystery authors which makes them both easy to remember and sort of a challenge to get to know at first. Of course - nothing could possibly go wrong in a book called Decagon House Murders so..

Really this book is super fun, but its hard to not spoil things so I'm keeping this review a little shorter. The art is really packed, lots of linework, lots of scenery. After having read a few more minimalist manga over the past couple weeks this was an interesting and not upleasant change. Ultimately this first volume is setup for what's to come so it does feel a little slow at a couple points or drug on but the volume as a whole does flow very well.

The Decagon House Murders is quite interesting and how it follows And Then There Were None in a way. The University's Mystery Club travel to an abandoned island where murders were committed just six moths prior. Somehow their story starts to follow what happened before and others who didn't go to the island, get mysterious letters saying they killed the daughter of the murdered family. So, in a sense a true mystery story and all the members have famous crime writers' nick names. The story is surely interesting and this is solid. I could also give it four stars, but there's basically too much happening in this first part and it's hard to keep track of everything. The beginning is slower and then it just accelerates like no tomorrow and stories like this need time.

The art looks great, it's precise and looks beautiful as well as the cover. I don't know how long the series can be if all the volumes are this stuffed though. Still, I really did enjoy reading, so I hope this will find its own path and rhythm so that we get to enjoy the mystery better and I also hope it's surprising!

Wow, what a great way to kick off a series. A manga, based on the novel of the same name, tells the story of two murder mysteries that intertwine extremely well: one in which a group of college students travel to a remote island where a murder occurred the previous year, and they suspect something up when they discover plates with unusual titles that may include them in a murder mystery. The other is a girl who is trying to figure out why she received this strange message about a deceased acquaintance from their deceased father. The story started slowly, with the two mysteries not seeming like they would ever connect, but once they did, it was perfect. The art style was perfectly executed in displaying all of the characters as well as the distinction of the locations. I'm excited to see what this manga series has in store for revealing both mysteries.

I wasn't expecting this manga to capture my heart like this, but I'm obsessed! This manga is an adaptation of Yukito Ayatsuji's novel, The Decagon House Murders, in which a murder mystery novel club takes a trip to an island that was the site of an unsolved murder and arson. In tandem, the club members at the decagon house and a few members outside become wrapped up in solving the grisly mystery, but they soon discover they can't trust the "facts" of the case... much less each other, since someone seems to be playing a game with them all that might end with most of them dead.

I loved this story. I adore murder mysteries, and the idea of a club where each member takes on the name and style of a mystery writer interested me right off the bat. The character design and background art style perfectly set the mood for this story and I loved how the two storylines work together to slowly reveal what might have really happened the night of the island massacre. The side notes about each member's design and the author name they've taken on also added a lot to the story, and there was just so much I adored about this novel! I'm already in love with both Ellery and Van, and I would probably trade my soul for a physical edition of this volume. Everything here was done very well and I will absolutely be picking up the rest of this series. I can't recommend this enough to other murder mystery lovers!

❧ 5 ★

This was a very enjoyable crime thriller/horror manga, and I'm dying to know more from the next volume!
I love locked-room murder mysteries, and exploring a visual format of that with some beautiful artwork is great.

Plot: A bunch of college students that are part of a murder mystery club, decide to visit an island where a horrible murder occurred the year before. They stay in the Decagon house, built by the eccentric architect who died in the same incident. Immediately, we get an eerie atmosphere from the remoteness of the island, and the strange claustrophobic, dizzying decadon-shaped hall of the house (10-sided walls). Tensions begin to rise and trust dwindles between the students, as strange incidents unfold. Meanwhile, simultaneously, we also piece together the mystery from the mainland, where one student (and ex-club member) receives a strange letter from the deceased architect.. which plummets her into some hardcore investigating.

What I enjoyed:
The character setup and development is really good, we get a mix of diverse and mysterious characters.
If you're looking for spooks and atmosphere, this one hits the mark. The choice of visuals really captures the mood of the story, and the character dynamics. Overall, it's a very balanced story. One thing I appreciate in manga, and particularly this one too, is the depth of intellectual discourse is of a certain level that really tingles the sapiophile brain. That, tied in with the logic puzzle of playing detective creates wonderfully engaging material. There's also a splash of humour and light heartedness to enjoy, which includes the comical story-breaker intermission panels at the end which are just some fun panels that help get to know the characters better (excuse my lack of manga/comic knowledge on what this term is, I tried to look it up and I've even done a graphic novel unit at uni! Oh, for shame!).

