Ayashimon, Vol. 1: I'll Play with You, Punk

アヤシモン [Ayashimon] #1

by Yūji Kaku

Maruo always wanted to be like the characters in his favorite manga. Unfortunately, his training efforts have paid off a little too well. Now he breaks everything he touches, can’t find a job, and wins every fight too easily. However, when he encounters a girl being pursued by a group of thugs who turn out to actually be monstrous ayashimon in disguise, it seems like his real-life manga story is about to begin!

Genres: Manga, Action, Fantasy, Supernatural, Crime, Graphic Novels, Young Adult

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 4, 2022

About the author

Yūji Kaku ( 賀来ゆうじ, Kaku Yūji) is a Japanese mangaka.

Reviews

[hyacinthuss · Rating 4 out of 5]

cant wait to see how this continues. if u like jjk give it a try

[Dario Boen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why did they have to go and cancel this😫
Banger

[Igel :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein echt guter erster Band! Auch wenn die Kampfszenen echt vorhersehbar waren...

[Han · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Based on what has happened so far, we are in for a wild ride. I knew Hell’s paradise was crazy and gory, but this is a whole different level in such a creative way too. Interested in seeing where this goes (definitely gives me a mix of chainsaw man and jujutsu kaisen feels)!

-Maruo is hilariously not present mentally unless it involves fighting. He truly is just here for a good time, and that involves fighting ayashimon to the death because fighting humans is too dull. His desire to also catch up on manga and be the characters is a mood and relatable.
-Urara concerns me as of now because besides avenging her father, she is holding all the cards while using Maruo and not saying anything. My verdict on her is to be decided.
-I have a feeling I will like Ten (but don’t want to get attached because I have a feeling this is character that might not make it. Who knows? Placing my bet, however in hopes I am wrong)!
-Chairman Doppo Akari terrifies me (like to my core), but I like that because I don’t usually fear the villain/antagonist immediately after being introduced. Yuji Kaku is very good at upping the fear factor. The battle between Maruo and Doppo is next, but I hope he doesn’t die or go away yet cause he brings a peculiar creepy vibe.
-Hashihime is interesting and mysterious but no opinion yet.
-Mizuha has the coolest look to me so far. The bored absent vibe is always my favorite, and they seem like a baddie and kind of crazy so I’m sold.
-I have no idea what to think of the Onmyo Bureau and their random appearances handling business like the men in black lol.

Says, “If we keep our heads down and stay quiet, this’ll blow over eventually” AND THEN IMMEDIATELY RUNS INTO THE BAD GUYS ☠️🤣

I’m highly entertained! I have a good feeling about this one. Just wish more of it was out already.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of a yokai yakuza is really fun, and Yuji Kaku can draw some very lovely little creatures. Unfortunately, the main character's whole thing being that he wishes he was a manga character is so 2000's webcomic-y/deadpool-y, and it kind of dampens the read for me. That said, I do appreciate that this series is lighter and stupider than Kaku's previous series, Hell's Paradise (Jigokuraku). And I mean, it's fun, for sure, but everything that happens here feels very cribbed from Chainsaw Man/Jujutsu Kaisen, without adding enough originality to make it's own voice heard. Still, worth a read to kill time. I do like this guy's art a lot.

[Nouran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend giving this a try, this is the same author of Hell’s Paradise and we all know how well was that right ? Give it a go everyone and support the author.

[Reading_seas0n · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, VIZ MEDIA & NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review this title!

I haven't read such an intense, well-developed and alluring manga first volume since Kaiju no.8!
It seems this will give it a fight for my favourite manga of the year.

There is a supernatural underworld mixed with ours, and after their grand leader dies, factions break off, and the struggle for power begins. The old leader's daughter strives to rake back control and enlists a boy with incredible strength and the goal of being like a manga protagonist.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun ride! I really enjoyed reading this first volume and I can't wait for the next one! In this volume, we follow Maruo who has been training since he was a kid and is now super strong because of all that training. Normal fights just don't do anything for him anymore so he goes in search of stronger opponents. He runs into a girl getting chased by some thugs and ends up as her bodyguard. And then chaos ensues! This was such a great first volume of a manga. I loved the whole thing.

