When an overworked apothecary haphazardly commits suicide after being overworked and burnt out, she has no idea what is in store for her on the “other side.” What she initially believes to be a break from being needed and attending to patients, turns out to be another opportunity to work, as she is sought out to heal the ruler of the underworld, Hades. This quirky premise, which was originally a one-shot manga, turns into a rich emotional journey about life, love, and purpose in this life and the next one.

I think for me what feels so comforting about Colette Decides to Die, is that the story so far is not just about people dying and the afterlife, but what their life is like on earth or was like. Each story touched upon so far left me in tears when I relate it to the human condition overall.

The first chapter, the oneshot which ultimately becomes the story, felt so poignant to me. Colette, who thinks she has died, is thinking about how much she carried in her day to day life, because she had to be the strong one and didn’t want to ask for help. Her realizing that she could have done things differently. When Hades tells her “ Live a life you can be proud of for when you face me at your trial.” that hit me hard. Ultimately, we may not know during our time what comes “next,” but what we can do and control is our NOW. Colette serves as a reminder that what we do every day is what shapes our lives and who we are.

I am absolutely in with Colette Decides to Die. To read a series that brings me comfort about that topic where normally I would feel a lot of fear and anxiety just feels so good. I love that a series like this exists and may be helpful to someone else. Stories like this manga whether they’re fictional whether they’re based on real-life, they can have an impact on us, on our mental health journeys, on just who we are and can provide us comfort about the darkest moments.

This is such a sweet, lovely manga. I really appreciate this take on Hades—it is so easy to play him off as a dark, broody, grim character. He can be somewhat moody, but he's also sweet, appreciates humanity, and is so very, very kind. It's not another story of the female mc having to do all the emotional labor in the relationship, but instead them helping each other out as opportunity permits. *mild spoiler* I also really appreciated how Hades reacted when Colette was held hostage. Hades just really feels like an ancient god, at the same time as he feels like a real person. He's very nicely balanced. Someone kind like that running the underworld? 100% one I would sign up for when my time inevitably comes! Sold!

Colette herself is a fun character—pretty typical female mc, but she has her own little quirks. I particularly like how she's not afraid to fight dirty when she needs to verbally, though she is a healer and sticks pretty firmly to not wanting to cause harm.

Overall, I enjoyed it, and will definitely be adding it to the library collection.

dnfed at 35%

this was so unmemorable, I forgot it was in my currently reading by the next day. It felt very typical, everything was way too simple and easy, there was no conflict and not in a cozy way, just in a boring "what is the point here" kind of way

Thank you Netgalley and VIZ Media for the digital ARC of the manga "Colette Decides to Die"!

"Colette Decides to Die" by Alto Yukimura is a sweet manga about Colette the apothecary and her friendship with the lord of the underworld, Hades! After falling down a well and into the underworld she finds Lord Hades sick and insists on helping him. She becomes the underworld's apothecary, spending time on the surface helping her village and making house calls to Hades' palace. I'm a sucker for a ball of sunshine girl thawing out a cold exterior boy story. Hades and Colette have a sweet friendship, and they both support each other in their busy and stressful jobs, and by the end of this volume there seems to be hints that love might be blossoming! I'll be recommending this series to teen and adult library patrons looking for a light mythology/fantasy romance manga, and I look forward to picking up future volumes myself.

I really enjoyed this premise, as it was nothing like I expected. It's very unique for an isekai. I really enjoy the humor of Hades' minions.

Colette Decides to Die is an unfortunate title to a series about a girl who is burnt out, jumps down a well, and then continues to try to help as many people as possible and try to live to the fullest. It contains a classic shoujo romance, and it's very sweet and warm.I did not realize it was multiple volumes in one, and the extra story in the middle threw me for a loop, but that was user error.

This omnibus contains volumes 1 and 2 of the series and I really enjoyed it! There's a lot of various references to Greek mythology in general, but it still manages to play with the characters in a way that makes the story its own. I'm intrigued by the possibility of romance between Colette and Hades, and I love all of the skeleton minions. I also really liked the way the story explored job/life passion burn out and its approach to dealing with the concept of death. I'd be very excited to read more volumes of this series.

A charming modern shoujo manga about a hard working apothecary who becomes the defacto medic for Hades after throwing herself into a well. This is a pretty classic light/dark set-up with a cheery classic shoujo protagonist, and a dark, brooding, goth love interest. It's fun!

I'm not usually a fan of supernatural manga, but I have been hearing people rave about Colette for ages, so I was excited to see it published in English. I can see why everyone is so fond of it! I can't wait to read more. Colette, Hades, and the skeletons are all so sweet.

Despite its title, Colette Decides to Die is neither about suicide nor set in France. It's set in a version of Ancient Greece, and Colette doesn't so much “decide” to die as she gets run down and doesn't stop herself from falling into a well, which leads her to the underworld. (Very much still alive, I'll add.) She meets Hades, who is suffering from a rash, and being an apothecary, Colette sets out to heal him, thus beginning a relationship with the gods and Greek mythology that the title does nothing to indicate. Creator Alto Yukimura is, at least, aware of this; she mentions that the series went from one shot to limited series to its current long-running format, and by the time the story changed on her, it was too late to change the title. If the title put you off picking this up, rest assured that it has little to do with the actual plot.

And that plot is good. It's a deceptively quiet exploration of what it means to live and die, wrapped up in light Greek mythology with bonus world mythology elements, such as wells leading to the land of the dead. Colette falls somewhere between Shirayuki (Snow White with the Red Hair) and Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries) in terms of apothecary heroines: she's determined and strong-willed, but she also tries not to be abrasive even as she's utterly invested in caring for her patients. Hades, who has developed an allergy to the sun after spending so much time in the underworld, quickly learns that getting rid of the pesky human won't be as easy as he might like, but of course, he comes to feel like maybe that's not such a bad thing. Colette has a facility with the denizens of Hades' realm that (if I may be forgiven for throwing yet another reference in here) reminds me of Syalis in Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle – they try to resist her, but ultimately become her friends and allies.