I am definitely invested in the rest of this series and would recommend for manga fans, as well as thriller/horror fans looking to branch out into something different.


Thank you to Netgalley, Kodansha publishing and Yukito Ayatsuji (writer) & Hiro Kiyohara (artist), for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review :)

The manga based off the best-selling The Decagon House Murders novel by Yukito Ayatsuji! The members of a particular university's Mystery Club travel to a ten-sided house on a remote island... which just happens to have been the scene of a gristly, and unsolved, mass murder. Armed with details of the murder and keys to the property, they set out to dig deeper... but can they trust the "facts" of the case? And moreover... can they trust each other?

I have never read "The Decagon House Murders" and haven't heard much about this book until now, but I want to read it now. The idea intrigued me and this volume gave me just a little taste of it. I love this type of mystery crime detective stories. I enjoyed reading the logical conversations about the murders and how to find the criminal. I feel like this manga could become a favourite of mine.

I loved the idea of the Mystery Club. The members all have nicknames that are related to important authors that have changed this genre and I love this little aspect. Knowing most of those authors gave me a little more insight into the character's personalities and I love this little info.

The art of the manga is perfect for the story. I love how explicit, but also not giving much (especially when it comes to the crimes). This is the type of art I love, especially when it comes to how the characters look like. Perfect!

I guessed some aspects of the ending and this made me even more curious for the next volume!!! I totally recommend this manga!!

A mystery on par with the classics. The Decagon House Murders is a perfect murder mystery that keeps you guessing with each page turn and each twist in the tale. The only thing wrong with this book is that I don't have the second volume!

I really enjoyed this new version of an already great book. I loved the novel, but something about the art style of this Graphic Novel adds a whole new layer to the story. I can’t wait to see what other changes are in store for our amateur sleuths!

I really like the concept of The Decagon House Murders. A group of young adults going to a island without inhabitants to spend the week where they are being roped into a murder game. It's a really cool idea and I am into it. On the other side I think we got introduced to a few characters to many and that they are yet to be established, which makes sense with the scale of character. I just hope during the unfolding of the series that we get to know them more and actually care about what happens to them. Currently I feel no connection to any of the characters on the island and I also don't know them enough to even have theory of who is responsible for the game.

The two settings feels kind of disconnected at this point. We should get to know the people on the island but instead we are following an ex member of the club who is trying to solve the mystery of the letters related to the murder case that occured on the island last year. This serves the purpose of pushing the old mystery and finding out clues about it, but at this stage that is definitely the less intresting case and it taking up half of the first volume does disrupt the pacing of the story.

All of the critisms can be pretty easily solved in coming volumes and I am looking forward to seeing of the story will unfold and which twist and turns we have ahead of us. I also really love the art, it really works for this story and I appreciate how all the characters have their distinct design which makes them very easy to tell apart from each other.

This first volume is AMAZING. The art is so beautiful with some of the best most detailed backgrounds I’ve seen in some time. I can’t wait to know what happens next!! I love the premise set up by the author so far and The characters are varied and Interesting and the idea of using famous authors as nicknames in a mystery club is so unique. So far the pacing has been perfect keeping me interested and craving more, and while the idea of murders on a secluded island reminds me of Agatha Christie’s work and then there were none it seems that it’s supposed to. And it doesn’t come off as a knock off or a cliche it just adds to the wonderful atmosphere created by the characters and the story so far. This first volume gets a 10/10 by this mystery lover and I hope it gets a physical release because it needs to be on my shelves.

[Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.]

On a lonely island, a university detective club has gathered to explore a mysterious tragedy that took place some time ago. But it turns out that they have a tragedy of their own in the past and there just might be one more looming in the near future…

I love how audacious this book is with its homages, starting off with a classic premise, the ‘stuck on an island then murder’, then mashing in a second classic premise, ‘revenge for a tragedy that was maybe not a tragedy’, on top of that.