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been following this since the first chapter and...yeah. I'm digging this so far. It's scratching the itch I'd felt since the end of "Chainsaw Man," an itch I didn't know I had until I stumbled into "Chainsaw Man." This feels a bit more "by-the-numbers" than that genre-breaking series, but it's still fun and gritty and raw.

[Casey Halvorsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks NetGalley and Viz Media for the digital arc!

This was a fast paced and fun read! Very interesting setup, and of course leaves at a cliffhanger! I really like the supernatural aspects of it, and how they are all part of different gangs. I'm excited for the next volume already!

[cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a fun and unique story!! the art style reminds me of jjk with sprinkles of junji ito

[lauren♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so surprisingly interesting and funny, im glad i gave this a chance!

[Thora Schramm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Asså bro den är bara cringefest😭 den är fett rolig ibland men jag tror inte det är meningen…

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to read an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a review!

An interesting beginning to a new series. A boy who wants to fight like his idols in manga and a girl who wants revenge. The book sets up the world nicely & what the stakes are. Dynamic is Brains & Brawn mixed with world building being explained to the brawn while the brains plots & informs us of her plans while at the same time tells us that the brawn is just a pawn to her.
Looking forward to the next volume.

[Nazish Ahmed (Nazish Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this because I heard that the main character wants to be like a manga protagonist and now he finally gets to. Unfortunately, I was expecting something different than what I got. The premise was great but as others have also said, the execution wasn't so great. Some it was creative but there were some things that were common in older manga that I don't like or am annoyed of because they were everywhere back in the mid2000s. One of those things is the main character being all brawn and no brain. I am so tired of those characters and I've been loving that characters from newer series have either average intelligence or are geniuses. Sure we still have Asta and Shoyo (although at this point the series is probably not new anymore) but Asta can be resourceful at times. But the main character in this series is not. That's actually one of the reasons why I love Bleach so much from when I first watched it back in 2007, Ichigo may seem dumb at times but he's actually pretty smart.
Anyways, the main character's got nothing going for him except brute strength, he doesn't even try to be a little smarter or pay attention to what's going on because that's not his job. All he enjoys are fights and reading manga, which is fine but he has nothing going for him. I like that he's crazy when it comes to fights. I also like that he didn'tcare that he was fighting a female ayashimon like the characters in Yuyu Hakusho who are very sexist thinking that women can't be physically strong, ugh. I like that he just fought the female ayashimon like he usually fights. I don't really care about him and I don't like Urara. One thing that doesn't make sense is that Urara is supposely really strong, yet she plans to use this random guy she met to fight a head of a syndicate to get revenge for her father's death, why not do it yoursel?

My favourite thing about this book is the art, it's beautiful and the monsters and lore is pretty unique. I don't know why whenever I read the Maruo's lines, I heard Todd Haberkorn's voice saying them.

I was thinking about reading vol. 2 to see if I like this series or not and if I want to continue it but then I found out that it was canceled, which confuses me because why publish physical volumes if it will remain incomplete? I know they used to do that a lot but I thought they stopped doing that. Since it's not going to continue and I thought volume was just ok, I've decided to not read vol. 2 and not buy vol. 1. I'm still going to try the mangaka's other series Hell's Paradise since I've heard some good things about that one. I hope the main character in that one has at least a little bit of smarts even if it's just average intelligence, it's still better than dealing with a dumb main character for the millionth time.


Blog: nazreads.ca
Twitter: Naz_readsanime
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[spirited.pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really really good! Cant wait to see where this goes.


- 5 ratings, 0 reviews

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Completed reading Vol. 1 on Jan. 3, 2022 under the presumption that Vol. 1 will only have 7 chapters

SPOILERS WARNING for the 1st Volume

Overall Impression

This series started out hilariously! Famous manga characters made an appearance in the 1st chapter that'll certainly get the readers hooked! There are several references to classic anime such as Dragon Ball and Jojo's Bizarre Adventures. But, there are also references to new anime such as Demon Slayer (a.k.a. Kimetsu no Yaiba).

'Tis a strong volume, but not enough to let me rate it 4 out 5 stars; hence, I'm only giving it 3 out of 5 stars for now. I like this series, but it's only building up to more of the characters' adventures in the Ayashimon Underworld which strongly feels like a "Demonic Yakuza World" on its own.

Would also like to read Hell's Paradise in the future, another famous series of Yuji Kaku!

