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The Voynich Hotel #1
The Voynich Hotel, Vol. 1
You can check in anytime you like, but you can never leave in this dark comedy about a twisted hotel!
After a series of tragic events, Taizou decides to make a break with his past and go on a vacation to the tiny island nation of Blefusco. Little does he know that his hotel is a hot spot for contract killers, drug dealers, ghosts, and a coven of immortal witches. So much for rest and relaxation…
After a series of tragic events, Taizou decides to make a break with his past and go on a vacation to the tiny island nation of Blefusco. Little does he know that his hotel is a hot spot for contract killers, drug dealers, ghosts, and a coven of immortal witches. So much for rest and relaxation…
180 pages, Paperback
First published November 19, 2010
15 people are currently reading
252 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 19, 2018
Just another day at the Voynich Hotel.
I don’t typically review comics or manga (despite reading a good deal of them) but I’m making an exception for this, as it’s so delightfully bizarre. The Voynich Hotel is what would happen if David Lynch made a manga. It’s so weird and surprisingly complex that it’s a bit hard to explain, but I’ll give it a shot.
So, an ex-yakuza sneaks out of Japan with a bounty on his head, he escapes to a small island in a war torn country (though we never actually see the war as the hotel is in a cease-fire zone, we do see the injuries on many of the locals, including a boy whose face was torn by a landmine). He’s at a hotel that is famous for “once having Chuck Norris” in it. Other than that the only thing notable is the strange inhabitants, including three assassins, three drug dealers, a manga artist, and quite a few ghosts. Oh yes, the hotel is haunted and the staff also seems to “dispose” of unpleasant guests as well (but never on hotel grounds, as they would hate to ruin their reputation). Meanwhile a set of teens set up a “Scooby” style young investigator club trying to sneak into the hotel and two police officers investigate a serial killer that seems to have a connection to the hotel… especially considering two of the more recent victims were guests.
The series is an extremely dark comedy. The humor can range from silly sight gags, and tried and true manga cliché style jokes, only for a character to get shot in the head (and then most likely haunt the hotel, missing a portion of their face for the rest of the series). It’s violent but never overly gory. Part of this is because the art style is rather minimalistic. It reminds me somewhat of Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei in terms of art (and comedy, to a certain degree).
A few warnings for those interested though, it recives a T rating on the back, generally considered a PG-13 sort of rating. I really have no clue how they pulled that one off. In the first volume alone there is moderate violence including ghosts missing portions of their head and leaking… fluids, several sexual jokes, including some nudity (not fanservice, unless you enjoy corpses…), and some language. Personally none of it comes close to offending me, but this is one I wouldn’t buy for a kid without a look. I mean, the most touching moment of the first volume is when a character realizes they are falling in love… and they realize this in a scene that involves inserting a replacement glass eye into a woman's eye socket.
In closing: I actually discovered this series from a review on a different site. The review was negative, citing that the book was too non-linear and bizarre. I can understand where that reviewer was coming from but the bizareness and non-linear order of the story only improved my enjoyment. It’s certainly a YMMV sort of series, but for me the first volume sets itself up as a great dark comedy. A few clever winks and nods with references that I was fairly astonished to see (a suggestion, before you read the series check out Dario Argento’s film Suspiria). Great fun for anyone who enjoys manga and is looking for a nice dark comedy.
June 21, 2017
It's a morbid random manga with a lot of gory and hilarious moments altogether, there's even some romance there!
The premise made me think of the Eagles' song "Hotel California" and in some way, it does resemble it. It's a creepy hotel on a creepy island with assassins, dealers, mafia members, witches, and many others.
The only drawback is the weird way the timeline works and the time it took me to get accustomed to the large cast of characters.
The premise made me think of the Eagles' song "Hotel California" and in some way, it does resemble it. It's a creepy hotel on a creepy island with assassins, dealers, mafia members, witches, and many others.
The only drawback is the weird way the timeline works and the time it took me to get accustomed to the large cast of characters.
