The Yakuza's Bias 1 by Teki Yatsuda https://amzn.to/42dh7CB via
@amazon

Currently reading ARC @NetGalley, & didn't finish before ordering 2 copies for myself & my friend who loves The Way of the Househusband. Crying with laughter!

#TheYakuzasBias1 #NetGalley #manga

ARC provided by NetGalley

This was the absolute funniest thing I have read in a long time. The title alone sent me cackling a few times but the story inside is a true treat. This is in my opinion a difficult premis to get right and this manga did a great job. I didn't much care for The Way of the House Husband or Sakamoto Days which both have a somewhat similar gag premise as this manga but I liked this one. I do fear that it could run the course of its joke out too fast but the section we got from the idol's perspective made me feel a bit better. It shows that the author is willing to explore other avenues of the joke in a way that flesh out all the characters, including the idols so we the audience get to know them almost as much as the main character. I'm tentatively excited to read more and hope that the series can grow from its premise and not stagnate in it.

It's very apt to compare this to Way of the Househusband, as the vibes are very similar as is the humor. This series follows Ken Kanashiro, a top lieutenant in a feared yakuza clan. He gives off the typical hardcore yakuza vibes, but one day his world changes when the daughter of his boss introduces him to the K-pop group she is currently stanning. The plot then revolves around Ken's descent into fandom and the juxtaposition of his profession with this hobby. The concept is fun, and i'm interested in seeing where the series goes. I wasn't a huge fan of the art, but there were a lot of fun expressions that still made it interesting to look at.

I was howling and guffawing my way through ”The Yakuza's Bias, Vol 1” by Teki Yatsuda.

What a clever and brilliant way of showing the true (and scary!) powers only true fans possesses!

In masses, fans are scary! And like this gag manga, it doesn't feel like the underworld and the honor codex of the Yakuza is far of from any fanbase, really!

Ken Kanashiro is a hardboiled yakuza guy who has earned the right to call himself second-in-command in the Washio Clan.
He has been through many battles and has the scars to prove it.
When the daughter of the president drags him along to a K-pop concert, his heart is moved in ways he never imagined could happen, and a new world has opened for him. Now, he's Jun's biggest fan! A role he doesn't take lightly.

Smitten like a new recruit on his first job, Ken plunges into fandom with the solemnity and passion only a true man who walks the way of the yakuza could muster.

Honestly, watching the daughter of the president dragging him further into her K-pop world was like watching someone sign a contract with the devil. *BWAHAHA.

Everyone has been a fan of something, and being a fan of something can both be intense and ugly, but also freeing and uniting people of all social standings, across the world and genders.

This was funny and silly, but it was so easy to see myself in all of the different characters.

Who knew I had so much in common with the Yakuza?!

a light-hearted, funny, easy read! really enjoyed this! had me laughing a lot during it - the juxtaposition of yakuza gang culture and idol fandom culture is too good! hilarious.

This was so absurdly wonderful.

The overall concept was odd and obscure but this was the reason I wanted to read this.

I really enjoyed it and it reflects on the ways that idols, as humans and as artists, influence their fans and what these people mean to their fans.

The art style was incredible and I loved the way the story progressed!

I highly recommend this!

This is my new favorite manga! Now, I don't read a ton of manga, but my point is that this is such a fun story that I couldn't help but fall in love with it (kind of like Ken seeing Jun for the first time. But less about respect and more because this is absolutely hilarious). I don't want to say too much, but as a K-pop stan and someone who loves a dash of crime in her stories, this was right up my alley. The art and page layouts really contributed to the drama and humor, and I loved flurry of excitement on certain pages. The Yakuza's Bias vol.1 was charming, funny and I'm SO excited for the next few volumes!

Omg this is hilarious!

The second in command of a yakuza clan is dragged along by the big boss's daughter to a boy band concert and is immediately struck by one of the idols.

He buys the merch, argues with other clan members about who's the best member, visits restaurants the groups' members have visited and even joins social media to follow the group, his bias and share his thoughts.

The gap between our MC's appearance and demeanor and intense fan boying is so good.

It was entertaining, but the art style wasn’t for me. I don’t know that I can scrounge up 100 words about this.

Review to come to my blog/goodreads on May 27th.

I received this manga from the publisher/Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just couldn't resist this manga when I saw it. I mean that cover? Sold! That blurb? Sold even more! And I have to say I love the cover that we got in the review copy even more!

This book is about a yakuza lieutenant who is very serious about being a yakuza, and gets even more serious about something else when Miss Megumi (someone from the Yakuza I believe) shows Ken about K-pop, at first he is a bit unconvinced, but then he goes full stan for one of the boys in MNW. Jun. Yep. His first concert? He has a sign made saying: Be my aniki!. Yep. Ken is sold on K-pop and especially Jun. I loved seeing him get more and more dedicated with each chapter. From trying his best to collect, to glaring angrily at peeps who took the Jun table at a cafe, to discussing with the Madam of the Yakuza about why Jun is the best (she is fan of another guy in the group), to much more. He even makes a Twitter and fills it with his fanfiction about Jun and him and being in the Yakuza together. Yep. Ken is totally a stan. And I love it. I loved how he connected the K-pop stuff with his experiences in the yakuza world. I also had lots of fun reading Ken's tweets, and see how he tried his best to collect all there was for Jun.

