Little Mushroom Manhua Vol.1

Little Mushroom (Manhua) #1

by Yi Shi Si Zhou

Best-selling story meets beautiful art! In a world ravaged by a catastrophe, the remaining humans face off against mutated creatures called xenogens. Among them is An Zhe, a sentient mushroom who disguises himself as a young man to infiltrate a human base and reclaim what was taken from him. There, he encounters Supreme Judge Lu Feng, tasked with hunting down and eliminating his kind. Can An Zhe evade the Judge's piercing gaze and successfully complete his mission?

Genres: Manga, LGBT, Science Fiction, Comics, Queer, Romance, Dystopia

220 pages, Hardcover

Published November 3, 2025

About the author

Associated Names:
* 一十四洲 (Chinese)
* Nhất Thập Tứ Châu (Vietnamese)
* อีสือซื่อโจว (Thai)

Reviews

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning art. So happy to have the English version of this! It’s identical to the CN version ofc but this hardback version is much better quality. This volume covers through half of chapter 5 of the novel- where his “friend” Josie discovers he’s back (Josh in the novel). I don’t know if I would recommend reading the manhua without having read the novels first but I do think it’s pretty faithful adaptation and it was pretty straightforward and easy to follow. It includes a map which is always helpful!

I only looked at the art of the CN version so I don’t know about any translation changes in the manhua but there were a few changes from the PFH novel. Lu Feng is “Supreme Judge” instead of Arbiter and “Trial Court” to Special Court.

Highly recommend getting this if you are a Little Mushroom fan- it comes with goodies including an adorable chili standee of An Zhe and some gorgeous bookmarks, stickers, etc

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

i feel like you miss out on some details and emotions of the original story by reading the comic, but it's still pretty faithful and the art is pretty.

[Sollenbum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humanity is more than DNA and in this manhua of the novel, "Little Mushroom," by Yi Shi Si Zhou this theme is beautifully explored. The book is published by Aloha Comics and is gorgeous in the quality of the paper and in the hardcovers with dust covers to protect it. The artwork by Yuchi Jinze and Maomao Tou is poetic in a dystopian way, creating a juxtaposition between the hardship of life in this destroyed world and the sensitivity of the little mushroom.

The prologue explains how the geomagnetic field surrounding earth disappeared in 2030, thus making life extremely difficult. All creatures are exposed to radiation, which creates genetic mutations. Humanity is now intertwined with other beings and these xenogens are executed without trial by judges.

The little mushroom is special both in his mushroom existence and in his xenogen form. He is sentient and now can also pass as human in the city. Underlying this hostile setting, exists a silent protest against the literally inhumane treatment of creatures who can no longer pass a human DNA test. The genre is therefore dystopian climate fiction.

The source novel is danmei but in this first manhua volume there is no indication of romance yet. The protagonist, An Ze, meets the supreme judge, Lu Feng, but their interaction is purely professional at this point. There is only a faint indication of foreshadowing in that An Ze manages to survive their first meeting.

[Katie❄️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the beginning artwork is a bit different than I remember reading online it is still beautiful. An Zhe’s so cute!

[Literary Lusts · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this is somehow ADORABLE and yet DARK AF at the same time.

[Literarykittens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the story details are lost in reading the mahua vs the novel but the art is absolutely stunning.

[Nikakioy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mir hat der Auftakt in die Geschichte sehr gut gefallen. Die Geschichte ist düster und gleichzeitig niedlich und unschuldig. Ich bin sehr gespannt auf die weitere Handlung und hoffe auf noch viele mehr Hintergründe zu den Umständen.

9/10⭐

[Vedeneeva Yulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Нічого схожого раніше не читала. Це ВАУ! А мальовка... 😍

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful art!

[Niki.reads.rainbow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the story and the art is stunning.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally got my hands on this. The manhua art was what compelled me to read the novel in the first place, and I must say Aloha Comics edition didn't disappoint.
The art is wonderful and so at odds with the darkness of the story, that makes it even more perfect. I liked to see some of the scenes come to life through Chichi's art, which is superb, but as it happened with MDZS, I think you need to have read the novel to fully understand everything that's going on. That said, the art makes everything emotional at other, even deeper level. An Zhe eyes says a lot.

[cherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Mushroom hat mich wirklich überrascht. Es geht um einen Jungen, der stirbt, und dessen Körper von einem Pilz übernommen wird. Dieser Pilz macht sich auf die Suche nach seiner Spore, die ihm von den Menschen genommen wurde. Die Geschichte spielt in einer postapokalyptischen Welt mit Distrikten, Stützpunkten und einem strengen Überwachungssystem. Besonders spannend wird es, als der Pilz auf Lu Feng trifft – den gefürchteten Inquisitor, der alles vernichtet, was als infiziert oder mutiert gilt.
Ich fand die Story unglaublich fesselnd. Sie ist anders, kreativ und dabei erstaunlich emotional. Die Mischung aus Sci-Fi, Drama und einem Hauch Philosophischem hat mich total gepackt. Der Artstyle ist wunderschön – detailreich, atmosphärisch und einfach ästhetisch.
Einziger Nachteil: Der Band war viel zu kurz! Ich hätte problemlos doppelt so viele Seiten lesen können. Trotzdem ist es ein großartiger Auftakt, der neugierig auf mehr macht. Ich bin richtig gespannt, wie sich die Geschichte zwischen dem Pilz und Lu Feng weiterentwickeln wird.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earth, several decades into future, is slowly recovering from an extinction event. Humanity is fighting for survival, threatened by mutations that affect them as much as flora and fauna.

A scavenger, An Ze, is fatally injured in an abyss where mutation rate is extremely high. As he bleeds to death, his blood flows onto a mushroom that has gained consciousness. The mushroom gets An Ze’s DNA and is able to turn into him. With a body and An Ze’s identification, he heads to a human habitation to find his spore that has been harvested by human scientists.

Human habitation is tightly protected against mutants. The mushroom fears for his life, as mutants are shot on sight without trials or tests by Judges. The mushroom encounters the most feared of them, Supreme Judge, Colonel Lu Feng, who doesn’t kill him for some reason, but takes him to a DNA test. To the mushroom’s surprise, he passes perfectly. The volume ends as the mushroom, who calls himself An Zhe, starts his new life in the city.

This was so lovely. The art is so beautiful I almost forgot to read the story. There is actually more art than text, the dialogue sparce, but it doesn’t slow the story or make it difficult to follow. I haven’t read the original, but I don’t think much what is important was left out. There are 10 chapters in this first volume, so it’ll take a while before the manhua is complete.

[Bettina · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ This story had me hooked from the first page! Looking forward to continue the story – if you like sci-fi, this is a must read for you! Huge plus as well that the art is phenomenal *chefs kiss*

[Molin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5☆

I dont understand chinese but i looooove the art. Thats why i bought the physical book lmao. But at least i read the novel too 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Cyeba Alcala · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is very very adorable (I mean the character... the plot. ufff) . Beautiful drawings and an intense plot, I just finished the novel and I want more :)

[Irina · Rating 4 out of 5]

seeing the novel play out in a visual format is very intriguing. thanks to the visual aids, i am now able to better understand certain mechanics of the world, such as the distribution of facilities in the outer city and the placement of the outer/inner cities on the map. bc of all the information that needed to go into this volume, it could be a little hard to follow the flow of the story after an zhe entered the outer city, similarly to the novel. the concept still gets me though. quite pleased with the outcome, and the art is very lovely, too~~

[Nia · Rating 5 out of 5]

the novel remains superior (and more detailed ofc) but the art is GORGEOUS! this captures the dark atmosphere pretty well + an zhe pookie is the cutest

[lyanuum · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is only 10 chapters long but I feel like it's going to be so good

the art is out of this world

[LATRELL BRICE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going into this manhua….whoa.

First and foremost, the art is absolutely stunning. Like, so beautiful that I almost didn’t want to touch it with my bare hands. The Kinokuniya Special Edition itself is gorgeous, and the artwork throughout really elevates the entire experience.

The story pulls you in almost immediately. It starts off fast and doesn’t shy away from setting the tone early; death, survival, and a very intriguing premise right from the beginning. The concept is unique, and I’m already anxious to learn more about the sci-fi elements and how this world actually works.

I’m especially curious about Lu Feng and why he is the way he is, the atmosphere surrounding him, and how his story will eventually connect with An Zhe. Watching An Zhe try to survive in this world is both tense and fascinating, and the mystery introduced toward the end only made me want the next volume immediately.

Overall, this was a beautiful and intriguing start. I’m definitely ready for Volume 2, and I can’t wait for the upcoming novel by Yi Shi Si Zhou, which will likely expand on the world and story even more.

