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장례식 케이크 전문점 연옥당 #1
Purgatory Funeral Cakes Volume 1
A heartwarming and comforting manhwa that's perfect with a cup of tea on a rainy day, featuring gorgeous artwork by Sanho.
Funeral cakes are the final gift from the living to their departed loved ones—and the only comfort on their journey to rebirth.
Baker Margot and her ghostly assistant Miro make specialty cakes for the dearly departed. Each cake is made custom—tailored to the lost individual. Still-living loved ones share their memories of the deceased which serve as inspiration for the flavors and style, creating a truly one-of-a-kind cake.
First, a mystery novelist spends her time volunteering at a hospital to read to patients and meets a blind young woman who grew up in the hospital. The two bond over mystery novels, inspiring the Mystery Novel Crepe cake, a cake made with crepe layers like the pages of a book.
Then, the daughter of a vampire reminisces over her daytime life and the hours that separated her from her night-bound mother, and the moments they shared in an evening primrose field inspiring the Evening Primrose Cupcake.
The love and care put into each cake will surely bring comfort to both living and dead in this heartwarming story of love and loss.
Funeral cakes are the final gift from the living to their departed loved ones—and the only comfort on their journey to rebirth.
Baker Margot and her ghostly assistant Miro make specialty cakes for the dearly departed. Each cake is made custom—tailored to the lost individual. Still-living loved ones share their memories of the deceased which serve as inspiration for the flavors and style, creating a truly one-of-a-kind cake.
First, a mystery novelist spends her time volunteering at a hospital to read to patients and meets a blind young woman who grew up in the hospital. The two bond over mystery novels, inspiring the Mystery Novel Crepe cake, a cake made with crepe layers like the pages of a book.
Then, the daughter of a vampire reminisces over her daytime life and the hours that separated her from her night-bound mother, and the moments they shared in an evening primrose field inspiring the Evening Primrose Cupcake.
The love and care put into each cake will surely bring comfort to both living and dead in this heartwarming story of love and loss.
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 9, 2021
3 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 12, 2025
Це дуже красиво, але надто щемко
October 31, 2025
What a beautiful way to make me cry!
August 17, 2024
This manhwa is just WOW. It is one of my favourite graphic novels now.
The idea is very fascinating, I don't think I've ever read or seen anything like it. Both stories were exciting and interesting, and I liked them for different reasons. First of all, they are unusual. Secondly, they seem so personal and real that everyone can relate to them or start reflecting on some raised topics about human relationships and our poor human life in general. They are also tragic, but not overwhelming, but rather encouraging, hopeful, and heartwarming. I liked the usage of symbolism and thoughts about purgotary and after life in general.
I also liked the description of making desserts.
And generally, the drawings are really beautiful and very pleasing to the eye. I wish there were more and more stories, to be honest, I'm ready to read 50 of them.
Can’t wait for part II to be translated, so I can read it too!!! And hopefully, there are gonna be other parts as well.
The idea is very fascinating, I don't think I've ever read or seen anything like it. Both stories were exciting and interesting, and I liked them for different reasons. First of all, they are unusual. Secondly, they seem so personal and real that everyone can relate to them or start reflecting on some raised topics about human relationships and our poor human life in general. They are also tragic, but not overwhelming, but rather encouraging, hopeful, and heartwarming. I liked the usage of symbolism and thoughts about purgotary and after life in general.
I also liked the description of making desserts.
And generally, the drawings are really beautiful and very pleasing to the eye. I wish there were more and more stories, to be honest, I'm ready to read 50 of them.
Can’t wait for part II to be translated, so I can read it too!!! And hopefully, there are gonna be other parts as well.
December 2, 2025
Amazing artwork
January 30, 2026
The illustrations are gorgeous and the story is tender. This is a manhwa you don’t want to miss out on.
November 28, 2025
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
Newly departed souls must make a perilous journey through purgatory, but if they have sustenance for their long, forty day journey, they won’t fade along the way in the harshness of purgatory. One way loved ones can help is by purchasing purgatory cakes from a specialized bakery. These cakes take special ingredients and infuse memories from the living, and they are delicately baked with the utmost care by a skilled and kind baker with some otherworldly powers. Each chapter is a visit into these memories as the client purchases their specialized cake for their departed one.
At first, the premise seems convoluted and a fairly in depth — the prologue to set up the soul’s journey is nearly a full chapter without clear explanation as to why we are receiving so much exposition. But the payoff is worth it for those who stick around. Not only is the art beautiful throughout, the stories are touching and skillfully crafted. There are fantastical creatures and magical moments seamlessly woven into every day life, but the fantasy sits in compliment to stories that have much deeper, human connections. The mangaka expresses and explores grief on many levels and touches upon some intimate human fears and emotions, such as belonging, loss, and family.