Then you <I>also</I> have all the characters having nicknames based on authors of classic mystery stories, a house that is built on an insane idea that seems designed solely to host a murder of some kind, a literal armchair detective, and a villainous monologue that starts the whole thing.

This is a mystery that knows mysteries and the question becomes whether it can measure up to its inspiration (there is a lot of very specific cribbing from <i>And Then There Were None…</i> in here) and so far I admit to being fairly optimistic. Even if the story follows a trope at some point, it makes it quite clear that it knows them all, as do the characters, so that makes it murky as to what ones it might actually be employing and how.

Our cast, as fleshed out as any given set of victims in a mystery story is (ie, not much) is at least all quite distinct and easily slotted into the expected types one sees in stories like this. They have some fun banter and while he’s a bit of an oddball, I do like Ellery, who basically proclaims that the more ludicrous the mystery, the better. I’m with him on that one (and we both appear to be in good hands).

That said, I was rather tickled pink at the addition of several sleuths who are not on the island and are attempting to piece things together themselves (or could they be involved…?). Will they be able to do anything from there? Or will they be… too late!? (Cue dramatic organ sting)

I especially liked the non-island sleuths because of the young woman, Conan, who decides to play detective because she’s bored on break. With the older gentleman she’s paired with for much of the book, an odd Buddhist monk, the pair make for a fun dynamic.

If there’s anything to poke this particular volume for, it’s that it is a lot of table setting with a couple of revelations that may or may not amount to much. There’s a lot of foreshadowing but things don’t really kick up a notch until the last pages. I don’t doubt this will prove a worthwhile endeavour, it’s just going to really start off next time.

4 stars - I am an absolute sucker for a good mystery and this seems like exactly that. I don’t have a problem with a lot of table setting if I’m expecting a great meal and I think there’ll be plenty of meat in the next instalment. A very good start.

First of all, I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me an e-ARC of the book.

Disclaimers: All my reviews are my thoughts of the book and according to my personal preferences. Even though I had received a review arc, it does not affect my review and honest thoughts for the book.

Personal Ratings: 4.5/5🌟

Total No of Chapters : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10
Bonus Chapter : -

Plot: 5/5
Suspense: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Easy To Read: 4/5
Artstyle : 5/5

Overall: I FREAKING LOVE IT.

Firstly, lets do a cover reveal cause LOOK AT THIS BEAUTY!!! Literally can't wait for the manga to drop in August! Will definitely invest in a physical copy of the manga!

🛑Trigger warnings : Mentions of Death, Death, Violence🛑

Short Summary
Based from the original novel from Yukito Ayatsuji tells the story that is set in a dual perspective, one coming from 7 University students who were in a Detective Club and went on an uninhabited island called Tsunojima Island, where the famous "Decagon" house is located and from the mainlands where another two of the club members who did not join the expedition.

From the island, they were set to stay a week, without any phone service as the island was known to be a murder scene from a heinous crime of the Nakamura Family. The mystery started when one morning, 7 set of names naming 1 Detective, 1 Killer and 5 victims have been placed on the table and none of the members owned up to it.

Whilst in the mainland, the mystery of the anonymous sender from the name of a dead man provoked some questions. Are they all just a big coincidence or is it the start of a heinous plan of a crime well-planned?

My Thoughts

I had absolutely LOVED the premise of the manga, the art style and even the characters. Albeit this volume only showed the start of the murder and the questions behind the mystery letters, it has invoked some curiosity, on how will everything unfold at the end.

I love the idea of the characters taking the nicknames based on famous mystery/crime writers. The names like Ellery, Poe, Doyle and Agatha is something that we find very familiar especially for anyone who is used to reading mystery books. The idea of 7 students from various departments in a prestigious university, subjected themselves to 1 whole week of adventure that will cause various questions in an island known for a heinous murder is just something that made me scared just thinking about it. Each character is distinct in their own way and whilst they don't exactly bond with each other, I can't wait to see how the mystery unfolds.

The first volume plot focused more on the mystery, the previous case and the perspective of the other two club members that did not go on the island with them. As this series will have three volumes in total, I feel like everything will start to unfold in the next volume as the end of this particular volume left me with so many questions and I keep searching if there are any updates.

