A bit one-note, like most humor manga I've read (The Way of the Househusband and Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san come to mind immediately as comp titles) but the humor isn't mean-spirited.

SO incredibly funny, I was genuinely laughing out loud constantly! Such a quirky and playful plot that was furthered by impeccable visual humor. This absolutely captured fan life in the most comedic and entertaining way possible. So relatable lol!

Ok, I know this is a gag manga but omg it's absolutely hilarious. The situation - a yakuza member falls in love with a kpop idol group and specifically stans one member. The story? aAbsolute chaos, hilarity and it pokes some fun at the stan community. The sign that he holds up for the idol "be my aniki" absolutely sent me. BUT, the funniest part are the things Ken says and does because of how realistic they are, just applying it to a yakuza member makes it ten times funnier. Going to the cafe, scaring the patrons but then stanning together...trading, trading cards on the street with another fan...saying all the things you love about your bias or when he says "I'd do hard time for him" LOLOL hilarious because as a fan of idols over the years, can confirm, it's what I was/am like.

For anyone who is a kpop/idol stan and loves joining in on the camaraderie of being a fan this ones for you!

Reading Level: High School
Interest Level: High School +
Recommendation: Recommended Purchase

This is a highly recommended purchase for any collection which serves K-Pop stans (aka fans of Korean pop music). The premise is silly and the situations the author has come up with are sure to get a smile from anyone who is even vaguely adjacent to the K-Pop fandom. Swear words are present and violence is alluded to, but none of it goes beyond what a teen already hears in daily life. If you cannot purchase for a teen collection, it will still find its audience in the adult section.

DNF at 41%.

The concept for this was so interesting and sounded funny,but the execution failed for me. I just couldn’t get into this one, I found it honestly pretty boring and not funny.


Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review!

a silly but relatable manga. as someone who was majorly into kpop for a few years, this honestly is exactly how kpop fan culture is. the author perfectly nailed it, along with making it comedic. the overall concept IS a little cheesy but enjoyable.

* thanks to the publisher kodansha comics via netgalley for the advanced copy!

This a great start to the series! The concept is hilarious and I cannot wait to read more about top lieutenant Ken‘s K-pop fan journey.

I knew this was going to be a gag manga, and while I’m not a K-pop stan, I do enjoy pulling photocards for my favorite manhwa characters, so I’m not completely clueless about K-pop fandom stuff. However, I found the humor very hit or miss, and it was constant—there was no actual character development, plot, etc. The scenes where he was clashing with rival yakuza were the best, but I did find the cafe and club scenes hilarious. So, I have very mixed feelings about this manga.

I didn’t enjoy it in the beginning, but it definitely picked up a lot toward the end. However, I probably won’t be continuing this series. But like I said earlier, if you like K-pop and manga, then this is definitely a must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review~

*full blog post scheduled for June 24th *

The plot was funny, I really loved the drawings but I don't know if I'll continue reading this story, even if I enjoyed it.

It's a different way to see the stanning routine of a kpop group, I loved the fact that different characters became involved in the story and that the main character is a grown up man, which I think it's original and unusual.

Really fun volume. It reminded me of Way of the Househusband in that it follows a yakuza in a more ordinary and comedic light. Similarly, it’s more snapshots of Ken’s (a yakuza and K-pop stan) life than an overarching plot that you follow. Overall just a fun and lighthearted volume and I’d definitely read more in this series though I’m hoping there’s more plot to come.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga/Graphic Novel

This book was a fun read about a guy who is obsessed with a Kpop singer in a band, the journey he goes on and everything had me laughing in places, a read I do really suggest

This was a super fun parody manga about a mobster who becomes obsessed with a kpop group. It was funny, cute and I plan on continuing on if more are released.

I enjoyed this volume and found it humorous. I think it really encompasses the love people have for idols. The art style was enjoyable, and I love the expressions.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha for the digital copy!

2/5 - Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ebook!

I sabotaged myself on this one unfortunately. I went in expecting a story in the style of a fan-fic, but it was a self proclaimed gag manga the whole time! Ken's interactions with the group were by far the BEST parts! Unfortunately, I am driven more by plot and suspense, even in manga, and this was more of a "feel good" title. The concept is absolutely amazing, as is the art! But The flow was choppy and the story was hard for me to follow, since it had a whole bunch of little offshoots. Granted, all said offshoots were united in their purpose and intent, but having so much happen in this short volume overwhelmed me an detached me from the story. Regardless, this manga was super cute! Definitely consider reading if this sounds like your genre!

The Yakuza's Bias, where do i begin, this was a brilliant manga, perfectly capturing how it is to start stanning an idol group.

This was honestly such a fun read! As a KPop fan myself, I laughed at some of the antics that Ken went through for his bias - especially the photocard pulls and how real they was! I really enjoyed the world building and the hilarious reality of what it means to be a KPop Stan.

I will be picking up the paperback and the next volume in this manga.

I love Teki Yatsuda's artstyle. Already fell in love with A Home far away and had hopes for this, rather lighthearted, manga. The artstyle is totally up my alley and the storyline made me laugh here and there.

🖤 The Yakuza’s Bias Vol 1 Manga Review 🖤

Thank you so much to Teki Yatsuda and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this manga!

The Yakuza’s Bias is the first volume of a Contemporary Manga. When gangster Ken is pulled into going to a KPop concert with a friend, he doesn’t know what to expect. But when he’s immediately drawn to Jun, Ken falls down the rabbit hole of the world of KPop

This was such a fun read! As a KPop fan myself, I laughed at some of the antics that Ken went through for his bias - the photocard pulls were so real! I really enjoyed the world building and the hilarious reality of what it means to be a KPop Stan

This was a solid 4 star read! Lots of humor and fun characters! I’ll absolutely pick up more of the series!

If you’re a KPop fan who enjoys hilarious humor and mafia stories, then absolutely pick this one up!

A fun read! As a long-time kpop fan, the story resonates with me. A lot of what Ken is going through, I've either experienced it myself or seen friends do. The jokes are pretty funny, though I can't tell if they'd hit as hard if you're not into kpop. I'm worried about how much longevity this series will have, but I'm excited to keep reading.

The Yakuzas second in command goes to a concert and becomes a fan of an ideal and he starts a social media and gets merch for that ideal. It's a funny and fun story with some great art.

When the yakuza boss's daughter drags top lieutenant Ken to a K-Pop concert, he finds himself utterly captivated by the group, especially the main rapper Jun.

I only dabble in reading manga, but one genre I have found myself enjoying is light-hearted gag mangas - with one major caveat. The joke's got to have legs enough for a series, or it will run thin quickly. Luckily, this is not the case with The Yakuza's Bias.

Ken might be a serious, tough-talking yakuza member, but he finds much to admire about the unyielding dedication to his job and loyalty to his band members that Jun, a K-pop idol, displays. Over the course of the manga, we get to see him meet fellow fans, get into fandom spaces online, and even write a fanfic set in a mafia AU universe. Though I am not into K-pop myself, having friends who enjoy it and plenty of familiarity with different fandoms was enough context to carry me through.

The art seemed fairly standard, though I did appreciate that characters were drawn distinct enough from one another that I could keep up with everyone who was introduced. I do have to admit that I was a little uneasy at times about being so amused by a clan of active yakuza members - some little part of my brain kept pinging about the dark side of Ken's lifestyle that did not allow me to relax completely into the story. This is probably a me issue though, and certainly there's nothing particularly criminal on the page.