Dark Horse rates this for ages 14+. Because of the themes of death and grief and the heaviness of the subject matter, this would be best suited for high school audiences or more mature readers, especially adults or readers who have experienced the passing of a loved one.
Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12, Adult
Newly departed souls must make a perilous journey through purgatory, but if they have sustenance for their long, forty day journey, they won’t fade along the way in the harshness of purgatory. One way loved ones can help is by purchasing purgatory cakes from a specialized bakery. These cakes take special ingredients and infuse memories from the living, and they are delicately baked with the utmost care by a skilled and kind baker with some otherworldly powers. Each chapter is a visit into these memories as the client purchases their specialized cake for their departed one.
At first, the premise seems convoluted and a fairly in depth — the prologue to set up the soul’s journey is nearly a full chapter without clear explanation as to why we are receiving so much exposition. But the payoff is worth it for those who stick around. Not only is the art beautiful throughout, the stories are touching and skillfully crafted. There are fantastical creatures and magical moments seamlessly woven into every day life, but the fantasy sits in compliment to stories that have much deeper, human connections. The mangaka expresses and explores grief on many levels and touches upon some intimate human fears and emotions, such as belonging, loss, and family.
Dark Horse rates this for ages 14+. Because of the themes of death and grief and the heaviness of the subject matter, this would be best suited for high school audiences or more mature readers, especially adults or readers who have experienced the passing of a loved one.
Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12, Adult
November 6, 2025
*Thank you to Dark Horse Manhwa & Edelweiss for the digital ARC of Purgatory Funeral Cakes Volume 1*
I was immediately drawn to this graphic novel because of the cover art. It is of a character in the book holding a cake that says "rest in peace" with incense on top. It's such a unnerving image because death isn't something celebrated in the western world. It is an abstract concept that is inevitable, yet feared despite its inevitability, so seeing that imagery gave me pause because it made me think "is death something to celebrate."
The story started with a prologue about the history of purgatory funeral cakes and how they are necessary in helping the deceased journey through purgatory into the next life. The "main" character, Margot, is introduced immediately after. She is the owner of a funeral cake bakery and although her role in this story is quite important, she is more of a bystander or background character who guides customers to collect their memories of the deceased in order to make the perfect cake to help them make it through the afterlife.
This volume was split into two short stories. The first story is about Sun Lee, a writer who reads to hospitalized children, who meets a young girl with three eyes who has gone blind, named Irae. It is Sun Lee's writing that stirs Irae's heart and makes her believe in living. The second story is about Mona Lee and her vampire mother, Misa Lee, and how there has always been a disconnect in their relationship due to the fact that Misa cannot step into the sunlight. This inability to walk in the daytime led to challenges in raising Mona, so distance was something that became the norm in their mother-daughter relationship.
Purgatory Funeral Cakes reminds me of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. It has similar elements of healing fiction (Iyashikei) as it is a book that helps one navigate through the pain of death by having the characters take a moment to memorialize their loved ones through the stories of the lives they lived. I think the graphic novel format really gives life to the stories being told. Most of the images are in black and white, however, reds and pinks are used in a way that draws the eye to certain images and panels. For example the strawberries in the first story are brought up more than once and are colored red, while the evening primroses in the second story are colored pink. The use of color really brings life to certain panels and in some ways makes the heartbreaking moments feel even more devastating and the soft, tender moments much more endearing.
I am truly looking forward to the next volume of this series. I think it is such a great book to read especially when you are someone who is experiencing grief.
I was immediately drawn to this graphic novel because of the cover art. It is of a character in the book holding a cake that says "rest in peace" with incense on top. It's such a unnerving image because death isn't something celebrated in the western world. It is an abstract concept that is inevitable, yet feared despite its inevitability, so seeing that imagery gave me pause because it made me think "is death something to celebrate."
The story started with a prologue about the history of purgatory funeral cakes and how they are necessary in helping the deceased journey through purgatory into the next life. The "main" character, Margot, is introduced immediately after. She is the owner of a funeral cake bakery and although her role in this story is quite important, she is more of a bystander or background character who guides customers to collect their memories of the deceased in order to make the perfect cake to help them make it through the afterlife.
This volume was split into two short stories. The first story is about Sun Lee, a writer who reads to hospitalized children, who meets a young girl with three eyes who has gone blind, named Irae. It is Sun Lee's writing that stirs Irae's heart and makes her believe in living. The second story is about Mona Lee and her vampire mother, Misa Lee, and how there has always been a disconnect in their relationship due to the fact that Misa cannot step into the sunlight. This inability to walk in the daytime led to challenges in raising Mona, so distance was something that became the norm in their mother-daughter relationship.
Purgatory Funeral Cakes reminds me of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. It has similar elements of healing fiction (Iyashikei) as it is a book that helps one navigate through the pain of death by having the characters take a moment to memorialize their loved ones through the stories of the lives they lived. I think the graphic novel format really gives life to the stories being told. Most of the images are in black and white, however, reds and pinks are used in a way that draws the eye to certain images and panels. For example the strawberries in the first story are brought up more than once and are colored red, while the evening primroses in the second story are colored pink. The use of color really brings life to certain panels and in some ways makes the heartbreaking moments feel even more devastating and the soft, tender moments much more endearing.