July 25, 2018
This is the most normal manga I've come across by Douman Seiman, but that isn't saying much. I mean, there's a touching, romantic moment in the story that involves a guy inserting a glass eye into a woman's socket. So, yeah.
The story revolves around a hotel on a remote South Pacific Island and its eccentric guests -- a trio of drug dealing women, a manga artist, a gay assassin -- and staff -- a Mexican wrestler who owns the place, a cook who tries to poison the guests, and a pair of maids who happen to be legendary witches who lived on the island before the Spanish arrived. Throw in a group of crime fighting kids, a serial killer, and a robot cop, and some yakuza and you have about half the plot.
And yet it's still more normal than Oddman 11.
The story revolves around a hotel on a remote South Pacific Island and its eccentric guests -- a trio of drug dealing women, a manga artist, a gay assassin -- and staff -- a Mexican wrestler who owns the place, a cook who tries to poison the guests, and a pair of maids who happen to be legendary witches who lived on the island before the Spanish arrived. Throw in a group of crime fighting kids, a serial killer, and a robot cop, and some yakuza and you have about half the plot.
And yet it's still more normal than Oddman 11.
May 11, 2021
Za posledni dobu jedna z nejlepsich Mang co jsem cetl. Hlavni hrdina se snazi dostat z Japonska a tak se rozhodne ubytovat v hotelu na jednom malem ostrovu. Bohuzel netusi ze se dostane do spiraly plne psychopatickych vrahu, duchu, pestovatelu travy apod. Tahle Manga je strasne svezi, celou dobu to neni takova ta typicka JPN vec, vtipy a bizary tu jsou chytre casovane a ne nahodile vhozeny. Navic i kdyz je tu dost postav, tak kazda ma neco a zajima vas, nekdo je gay najemny vrah, dalsi seriovy vrah, pak roboticky detektiv co vam z dlane umi precist jací jste v sexu.
Je tu mix bizarniho, sexualniho a inteligentniho humoru. Navic ma pribeh obcas i zajimave zvraty a nikdy nevite kdo prezije. Pokud tento rok dat jednu mangu tak to je tahle. Neco uplne jineho nez Shounen sracky co u nas vychazi.
Je tu mix bizarniho, sexualniho a inteligentniho humoru. Navic ma pribeh obcas i zajimave zvraty a nikdy nevite kdo prezije. Pokud tento rok dat jednu mangu tak to je tahle. Neco uplne jineho nez Shounen sracky co u nas vychazi.
May 23, 2021
2.5 stars
This didn’t do anything for me—there was nothing wrong with it, but it didn’t hold my attention and I fought hard to keep myself from skimming. From other (more positive) reviews from friends, it sounds like there are niche references to other mediums/works that would make this story pop more for some. I recommend reading some other reviews before diving in.
This didn’t do anything for me—there was nothing wrong with it, but it didn’t hold my attention and I fought hard to keep myself from skimming. From other (more positive) reviews from friends, it sounds like there are niche references to other mediums/works that would make this story pop more for some. I recommend reading some other reviews before diving in.
October 19, 2018
Before reading this, I only knew of Oddman 11 by Seiman Douman, of which I'd only read a little over a dozen chapters, about half of which I happened to find on the "sadpanda" - somewhat fitting, due to the lewd content of that manga, being largely a more "ero" version of Scott Pilgrim, in essence. I was vaguely aware of The Voynich Hotel through a thread on /a/ discussing fictional/ideal adaptations of certain sources by certain studios; the post in question mentioned a wish for an adaptation of The Voynich Hotel as produced by Studio SHAFT. Having an interest in SHAFT's works, and finding the artstyle of this series similar enough to that of Kouji Kumeta's work (Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei), I planned on reading it. But then it kinda slipped my mind for a couple years.
I don't remember exactly how I came to purchase this volume in its official English translation, only assuming it showed up among other Seven Seas titles while I was idly browsing Right Stuf Anime for shit on which I might waste money. Indeed, I did purchase the volume from that website, though my purchase history seems to suggest less that the volume was on sale at the time and more that I wanted to reach the $50 minimum for free shipping, and so threw the volume in my order otherwise composed of "classic" anime films (AKIRA and Ghost in the Shell, but I think also The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, which is maybe too new to be called "classic").