Megumi was such a fun character and I loved how she taught Ken all about K-pop, stanning, getting items, and more.

I also loved seeing other Yakuza and them falling for MNW/K-pop world. Not just those in Ken's group, but also from his enemies. I was just laughing my butt off. Everyone was first as doubtful as Ken was in the beginning, and then totally hardcore dedicated. Which let to a hilarious scene at the end.

It was great that we also got a small glimpse from the MNW boys. We see the boys react to the Ken, because it is not everyday that there is an older male Cheers (what the fans are called), and especially not one that is yakuza. I really liked that the author/mangaka added these small scenes, it just made me smile. I loved how happy Jun was about having a new fan.

At times it was a bit chaotic, but I don't mind it that much, for most I just had so much fun reading this one.

And the art was just fantastic, I love love it so much. Very realistic, and dang those K-pop boys *Swoons*.

All in all, I would highly recommend this one to everyone! This was oodles of fun to read~

The Yakuza's Bias follows Ken, a respected yakuza, who becomes a crazed, yet devoted fan of a k-pop star. Whilst I don't know much about k-pop, this was such a blast. It has a similar vibe to 'The Way of the Househusband' which I really enjoyed, so this was a perfect read for me. The art was gorgeous, and I loved how silly and fun the characters were.

The story was developed nicely, I particularly liked how Ken started his own social media fan account and gained a following. It was sweet to see all the wacky stuff he was posting and the way other fans resonated with it - I mean this boy out here writing a whole goddamn mafia fanfic. Love that for him.

Overall, this was a whole bunch of fun.

This is definitely a read that people who are familiar with the idol culture will understand the most. For those unfamiliar with it, the behavior might seem off-putting (even though the behavior in this manga is exaggerated for comedic purposes). Though I'm sure people who exhibit any degree of fan behavior can understand and enjoy this. I thought it was overall, an okay read. It has its funny moments. It's an interesting concept, but I did like how they showed some of the idols' perspectives towards the end and what they thought of their new yakuza fan. At least we know our MC is well-received by fans and idols alike.

This was so much fun! It's a good mix between The Way of the Househusband and Spy x Family, which I loved! I'll definitely be continuing in the series!

This manga is perfect for fans of Way of the Househusband and follows a yakuza as he has become a stan of a kpop group. The jokes land well and this was a fun read. If you love a good gag manga and want to have some fun, I would definitely recommend reading this.

One letter is all it takes for massive misunderstandings - in my case, N instead of R :) Kodansha’s blurb says “A yakuza enforcer becomes the gang world's biggest K-pop stan in this cult comedy manga”. Obviously, I read “STAR” instead of “STAN” and thought it’ll be funny to read about a yakuza that juggles murdering people and captivating audiences. What I got was a headfirst dive into the world of K-POP fandom - a world with its own codes and vocabulary, and a hilarious story based on, obviously, the culture clash between yakuza codes and K-POP fandom’s informal laws. Hey, you ask, but what’s a STAN? Easy - a rabid K-POP fan. And RAIDS? Those aren’t deadly expeditions on rival turfs any longer, those are just… attending a concert :) As for BIAS, that’s… your favorite member of a boy band. Wait, what, is this a yaoi series about a yakuza falling for a boy band singer??? Err, no, it’s not, although there are innuendos aplenty. The weirdest thing about this book is the way it hides wisdom nuggets in-between the laughs, the way it dissects the K-POP bands philosophy and applies it elsewhere, and the way the lead characters both surrender to their feelings - and hide them. To sum it up, this is a gag manga that really made me laugh. And I learned new things - not least because the translation notes are great (yeah, I’m the type that reads those, too). OK, I’ll be generous and give it four stars :)

Disclaimer: I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This didn't influence my opinion in any way.

"The Yakuza's Bias" is a wholesome and silly manga about a yakuza who is a K-pop stan. I have a major soft spot for stories featuring characters who do things in a way you wouldn't expect. (Like a cutesy person who's into weightlifting.) This is definitely akin to "The Way of the Househusband" so if you enjoy that story you'll enjoy this one.

The wildness of being a K-pop stan with the heart and comedy of the Ryu ga Gotoku franchise.

I’m absolutely in love with this already!

5 🌟
I am super excited for this English physical copy release!!! I love the concept of the yakuza being a fanboy of a kpop group and this book is such a fast paced and cute read! Him being supportive of the group and especially his bias Jun, got me smiling because as a kpop Stan, I can relate to this!