[Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.]

On a lonely island, a university detective club has gathered to explore a mysterious tragedy that took place some time ago. But it turns out that they have a tragedy of their own in the past and there just might be one more looming in the near future…

I love how audacious this book is with its homages, starting off with a classic premise, the ‘stuck on an island then murder’, then mashing in a second classic premise, ‘revenge for a tragedy that was maybe not a tragedy’, on top of that.

Then you <I>also</I> have all the characters having nicknames based on authors of classic mystery stories, a house that is built on an insane idea that seems designed solely to host a murder of some kind, a literal armchair detective, and a villainous monologue that starts the whole thing.

This is a mystery that knows mysteries and the question becomes whether it can measure up to its inspiration (there is a lot of very specific cribbing from <i>And Then There Were None…</i> in here) and so far I admit to being fairly optimistic. Even if the story follows a trope at some point, it makes it quite clear that it knows them all, as do the characters, so that makes it murky as to what ones it might actually be employing and how.

Our cast, as fleshed out as any given set of victims in a mystery story is (ie, not much) is at least all quite distinct and easily slotted into the expected types one sees in stories like this. They have some fun banter and while he’s a bit of an oddball, I do like Ellery, who basically proclaims that the more ludicrous the mystery, the better. I’m with him on that one (and we both appear to be in good hands).

That said, I was rather tickled pink at the addition of several sleuths who are not on the island and are attempting to piece things together themselves (or could they be involved…?). Will they be able to do anything from there? Or will they be… too late!? (Cue dramatic organ sting)

I especially liked the non-island sleuths because of the young woman, Conan, who decides to play detective because she’s bored on break. With the older gentleman she’s paired with for much of the book, an odd Buddhist monk, the pair make for a fun dynamic.

If there’s anything to poke this particular volume for, it’s that it is a lot of table setting with a couple of revelations that may or may not amount to much. There’s a lot of foreshadowing but things don’t really kick up a notch until the last pages. I don’t doubt this will prove a worthwhile endeavour, it’s just going to really start off next time.

4 stars - I am an absolute sucker for a good mystery and this seems like exactly that. I don’t have a problem with a lot of table setting if I’m expecting a great meal and I think there’ll be plenty of meat in the next instalment. A very good start.

First of all, I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me an e-ARC of the book.

Disclaimers: All my reviews are my thoughts of the book and according to my personal preferences. Even though I had received a review arc, it does not affect my review and honest thoughts for the book.

Personal Ratings: 4.5/5🌟

Total No of Chapters : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10
Bonus Chapter : -

Plot: 5/5
Suspense: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Easy To Read: 4/5
Artstyle : 5/5

Overall: I FREAKING LOVE IT.

Firstly, lets do a cover reveal cause LOOK AT THIS BEAUTY!!! Literally can't wait for the manga to drop in August! Will definitely invest in a physical copy of the manga!

🛑Trigger warnings : Mentions of Death, Death, Violence🛑

Short Summary
Based from the original novel from Yukito Ayatsuji tells the story that is set in a dual perspective, one coming from 7 University students who were in a Detective Club and went on an uninhabited island called Tsunojima Island, where the famous "Decagon" house is located and from the mainlands where another two of the club members who did not join the expedition.

From the island, they were set to stay a week, without any phone service as the island was known to be a murder scene from a heinous crime of the Nakamura Family. The mystery started when one morning, 7 set of names naming 1 Detective, 1 Killer and 5 victims have been placed on the table and none of the members owned up to it.

Whilst in the mainland, the mystery of the anonymous sender from the name of a dead man provoked some questions. Are they all just a big coincidence or is it the start of a heinous plan of a crime well-planned?

My Thoughts

I had absolutely LOVED the premise of the manga, the art style and even the characters. Albeit this volume only showed the start of the murder and the questions behind the mystery letters, it has invoked some curiosity, on how will everything unfold at the end.

I love the idea of the characters taking the nicknames based on famous mystery/crime writers. The names like Ellery, Poe, Doyle and Agatha is something that we find very familiar especially for anyone who is used to reading mystery books. The idea of 7 students from various departments in a prestigious university, subjected themselves to 1 whole week of adventure that will cause various questions in an island known for a heinous murder is just something that made me scared just thinking about it. Each character is distinct in their own way and whilst they don't exactly bond with each other, I can't wait to see how the mystery unfolds.

The first volume plot focused more on the mystery, the previous case and the perspective of the other two club members that did not go on the island with them. As this series will have three volumes in total, I feel like everything will start to unfold in the next volume as the end of this particular volume left me with so many questions and I keep searching if there are any updates.

Overall, I had enjoyed this manga very much and I can't wait for it to be released! The premise of the story is very similar to the novel and I love the art style in this book. The lines are defined and the the mangaka had portrayed and kept the level of suspense at bay.

Highly recommended for fans of crime thrillers and highly recommended to check the novel from the author too!