📌 For anyone interested: the physical English edition of the Little Mushroom novel is expected to release August 4th this year, so stay tuned.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Host with hunger games world building 🤔 that’s what this manhua is giving me and I love it!! First off my true rating I would give 3 1/2 stars! I love it so far the story is slow paced it gives you time to absorb all the beautiful art and colors that really just paints the plot. Chibi An Zhe is saurrrr cute I smile everytime he shows up but lets get to the real reason why I picked this one up 👀🫦 Lu Feng whewwww I just can’t help but love a man in royalty/period dated military fashion. I internally screamed when he showed up I wish I could insert picture here*….yes yes I am excited to read volume 2.

[nibha ⋆˚꩜｡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

OH IM SO SAT WHAT.. the chibis are adorable, manhuas are always a little confusing for me but i AM planning on picking up the danmei after this so it's alright, i just wanted to familiarize myself with the setting a little bit. the word building is INSANE, i'm very intrigued. #moaned when hubbard showed up on my screen, long haired men will alway do it for me i fear. the art is beautiful i'm very excited to see where it all heads. an ze i miss u, i'll mourn the fact that we never got to know you and an zhe i will baby you forever, u r my kuchu puchu now. LU FENG IS SO GORGEOUS, the art makes him beautiful i love beautiful men i'm having sm fun

[Pachi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to give more stars, but there's a big problem with the german edition:
In the German edition, a racist term was used in the translation on page 87: "Drecksnxxxx" (dirty nxxxx).
It is unfortunate that such a term was used, even though it does not appear in the original. Even if it did, this term should not be used, but rather changed.
The translator, Sarah Ozolnieks, did not use this term in her script either; it was inserted without her knowledge, which I find completely unprofessional on the part of the publisher.

[HANNAH (Books, Films, and Tea) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Little Mushroom and I cannot wait for this to be completed! If you want a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world, with great world building and suspense as well as interesting and unique characters, this is it! A mushroom who has become human goes into the human base trying to find his spore, but is under the watchful eye of the Colonel/Judge who determines if people have become infected by the mutated plants and animals that ravage earth. I absolutely love the MCs An Zhe and Lu Feng! The art style is also gorgeous.

[lectricedusoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can I even describe this book? Honestly—how?? It was an absolute masterpiece. I was skeptical at first and started with the comic (which is still ongoing), but my god, what a gem it turned out to be. After that, I dove into the books, and now I’m completely obsessed.

The world-building is incredible, the slow burn between the two characters is perfection, and every detail feels crafted with so much care. Truly, everything about it was a masterpiece.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an introduction to this story, was really taken back with how much I enjoyed this volume! It’s my first ever manhua as well, I was really pleased with the pacing, the art, and most especially with the plot it’s heading in. Also the little chibi versions we get in this is sooo cute! But besides that point seeing how the world building is through An Zhe pov is really interesting simple bc we’re learning through him just as much as he learns after what happened to him.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LITERALLY BINGE vol 1 & vol 2, cuz OH MY GODDDDDD the story had me on choke hold from the beginning, is just is SO GOOD that once u start reading it u cant put the book down! and THE ART STYLE?? INSANEEEEEEEEE THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BREATHTAKING "SHOULD BE IN A MUSEUM" TYPE OF ART STYLE I HAVE SEEN!!! i was SPEECHLESS in how high quality the story and artstyle is, i 1000000% recommend you to get yourself a physical copy from alohacomics, u wont regret! 😭🤌👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻💯💯💯💯💯❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[Juli-Yashka · Rating 2 out of 5]

The style and coloring is gorgeous, but the story itself is so stale and shallow, it's disappointing as F. World building makes no sense, MC has zero emotions and zero expressions. Most characters look like pretty plastic dolls only there just to look pretty. That's all. Pretty on the outside, and absolutely nothing inside.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous, practically dreamy in places, and reminded me of how much I love Little Mushroom. I do think a smidge more of An Zhe's interior monologue would've been good, because the crux of the story for me is how he is, essentially, an observer to humanity's destruction, but that aside a perfectly lovely and well-made manhua.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t prepared for just how gorgeous the art would be, or just how effectively it would convey the story, even in panels that had no dialogue. Each new development was unexpected, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes in volume 2. Also, I believe an English translation of the novel is coming this year, so looking forward to reading that as well.