Kill Blue, Vol. 1

キルアオ [Kill Ao] #1

by Tadatoshi Fujimaki

Juzo Ogami has never led a normal life. He was picked up by a criminal organization as a child and grew up to become a legendary hit man. But everything changes when he’s bitten by a mysterious insect and becomes a teenager again! Can this battle-hardened assassin handle the rigors of middle school life?!

Juzo Ogami’s a legend. Even among hit men, his name sends shivers down spines. There’s never been a job he couldn’t handle—that is, until the day he wakes up as a teenager! But how has his body transformed? To find out, he’ll have to infiltrate the one place he thought he’d never find himself in again…school!

Genres: Manga, Action, Crime, Science Fiction, Comedy, Comics, Graphic Novels

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2023

About the author

Tadatoshi Fujimaki (藤巻 忠俊, Fujimaki Tadatoshi, born June 9th, 1982, Tokyo) is a Japanese mangaka, most known for his manga Kuroko no Basuke, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump. Fujimaki was brought up in a good household and environment. He attended Toyama High School and enrolled to Sophia University. He chose for a manga career after finishing his studies.

Also known as 藤巻 忠俊 and 藤巻忠俊.

Reviews

[Carm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sorry. I like this. You can be creeped out by the premise of a hit man in his late thirties being de-aged and suddenly surrounded by middle school children, but it’s pretty clear to me that the author is going out of his way to give Ogami grumpy dad energy, not skeezy pedo vibes. I’m gonna stick around and see what happens… hopefully this review ages well. 🤞🏻

[Dandy ˙ᵕ˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i REALLY applaud the mangaka for not going the incredibly easy but pedophiliac route. weird that this isn't a standard but w/e. anyways this was a super fun concept and i will be getting the next volume!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, more like a 2.5, but I'm happy to round up because of one very specific thing: this book fully understands how scary it is to be a teenage girl being hit on by adult men - and how annoying (and scary) it is to be hit on by boys your own age who won't listen when you say no. It's not what I was expecting from an assassin caper by the author of Kuroko's Basketball, but it's a welcome addition to an otherwise silly story.

[Sol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Several thoughts on this:

1. Personally I don't really love the "superhero origin story" route they went with this. I think the story actually would have been better if it had been magical influence instead of scientific. It's hard for me to really suspend my disbelief when it's something this far-fetched from reality, but when it's magic or gods or whatever, I find it easier to just accept.
2. I think it would have been cool if Juzo had been someone at really rock bottom, miserable and contemplating what an unnatural life he's had as a hitman, wishing in the back of his mind things could have been a different-- only to wake up in the morning and find he's become young again. That would have turned this into more of a slice-of-life scenario rather than following the tropes of a battle-type shonen, but I think that would have been better, because easily the best part of this manga is watching Juzo experience things he never got to experience in his own childhood, like the joys of learning and school.
3. That being said, this whole undercover operation is the worst part of this, in my opinion. I knew it would lead to some creepy tropes, and it definitely does, especially towards the end of the volume where the characters are pushing Juzo, a guy pushing 40, to become engaged to a child. Maybe I'm boring but I would have just loved to see him try out different clubs and do different fun activities, getting to do all the things he never got to do as a kid, but with adult money. But instead, we sort of went a route that makes me completely disinterested, because the main focus of this volume is more "How do I become old again!?" rather than "I'm young again, now's my chance!", you know what I mean?

Anyways, I'm glad I tried this out because it did have some really heartwarming, enjoyable moments, and I do care about the protagonist, but I don't like the story structure enough to continue the series. There's also some weird, bad writing moments that make me go "Does this mangaka even know what they're doing?" (i.e. when Juzo asserts that all men should know how to treat a lady and respect them in one chapter, and then in the next is on some misogynistic bullshit because "lol he's just old fashioned" for whatever reason). I just don't really think this story has the chops to become better, but that's just what I gleaned from this volume. That's all!