I am truly looking forward to the next volume of this series. I think it is such a great book to read especially when you are someone who is experiencing grief.
November 4, 2025
Honestly, this graphic novel is worth reading for Miro, our ghostly sidekick, alone: a true icon.
Here, we follow Margo and Miro, proprietors of a bakery which specialises in making personalised cakes for departed souls, to help nourish them on their journey across purgatory into the afterlife. We meet two of their clients, and the bulk of the book is following their stories, as they talk about the recently-departed loved one that they are ordering the cake for. As you might expect from the title, this graphic novel is set in the realm of magical realism, with ghosts, vampires, and giant talking ravens all featuring as key characters,
The art is primarily in black and white, with red for accents, which really adds to the spooky (but not scary!) atmosphere. However, I will say that, perhaps unsurprisingly, this book can be quite heavy with grief at times, so just be aware of that going in.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the (Japanese-language) eARC!
Here, we follow Margo and Miro, proprietors of a bakery which specialises in making personalised cakes for departed souls, to help nourish them on their journey across purgatory into the afterlife. We meet two of their clients, and the bulk of the book is following their stories, as they talk about the recently-departed loved one that they are ordering the cake for. As you might expect from the title, this graphic novel is set in the realm of magical realism, with ghosts, vampires, and giant talking ravens all featuring as key characters,
The art is primarily in black and white, with red for accents, which really adds to the spooky (but not scary!) atmosphere. However, I will say that, perhaps unsurprisingly, this book can be quite heavy with grief at times, so just be aware of that going in.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the (Japanese-language) eARC!
August 9, 2025
i loved this volume so, so much. the artwork is simply stunning and each individual character stands out. the two stories shared are full of so much love and care and are perfectly bittersweet. i will absolutely be following this series and looking out for any continuing volumes!! thank you edelweiss:)
August 14, 2025
Thanks to Dark Horse for the DRC.
The concept and artwork are a solid 10/10. I really enjoyed the idea that everyone was able to get a cake and some individuals were able to customize the cake for their loved ones. Please let this be turned into a series!
I have so many more questions about purgatory and where the idea of funeral cakes came from.
The concept and artwork are a solid 10/10. I really enjoyed the idea that everyone was able to get a cake and some individuals were able to customize the cake for their loved ones. Please let this be turned into a series!
I have so many more questions about purgatory and where the idea of funeral cakes came from.
January 7, 2026
Cozy fantasy book where a mystical being owns a funeral cake bakery and works alongside a ghost and they make cakes for the deceased to eat while passing thru purgatory to be reincarnated on the other side after their journey. This book had two people's stories inside that both tied to the bakery and I enjoyed the storyline and the art style.
January 24, 2026
This is my first time reading a graphic novel and I have to admit I’m so impressed. The artistry of this book was gorgeous and felt nostalgic somehow.
But honestly, death and baking cakes with a ghost sidekick? I mean… was this book written specifically for me?!? The concept of this book was so interesting and beautiful and I will absolutely be getting my hands on the second one.
But honestly, death and baking cakes with a ghost sidekick? I mean… was this book written specifically for me?!? The concept of this book was so interesting and beautiful and I will absolutely be getting my hands on the second one.
December 22, 2025
Had me in tears throughout the book. Absolutely beautiful stories. I saw another reviewer say this was one of their favorite graphic novels now, and I have to say the same! I will be buying volume 2 and the rest to come!
January 12, 2026
I enjoyed this book tremendously. Special cakes made specifically for a person to help them cross the fields of purgatory after they pass. I think this book could offer healing to those who’ve experienced loss. Lovely.
August 10, 2025
Just lovely, made me cry. It’s gorgeous, like Honey for the Soul.
December 23, 2025
This poignant graphic presents an unusual way of looking at death, while providing an interesting examination of life. Food for thought . . .
Book #1 in the Ross Library Winter Adult Reading Challenge - a graphic novel or manga
Book #1 in the Ross Library Winter Adult Reading Challenge - a graphic novel or manga
January 8, 2026
Solemn and cheerful in equal measure. The art is absolutely perfect.
January 22, 2026
Lovely, sweet, and sad.
February 2, 2026
Thought this was going to be just a cute little graphic novel. Then by the end, I am just sobbing. Beautiful art and storytelling.
January 2, 2026
Gosh this made me cry. I'm a sucker for stories about the dead and telling stories from the point of view of those left behind. There's so much care and love put into these two stories and their cakes, I cried both times.
October 13, 2024
Это прекрасно. Я не могла перестать рыдать до самого финала.
October 15, 2024
Very Gothic, painful. But beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews