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| WARNING: This digital A.R.C was kindly sent to me by the publisher via NetGalley after I requested it in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own |

Well, It's quite rare for me to find a good thriller in the manga's form but here it is!
The Decagon House Murders is an interesting debut for a series that I'll catch on to and follow for sure, when I'll be available I'll go to the bookstore and buy it without any hesitation.
The art is beautiful and I especially like the idea of the surname that each character is given, inspired by some well-known thriller's authors like Agatha Christie and Leroux!
After the end of this first volume, I just want to read the second one and I can only recommend it.

| I also talked about this manga on my Instagram account (@blayke_r.7) and you can find all my impressions in the "graphics & mangas" highlight. |

| WARNING : Cet A.R.C digital m’a été envoyé par l'éditeur via NetGalley suite à ma demande sur le site en échange d’une honnête revue. Toutes les opinions exprimées sont miennes. |

Et bien, il m'est assez rare de trouver un bon manga de type thriller mais nous avons un gagnant!
The Decagon House Murders est un intéressant premier volume pour une série que je vais suivre sans aucun doute, m'assurant de l'acheter à ma prochaine visite en librairie dès qu'il sera disponible.
Les dessins sont superbes et j'ai particulièrement aimé l'idée que chaque personage ait un surnom, inspiré de certain auteurs et autrices de thrillers bien connus comme Agatha Christie et Leroux.
Après la fin que nous réserve ce premier tome, je veux juste connaître la suite et je ne peux que le recommander.

| J'ai également parlé de ce manga sur mon compete Instagram (@blayke_r.7) et vous pouvez trouver l'entièreté de mes impressions dans la story à la une " graphics & mangas" |

I’m very picky when it comes to my crime stories. It’s not usually a genre I reach for, so it takes a lot for me to love a crime story. I tend to like cosy crime reads, or Sherlock Holmes-esque mysteries.

This series however fits that perfect description.

This is a mystery made for mystery fanatics. It’s a homage to the classic crime genre, with our cast of characters named after famous crime writers, who combine their collective wits to solve a grisly crime.

This is based on the novel of the same name, and I believe it’s fairly similar, with a few changes to fit manga form. The style of the characters are interesting, and the tension fits perfectly with the lingering sense that something is wrong and things will only get worse.

My only complaint that it might be confusing at times if you aren’t familiar with the story beforehand, and it’s quite verbose in areas that it can drag the pace, but I think this is worth sticking with to see the action happen in volume two. This is perfect for all amateur sleuths or lovers of the mystery genre, and it promises to get better from here.

I wish to thank Netgalley and Kodansha comics for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

It was just brilliant!! A solid 5/5 as far as the manga is considered. I have not read the source novel before, so my review will be solely based on the manga.

This volume basically sets up the situation for the main story to kick in. Some investigations are done, but the major plot points are yet to come. The chapters were designed brilliantly so that we will go the next chapter without even a fraction of a doubt.

This manga also serves as a homage to the golden age detective fiction writers by naming some of the characters after them. The ending of this volume will make you realize you cannot hold yourself onto a particular character as well. That's also where the story start to kick in, and when the long wait for volume 2 begins. I'm genuinely really looking forward to volume 2 to see where the plot will take the characters as well as how the mystery will unfold.

One other thing I would like to point out is that, I believe this one has a potential spoiler for Agatha Christie's novel - "And then there were none". So, if you have any plans to read that one, I would recommend you to skip this.

Overall, an awesome manga. Highly recommended, if you're into murder mysteries!!

*Copy provided by netgalley and Kodansha, im exchange for an honest review*

I am deeply thankfull to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read this first volume in a new manga series. As previous stories from the author that I have read, the plot is already incredible and full of murder mistery and interesting characters.

It all starts when members of a detective club go to a deserted island where, six months ago, a crime occured. An unsolved one, that is. That... and they all might be connected to another crime too... or was it just an accident?

Cannot wait for more of this brilliant story. The characters are interesting, the artwork is beautiful and the plot and pacing are amazing! Well done!

Seven college students - all members of a murder mystery book club - visit a deserted island that was scene to multiple brutal unsolved murders. What brought them to the island and are they safe? Meanwhile, back on the mainland, mysterious letters are sent to the club members who stayed behind, accusing them of murder and sparking a fresh investigation into the crimes.

I loved this manga and I can't wait to read more! Reading it gave me all the chills and excitement of a truly twisty mystery. I like that all the characters are murder mystery buffs and make commentary on mysteries, tropes, and authors; also, they all go by author nicknames like Agatha, Poe, and Leroux. I'm already suspecting everyone and everything and I'm eager to find out what happens next! The art is gorgeous - very realistic and pretty to look at - and the character designs are so cool. I also love the unique architecture of the house. Highly recommend to fans of mystery and dark academia!

The Decagon House Murders (Volume 1) is based on Yukito Ayatsuji's 1987 mystery novel. The plot is about a university mystery club whose members took a vacation on a remote island where they stayed in a house that happens to be a crime scene. An unknown assailant had killed a family in that house many years ago in a manner that attracted the nation's attention. The manga focuses on the characters within the club, their individual theories about the murder case, as well as the strange happenings that are occurring both on and off the island.

LIKES
The art is good to look at and the characters are distinct enough. The dialogue flows very well and the background to the story is well-explained. In short, this is a tale that is easy to get into.

DISLIKES
I find it difficult taking The Decagon House Murders seriously. Apart from the weird codenames that are forced on many of the characters, the plot seemed contrived as some of the situations the characters are put in aren't realistic nor believable.

WHO IS IT FOR?
This seems to be a book for any kind of mystery novel fans. The enjoyment factor might be debatable.

Review to come September 7th to blog/goodreads/etc..

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

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So I just had had to get this manga from Netgalley. I mean, murder? A literature/mystery club travelling to a remote island that was the scene of murder? They are totally cut off and things start happening? YAS and YAS.

This just had all the vibes of an older manga despite being set more in the now-days. Which just made me love the story even more as I am a big fan of those. Plus, I just love that a lot of things don't work on the island and that they were totally cut off. They were on their own. Or are they? That made things definitely a bit scarier and more exciting to read because you need to know. Is it one of their own... or is someone with them on the island. Out for revenge, or something else?

I am not sure how I felt about the peeps in the literature/mystery club. I mean, some of them definitely worked, but the guy who acts all bossy... not a fan of him. He reminds me of several other characters in anime that I just wanted to punch in the face. XD He seems all high and mighty and that is just not a character trait I enjoy in my characters. I think so far my favourite is one of the girls, the one who is all eager to get doing things. I do love that each of the club has a specific name from mystery novels. From Poe to Agatha. It was such fun (though yes, I am also curious about their real names).

And I was even more surprised that the island and the mystery club weren't the only thing we saw! Oh no, we also go back to the mainland and see 2 other people from the literature club/mystery club, or well, not sure if they are totally still members, who get a mysterious envelope/card and are going to investigate... because they also know that things are going to get real bad on the island if these threats are to be believed. I loved that they found someone who believed them and who tried to help them out. I love finding out more about the club + more about mysteries and also about an event that happened some time ago... something also connected with the island which had me squeeing in delight and making me all the more eager to don my detective hat and get solving!

The ending, ARGHHHH, I don't want a cliffhanger. NOOOOESSSS! I was so frustrated when I saw that ending come up and find out there were no more pages. No, you can not do that to me. No. I already wanted to read the next book but now I definitely need it. NOW. Pronto.

The art was just amazing, the backgrounds especially were just so life-like and I just felt like I could step into the story at any moment. Love love it!

I would definitely recommend this book to all, if you are into mysteries and murder and spooky things be sure to check out this manga.

The Decagon House Murders is a manga series based on a novel of the same name, written by Yukito Ayatsuji. Here to illustrated this murder mystery adventure is Hiro Kiyohara. If you're into complex mysteries and murder, then this is a book worth nabbing.

The Mystery Club is an organization that gathers like-minded students. In this case, their interest should be fairly obvious. These students are so in love with mysteries that they have picked up monikers based on famous mystery authors.

The irony of what is about to happen is not lost on me. It isn't uncommon for clubs to travel together, especially to points of relevant interest. Yep, you know what that means. This club is heading to a building known as the Decagon House, where several deaths occurred only months ago.

Naturally, they will soon be finding themselves in their very own murder mystery. The fact that I can only assume all but one of them will regret. (Note: this statement is not a spoiler, as I have no idea how the story ends. I'm just quippy with my assumptions).

I'll confess going into this that I had no idea that this was based on a book. In a way, I'm kind of glad for that. It's keeping the suspense up in the air for me, as I don't know where this will lead or who is behind it all.