I also don't remember whether I realized this series was done by Oddman 11's creator _before_ I bought this volume, but I do kinda feel a major reason for the purchase was the presumably-great chance of its being satisfyingly lewd (I think I saw an "Ecchi" genre tag for the manga on MAL before ever adding this to my Right Stuf cart). My limited enjoyment of Oddman 11 ("limited" insofar as I haven't read a chapter in years, and took ages between searching for successive chapters) was abetted probably more by the "ero" stuff than simply the comedy, not for the eroticism-in-itself so much as for how "different" it seemed as a "harem" manga than others of its ilk (featuring, among other things, a dog-girl, a girl known for her thick aura of body odor, I think a water-sports fetishist, and certainly a nympho of such caliber as to be almost always "wet").
In a way, this volume didn't meet my expectations for lewdness, yet at the same time I was greatly impressed. One of the first things I noticed about the volume was its simple "Teen" rating, surely a sign of scaled-back content. Despite the large bust of the one maid, and the oft-commented-on flat chest of the other, nothing really seemed to stand out as evocative of Oddman 11's style. Then I got to the trio of female drug dealers, and the one double-agent girl _really_ caught me by surprise. I believe the stand-out quote was something like "Masturbating while high is the best!," but I also cannot forget her friend's warning to make sure she mops up after herself, as if gallons of fluids are being "squirted" out or something. Probably more vulgar in one brief chapter than everything I've read of Oddman 11.
Anyway, aside from all that, this is a pretty charming little manga. The main thing that sticks out is the brevity of its chapters, being all under a dozen pages. The curious thing is that the author seems to cram maybe too much information into each micro-chapter, often having about eight pages progress one story, only for the last couple of pages to involve a removed tale concerning a separate set of characters. To read this manga one chapter at a time would probably thus be annoying, and it's worked for me to have read a handful of chapters in a sitting, while taking a dump (which reminds me of the taller maid's ringtone). To read the volume in decent-sized bursts (maybe three or four micro-chapters per sitting) is probably ideal, so the side-plots in the already-short chapters would have a chance to add up and develop and come into their own, instead of feeling out of place, as would happen if one were to read a single chapter, stop, come back hours/days later, read another chapter, and repeat like that. Additionally, I feel the format of this volume would make for a somewhat bothersome read if aiming to finish the whole book in one sitting. It is probably best to treat this more how you'd read a 4-koma manga like Lucky Star than something like relies more heavily on stronger serialization (JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken, for example).
Probably this series's greatest strength is the general aesthetic of its art. Seiman Douman's work is in its own league, "sui generis," as it were. Sure, his art is obviously Japanese, but it isn't _so_ plain as, e.g., what one may see in Weekly Shounen Jump or anything like that. Hell, despite superficial surface-level similarities, Douman's art is distinct even from Kumeta's, who I mentioned earlier. The "flat" stylings of Kumeta's characters call to mind figures from ukiyo-e woodcuts, extremely "Japanese" in nature. If I may reuse a previous comparison to Scott Pilgrim, Seiman Douman's art looks possibly more like a Western attempt to exhibit Eastern influence (as by the Canadian Bryan Lee O'Malley). I'd go further to say there is more in common with Jhonen Vasquez than anything else. And, indeed, The Voynich Hotel revels in its cartoony, pseudo-mallgoth appearance, with highlights being the black voids the hitman sisters have in place of eyes, as well as the general appearances of the three witches and their animal-skull helmets/masks.
Snark best grill.
I don't remember exactly how I came to purchase this volume in its official English translation, only assuming it showed up among other Seven Seas titles while I was idly browsing Right Stuf Anime for shit on which I might waste money. Indeed, I did purchase the volume from that website, though my purchase history seems to suggest less that the volume was on sale at the time and more that I wanted to reach the $50 minimum for free shipping, and so threw the volume in my order otherwise composed of "classic" anime films (AKIRA and Ghost in the Shell, but I think also The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, which is maybe too new to be called "classic").