[Dxdnelion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise.

It's like Shinichi Kudo but in an 'assassin' setting. I was looking forward to reading this since Kuroko no Basketball is one of my favorite series. This one, however, is really disappointing because the plot just gets even more absurd when all the "enemies" try to fight the MC because they want to be the high school girl's boyfriend (of course, there is a reason for that, but it is just meh).

The character is okay, none are really likable enough to make me stay with the series.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate that he wasn't a creep or trying to take advantage of the girls. His love for ramen was #real.

[Florence Mullot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sur le papier, Kill Blue avait tout pour me plaire. Un graphisme sympa, une histoire un peu loufoque, mais avec ce petit je ne sais quoi qui était prometteur. Mais au final, le manga est trop WTF pour moi. Si au début j'ai essayé de suivre assidument l'histoire, j'ai fini par m'ennuyer très rapidement.

Le hic quand on veut faire quelque chose de barré, c'est de savoir doser justement pour que le lecteur se prenne au jeu. Moi pour ma part, rien que l'introduction ultra rapide et le héros présenté en deux deux avec un début de dépression et de remise en cause de sa vie… Je n'ai pas accroché. J'ai tout de même poursuivi en me disant que le retour à l'adolescence et la mission au sein du collège pouvaient amener quelque chose.

Alors oui, au début, on voit bien que la différence d'âge a ce côté comique qui aurait pu me faire accrocher. Ça aurait pu être même très drôle. Mais ensuite, je ne sais pas… le fait que Juzo se trouve une passion pour l'apprentissage, le harcèlement, la belle gosse qui déteste les mecs, le pervers en slip… Je me suis franchement demandé où j'étais tombée.

Ça part dans tous les sens, et pourtant on n'avance pas vraiment. L'équilibre entre la vie d'adolescent et du tueur à gages est mal dosé. Pour tout vous avouer, à part les scènes d'action… je me suis ennuyée. Elles sont d'ailleurs très classes et stylisées et permettent à l'histoire d'avoir un peu plus de punch, mais elles sont trop rares pour vraiment que j'y trouve un intérêt global. Après c'est dommage parce qu'il y a des éléments que j'aurais vraiment aimé voir se développer, comme la relation avec sa fille ou avec ses camarades de classe, sa crise de la quarantaine tout en étant un ado… Peut-être dans les prochains tomes, mais ça sera sans moi.

Un premier tome est censé vous accrocher, mais pour ma part je me suis sentie perdue en me demandant ce que je faisais là, et j'ai fini par m'ennuyer ferme. Dommage.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thirty Something Juzo Ogami is a notorious hit man..that is until a strange wasp type thing bites him and sends him back to school as a Teen.
Awkward and not really fitting in Juzo just might learn some life lessons or will he resort back to using his gun to get himself out of teenage problems?

[Sylvaiiie · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’ai vraiment l’impression de me retrouver devant une version loufoque de Détective Conan ! Pour un premier tome ça met dans l’ambiance, je me demande ce que la suite réserve mais pour le moment je suis le mouvement

[Clar · Rating 5 out of 5]

VALORACIÓN: 4'5 estrellas

Este manga tenía todas las papeletas para que no me gustara y, sin embargo, lo disfruté como una enana.

Para empezar es una comedia (con toques de humor absurdo, que no es mi fuerte) y trata de un señor en los cuarenta (un sicario muy eficiente en su trabajo) que tras picarle un bicho vuelve a tener el cuerpo de su yo de trece.