Character Reviews

Maruo is this hot-blooded and brawny teenager who loves to look for a good fight that will get his blood pumping! He may be clueless but he knows how to look after his friends and his elder sister (Urara)!

I like Urara from the moment I saw her in Chapter 1! She looks like a rich, elegant, classy, and bratty woman; but, she has her pride and dignity!

These two characters make a strong duo, and I look forward for more of their adventures in Ayashimon!

[The Book Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maruo wants to be a manga protagonist so he trains like one until he's strong enough to be one. But now he's too strong, like Saitama from One-Punch Man . One day he encounters a young girl being chased by thugs and picks a fight, only to find out that all of them are Ayashimon (basically yokai). He kicks their butts, decides this is the kind of life he wants, and immediately joins Urara's Ayashimon yakuza family.

The art style and the general vibe of Maruo reminds me of Chainsaw Man and his origin story is very reminiscent of Yu Yu Hakusho . But the pacing of the story is way too fast, even in the first few chapters. The mystery of Maruo's strength and his backstory, Urara's goals as a yakuza boss and her past, all of it gets answered (maybe) in the first volume. No build up, just 0 to 60 action the whole time.

First impression: Meh. If volume 1 is indicative of the next ones, I can understand why this series only made it to three.

This series has 3 volumes.

[Elijah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: This is my rating and review for the entire series.

Ayashimon is the newest serialization from the mangaka who created Hell’s Paradise, a manga in which I really enjoyed.

Yet, this new project falls far short of that. It stars a protagonist who desires to be like his favorite manga protagonists. He is thrust into a supernatural world of yokai (monsters) called Ayashimon that are in the midst of a gang war. It seems like it could go over well, but the plot falls shallow and too many characters are introduced making it tough to remember everything week-to-week. It simply breaks the flow of the story rhat was set up.

Hopefully the mangaka will learn from this and find luck in another future serialization.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Review of first 7 chapters*
Super interesting start! I love the artwork and JJK vibes. our main character just wants to be…a main character. The kid loves manga, and somehow keeps accidentally almost murdering people when he fights them…looking for someone who can actually fight him back he stumbles upon a yakuza girl who hires him, leading to a story of underground organizations fighting for dominance at night in the city, and fights finally worth having for our MC.
My favorite thing about the manga is definitely the art, yakuza girl has an amazing design and every panel is gorgeous, fight choreography, composition ect.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as paper-thin excuses for tons of fight scenes go, it's fine. The main character is obsessed with being like a manga character, and basically cares about nothing other than punching people really, really hard. If this book was just about him, I would've been bored a few pages in. Fortunately, he teams up with a wannabe yokai yakuza boss who is way more interesting than him, in that she seems to have actual thoughts and plans. I think not for me, but at least Urara is a character worth watching.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Woe unto them.”

Maruo has always wanted to be a manga protagonist. He wanted to be a hero, someone who had the strength to fight back, to stand up to bullies.

He spent most of his childhood training, mastering his craft and fortifying himself.

But, when it came time to finally showdown, he was disappointed.

All of his bullies weren’t as tough as they looked.

Now, older, Maruo struggles to find his place in the world. He breaks everything he touches and falls into confrontation too easily—and wins his fights too easily. There’s no satisfaction.

That all changes when he encounters an odd girl.

Urara runs into Maruo—literally—while trying to escape from a rowdy group of thugs. Seeing an opportunity to fight, Maruo gladly steps up to defend Urara—only, those thugs weren’t just scoundrels.

No, they’re real monsters—beings known as ayashimon.

Urara is not just a girl either—she’s an ayashimon too, one with big dreams. She wants to take over Japan’s underground underworld, fill up the power vacuum that appeared with the death of former Enma syndicate boss Kioh’s death. Being the boss’s bastard daughter, she believes it is only her right to assume his place—and seek revenge for what she believes to be his murder.

The only thing is that’s she’s going to need some serious muscle if she wants to challenge a network of demon yakuza for their throne.

Lucky for Urara, Maruo sees taking on an endless series of brawls against tougher and tougher opponents as just the job for him.

Maruo may just have finally found his place in the world—at Urara’s side.

So, I actually REALLY LIKE this one!