The story takes place in two perspectives; the students on the island (that is to say, at the house) and the two students who opted not to go on the trip. Both quickly get wrapped up in their own mysteries, which may or may not be related (my money is on yes).

I enjoyed the overall premise of this story, though I'll confess that I'm not totally attached to all of the characters...which is probably a good thing if this story goes the way I expect it will. If it does, hooray! I'll get to know them better in the future.

The character names were quite fun; Poe, Ellery, Doyle, and Agatha are all great hat tips. It also quickly established how into mysteries these characters are, and this helped to set the scene.

To put it into perspective: I enjoyed The Decagon House Murders Vol. 1 so much that I already looked up if there was a second volume out and where I could get it. So obviously, that will be going onto my TBR list.

A copy was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Much like any other Mangas, this one is just about the introduction of character and a mere walk around the background of the story. It seems like a usual mystery case which involves college students, but I think I'd still be able to wait for the 2nd installment due to curiosity.

A group of students are part of a school club that revolve around mysteries. They each have adopted a nickname taken from their favorite mystery author. They are taking a trip to a deserted island where a murder took place. Meanwhile, there are two members of the club that didn't go on the trip and received mysterious letters. Turns out the daughter of the murdered family was once part of their club and accidentally passed away during a boating trip. The mysterious letters indicate the daughter was murdered and that it wasn't an accident. Back on the island someone mysteriously left an array of placquards on the table that said fist - fifth murder victim, culprit, and detective. This made everyone one edge but also half hopeful that it was just a prank and not an announcement of murder. This title wasn't bad but wasn't terribly good either, I think it spent a lot of time setting up the story and fleshing out the characters. Maybe volume 2 will be better. It was very normal ensemble mystery story.

3.5 stars

I've recently heard that this was based off from a best-selling novel in Japan by Yukito Ayatsuji. Now I do not anything about the book or the story so this review will be from a new reader perspective of the story.

First off, Hiro Kiyohara, the artist should be in my radar as his art is so awesome! He uses sharp styling on his characters and draws inspiration from real-life scenarios for his environments. Now this is quite effective as this is a thriller manga and the vibe comes off really good and somewhat eerie. The characters' faces might look somewhat nostalgic for old readers of manga.

If you like thriller stories having the whodunit main plot. This is easily for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for an an e-ARC.

Wow! I truly enjoyed this manga. I love everything about the characters, the setting, the twists and most especially the dialogues. The art style is so immaculate and I couldn’t ask for more. Absolutely loved this one! A new favorite! 

(Massive thanks to Kodansha Comics for my digital copy!)

6 months ago, a brutal mass murder took place on a remote island. The case remains unsolved.
Today, the members of a university’s Mystery Club set out on a week-long trip to stay in the abandoned island’s mysterious Decagon House. Their plan is to dig deeper into the case, the reality is something a bit more sinister...

I loved this manga! I recently finished watching the Sherlock TV show and was still very much in the puzzle solving mindspace, so this really was a case of fantastic timing.

I loved the characters! We have 10 recurring characters here that have a wide range of distinct, tropey personalities that were SO fun to read. Their interactions with each other were an absolute joy throughout. Despite the large cast, I was never confused of who was who and it was really easy to catch on to each of their quirks. I don’t think I could even pick a favourite, but it might be a battle between Ellery, Leroux, Agatha and Morisu.

The atmosphere on the island and in Decagon House was chilling and unsettling, and the art was fantastic, really expressive. I especially loved the architecture.

I really don’t have anything bad to say about this, other than being sad only one volume is out! I’ll definitely be picking up the novel this manga was based off of because after that cliffhanger ending, I’m dying to know what happens next.

If you love murder mysterys, a chilly atmosphere and a large cast of quirky characters, pick this up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received an e-book copy of The Decagon House Murders Vol.1 through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I absolutely loved it! First of all, I really enjoy old school detective novels and this was absolutely brilliant and secondly, I can’t get enough of graphic novels and mangas, especially with art so pretty as this one has. This book basically combined two of my favourite things and it had a very interesting plot.😃
I am sad that there’s currently only one manga volume out in English (I think that it’s already published) and I hope that the next ones will be translated into English as well. However I can always take up the original novel this was based on and read it, thanks to the manga I am intrigued to do just that…🤔🙂

It's been a while since I read mystery and I really enjoyed this first volume. Got pretty excited about the characters and plot. The art is good and it has the overall vibe of its genre, which is making me want to dive into more mysteries. Would definitely recommend if you are a fan of manga and/or mysteries. Very much looking forward to the next volume and would love to read the original novel.

