I really enjoyed this. It reminds me a bit of a different shojo series, Blackbird. Poor Nanao was being primed to be the wife of the next head of the family before her jealous cousin tricked her into a situation causing her to be "tainted" and lose her status and humanity as a result. She was treated like garbage, beaten, and mocked mercilessly to her face. One day the head of a different clan/family is visiting and decides he'll take her for his wife instead. She accepts desperate to escape the literal hell she's currently living in.

I'm interested in seeing how these 2 grow closer together and how Nanao can hopefully heal from her traumatic upbringing.

When Nanao was a child, she lost her engagement hairpin and was taken by an ayakashi who carved a seal on her forehead. Forced to wear a monkey mask and watch as her cousin marries the man she loved, her life is anything but sunshine and rainbows.

Nanao is treated worse than an animal by everyone around her. The servants, her ex-fiancé, and her own family. On an eventful day, she loses her mask and meets Yako, the young head of the Benitsubaki family. But once Yako sees her face, he knows he has to get her out of that hell and marry her.

Overall thoughts

Oh my actual God. This was so GOOD. I have dabbled with Ayakashi stories, but I hadn’t read one yet and what a nice first experience this was! I really, really enjoyed this. And I read it super quickly, I was left wanting to read moreeee!

Nanao is such an endearing protagonist, it’s easy to quickly become invested in her plot. And forget her ex, Yako is such an UPGRADE. I love a story with cosmic justice and karma at its finest and this one delivers that and so much more!

I’m very invested in the plot and seeing where it goes! The romance hits you smack in the face with all of its slow-burn-y goodness and it’s really steamy, too. Ahh this really hit the spot… highly, highly recommended, haha!

Who is this story for?

This story is perfect for Shojo fans looking for something a tiny bit more mature than a high school romance, but not bordering on explicit. The Cinderella plot will resonate with fans of the trope and there’s ikemen wherever you look. So fans of beautiful art and compelling storylines will likely find enjoyment in this title!

This volume comes out on March 25! Let me know if you’ll be getting this one, or if you’ve already read it!

See you in the next one!

I didn't know what to expect going into this and found myself surprised by the direction in which the plot went in this volume. Similar to some other magic-period manga I've read recently, we find a seemingly meek heroine who is being bullied by a family member who has stolen her "beloved", before meeting the actual male lead/love interest. What I didn't expect was that the curse put upon our heroine wasn't immediately lifted, so I'm interested to see where that plotline goes!
This was a bit darker than I had expected but I did enjoy reading it. It ended with an interesting subplot reveal that makes me curious to see where the story goes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

After being tainted by a vengeful yokai, Nanao gets abused by her family and ex-fiancé for years until the head of the Benitsubaki clan decides to take her as his bride. I really enjoyed this one! I was drawn in by the story and the art. I felt so bad for Nanao the whole time I was reading. This series would be perfect for fans of My Happy Marriage. I'm interested in seeing where the story goes in the next volume.

thank you for the copy, netgalley!

i mostly enjoyed this. i love the tropes in this story - vampire x blood donor, rescued captive, etc. nanao deserves a fresh start after being treated like dirt for so many years. the abusive scenes were really difficult to read tbh...

this manga has a bit too many text boxes per page for me, so i wasn't obsessed with that aspect. i get confused when there are so many at once.

overall, i would recommend this to anyone interested in japanese folklore and/or historical romantasy.

This was an interesting story. We are introduced to our main character seeing how and why her mistreatment began. I really feel for her as she truly believes she deserves it and doesn't see her value. Enter our MMC, by the end of the novel I think we see a fuller picture of what he wants from her and we get pur first twist in the story. I have no empathy for anyone in her old village they all allowed the her abuse to occur. I am interested in where this story is going and what else we will learn about both characters. I hope she gets some more of herself confidence back in the next volume. Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

Thank You NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the Arc!

I absolutely loved this first volume! The art is so beautiful to look at and the story is so well done. The world building is slow, but also seems very promising for future volumes, as I'm sure we're going to see Nanao slowly learn to love herself and become more expressive. I'm exited for the fluffy romance that's to come!

I'm actually decently interested in the story and where it goes. I don't particularly like the common shoujo-esque romance tropes you'd find in manga, and having a weak heroine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the eARC!

This manga had a fantastic start! While it’s just the beginning of the story, it already shows a lot of promise. The plot is intriguing, and the art style is absolutely stunning. There wasn’t too much to judge yet, but it definitely hooked me in, and I’ll be continuing with the series. Excited to see where it goes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for Volume 1.

The artwork is beautiful and enhances the story, making it even more engaging. I enjoy stories where the female lead remains kind despite her hardships, eventually finding a place where she is treated better—while those from her past come to regret their actions. The karma in these stories is usually quite satisfying.

I'm looking forward to Volume 2 and seeing how Nanao's personality develops.

tl;dr
Beautiful artwork and competent writing power an extremely familiar fairy tale storyline that should satisfy fans of the genre.

Thoughts
It's one of the most enduring stories of all time: A young woman of impassable beauty and impeccable morals is abused by her family for years until a prince appears to take her from her broken life into one that treats her like the princess she is. At last she is rewarded for her years of selfless kindness and excellent housekeeping when someone in a place of power sees the true value of her and her heart. There's definitely a supernatural element. There might even be a splash of revenge on the side. This iteration also includes a very tender look at the trauma of growing up with abuse, and how much the victim learns to internalize their own blame. Quite frankly, the first bit where she was stuck with her family was hard to get through - by design, of course, but WOW. Her family is terrible. Her new life is great, with a cast of fun characters to support her as she slowly learns to accept that she deserves to be treated like an actual person.

