Cover Image: The Decagon House Murders, Volume 1

The Decagon House Murders, Volume 1

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Really gripping and fast read, something you won't want to put down for fear of missing something! I really loved each character in this and the development of the storyline. If you like mystery then this is definitely something you will want to pick up.

Was this review helpful?

The story centers on seven college kids who travel to an island to investigate a murder that occurred six months earlier. They are all members of a mystery book club and each one has their research method, so the story gradually becomes darker and more mysterious.

Main Characters
The series revolves around several characters that contribute different things to the plot, but even so, the main protagonist of the story is Ellery Queen, a cold and reserved character who came to the island with high expectations and is focused on finding out what really happened. On the other hand, there is a former member of the club: Akira Kawaminami who mysteriously received a letter about the event that occurred on the island and who is now on a mission to discover what happens simultaneously to the rest of the characters.

Plot
I love the plot, I feel that it was very well executed and direct, something was always happening in each panel and I liked how the book became a manga. One of my favorite points was the investigations and deductions that the characters made, I feel that it was the most memorable of the plot itself.
Something that I loved about the plot is the pseudonyms that the characters used, that is, each one adopted the name of one of their favorite authors, and they were referred to by that name, something basic but that gives an interesting whole to the story.

Artstyle
Personally, I found the drawing style a bit old as far as the design of the characters is concerned, it is necessary to emphasize that they are long and defined lines, almost pointed. Even so, each character is unique and they are not basic, the background is detailed but not enough to distract the reader from the plot. In the same way, the panels support the story very well following a fluid rhythm.

Final Thoughts
In conclusion, I found it to be a good start to the series, the characters are interesting, the art style is detailed and the story is fluid, I definitely recommend it.

TW: violence, murder.
Violence/dark scenes: 1/10
Plot: 8.5/10
Type: manga (vol. 1)
Cover: 7/10

My thanks to the author Yukito Ayatsuji, Hiro Kiyohara, Kodansha comics, and NetGalley for the opportunity to get this ARC for an unbiased review.

Was this review helpful?

Beautifully written, excited for Volume 2. Great characters, stories and satisfying mystery.

I apologize for the delayed review and lack of details. It's been a long long time.

4.25/5

Was this review helpful?

Very solid murder mystery/detective story with lovely character design and an intriguing cliffhanger ending. If there was anything at all negative is that there are really two major stories going on here: the people on the abandoned island being picked off one by one and the people on the mainland trying to solve a completely different mystery altogether. It is hard to completely invest yourself in one story because the other takes you away from it temporarily.

Was this review helpful?

A very interesting mystery and right up my alley. I like how there is an outsider perspective too which makes everything seem to flip on it's head.

Was this review helpful?

La idea es muy buena, un grupo de estudiantes decide ir a la isla que es famosa por ilustrar los sucesos en el clásico libro de misterio "Los Diez Negritos" de Agatha Christie y además, cada personaje hace tributo a un autor de misterio usando sus nombres como pseudonimo durante el viaje, todo bien hasta aqu. Mi problema fue un poco con el ritmo de la historia, lo sentí confuso y apresurado. Sé que este manga es adaptación de la novela de Yukito Ayatsuji, y tal vez estar familiarizada con esta me habria permitido disfrutar más de este manga. En general bueno, entretenido, pero quedé a la expectativa de algo más.

Was this review helpful?

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC of this manga in exchange for an honest review. All of the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
---
I was really excited for this as the blurb sounded amazing!

I absolutely loved the first volume of The Decagon House Murders! It does an excellent job of setting up characters and their brief glimpses while connecting them to a mysterious event. Moreover, it ends on a surprising twist that makes me anticipate the second volume even more.

This was a great read and one of the best mysteries I've read in a long while!

Overall rating: 5/5 stars

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for this ARC

This is the first in a three part series; that is full of suspense and mystery! Look forward to more character building in the later volumes!

Was this review helpful?

The Decagon House Murders is a manga adaption of a novel with the same name.
The plot focuses on seven university students who travel to an island where a mass murder took place six months ago. During this trip, gruesome things begin to happen.
Another main plot is the investigation of the before mentioned mass murder, which is done by another group not included in the trip.
At the start of the manga, we are thrown into the beginning of the trip. The characters and their unique nicknames are explained during this. The art and character design are beautifully done and illustrate each of their distinctive personalities.
Continuing on, we get to see the island and get to know the mass murder and the setting of the story. The group is part of their university's mystery club and enjoys detective and crime novels.
While this group is on the island, a former member receives a letter from a dead victim of the mass murder. The letter accuses the mystery club of murdering another former member.
Through this, the connection between both plot points is introduced.
The end of the volume leaves on a shocking note which entices the reader to continue with the story.
(Extras at the very end are also very cute)
The Decagon House Murders Vol. 1 is a good introduction for the plot and serves its purpose of creating a mystic atmosphere through nice art.

Was this review helpful?

This was an absolutely fantastic read. Firstly, I have to say that the art-style is stunning and absolutely perfect for the story being told, it was the cover that first caught my attention with this one and the rest of the manga didn't disappoint. I liked that this was a university mystery club - as it feels they tend to be more high-school orientated, and it worked so well here, and another aspect that I loved was the nod this manga gave to crime literature with the characters adopting names from well known detectives. It was just a lovely touch. The characters do feel a little disparate at the moment, but it works, and especially as this volume just sees the mystery beginning to unfold, it will be interesting to see how the dynamics change in the future. The plot was interesting, and although there were a couple of places where it felt as though we were getting more info-dump than an unfolding development, for the most part it was a delight to read and I have to say I enjoyed it even more than I hoped and I can't wait to see what the rest of the series has to offer.