I also don't remember whether I realized this series was done by Oddman 11's creator _before_ I bought this volume, but I do kinda feel a major reason for the purchase was the presumably-great chance of its being satisfyingly lewd (I think I saw an "Ecchi" genre tag for the manga on MAL before ever adding this to my Right Stuf cart). My limited enjoyment of Oddman 11 ("limited" insofar as I haven't read a chapter in years, and took ages between searching for successive chapters) was abetted probably more by the "ero" stuff than simply the comedy, not for the eroticism-in-itself so much as for how "different" it seemed as a "harem" manga than others of its ilk (featuring, among other things, a dog-girl, a girl known for her thick aura of body odor, I think a water-sports fetishist, and certainly a nympho of such caliber as to be almost always "wet").
In a way, this volume didn't meet my expectations for lewdness, yet at the same time I was greatly impressed. One of the first things I noticed about the volume was its simple "Teen" rating, surely a sign of scaled-back content. Despite the large bust of the one maid, and the oft-commented-on flat chest of the other, nothing really seemed to stand out as evocative of Oddman 11's style. Then I got to the trio of female drug dealers, and the one double-agent girl _really_ caught me by surprise. I believe the stand-out quote was something like "Masturbating while high is the best!," but I also cannot forget her friend's warning to make sure she mops up after herself, as if gallons of fluids are being "squirted" out or something. Probably more vulgar in one brief chapter than everything I've read of Oddman 11.
Anyway, aside from all that, this is a pretty charming little manga. The main thing that sticks out is the brevity of its chapters, being all under a dozen pages. The curious thing is that the author seems to cram maybe too much information into each micro-chapter, often having about eight pages progress one story, only for the last couple of pages to involve a removed tale concerning a separate set of characters. To read this manga one chapter at a time would probably thus be annoying, and it's worked for me to have read a handful of chapters in a sitting, while taking a dump (which reminds me of the taller maid's ringtone). To read the volume in decent-sized bursts (maybe three or four micro-chapters per sitting) is probably ideal, so the side-plots in the already-short chapters would have a chance to add up and develop and come into their own, instead of feeling out of place, as would happen if one were to read a single chapter, stop, come back hours/days later, read another chapter, and repeat like that. Additionally, I feel the format of this volume would make for a somewhat bothersome read if aiming to finish the whole book in one sitting. It is probably best to treat this more how you'd read a 4-koma manga like Lucky Star than something like relies more heavily on stronger serialization (JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken, for example).
Probably this series's greatest strength is the general aesthetic of its art. Seiman Douman's work is in its own league, "sui generis," as it were. Sure, his art is obviously Japanese, but it isn't _so_ plain as, e.g., what one may see in Weekly Shounen Jump or anything like that. Hell, despite superficial surface-level similarities, Douman's art is distinct even from Kumeta's, who I mentioned earlier. The "flat" stylings of Kumeta's characters call to mind figures from ukiyo-e woodcuts, extremely "Japanese" in nature. If I may reuse a previous comparison to Scott Pilgrim, Seiman Douman's art looks possibly more like a Western attempt to exhibit Eastern influence (as by the Canadian Bryan Lee O'Malley). I'd go further to say there is more in common with Jhonen Vasquez than anything else. And, indeed, The Voynich Hotel revels in its cartoony, pseudo-mallgoth appearance, with highlights being the black voids the hitman sisters have in place of eyes, as well as the general appearances of the three witches and their animal-skull helmets/masks.
Snark best grill.
January 15, 2016
Крайне специфическая штука, пестрящая пошлыми шуточками и расчлененкой. В чем смысл, я поняла ближе в середине. Хочется отметить, что здесь ну ооочень много отсылок к другим произведениям, начиная от Гинтамы и заканчивая Сейлор-Мун. Если быть точнее, здесь над этим стебутся как могут.
Рисовка на удивление хорошая. У мангаки потрясающий стиль, и его персонажи "без глаз" получались обалденными.