Cosas que podrían haber salido mal, pero que salieron bien:
- La más evidente: un adulto ligando con un menor (@policía). Bueno, pues a pesar del intento de uno de los secundarios porque esto suceda, al protagonista le parece una locura, incide reiteradamente en que la chavala podría ser su hija y que qué memeces dices que es una cría. Parece de cajón, pero quien esté acostumbrade a leer manga/ver anime sabrá que no, no lo es ni un poquito.
- Aunque Juzo piensa que es una mierda tener que ir al instituto, el primer día de clase descubre que le encanta. Le entrenaron para ser sicario desde muy joven, así que no tuvo ninguna posibilidad de hacer vida normal. Estudiar le parece maravilloso y su misión en el instituto ya no le parece tan horrible. Esa felicidad y gratitud que siente al comprender que todo lo que está aprendiendo es útil me parece uno de los mayores aciertos de esta obra.

[lauras_garden_of_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deutsche Ausgabe von Manga Cult!

Gleich vorweg: dieser Band war ein großer Spaß ❕
Der 39-jährige Auftragskiller Juzo Ogami wird am Ende einer Mission von einer Wespe gestochen, die eigentlich ein Testobjekt der Firma Mitsuoka Pharma ist; diese Firma betreibt Genmanipulation und Bioforschung und das Wespengift löst eine Verjüngung aus. So kommt es, dass Juzo Ogami vom gelangweilten muffligen Enddreißiger zu einem Jungen von 13 Jahren verwandelt wird. Womit soll er nun verdammt nochmal seine Rechnungen bezahlen?? Da kommt es ihm gelegen, dass sein Boss ihm den Auftrag gibt, sich als Mittelschüler auf einer Schule einzuschleusen, damit er seine eigene Tochter ruhigen Gewissens dort hinschicken kann.
Ogami bekommt anfänglich trotzdem die Krise, denn er kann, obwohl er selbst eine Tochter hat, überhaupt nicht mit Kindern umgehen. Auch wenn er von seinen Mitschülern sofort als Weirdo abgestempelt und gemieden wird, findet er aber überraschenderweise großen Spaß am Lernen, denn er selbst hat nie mehr Bildung als die Grundschule genossen. Außerdem hilft es, dass die Tochter von Mitsuoka Pharma die Schule ebenfalls besucht, denn Ogamis Leute sind intensiv auf der Suche nach einem Gegenmittel für das Wespengift, damit er seinen alten Körper wiederbekommen kann. Vielleicht ist da Noren Mitsuoka eine gute Informationsquelle oder ein Eintrittsticket in die Firma?

Der Band bietet inhaltlich und optisch massig gute Unterhaltung; der Auftragskiller im Körper eines Jugendlichen bietet allerlei skurrille Momente und hey, auch das Schulleben kann ein Überlebenskampf sein 🤣👌 So stolpert Ogami auch in die ein oder andere Situation, wo er als Retter zur Tat schreiten muss - einziges Problem dabei; er darf nicht auffallen und muss seine Spuren verwischen, was ebenfalls sehr amüsant umgesetzt wird. Ebenfalls ist schön, dass thematisiert wird, dass Alter auch nur relativ ist; in seinem Mitschüler Ryo findet Ogami seinen Sensei und sieht ein, dass dieser in mancher Hinsicht schon reifer ist als er. Auch ist es zu lustig, wenn die Abfuhr eines Mädchens schwerer zu verkraften ist, als die Folter durch die russische Mafia 🙊😂
Zudem zeigt sich, dass Ogamis Herz doch am rechten Fleck ist, er seinen Moralvorstellungen treu bleibt, aber auch einsehen, muss, wo er vielleicht etwas in der Zeit stehen geblieben ist und kurzerhand der Haushalt-AG beitritt.
Für mich ein super Start in ein unterhaltsames, witziges und actiongeladenes Leseerlebnis!

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This new series by the mangaka of Kuroko's Basketball was fun - more along the lines of Full Metal Panic rather than Kill Bill. It starts off somewhat slow but it is easy to see from this first volume how the series will grow in coming chapters.

Story: Middle age Ogami has been a hitman since he was brought into the folds of his third rate organization when he was a kid. When completing a hit at a secret facility, he is stung by a weird wasp and wakes up a middle school aged child Not sure what is happening, he is told that he has unwittingly been injected with an experimental serum by the wasp. Divorced, low on funds and needing to provide child support, he takes on a job for the organization to infiltrate a middle school and provide intel on it. But it isn't easy being a grown man in a child's body and he soon finds himself in over his head.