The edgy style and apathetic, almost blasé vicious tone of this series just really appeals to be as s reader but, also, just on a personal level. Further, I really appreciate stories that have opposite characters who really play off each other. Maruo and Urara have such a fun, confrontational yet amiable dynamic that truly propels this story forward.

I’m kind of sad that I know the series gets cancelled cause I enjoy this one almost more that Hell’s Paradise.

Anyway, I do hope I can read up until this series ends.

Definitely recommend for fans of the Dark Triad but also for readers who enjoy a supernatural story with a hard edge to it. This series is so sick~

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yuji Kaku also wrote Hell's Paradise, though you might not know it from the tonal shift. Ayashimon is a very different beast, far less serious than Kaku's other big series, but still pretty damn good.

Ayashimon is kind of like a slightly toned-down One Punch Man, but instead of a superhero theme, it's set in a literal criminal underworld--that is, one where the Yakuza are actual monsters (well, yokai, to be more specific). Maruo, our protagonist, started working out and got super strong, because he wants to be like a manga character, and honestly his motivations are the weakest part of this series. There's a little more to it, but by and large it's mainly "I want to be the strongest to be cool like [insert shonen manga hero's name here]!" He happens to cross paths with Urara, the wayward heiress of a powerful Yakuza clan whose leader recently died, saves her life, and becomes entangled in her quest to reestablish her rightful claim to power. Mainly, because it might actually offer him a worthwhile fight or two.

Maruo's utter simplicity aside, Ayashimon makes for a really entertaining read. There's a wide variety of yokai on display, the fights are kinetic and pretty brutal at times, and the criminal politics at play are actually pretty interesting. If you've seen Kaku's other work, it goes without saying that the art is excellent. Plus, Doppo is shaping up to be a really fun, disturbing villain, capturing the air of an unhinged but calculating crime boss quite nicely. If you can deal with Maruo's 1st-level D&D adventurer's "sure, person I just met, I'll go and fight things!" mentality, there's a good time to be had here.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, but I can see others giving it more. Oddball comedy meets violent fights in the mafia underworld of monsters/ayakashi.
A young guy whose lifelong goal has been to be a manga protagonist (I've got good news for ya, buddy... ;P) has a hard time in the real world that needs more practical ambitions. Then he meets a strange girl who, it turns out, is not human: she's a monster looking to take over her dead (monster) father's (monster) crime syndicate and, impressed by his freakish strength, she invites him to be her bodyguard and hired muscle. When he finds out that'll mean fighting super-powerful monsters, he's glad to accept.
The story isn't bad - I could see plenty of readers rating this 4 stars - I just wasn't in the right mood for its mix of simpleminded silly violence meets crafty mafia scheming. Kinda reminiscent of One Punch with less silly and more gritty. Some scenes from more serious characters are quite horrifying (involving torture) so don't go thinking this is a great thing to hand your middle-schooler just because one main character has a middle-school mindset - it's classified Adult for a reason. Recommended for readers who enjoy action and are looking for something that doesn't take itself too-too seriously.

Content warnings: lots of violence, fights, people getting severely beaten up, scenes of torture and body horror, focus on criminal underworld and corruption...yet somehow the swear-words get wingdinged out (example: "you piece of #*@^!") ;P No nudity or sexual content yet BUT this author has featured both in other works (like Hell's Paradise), so might show these in later volumes (be warned).

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something off about this manga. I kind of chalk that up to being the first volume and the need to set up future story lines and arcs, but I've read other manga that do a much better job than this one. I think there were too many references to other manga that took me out of the story. I felt like this was a mix of One Punch Man, Chainsaw Man, and Demon Slayer but that none of those elements gelled into a cohesive story.

Maruo, our protagonist, is an abused child who wishes to be strong and beat up his bully. He trains until he achieves a monstrous strength. We discover that his bully is his father. Once he gets his revenge, he discovers that he is left with an emptiness because he built his father into a monster but discovered that he was just a man. He seeks out more powerful opponents but cannot find anyone who is anywhere near his league. Until he meets Urara and realizes that there are more monstrous things than bullies. That sounds intriguing, but I feel like the overly comedic tone of the serious ruined it.

There is a lot too like here, and I don't feel like I wasted my time. The character designs are both cute and lovely. The art is clean and crisp. I guess I just wish it had been something else.