Мне в целом понравилось, но перечитывать однозначно не буду. И советовать тоже никому не стану. Слишком уж здесь все специфично. Далеко не каждый оценит и пойм��т в чем вся соль.
Кстати да, если все-таки решитесь почитать, то лучше это делать на английском. Они перевели игру слов автора намного лучше чем русские переводчики.
Итоговая оценка: 10 из 10 (за крайнюю необычность)
Рисовка на удивление хорошая. У мангаки потрясающий стиль, и его персонажи "без глаз" получались обалденными.
Мне в целом понравилось, но перечитывать однозначно не буду. И советовать тоже никому не стану. Слишком уж здесь все специфично. Далеко не каждый оценит и пойм��т в чем вся соль.
Кстати да, если все-таки решитесь почитать, то лучше это делать на английском. Они перевели игру слов автора намного лучше чем русские переводчики.
Итоговая оценка: 10 из 10 (за крайнюю необычность)
August 3, 2018
I...I'm not sure what I just read. "Hotel California" the manga?
February 4, 2020
The Voynich Hotel is kind of what you'd get if Fawlty Towers was set in Twin Peaks (or Greenvale, for you Deadly Premonition fans), and Twin Peaks was located in a banana republic in the South Pacific. It's told in a sequence of vignettes about assassins, drug deals, ghosts, Yakuza, witches, serial killers, a robot, etc., etc. At first, these all seem somewhat episodic and disconnected, but they gradually start coming together as the story goes on. It's weird, unpredictable, and strangely endearing. I kind of love it so far, and while I'm a bit sad there are only two more volumes, I look forward to whatever surreal twists and turns they have in store.
March 14, 2023
I kept waiting for this to get better, it didn’t. Not sure what the heck the plot was. It was sort of all over the place, which is sad because the concept sounded interesting kind of a bit Hotel California by the Eagles, if you know what I mean. Also, too many poop and vomiting references. Barely managed to get through this.
October 10, 2021
I don't like it as much as I used to, but I am glad it's officially released in the states and I get to legally pay and read it.
June 21, 2019
Very entertaining! Loved it!
September 18, 2019
This book is all about weird characters with cool backstories interacting witch each other, which is one of my favorite things. loved it, can't wait to read the next one!
January 15, 2020
Dumb. Dnf
January 14, 2024
The Voynich Hotel is probably my favourite manga. I love the simple and open art, I love the quaint story being told, and I love the characters. Each one, from the main characters to side characters, is vibrant and full of life.
In an unnamed island somewhere in the Pacific, a Japanese ex-Yakuza named Taizou Kuzuki flees with a briefcase full of cash and checks in to the titular hotel. Once there, he tries to lay low and mingle with the rest of the people. But, being a cursed hotel, life is not at all what it seems. Various myths and legends turn out to be true, but not in the ways that you necessarily expect. Also, there seems to be a serial killer that the local scooby gang must find before it's too late.
The story embraces a weird sense of flow, bouncing between different plot beats. It is one of those stories that you pick up, and just can't put down until the very end. Every once in a while, I take an afternoon to reread the whole thing, and I always find some new little thing I missed last time.
In an unnamed island somewhere in the Pacific, a Japanese ex-Yakuza named Taizou Kuzuki flees with a briefcase full of cash and checks in to the titular hotel. Once there, he tries to lay low and mingle with the rest of the people. But, being a cursed hotel, life is not at all what it seems. Various myths and legends turn out to be true, but not in the ways that you necessarily expect. Also, there seems to be a serial killer that the local scooby gang must find before it's too late.
The story embraces a weird sense of flow, bouncing between different plot beats. It is one of those stories that you pick up, and just can't put down until the very end. Every once in a while, I take an afternoon to reread the whole thing, and I always find some new little thing I missed last time.
June 27, 2024
Was auch immer der Autor genommen hat, es hat echt geholfen xD ich hab keinen Plan wie man das hier zusammenfassen soll, ausser das es total abgedreht ist.
Ein yakuza macht Urlaub im voynich-hotel und trifft allerhand abgedrehte Leute.