The plot here will be Ogami protecting the daughter of a wealthy industrialist; coincidentally, the industrialist is the one who created the serum that transformed Ogami. In this first volume, we get the set up of Ogami trying to figure out how not to act like an adult ('a creepy weirdo') and instead embracing what he missed in his youth - learning and getting to know others.

The art is a bit rough to follow at times but does have its own charm. Admittedly, it's what I liked least in the series and was surprising coming from an accomplished creator. But this is one I want to stick with and see where it goes. I was reminded a lot of Full Metal Alchemist, albeit without the trenchant humor with a lot more heart. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Nazish Ahmed (Nazish Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure if I should rate this book 3.5 or 4 stars.

I kept thinking of Sakamoto Days while I was reading this, even though they're pretty different from each other.

It was a fun idea to have a grown man who's also a hit man going back to looking like a 12 year old, while learning things he missed as a kid and juggling saving the kids without blowing his cover at the same time. It made me think how I would be if I was in that situation (which hopefully never happens, who wants to be a 12 year old again!?😱). I would definitely be a loner (because those kids are 20 years younger than me) unless for some reason I had to pretend to get along with them or if I felt lonely at school and just wanted to talk to someone (although since grade 6, I've always been a loner at school, so it's not a big deal) and I would also enjoy learning, but I think I would get bored in middle school (we don't have middle school here in Ontario Canada, so it would most likely be grade 6 or 7 in elementary school) since I was awake pretty good student in most subjects except history, geography and science (I found those so boring and science was also difficult), now I love learning about history, so who knows.

One thing really annoyed me, which was that the main character kept acting like he's old (like calling himself and old man), when he's only 39, he's not even middle-aged yet! The mangaka is 43, yet he keeps doing this! I'm not saying this because I'm also in my 30s (just turned 32 this month), I'm annoyed because it's true that it really isn't that old, people under 40 don't even look that old (despite what some people might think). I can understand that compared to 12 year olds, 39 is old, but he's usually just thinking that he's old in general. I'm just tired of people thinking that anything over 25 is old, when it really isn't😑😒

Overall, I enjoyed this manga so far and will keep reading. I'm not sure if I will buy the series yet, I need to read vol. 2 and 3 first. I read it on the Shonen Jump app and I'll probably read the next few chapters or maybe even the gull series there.


Blog: nazreads.ca
Twitter: Naz_readsanime
Instagram: nazreads01, nazcosplay, nradesigns, charmedanimegirl01

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I don’t think there’s anything particularly bad about this series per se—but I also don’t think it’s for me.

Which is a shame.

I love “Kuroko no Basuke”. It’s a series I could read over and over again. Like, if I was trapped on a deserted island, I’d want that series with me. It’s endlessly entertaining and engaging to me.

So, I’m disappointed that this new series from Tadatoshi Fujimaki doesn’t capture that same magic.

I know what good storytelling from this author looks like—and this just isn’t hitting the mark for me.

I’m not a big fan of these stories where adult characters are reincarnated or age regressed to be teenagers again—which is a huge mark against this series.

Worse, it weirds me about when these adult characters in children’s bodies are interacting with actual children and having relationships with them.

It feels very skeevy to me.

That this main character who is age regressed to a middle schooler also has an ex-wife who is part of the cast and a young daughter is a whole other level of weird I need to process, too. It’s just bizarre.

Don’t get me wrong—the art style is cool and the premise could be fine in an alternate universe. Assassin stories are fun. “Sakamoto Days”, “Assassination Classroom”—both very cool and very fun.

But, stories like this one in particular always make me wonder, “who is asking for this content?” And, do we have to keep giving it to them?

Anyway.