(ARC received in exchange for honest review at www.netgalley.com)

‘The Decagon House Murders, Vol 1’ is one of the rare mangas I was inexplicably excited to read, if only down to its creator, Yukito Ayatsuji. It really is a bit of an oddity, given that it was first released as a novel, also entitled ’The Decagon House Murders’. However, I’ll forgive you for not having heard of it, as it first released in 1987 and didn’t make it to the West until 2015. That said, I’m a huge nerd, so naturally I read and really quite enjoyed it, only to learn that they planned to serialise it as a manga come 2019. And so, two years later, here we are with our first translated volume. ‘The Decagon House Murders, Vol 1’ sees us follow a group of University students, who travel to Tsunojima Island following a grisly murder as part of a planned club activity with the Mystery Novel Reach Association. Evidently, they all love the macabre, cheekily named after famous authors such as Poe and Doyle, and it seems they’re in luck - they wake up after their first night on the island to find a note suggesting a killer lurks amongst them, forcing them to use their book-learned detective skills to prevent their own murders. Meanwhile, back on the mainland, a former member of the MNRA receives a letter suggesting that the death of a mutual friend some time prior may be the reason for the game they’re now trapped inside of. Is somebody out for revenge, and will our protagonists make sense of their situation before it’s too late?

Though I mentioned the story’s origins as a novel, I won’t linger on it too much here, as this opening volume only covers a small part of the wider narrative. For the same reason, I’d suggest either starting with the novel, or reading the manga blind, as any combination of the two is going to lead to major spoilers. ‘The Decagon House Murders, Vol 1’ certainly makes a strong case for itself right from the outset. It’s well drawn, well written and tightly plotted, and so far remains fairly true to the original, which in my book is always a positive. In all honesty, I couldn’t have envisioned the story working in manga format prior to reading it, but I’m definitely impressed; it takes the time needed to establish character dynamics and explore them carefully, to the degree that it’s clear the main sell for readers will be the strength of personality their favourites possess and the potential deaths that looms heavy. Tropes play a fairly significant role in establishing our characters, but it doesn’t make them any less likeable - for example, Ellery’s arrogance only serves to heighten the hilarity of interactions with the likes of Car, the tension between them palpable. Similarly, Hiro Kiyohara’s art is a delight, and his dedication to both detail and clarity makes this a really easy read.

However, a few issues hold ‘The Decagon House Murders, Vol 1’ back a little. While it seems ridiculous to criticise it based on how little ground it covers, the pacing is glacial even by the standards of serialised media. Ayatsuji also relies far too heavily on exposition dumps and therefore undermines the momentum his story builds, distracting readers from the mystery. Above all, it’s the plot contrivances that weaken the narrative in my mind. Although our protagonists are ostensibly witty and intelligent, how they end up in this situation just… isn’t. I mean, not only do they head off on holiday to the site of an unexplained murder, which is questionable enough, but they also seem rather unconcerned with the fact that a club member died on only the trip before. To make matters worse, there’s no phone signal or contact with the mainline on this island, because how else would the reader know to expect trouble? Little details like this just make the story feel inauthentic, and whilst I understand the urge to highlight the dangers faced early on, a story really needs both consistent characters and believable conflict for this danger to feel anything but manufactured. It’s here that ‘The Decagon House Murders, Vol 1’ stumbles, and given the multiple instalments to come, I’d hope to see improvements if I’m to buy into the terror of their situation, because it was tough to trust in a world so mired with convenient inconveniences.

In conclusion, ’The Decagon House Murders, Vol 1’ is the ideal manga for fans of Mystery and Crime. I’d describe it as a hybrid of Koushun Takami’s ’Battle Royale’ and Spike Chunsoft’s ’Danganronpa’, its characters more reminiscent of the students at Hope’s Peak Academy whilst its setting remains firmly grounded in grit and fear. With that being said, the first volume is available now at Comixology, so if this sounds like your thing, then stop by and pick it up today!