Darunter:
- den Hotelbesitzer, der wrestler war und immer noch die Maske trägt
- eine Maid mit Glasauge
- einen schwulen auftragskiller
- drei Mädels, die Drogen verticken und von denen eine immer horny ist
- zwei Geisterverbrecher
- zwei blinde Auftragskillerschwestern
- einen Androidenpolizisten mit Sextoyschwanz
- eine köchin, die sich das Leben nehmen will, aber nicht alleine
- eine Truppe Kids, die Detektive spielen und die Geister des Hotels suchen
Und ich glaub ich hab nich einiges vergessen. Und es ist ein wenig hetero romance in der Luft :D es ist aufjedenfall lustig.
Ein yakuza macht Urlaub im voynich-hotel und trifft allerhand abgedrehte Leute.
Darunter:
- den Hotelbesitzer, der wrestler war und immer noch die Maske trägt
- eine Maid mit Glasauge
- einen schwulen auftragskiller
- drei Mädels, die Drogen verticken und von denen eine immer horny ist
- zwei Geisterverbrecher
- zwei blinde Auftragskillerschwestern
- einen Androidenpolizisten mit Sextoyschwanz
- eine köchin, die sich das Leben nehmen will, aber nicht alleine
- eine Truppe Kids, die Detektive spielen und die Geister des Hotels suchen
Und ich glaub ich hab nich einiges vergessen. Und es ist ein wenig hetero romance in der Luft :D es ist aufjedenfall lustig.
October 25, 2019
A dark comedy of the highest quality. Firmly recommend.
I love this book. Each character is quirky and strange, with everything having this dark comedic twist. Nothing superfluous in the story either. Fantastic.
I love this book. Each character is quirky and strange, with everything having this dark comedic twist. Nothing superfluous in the story either. Fantastic.
April 10, 2013
This is a morbid little series which I love to pieces. It's very random, and quite graphic, but a lot of fun.
May 21, 2020
3.5 Stars
Pretty good story. A little confusing at times. Just not fond of the depiction of women (how they’re drawn + some of the dialogue).
Pretty good story. A little confusing at times. Just not fond of the depiction of women (how they’re drawn + some of the dialogue).
January 4, 2022
This manga is so weird.
I love it.
I love it.
July 11, 2023
The story is hard to follow but it's intriguing. I also like the art. Unfortunately, I don't have the two remaining volumes.
December 27, 2023
I was introduced to this unique manga by my secret Santa from Animeplanet, which I would never have discovered otherwise! I enjoy that we get to witness what this mysterious hotel is like, with several groups of people checking in to discover what it has to offer and exploring the abandoned places surrounding it. The main characters, Kazuki and Helena, were featured in the amusement park a few times, and as someone who enjoys looking at abandoned places online, this is right up my alley!
Regarding the characters, I also like the fact that all of them weren’t forced to be in the story without context or no personality. While I did think each character only got short screen times, I wasn’t complaining at all that they were in the story in the first place unlike some manga out there that loves to add too many additional characters at the one time. Out of all the characters, I definitely think Berna gets the prize of being such an interesting character because she’s just strange, straightforward and literally kind to the main leads. I mean the main leads weren’t that bad like everyone had their own funny character trait. Although I will admit, Emelia is the most grossest character ever on how she spits on peoples food like ngl, it’s pretty vile lol.
I wasn’t too happy with the ending though, I thought it was rather abrupt like I get that Kazuki and Helena seem to lived happily ever after with just one eye left from either of them but I felt the story towards the ending should’ve been longer then 68 chapters. It just was rushed and needed more time to conclude the story properly in my personal opinion.
Still if you like your wacky, mysterious and unique characters, this is definitely the one to pick up anytime chaps!
Regarding the characters, I also like the fact that all of them weren’t forced to be in the story without context or no personality. While I did think each character only got short screen times, I wasn’t complaining at all that they were in the story in the first place unlike some manga out there that loves to add too many additional characters at the one time. Out of all the characters, I definitely think Berna gets the prize of being such an interesting character because she’s just strange, straightforward and literally kind to the main leads. I mean the main leads weren’t that bad like everyone had their own funny character trait. Although I will admit, Emelia is the most grossest character ever on how she spits on peoples food like ngl, it’s pretty vile lol.
