With well drawn action scenes — a necessity in a book about teenage body guards fighting a collection of yakuza assassins — and well defined characters, this is an entertaining book … if what you’re looking for is a goofy teenager fighting against the growing realization of his crush, assassins, and blustering like a rooster in an effort to make himself look worthwhile to the two dozen or so other teenage bodyguards.

Arakuni, the teenage thug, is a recognizable character, loud and aggressive, violent and sulky but good hearted underneath. He’s in love with a girl with a heart of gold who happens to need a collection of body guards because her biological father is a yakuza head (she was put up for adoption as an infant and has nothing to do with the yakuza, herself). Her sibling is hot-tempered, cruel, not too bright, and wants to be the only heir standing. It’s nothing new, but it’s still fun.

I really wanted to know more about the other body guards, the other students who were raised from infancy to be protectors and killers, who have varied skills and work together as a lethal team. Maybe future volumes will give them more time to shine. There are hints of romance, but only hints in this volume.

If you’r elooking for something fast, not too deep but with potential for more chaos, with adult assassins having their asses handed to them by a bunch of kids, this might be worth the read. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the arc.

This was an enjoyable read. There's a lot of twists and turns, and the introduction of the larger cast was really fun.
I'm a sucker for a mean-face, soft-hearted lead in a manga, and Ibuki fits that trope perfectly. His shyness towards Honeko vs. his deliquent attitude/persona is very cute, and the fact that their relationship seems mutual is so cute. I'm looking forward to continuing this!

I thought this was a shoujo manga at first, but it is actually a shonen (and it shows), but I think the two manga it’s compared to in the description are pretty apt comparisons, at least based on their premises.

Arakuni Ibuki is a bit of a delinquent with an intimidating appearance and is childhood friends with Akabane Honeko, who’s the class president and dreams of becoming a lawyer. Unbeknownst to her, she’s the secret child of a yakuza boss who’s soon to retire, and her life is targeted by assassins who think she’s going to succeed her biological dad. He hires Ibuki to be her bodyguard, keeping everything a secret from Honeko, including the fact that her entire class are also her bodyguards. Ibuki has always had a crush on Honeko, so he’s willing to put his life on the line to protect her.

I know this was adapted into a live action movie recently which made me curious. This feels like a manga that you shouldn’t think too hard about if you want to enjoy the action and romance and comedy. It does feel like it’s appealing to a male audience more than a female audience with a gratuitous underwear shot of Honeko (like… it felt quite unnecessary) and though her name is in the title, Ibuki is actually the protagonist, and we don’t learn too much in depth about Honeko or really many characters yet. There is an overarching mystery about a mole in the class of bodyguards that Ibuki has to weed out, but it feels like that might not be resolved for a few more volumes. Overall, this just wasn’t to my taste.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC!

The art was amazing and the pacing was well done. I feel like this was a great introduction to the story. The characters are a bit odd since they are suppose to be these very strong and trained bodyguards, but are also pretty goofy in their own ways, which makes them charming. I hope we get to learn about the characters and how the class came to be a group of bodyguards. I'll definitely be picking up the next volume to read what's next!

Spy X Family meets romantic comedy in this manga full of yakuzas, elite teenagers, and lots and lots of violence. Personally, I was really excited to read it because I just knew it would be totally my style—and I wasn't wrong. The first volume of this series starts off in the best way possible. Amidst all the action, the protagonist sets the stage while taking down a few assasins, since his job is to protect the hidden daughter of one of the most powerful yakuza bosses. To do so, he has the help of his entire high school class—who were hired since childhood to be Honeko’s friends and bodyguards, trained to kill.

However, class 3-4 can no longer be fully trusted, as there's a traitor among them (or possibly more than one) that needs to be uncovered and eliminated. The action in this manga is incredible, and the characters—each one different with unique skills—form a really compelling cast. Without a doubt, I can’t wait to read more.

Kodansha Comics provided a galley for review.

The cover of this manga volume really got my attention. The contrasting black and white with the red all work well together to create an eye-catching visual.

The interior art has a very classic manga style to it. The line work is varied in its weights, thin to show off details while also heavy for emphasis. The faces and body language are all very expressive. It reminds me in so many ways of the manga I discovered back in the mid-1990's (which is a very good thing).

Is the story full of classic elements and tropes? Most definitely. However, that's part of its charm. It is not looking to reinvent the wheel. It is just trying to deliver a tale of action and romance in a known form. And for that, it does deliver. There are also a number of twists that send the story down an interesting path. I will be looking for the next collection of chapters.

The premise sounded fairly interesting but I can't say I particularly enjoyed this first volume.
The art is gorgeous but the story is pretty generic which could have been a fine thing is I liked the characters.
It's funny and action packed but nothing special.

I was intrigued by the concept of this manga and was left happily satisfied. The story follows the illegitimate daughter of a yakuza boss who is being hunted by lethal assassins trying to eliminate her as a potential heir. The premise is gripping, and I believe that the execution delivers.

Honeko Akabane's Bodyguards 1 has fantastic artwork that paints an easy to follow picture. Each scene's intensity has obviously been well thought out, with great attention to the emotions and expressions of each character. My favourite part was the hint of romance, or better put, the childhood friends/enemies-to-lovers vibe. The relationship between Akabane and Ibuki clearly runs deeper than typical schoolyard bickering, and their flashback interactions added an emotional depth I wasn’t expecting.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this and was left very eager to read the next volume.

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC.
#HonekoAkabane #NetGalley

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. The initial concept seemed cute and intrigued me but the execution leaves much to be desired. I don't mind characters and events being goofy and overexaggerated, especially when this is a comedy, but it was to the extent that most felt like a caricature. People who are supposed to be competent and intelligent can start acting like complete nonsensical idiots in the next scene, which you can see with some of Class 3-4, but it's especially egregious with Masachika and pretty much all of the assassins. Neither Akabane nor Ibuki are very compelling characters, and I see no real reason to be invested in their romance. There was also nothing particularly interesting about the dialogue or developments, a lot of it was extremely cliche and not paced very well. Much of the dialogue was very on-the-nose and/or info-dumpy; there's absolutely not a hint of nuance to be found. Additionally, there's a lot of repetition of information in several scenes, and some things just plain didn't make sense for the circumstances (like the people of 3-4 having to be low-key yet yelling into their earpieces in a library or being able to watch Ibuki's 50-minute fight despite Masachika destroying all of the cameras). I will also say, finally, that the panty shot was unnecessary and just kind of out of place for the tone of the story. I'm giving 2 stars because there were a couple moments that I found funny and some of the side characters seem like they have the potential to be interesting, but I don't think I'll be continuing.

I felt like this was a really entertaining read, the premise is really interesting and the pacing is well done. I do find myself asking the question of why Honeko is such a target and the suspension of disbelief is a bit tricky at times (such as having a full on battle Royale in a library), but I think that is what makes the manga so entertaining. I'm also curious if the series will continue with a romantic storyline, as the art style and scenes lead me to believe the assassinations will be the main focus of the manga. I'd be happy to see either, as I think it has a pretty funny plot and interesting characters!