Will I keep reading? I’ll probably give it another couple of volumes. Just to see where this is going. But, it’s not a recommendation right now~

[Les paravers de Millina · Rating 3 out of 5]

📘 Kill Blue T1 faisait partie de la sélection 12–15 ans du Prix des Mordus du Manga, et clairement, ce n’est pas un titre vers lequel je me serais tournée spontanément. Pourtant, la surprise a été très bonne.

Juzo est un assassin professionnel quadragénaire, un vrai boss dans son domaine. Mais lors d’une mission, tout dérape : piqué par une guêpe, il se retrouve soudainement dans le corps d’un collégien. Panique totale. Impossible de continuer son métier, et son organisation refuse de l’employer sous cette apparence. Qui prendrait au sérieux un gamin ? 👦🔫

Son patron y voit toutefois une opportunité : Juzo devient l’espion parfait pour infiltrer le futur collège de sa fille et vérifier si l’établissement cache de sombres secrets. Problème : s’intégrer parmi des ados n’est pas simple quand on a les réflexes, le langage et les habitudes d’un adulte. Ses expressions vieillottes, ses réactions disproportionnées et son comportement rigide attirent rapidement les regards.

Ce décalage constant est la grande force du manga 😄. C’est absurde, mais jamais méchant. Juzo s’agace, trébuche, apprend… et semble parfois plus épanoui dans ce rôle d’élève que dans sa vie de tueur.

Graphiquement, le trait est simple, carré et peu détaillé, mais très expressif, en accord avec le ton du récit.

👉 Un manga léger, drôle et bienveillant, au pitch improbable mais efficace. Un premier tome prometteur.
Ma chronique complète
https://lesparaversdemillina.com/kill...

[Susanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. Juzo Ogami is 39, legendary assassin and a divorced father of one. A bee sting transforms his body back to a 13-year-old’s, so his boss sends him to scout a middle school for his daughter—as a student there.

It’s not easy for Ogami, who is a school drop-out and doesn’t know how to talk to children. On a first day, he’s pegged to be the class loser. But to his surprise, he discovers he loves learning. If only he could study in peace, but all sorts of pervs and kidnappers disturb the students and he has no choice but to step in. Anonymously.

The real trouble begins when the scientist trying to find a solution to his age problem—his ex-wife—learns that to infiltrate the pharmaseutical company responsible for the age drug, Ogami needs to marry the owner’s daughter, who just happens to be his classmate. No way is he going to date a girl the same age as his daughter, not even to save her from worse suitors. Right?

This was a fun start to a series. Ogami was slightly different age-change protagonist with his world-weariness and clear understanding of what is appropriate for someone his age. He changes a lot during the first volume already. It will be fun to see where that’ll lead. Art was good.

I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Siina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kill Blue is the new series from Tadatoshi Fujimaki. I loved Kuroko's Basketball, so of course I wanted to read this and the premise was interesting. In a sense the story felt like Case Closed, but with slightly different vibe to it. Juzo Ogami is a guy almost forty years old, divorced and works as a hit man. He gets stung by a bee and turns into a middle school student version of himself. Of course he just keeps doing his job even after that, but now the missions have changed and he has to hide his situation. I wish Fujimaki had used more time to get us know Ogami, since all too soon we are in the new situation. His work partners and bosses don't seem to care enough about the situation and the mission to marry the heiress girl is a bit creepy and only Ogami says that out loud. He doesn't want to marry a girl the age of his daughter. Well duh.

The art looks good and vibrant, although the female characters are a bit masculine at times. The movements look good and there's even some good humor in the manga, but overall it's moving way too fast. Ogami's inner voice is interesting and I enjoy the old dude humor too, so more of those please. More character development too, since it does wonders to the series. Trust me.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

54%

Like Detective Conan meets Sakamoto Days. The concept is kinda iffy tbh with the ‘older man in a kid’s body’ idea, which can get real weird real quick. At first, I actually thought it was kinda fun though - the MC discovers a love for learning since he never really went to school, which was cool. For some reason, a crime was occurring at the end of every single chapter though, which got kinda goofy real fast. Luckily the author seemed to stop doing that after not long.