I wasn’t too happy with the ending though, I thought it was rather abrupt like I get that Kazuki and Helena seem to lived happily ever after with just one eye left from either of them but I felt the story towards the ending should’ve been longer then 68 chapters. It just was rushed and needed more time to conclude the story properly in my personal opinion.
Still if you like your wacky, mysterious and unique characters, this is definitely the one to pick up anytime chaps!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2018
This is a solid example of something with lots of style but little substance.
This kind of reminds me of some Cartoon Network shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show, as there seems to be a lot of wacky stuff that's included just to be wacky. Honestly, this isn't even a bad thing. The book's mix of hotel service, yazuka, No More Heroes-style killers, wrestlers, aztec myths, etc. is really interesting and gives the book a unique identity. This, paired up with Douman's art, works really well. I really enjoyed the first 70 or so pages of this book because of the unique vibe.
Unfortunately, the story's pretty scattered. Simply put, there are a ton of characters who are all doing weird things that really aren't super connected to each other, aside from a couple scenes where characters bump into each other once or twice. I've seen this kind of thing work many times before, but I think the reason why I didn't care for it here was because none of the stories really pulled me in. I didn't particularly give a crap about any of the characters because they were all kinda two dimensional.
Really, there are a lot of cool ideas, but like I said in the beginning there's a massive focus on style with little focus on substance.
This kind of reminds me of some Cartoon Network shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show, as there seems to be a lot of wacky stuff that's included just to be wacky. Honestly, this isn't even a bad thing. The book's mix of hotel service, yazuka, No More Heroes-style killers, wrestlers, aztec myths, etc. is really interesting and gives the book a unique identity. This, paired up with Douman's art, works really well. I really enjoyed the first 70 or so pages of this book because of the unique vibe.
Unfortunately, the story's pretty scattered. Simply put, there are a ton of characters who are all doing weird things that really aren't super connected to each other, aside from a couple scenes where characters bump into each other once or twice. I've seen this kind of thing work many times before, but I think the reason why I didn't care for it here was because none of the stories really pulled me in. I didn't particularly give a crap about any of the characters because they were all kinda two dimensional.
Really, there are a lot of cool ideas, but like I said in the beginning there's a massive focus on style with little focus on substance.
March 22, 2020
Shhh. don't tell anyone, but I read the beginning of this years ago through a less-than-legal source.
I don't think I even got as far in it that time as I did this time (because the book has a set length so I felt obligated), which is weird because I probably liked it better back then. There are some jokes and references that just feel kind of dated in 2020. And while the scattered randomness of the plot is not itself out of place nowadays, the way it's gone about kind of is.
If you're looking for a linear, easy to follow story, this is not it. The characters are all over the place, the plot jumps around, and as a result while there were moments I quite liked, the overall experience of reading this was less "enjoyment" and more "wading through." There are bits that are funny, bits that are intense, but it never lands on any one thing long enough for me to latch onto it. If you're thinking about reading it, it may work much better for you. I hope it does. It's at least different, and I like th art, and that counts for something. :)
I don't think I even got as far in it that time as I did this time (because the book has a set length so I felt obligated), which is weird because I probably liked it better back then. There are some jokes and references that just feel kind of dated in 2020. And while the scattered randomness of the plot is not itself out of place nowadays, the way it's gone about kind of is.