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Decagon House Murders, vol. 1 by Yukito Ayatsuji and Hiro Kiyohara is the first volume in a mystery / action manga based on a Japanese novel. First off, I have to say that I read the original novel in English translation earlier this year, and I gave it 5 stars. In my review for the original novel, I wrote, "I found this book just as good as the masterpieces of Golden-Age detective fiction." So, I was so excited to see this manga adaptation and to get approved to review it. I love manga, and since I loved the original novel, I had a feeling that I would enjoy this manga adaptation. Thank you again to the publisher for this opportunity!

The plot of The Decagon House Murders revolves around seven members of a Japanese university's mystery club, with nicknames like "Ellery" and "Poe." They converge on a mysterious island where a group of murders happened years prior. Nakamura Seiji died on the island, but before he did, he built the titular Decagon House, a house with a unique floorplan shaped like a decagon. The seven members discuss the case of the Seiji's murder and wonder whether they will come across new evidence for the unsolved case. Unbeknownst to the group, someone is planning another group of murders during their trip.

In the end, I have to rate the manga adaptation an amazing 5 stars! Just like the original novel, I was hooked from the beginning to the end. I literally couldn't stop reading and skipped dinner to find out what happens next. Even though I remembered some of the plot points, I was just as immersed into the mystery as I was when I read the original novel. Another highlight of this manga is the amazing art. I loved being able to visualize the characters and the setting in a new way, something that I wasn't able to do when I read the original novel. The characters, in particular, are drawn very beautifully, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed by the art. Overall, The Decagon House Murders is a stunning mystery, and I recommend it for all readers who enjoy mystery books. If you've ever enjoyed reading an Agatha Christie novel or if you're a fan of mystery manga, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in August!

I am giving this one 2 stars because while the artwork looked really cool and the story idea was awesome, the text bubbles are ALL over the place and it is extremely hard to keep up with the text. I also really wish that the illustrations were colored and it feels as if this comic is extremely unfinished.

A Fine Adaptation

This is the manga adaptation of Yukito Ayatsuji's 2019 breakout novel of the same title. I enjoyed it a great deal, but to address the manga version you really have to consider two issues. The first question is how you feel about the original novel, and then the second question is how this manga measures up to the novel, and how well it stands on its own.

As to the novel, it was a major hit, and contributed to the revitalization in Japan of the whole locked room/manor house sub-genre of detective mysteries. That said, the book received mixed reviews. Some thought the characters were overdeveloped given the genre; some thought the characters were underdeveloped. Some found the dialogue clunky and tedious; others found the style just right. Some thought the novel was just a creaky rehash of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", (aka "Ten Little Indians"); others thought it was a brilliant reimagining of that classic. And so on.

You don't need to have read the novel to read this manga. You don't need to have an opinion about the novel in order to enjoy this book. In fact, for me, the manga actually solved some of the novel's problems. Here, the characters are as well developed as seems possible in a graphic novel context, the dialogue is necessarily more spare, and the plot fits nicely within the bounds of what is possible. If anything, for me, it turns out that Ayatsuji's novel might actually work better in this form.

That aside, this is a fun read. Bear in mind that this is only Volume 1 and is necessarily concerned with setting everything up and starting the plot wheels turning. And there is a lot going on because there are really three mysteries that have to be introduced. A good deal of this Volume 1 is devoted to laying out the history of the earlier Blue Mansion mass murder, which may or may not be connected to the Decagon House. Then there is the matter of the mystery of how Chiori died, which is tantalizingly teased as possibly related to various murder motives. With all of that it's not surprising that there are more than a dozen major characters who have to be introduced and established. No wonder the main mystery - who's killing off the Decagon House Mystery Club detectives - doesn't even appear, (except for creepy atmospherics), until the end of the volume.

So, whether you know the original novel or not, this is an accessible, engaging and entertaining manga. Readers familiar with the novel can afford to be patient, I guess. New readers, though, are likely to be hooked enough to be impatient for the next volume.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

While I have not read the Original novel by: Yukito Ayatsuji, I felt like I knew and understood what was going on and didn't feel like I was missing anything because I didn't read the original novel.
Within this first volume you learn enough about the characters and plot to be intrigued and interested. The cast is interesting and I like all of the characters (So far Agatha is my favorite) and their designs. I like how they all have nicknames based off of writers and am curious to see how much their chosen nicknames effect their personality and the plot. Another bonus is the art style is amazing its so. Overall this was a good read and I'm excited to continue. Would recommend for fans of mystery.

An adaptation of the best selling novel The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji! Absolutely stunning artwork, I seriously couldn’t get over it! The story revolves around a group of university students who are all part of the Mystery Club who all travel to a ten sided house on a remote island for holiday. The kick? This house is the location in which a grisly and unsolved mass murder occurred. The club is filled with students who are all using monikers of famous detective novelists and are here to vacation and possibly try and solve this unsolved murder... yet unknown to them a deadly game has just begun and they are all going to be picked off one by one. While this is all happening, previous club members (three) are sent a letter accusing them of murdering a girl who had died on the previous club’s trip... who just happens to be the daughter of the slaughtered family who died in the decagon house... and the letter was sent from the dead father. Now two mysteries are at play, and this definitely gives off an Agatha Christie “And Then There Were None” vibe. This was such a great first volume adaptation and you can bet I will be reading the rest of this series!

*Thanks Netgalley and Kodansha for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*