Anyway, my main issue is the arc that seems to start towards the end of this volume, which revolves around the daughter of the CEO of the bad company that turned the MC into a kid. As a character, she seems okay, it’s just that the ‘fake relationship’ thing is really toeing the moral line, imo. Like, plotwise, it makes sense, but it’s just weird.

I suppose with a concept like this though, it’s kinda gonna get like that. It’s not the worst and luckily the MC isn’t creepy, but this whole arc centring around the daughter of the CEO is just iffy to me. Especially with that side character guy saying ‘hey you need to marry her’… like, c’mon bruh.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine but not a favorite and I likely won't continue with the series. I needed either more humor or more seriousness (either would have been fine) to go with the fact that the notorious gangster hitman yakuza has just woken up in a teenager's body and now has a new mission to relive his youth as part of a new job, and he's still bad with teenagers, so being one and having to interact with one is a recipe for disaster.

I was entertained by his obsession with ramen (and that he comes home to a cook who will make him something OTHER than ramen) but also listen to him complain- though he's in love with the schoolwork at first.

It's a little odd but I think if it leaned more comedic, I would have enjoyed it more.

Definitely guns and violence and one obnoxiously weird scene with a man in his underwear wearing a panda head.

[The Book Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magic drug turns a middle aged man into a middle schooler and the only job he can get is scoping out the local school his boss’s daughter will attend. Later he finds out that the heiress to the pharmaceutical company responsible for his transformation also goes to this school.

Yeah, this seems to be taking every step toward a very inappropriate romance, but thankfully, Juzo Ogami is firmly aware that he’s still a 39-year-old divorcee with a daughter who would be his classmate if they went to the same school.

There’s a lot of set up. From introducing the character, explaining his situation, and then maneuvering him into a spot for plot to happen, but it starts to pick up more about chapter 4 and it looks like it could be good. Not nearly as much slapstick as I thought, but we’ll see.

[Kait W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm obsessed with this manga already and can't wait to read more volumes. It's great for anyone who likes a sci-fi age regression story like in Detective Conan, only this time it's a grumpy middle-aged assassin. The action is interspersed with school slice of life in a way that's both intriguing and amusing. I've loved all the side characters, and our protagonist is hilarious to follow around as he tries to live this new life and figure out how to get back to his old body. It hasn't gone super heavy into the sci-fi aspect of the plot yet, so it's still very realistic action focused, but I'm excited to see what comes of the sci-fi element as the volumes continue.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I liked this so much more than I thought I would. It kind of reminds me of Spy x family but I like him better than Lloyd. I like the art a lot and I LOVE that we aren't leaning in to chikan behavior. He has some outdated sexist views which are called out for on the page as well which I don't know why but a Japanese man that is a little older than me, it feels refreshing to see in media. (I am basing this all on my study abroad in 2005). I am glad my library has more of these to read and I look forward to it. I hope the series can keep this momentum going.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kill Blue follows Juzo Ogami, a hitman who somehow turns into a... middle schooler? I have a soft spot for hitman/yakuza/delinquent/intimidating people with a different side to them, and this is no exception! I laughed here and there and did enjoy this first volume.

[William Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute blast of a story right from the go hit man stories always bang. Like the way Ogami moves in his fights are really cool. Plus I feel for Noren it’s got to be mad annoying dealing with all that. Overall super pumped and ready for the next volume.

[king boo · Rating 2 out of 5]

was not my cup of tea and i don’t think i’ll be reading the other volumes

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has so much awesome potential!

[Riki (˶˃⤙˂˶) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 💫

That was pretty cute, might keep readin'

[Shirin · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOL why was this so funny 😆

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Cody Roecker]

its okay but I think some of my teens will enjoy it enough