And that's kind of all we get for the first volume. The ayakashi world-building is interesting, but not in-depth (yet), with a few details that make it stand out from other stories. Her magical power manifests in making the world's most awesome breakfasts, which literally imbue the person eating it with magic. There is some sexy blood-licking as well. But for the most part, the story is just setting up all the characters for whatever conflict is to come. There are very few surprises, but the familiarity is comforting, and very competently written. If this is the kind of story you enjoy, The Ayakashi Hunter should be a very satisfying read. The art is delicate and confident, with some really great expressions from the story's villain, and there are plenty of sexy (but low spice!) moments to be had. The translation is very easy to read, and flows naturally. There are a lot of places this could go from here to distinguish itself from similar stories, but so far, it's a great start.

This was such an interesting first volume that set up a world of demons and spiritual power (and curses) in early 19th century Japan.

Nanao was born with strong dark spiritual power and engaged to the heir of the family, but her jealous cousin got her cursed and banished. Now "tainted" she is considered as less than human and abused until Lord Yako visits her clan and immediately proposes marriage.

I need the next volume now! Besides the lovely art, I've enjoyed the characters and want to learn more about them, see their relationship develop, and learn about what Nanao's powers can really do! This really left me desperate for more, so I hope we can see some revenge and Nanao gain self-esteem and love.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Read for: "My Happy Marriage" vibes, vampire vibes, historical setting, paranormal

4.5 stars

This was SUCH a fun read. I'm really looking forward to seeing where the story goes. The art was beautiful, the storyline was interesting, and the main characters are likable. This was a great romance/fantasy manga.

The story was very good and the artwork was amazing. It was a very fast read and I enjoyed it immensely.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

can't wait to read the next one in the series, I enjoyed my time reading this graphic novel and I highly recommend it .
Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before receiving an ARC for The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride volume 1 I had heard a lot about it and was planning on reading it when it came out in print. I was not disappointed and absolutely loved this first volume and can't wait for the next 2 volumes that already have release dates and will be pre-ordering!

Fans of My Happy Marriage will find a similar plot, with an ostracized and abused female lead who will overtime be able to overcome her trauma and find that she is much stronger than she could imagine. Nanao is our female lead who went from the beloved fiancé of Reito, the young lord of the Byakurenji clan, to the shame of the clan after being attacked by a yokai and receiving a cursed mark. Her cousin takes this chance to steal her former fiancé, as no one wants to be near her and finds her repulsive. Some time later by chance she meets Yako, the young lord of the Benitsubaki clan, who is taken by both her looks and her immense spiritual power. He offers her a way out, but there is more to him then meets the eye and she'll have a lot to learn about the Benitsubaki clan and what they do.

Also, the art style is fantastic and beautiful! I really hope this gets adapted into an anime and gets a light novel one day.

Thanks netgalley and publisher for volume 1!

Very similar to “my happy marriage” where FL has been abused by her family and ML comes to the rescue but goddamn man,the art is just wow ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a DARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the Meiji era, The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride follows Nanao, a young woman whose life takes a devastating turn after a traumatic encounter with a vengeful yokai spirit—an ayakashi. Marked by a demon’s curse and forced to wear a monkey mask to hide her scar, Nanao becomes an outcast. Once engaged to Reito, the future head of the prestigious Byakurenji family, she is quickly abandoned, shunned, and abused. Years later, she meets Yako, a powerful ayakashi hunter from another noble family. Yako offers her a chance at a new life, but this new beginning is filled with mystery and danger.

I would recommend The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride to fans of My Happy Marriage and Black Bird. The story feels deeper and more layered than one might initially expect. It’s filled with symbolism and nuance, especially when you examine Nanao’s experiences and journey closely.

I couldn’t help but draw parallels between Nanao’s story and that of a survivor of trauma, specifically of SA. Her inability to remember the details of her attack by the ayakashi, along with the way society distorts her perception of herself, felt incredibly relatable. As a survivor myself, I found her dissociation and subsequent journey toward reclaiming her identity particularly moving. The moment her mask shatters symbolises the start of this journey—her shift from object to subject, regaining control over how she sees herself and how she relates to the world around her.

At the same time, her beauty serves as a double-edged sword: it draws the attention of the same patriarchal society that shunned her to begin with. If I had read this when I was younger, I might have taken it at face value, but now I can appreciate the thoughtful and careful execution of these themes.

The art is beautiful and complements the story perfectly. I have a lot more to say about this first volume, but it would risk crossing into spoiler territory. I’m very interested in seeing how this story will develop in future volumes, especially given the strong foundation it has laid.

I love the imagery of the book and the story itself; a super quick read for me and I hope this continues with further volumes, I would love a physical copy of this.

As a huge fan of My Happy Marriage, this manga immediately caught my attention—and it did not disappoint! While the premise has some initial similarities, once the story unfolds, it stands completely on its own.

What I Loved:
✔ The art is STUNNING! One of the main reasons I picked this up was the gorgeous cover, and the inside did not disappoint.
✔ The characters? Lovable. The chemistry? Check.
✔ The world-building & Japanese lore were beautifully woven in, creating an atmosphere that felt both immersive and mysterious.
✔ The pacing was great, making for an engaging read that left me wanting more!

What Didn’t Quite Work for Me:
The two full-length prose pages toward the end felt out of place. This is a manga, so I expected those parts to be incorporated visually rather than presented in text format.

A beautifully illustrated, well-paced, and engaging first volume that I’d definitely recommend to manga lovers who enjoy Japanese folklore, historical fantasy, and swooning romance. Can’t wait for the next volume!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.