If you're looking for a linear, easy to follow story, this is not it. The characters are all over the place, the plot jumps around, and as a result while there were moments I quite liked, the overall experience of reading this was less "enjoyment" and more "wading through." There are bits that are funny, bits that are intense, but it never lands on any one thing long enough for me to latch onto it. If you're thinking about reading it, it may work much better for you. I hope it does. It's at least different, and I like th art, and that counts for something. :)
January 13, 2021
Read this one because my granddaughter left it, stating, "it's disgusting". Had a challenge to read a graphic novel so decided to read it to see what qualifies as disgusting. She is a lover of manga but has given grandma wise advise to screen them first because not all are good. This one met the qualifier of disgusting. I hated the art, the sexual content was disgusting and with "graphic" it was even more so. I can't really tell you what the story was about. It seemed to have several story lines going. This is what I gleaned. You check in to this hotel and things are not what they should be. There is some drugs, there is some murder, there is some witches. I can't even tell you how it really ends. I don't want this book in my home, nor do I want to give it away. I think it shall go into the recycling. A waste of paper. Rated it 1/2 star, because I finished it but it is questionable whether it deserves a 1/2 star. It qualifies for a horror read.
February 22, 2023
I Have Nothing Good To Say About This
I almost never give one star reviews, but this manga is wretched. The plot is somehow both too much and not enough, the characters are mostly bland or unlikable, and despite the more kiddie manga style it's surprisingly graphic. Like, holes shot in heads and oozing chest wounds, a lady sticking her hand in her panties and robot genitals. And a maybe twelve year old who demands to be called sexy and wants to be used as a s toy. Ewwwwww. It only got worse as I read. The concept of a hotel for underworld types of both meanings is fun, but this is a hot, disgusting mess.
I almost never give one star reviews, but this manga is wretched. The plot is somehow both too much and not enough, the characters are mostly bland or unlikable, and despite the more kiddie manga style it's surprisingly graphic. Like, holes shot in heads and oozing chest wounds, a lady sticking her hand in her panties and robot genitals. And a maybe twelve year old who demands to be called sexy and wants to be used as a s toy. Ewwwwww. It only got worse as I read. The concept of a hotel for underworld types of both meanings is fun, but this is a hot, disgusting mess.
August 12, 2020
*I read the English version, but they didn't have this one on here.
This is a strange one. I was pretty bored at first, not going to lie. And a little confused at the beginning on what was going one. But then it got pretty good.
It is about a guy, Taizou, that is running away from Japan and came to this small island of Blefuscu to stay in the Voynich Hotel to relax and rest. And he doesn't realize that this hotel attracts contract killers, drug dealers, ghost and an Immortal coven of witches. It doesn't seem like he is going to get a lot of rest here.
This is a strange one. I was pretty bored at first, not going to lie. And a little confused at the beginning on what was going one. But then it got pretty good.
It is about a guy, Taizou, that is running away from Japan and came to this small island of Blefuscu to stay in the Voynich Hotel to relax and rest. And he doesn't realize that this hotel attracts contract killers, drug dealers, ghost and an Immortal coven of witches. It doesn't seem like he is going to get a lot of rest here.
April 21, 2024
taking a short respite to read some manga~
picked this on a whim, it is an odd tempo and has a lot of parts but a fun quick read! the art style is reminiscent of early 2000s and the story has sex, drugs, and rock&roll.
it seems like a series where it's true rating will be determined by how it wraps up... as for right now, its just fun without much overbearing substance (not a dig, just a feeling)
picked this on a whim, it is an odd tempo and has a lot of parts but a fun quick read! the art style is reminiscent of early 2000s and the story has sex, drugs, and rock&roll.
it seems like a series where it's true rating will be determined by how it wraps up... as for right now, its just fun without much overbearing substance (not a dig, just a feeling)
September 1, 2018
The scenes are short and don't always make immediate sense, on account of how much things spread out but still tie into each other, so have some patience with this read. The art-style and humor gives me FLCL vibes to boot, so while I didn't exactly give this a spectacular rating, I can see where it would appeal with other audiences.
July 22, 2025
I don't understand the possible appeal of this manga, the drawings are not great, the stories are scattered everywhere and it all seems to have neither head nor tail. In short, a disappointment.
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je comprends pas l'attrait possible de ce manga, les dessins sont pas foufou les histoires s'éparpille de partout et tout ça à l'air d'avoir ni queue ni tête. bref une déception.
🇫🇷
je comprends pas l'attrait possible de ce manga, les dessins sont pas foufou les histoires s'éparpille de partout et tout ça à l'air d'avoir ni queue ni tête. bref une déception.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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