Of course, the very nature of this story means that it has to be at least a little bittersweet. The storyline where Colette discovers that her mentor, Anno, has died and is struggling with Hades' verdict of his virtuous soul is heart-wrenching, both because Colette must come to terms with Anno's loss and because it deals with the way we view our actions and how they stick with us. Shades in Hades' domain slowly revert to a childlike state, losing their memories before they return to the human world to be reborn, and that informs both Hades' character and the way Colette interacts with the underworld. It's beautiful but sorrowful at the same time.

The art is typical of Hana to Yume series, with clean, simple character designs with busy backgrounds and clothing. It works, even if it doesn't exactly scream “Greek mythology,” but then someone decided that it was fine to use the name Hercules instead of the Greek Heracles when all of the other mythological names are Greek, so there's that. Overall, this is very enjoyable, and the decision to publish it in ten two-volume omnibuses rather than twenty single volumes means that there's more to enjoy each time a new book comes out. I know I'll be happy to keep reading.

4/5

The version I read had 2 full volumes in it, so double the content! There was also a bonus story in the middle, which was interesting and unrelated to the main story.

Colette is your typical FMC. Always doing her best and seeing the light in every situation, except in the very beginning where she tries to kill herself from being overworked. Honestly? Hilarious premise. But after she meets Hades, it’s a pretty typical shoujo manga.

I was kind of confused about the amount of Greek mythology. All the gods are named after Greek gods and for the most part there is a decent amount of correlation of the actual myths. But then all the regular world seems very disconnected as no one else has typical Greek names (that I know of) and it’s not like they mention that they live in Greece. I wonder if the next volume will be more explicit in its explanations.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I’d be very happy if there was a bit more romance in the next volume. Here’s to hoping ~

Absolutely loved this one!
Colette is a doctor who is overworked and falls into a well, which transports her to the underworld, where she cares for the king who is ill. The setting was really interesting, and I really enjoyed both of the leads as well as their banter with one another.
The sub characters presented in this volume were actually really fun as well! I enjoyed the feature of Hercules, as well as all of the skeleton assistants in the Underworld. I'm looking forward to continuing to read this, and am excited to see where things head for Colette.

I guess this just wasn't for me. I like the concept of the story, but I found it to kind of drag. I wasn't attached to any characters or really interested in anything that happened.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange for the review.

I can see why this was a highly rated Shojou series in a recent poll a while back. These first two volumes made a good showing of the series charms! While the title only really refers to the first chapter, what follows is a fun take on the Greek gods, as Colette decides to help a sunburned Hades and gets a new look on her hectic healer life. Sometimes these stories revolve around the gods, other times about the shades of the dead in Hades care. This series is a lot of things, and so far all of them have been handled well.

In spite of its dire title, Colette Decides to Die is actually one of the sweetest offerings on the November manga slate. Penned by Alto Yukimura, who provided the art for the Sugar Apple Fairy Tale manga adaptation, this series taps into Greek mythology for its cute slow-burn romance. Colette does indeed start the manga by deciding to die, thanks to being a burned-out apothecary. But when she dives into a well, she finds herself alive and well in the underworld. There she meets Hades, who is resting off a lingering sun allergy.

Even after Colette treats Hades, she keeps returning to her godly charge. She rediscovers her love for caring for others, but she also learns about the nature of the afterlife. And, bit by bit, she becomes embroiled in the business of the gods. This is a surprisingly adorable story that fans of shoujo manga and fantasy romance will love. It’s engaging from the first chapter and only gets better by the end of the first book.

Colette, a young, hard working apothecary, meets Hades after accidently falling down a well one day. He too is also a workaholic and is in need of assistance with a mysterious rash. She manages to treat him and thus begins her friendship with the god of the Underworld.

It's a cute story with equally adorable characters. I personally don't feel too particularly attached to the story or the characters, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

This is a sweet manga about a young apothecary and her unlikely friendship with the lord of the underworld. Colette is so honest and sweet, and her drive to help people is definitely part of her charm. Hades, while being a stoic and sometimes severe person also has that drive to help others that is part of what makes the relationship between the two of them so wholesome. I really liked reading this book, although the way the author plays fast and loose with Greek/Roman mythology is sometimes distracting to someone who has knowledge of Greek and Roman myths. For all that I kept saying to myself, "Demeter wouldn't say that," "That's not what Hercules' story was about at all," "Zeus would not act like that," I found this entire story engaging and it left me with a smile on my face.

I loved everything about this book. It was a cute story, I like Colette, and I will take everything underworld please. This book did not disappoint. If it were only a stand-alone, I would probably love it forever. I worry about continuing the series, however, because Persephone is nowhere in sight. We even meet Demeter at one point. Please don't disappoint me adorable series!

This was nostalgic in the best of ways. When I saw Colette Decides to Die was getting an English publication, I was excited to get to read something that has been on my tbr for a while. Colette is an overworked healer who decides to escape her work load by jumping down the well in her backyard. She lands in the underworld where she finds the God Hades suffering from an allergic reactions. Thus Colette becomes the Apothecary to the Underworld.

For fans of series like Yona of the Dawn, Snow White with the Red Hair, and a little of Absolute Boyfriend. Colette Decides to Die is a little dated, but it holds up well. The art is cute, the boys are handsome, and the story is interesting. This arc happened to be an omnibus. Both the main line stories were great, but the middle extra story was lackluster. Looking forward to the next volume.