(Fun Fact: Yukito Ayatsuji had an asteroid named in his honour in 2018, ’55212 Yukitoayatsuji’. Presumably somebody forgot to mention that this isn’t actually his real name.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the opportunity to review this volume.

The Decagon House Murders begins with a group of college students, all part of a mystery club, and their journey to a remote island that was the center of a tragic incident six months prior. The club primarily goes to the island to explore and gain writing inspiration for their club’s journal. However, not long after having arrived on the island, things begin to take a mysterious turn. Suddenly seven tablets appear on the dining table with labels that indicate there will be five victims, a detective, and a murderer. The group of students now have to figure out where exactly these tablets came from, whether from someone in the group or an unannounced person still living on the island. The story explores the mystery of the incident that occurred on the island, the club’s connection to a previous tragedy, and the idea of what is right and wrong.

This manga series is based on the book by the same title by the author Yukito Ayatsuji. I have not read the book, therefore I can’t speak on how accurately the manga follows the events originally written. What I can say, however, is that this first volume was enthralling to read. From the very beginning, I was sucked into the story. Perhaps it was because of the relatability of a love for books, but it was enjoyable to read characters debate on different reading tastes and talk about famous authors. The artwork was stunning and has definitely left me interested in other works by this mangaka. The manner in which characters analyzed various potential theories about the mystery centering this volume was excellent. No one theory was agreed upon solely for its ease of explanation and peace of mind. These students pick apart previous conclusions made by law enforcement and attempt to construct a new explanation for the events that occurred. It was fun to follow along with their trains of thought, while also forming one of your own as the reader. If someone is looking for a fun and interactive mystery manga, this is definitely for you!

This review contains ***SPOILERS***
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Story: So I read this first volume already knowing the story because I am a big fan of the actual novel by Yukito Ayatsuji. As I also loved 'Another' with the combination of this author and artist I was really excited for this manga to be released. Especially as I know the plottwist it was hard to imagine how they put this story into a visual read without actually giving it away. I can't actually say if the disguise is working, as I already know everything and with that can't oversee the similarity between Morisu and Van. Also if I first would have read the manga I might have gotten behind the whole situation before the actual plottwist, as I had the feeling it was Morisu when I was reading the novel, but didn't have clues that Morisu and Van were the same person. Now for the actual first volume, I found the pacing a bit slower than in the actual novel, which seemed a bit off to me. I still really liked how the characters were translated into this manga version and how the story was so far really close to the details in the novel. I only was irritated by the fact that Kawaminami (Doyle) suddenly was female. This might be to have more women and also to change the relationship between Kawaminami and Morisu, but it still kinda confuses me. (4/5)

Art: I really like the artstyle and the way it changed from 'Another'. The characters give of a young mature vibe which is what it should be as they are college students. With the females we have three really typical styles (beauty, shy and silence big boobed girl and the cute and cheeky one) which I am fine with. For the idea how to translate Van and Morisu, the undercut is a nice (but not too original) idea, my only problem is that in the coloured pages you might guess the coming plottwist as they are obviously the only ones with the exact same colour scheme.
The artstyle itself is clean, just the landscape sometimes seems a bit like a picture taken when the sun was coming on too strong.
(4/5)

Overall there's air too aim higher but I am excited to see how the next volumes are going to look like.
(4/5 overall)

TW: Murder & Blood
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4.75 ⭐️


What a surprise read.

This probably the first thriller/ mystery story I ever read (I honestly think) and really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed how the mangaka presented the panels and the consistent vibe or feel throughout the story telling from it’s beginning towards the end.

Other than that, all the characters really were fishy, I definitely would love to know more about what’s going in their heads and also follow them throughout the very end.

There were a lots of theory going on and I’m hella curious which one would turn out actually. I also wasn’t expecting that cliffhanger but it was so good.

Overall, this was such a good good read.

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Thank you NetGally and Kodansha Comics for letting me review this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for allowing me to review this title.

This manga is different than what I usually read. It has older characters (in their 20s). It is a murder mystery with a club with murder mystery author names like Ellery (Queen).

The members of the club arrive on a deserted island where people were murdered and the house burned to the ground. A secondary mystery is active on the mainland.

The beginning two chapters were a bit slow, but it definitely picks up as the chapters progress. I really want to read the second one to see who will die and who will live.

A dark read for those who love mysteries.

Definitely recommend it for older teen and adult readers.

Thanks again Kodansha and NetGalley.