Was this review helpful?

I've never read the original novel this series stems from and, I don't know why, but I had low expectations of this, but I was truly blown away. It was so mysterious and witty. I think turning this novel into a manga series was a really good idea because there's so much intrigue and suspense that can be built up over volumes. Classic manga art styles like this aren't my typical favorite, but you really can't go wrong with it so it was enjoyable all the same. I feel like I NEEEEEED to read the novel now. I'm so intrigued by the story. Adding it to my TBR right now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

The Decagon House Murders is a deliciously artful manga full of mystery and suspense. Entertaining as well as indulgent, this is why I am falling in love with manga.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC for an honest review. Much love!

Was this review helpful?

Fantastic mystery that reminded me of reading an Agatha Christie novel, but in Manga form. Members of The Mystery Club take up the case of the murdered student and find more than they bargained for. A must-read for mystery fans.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

Was this review helpful?

Wow, that was a ride!

This is the first volume of a three part manga series focusing on a university's mystery club. The majority of the members are spending Spring break on an uninhabited island where a terrible crime had been committed, while two other members are chasing down the origin of some mysterious letters regarding a terrible accident involving an old member of the club. And both incidents seem to be related.

The art was detailed and I enjoyed seeing a character sheet at the end of each chapter. The plot is intriguing and seems to be flowing in a steady pace.

I really recommend this if you are a fan of traditional mystery stories!

Was this review helpful?

I received an ARC copy of #TheDecagonHouseMurdersVolume1 from #NetGalley.

The premise sounded really interesting, but the story itself was pretty flat and boring. The characters were also are uninteresting, though they will probably be fleshed out better is later volumes. The artwork was nice though.

Was this review helpful?

When I saw that there's a manga version of a book in my tbr, I knew I will try to get my hands on it. The premise of it is also really intriguing, and a lot of people has said that it reminds them of the classic And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

A short summary of this book is about 7 students in a Mystery Novel Research Association going on a trip to solve an unsolved mystery case together. I really loved this concept of students in a mystery club (!!) and this manga perfectly executed it. I love the illustrations and I love the dialogues, and the plot itself was also such an enjoyable read (albeit because I've already known what this book is about).

That said, I'll probably come back and reread this again after I finish the book, so I could really try and compare the plot on whether it was a great adaptation for a well beloved book or not, but as a manga alone, I think it was truly enjoyable and I would recommend it to people.

Was this review helpful?

By the author of Another and based on Yukito’s book “Juukkakukan no satsujin” written in 1987, this manga is a murder mystery. We are following seven students on an island as well as two students who stayed in the city.
First of all, thumbs up to Hiro Kiyohara for his drawing skills. Each character is really distinguishable from the others and this is a real highlight, especially since we have so many characters to remember. The second good thing about this manga is the atmosphere. I think the world building is well done and I really got absorbed in it. Finally, the story is developing at a nice pace in my opinion. I kind of want to read the book now to see which one I like better. However, I first have to finish the manga. I can’t wait to find out what will happened and how it will be resolved.
I recommend this manga to fans of murder mysteries who aren’t afraid to see some blood.
3.5/5

Was this review helpful?

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

An ode to murder mystery lovers everywhere.

From start to finish this was infused with an overly-dramatic air of mystery which I absolutely loved. Everything from the characters naming each other after famous murder mystery writers to the constant detective speak was a stark reminder of a manga that revelled in a classic murder mystery.

The plot itself was sort of slow and didn’t go many places, but that was because it benefited more from its classic murder mystery analysis; the kind often skipped or rushed in a regular manga. It was fantastic to see crazy conclusions reached as they tried to solve an impossible mystery.

What I loved most of all was that this was simply the start. And as Ellery Queen (from which one of the characters takes his name) wisely said in [book:The Siamese Twin Mystery|88579], <i>“The case, far from being solved, has just begun.”</i>

Was this review helpful?

In the same vein as Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, The Decagon House Murders Volume 1 by Yukito Ayatsuji and Hiro Kiyohara is a murder mystery of the classical kind.

The art work is sumptuous and atmospheric providing drama to the characters and actions on the page and aiding in the readers' understanding of what at first glance appears to be a complicated plot and dense exposition.

It was after reading this first volume and enjoying the story so much that I researched a little to find out that this is a manga adaptation of a very famous and popular murder mystery novel written in the late 80s and hailed as revitalising the murder mystery genre within the Japanese publishing industry. It is credited as single-handedly creating the modern murder mystery industry as we see it today. Quite a feat!

The story follows two strands of a university literature circle or group, some go to an uninhabited island where some murders took place and where the titular decagon house is situated; and some travel around tokyo and beyond to investigate the appearance of some seemingly poisonous pen letters. The strange goings on all seem to be connected to the death of a fellow university student the year before.

This is the kind of manga that I love, as a good murder mystery is so entertaining, and I need to find out what happens next!

Was this review helpful?

While this wasn't my favourite book, I also understand that manga isn't usually my genre so I'm not use to the writing style of it, and even though it took sometime to get into, I think if you're a fan of dark manga you would enjoy this one. In manga or comic books, it is imperative to analyze the art as much as, if not more than, the words and I just haven't mastered that yet. With that said, I don't think this is a great manga to delve into when you're new to the genre, but I would highly recommend it to any who have read and loved the original novel or are looking for a dark, manga mystery.

Was this review helpful?