Overall, I had enjoyed this manga very much and I can't wait for it to be released! The premise of the story is very similar to the novel and I love the art style in this book. The lines are defined and the the mangaka had portrayed and kept the level of suspense at bay.

Highly recommended for fans of crime thrillers and highly recommended to check the novel from the author too!

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

The Decagon House Murders, vol. 1 by Yukito Ayatsuji and Hiro Kiyohara is the first volume in a mystery / action manga based on a Japanese novel. First off, I have to say that I read the original novel in English translation earlier this year, and I gave it 5 stars. In my review for the original novel, I wrote, "I found this book just as good as the masterpieces of Golden-Age detective fiction." So, I was so excited to see this manga adaptation and to get approved to review it. I love manga, and since I loved the original novel, I had a feeling that I would enjoy this manga adaptation. Thank you again to the publisher for this opportunity!

The plot of The Decagon House Murders revolves around seven members of a Japanese university's mystery club, with nicknames like "Ellery" and "Poe." They converge on a mysterious island where a group of murders happened years prior. Nakamura Seiji died on the island, but before he did, he built the titular Decagon House, a house with a unique floorplan shaped like a decagon. The seven members discuss the case of the Seiji's murder and wonder whether they will come across new evidence for the unsolved case. Unbeknownst to the group, someone is planning another group of murders during their trip.

In the end, I have to rate the manga adaptation an amazing 5 stars! Just like the original novel, I was hooked from the beginning to the end. I literally couldn't stop reading and skipped dinner to find out what happens next. Even though I remembered some of the plot points, I was just as immersed into the mystery as I was when I read the original novel. Another highlight of this manga is the amazing art. I loved being able to visualize the characters and the setting in a new way, something that I wasn't able to do when I read the original novel. The characters, in particular, are drawn very beautifully, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed by the art. Overall, The Decagon House Murders is a stunning mystery, and I recommend it for all readers who enjoy mystery books. If you've ever enjoyed reading an Agatha Christie novel or if you're a fan of mystery manga, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in August!

I am giving this one 2 stars because while the artwork looked really cool and the story idea was awesome, the text bubbles are ALL over the place and it is extremely hard to keep up with the text. I also really wish that the illustrations were colored and it feels as if this comic is extremely unfinished.

A Fine Adaptation

This is the manga adaptation of Yukito Ayatsuji's 2019 breakout novel of the same title. I enjoyed it a great deal, but to address the manga version you really have to consider two issues. The first question is how you feel about the original novel, and then the second question is how this manga measures up to the novel, and how well it stands on its own.

As to the novel, it was a major hit, and contributed to the revitalization in Japan of the whole locked room/manor house sub-genre of detective mysteries. That said, the book received mixed reviews. Some thought the characters were overdeveloped given the genre; some thought the characters were underdeveloped. Some found the dialogue clunky and tedious; others found the style just right. Some thought the novel was just a creaky rehash of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", (aka "Ten Little Indians"); others thought it was a brilliant reimagining of that classic. And so on.

You don't need to have read the novel to read this manga. You don't need to have an opinion about the novel in order to enjoy this book. In fact, for me, the manga actually solved some of the novel's problems. Here, the characters are as well developed as seems possible in a graphic novel context, the dialogue is necessarily more spare, and the plot fits nicely within the bounds of what is possible. If anything, for me, it turns out that Ayatsuji's novel might actually work better in this form.

That aside, this is a fun read. Bear in mind that this is only Volume 1 and is necessarily concerned with setting everything up and starting the plot wheels turning. And there is a lot going on because there are really three mysteries that have to be introduced. A good deal of this Volume 1 is devoted to laying out the history of the earlier Blue Mansion mass murder, which may or may not be connected to the Decagon House. Then there is the matter of the mystery of how Chiori died, which is tantalizingly teased as possibly related to various murder motives. With all of that it's not surprising that there are more than a dozen major characters who have to be introduced and established. No wonder the main mystery - who's killing off the Decagon House Mystery Club detectives - doesn't even appear, (except for creepy atmospherics), until the end of the volume.

So, whether you know the original novel or not, this is an accessible, engaging and entertaining manga. Readers familiar with the novel can afford to be patient, I guess. New readers, though, are likely to be hooked enough to be impatient for the next volume.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)