Thank you to VIZ MEDIA & NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Wafflepirates · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*

This is an interesting setup for a series, with vibes sort of similar to Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, especially in terms of humor and style. Maruo is only interested in one thing: becoming a manga protagonist. So, when a mysterious girl (Urara) appears out of nowhere claiming to be a yakuza boss and offering him a change to fight people to his heart's content, Maruo takes her up on the offer. This first volume follows the pair as they head to Shinjuku and establishes the seedy underworld there, which is ruled by yokai and demons called Ayashimon. I really liked Urara and Maruo as characters, they play off each other well and make a fun duo. I also liked the plot setup, and am looking forward to seeing how things progress. I did think some of the pacing wasn't great, and I have heard the ending of this series was rushed, so i'm concerned about that element. But, this series promises to be something fun and i'm interested in finding out more.

[Michelle Ogden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maruo has studied the training techniques of all the great manga protagonists. His childhood dream was to become one himself. He trained hard every day growing up. Now with strength like One Punch Man he can't get a job. He is too strong. He breaks everything. All he wants is a good fight.

When he sees a young girl being chased by thugs, he steps in to save her. Taking them out with one punch, the girl grabs him and runs. She asks him to join her gang. He refuses because his strength is for saving people not becoming a yakuza. The girl, Urara, realizes Maruo is human and rescinds her offer. Confused he asks her what she thought he was. Before she can answer, the men chasing her arrive with reinforcements. What has Maruo gotten himself into?

It turns out he doesn't care so long as he can fight strong people. Unfortunately, the ones he will be fighting aren't human. Can help Urara reclaim her family crest and avenge her father? Will he become the manga protagonist he has always dreamed of? Of course he will this is a manga!!!

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series: Ayashimon #1 (Ch. 1-7)
Rating: 4 stars - It was really good

This is the story of Maruo who always wanted to be like his favorite characters from manga. Unfortunately, his extensive training efforts have paid off too well and now he is super strong, breaks everything he touches, and wins every fight too easily. When he meets Urara, a girl being pursued by yakuza thugs, his life changes when he finds out that they are actually ayashimon, aka monsters disguised as humans.

This was a great start to a manga and I really enjoyed Marou and Urara’s adventure so far. Marou is a young man who just wants a good fight and to read his manga. He is a bit crazy but I think that works for him. Urara is an interesting woman who is determined to get revenge against the Chairman (leader of the ayashimon yakuza network basically).

I am really enjoying this so far and can’t wait to see how Marou and Urara’s story goes. Also the ayashimon all look really cool and the fights have been great so far.

TW: child abuse, death of a parent

[Shiritaku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hahaha. Sehr witzig und total abgefahren.

Maruo ist für einen Menschen unglaublich stark - denn er will wie seine Mangahelden (zb Son-Goku) sein! Dafür hat er viele Jahre trainiert und ist nun auf der Suche nach starken Gegnern.. doch die sind offenbar nicht zu finden. Zumindest nicht unter den Menschen.

Er trifft durch Zufall auf Ulala, die ein Ayashimon (Yokai) ist. Und dann beginnt endlich der Spaß! Denn die Monster, die sie verfolgen, sind stärker als Menschen! Doch lange hält der Spaß auch nicht, denn sie sind dann doch noch zu schwach..

Ja, das ganze klingt sehr abgedreht und das ist es definitiv auch. Aber es ist auch super funny und unterhaltsam. Die Yakuza-Gruppen drehen am Rad und bekämpfen sich gegenseitig, denn jeder will der neue Oberboss werden. Ulala hingegen will nur Rache für den Tod ihres Vaters (von dem niemand weiß, dass er eine Tochter hat).

Wer Lust auf einen abgedrehten Actiontitel mit Fantasyelementen hat: hier werdet ihr definitiv fündig!

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is by the creator of Hell's Paradise, which by the cover can tell right away, but he's not trying his hand at more Shonen Feel.

This is a Parody/action shonen story. Similar would be something like One Punch man. There's references to other animes like DBZ which is really funny at points. I also enjoyed the idea of this world, that you have to challenge people in one on one duels to make it count, and how zany and fun the designs are.

I'll say none of the characters grabbed me. I did like Maruo, our lead, but he wasn't amazing. Funny moments for sure. Urara is a cool looking character but she's too much of a mystery to really attach to her.

I am eager to see where we go, and good first volume.