This was such an exciting and immersive read! The blend of fantasy, romance, and supernatural elements kept me hooked from the start. The world-building was rich, and the characters were intriguing, making it easy to get lost in the story. I can't wait to see where the series goes next!

**I received an advanced copy of this manga from NetGalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Spice: 0 out of 5 stars
Review: This was such a fun, interesting read! The beginning was a little slow for me, and a little info dumpy, but it quickly picked up and had me hooked. I love Nanao. She seems so kind and sweet, I just want to protect her. I hate her clan and her terrible cousin, Akemi. Seriously, her cousin is a grade a witch with a b. Master Yako is so handsome and mysterious, I can’t wait to find out more about him and his clan. Her ex-fiance Reito needs a switch butt kicking and I hope Master Yako gives him one. This was a really good start to a series and I can’t wait to read the next volume.

I loved this!! Similar set-up to My Happy Marriage, in both the main female character's background and the setting (newly westernised Japanese empire with fantasy elements) but the Ayakashi aren't considered bad by everyone.

Volume 1 has 4 chapters and a few extra text pages that I'm assuming are translated directly from the novel with a few manga pages accompanying each extra story bit. These story

I was NOT expecting the twist about her husband and I'm very excited for the next volumes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the eARC!

I loved this story!! Very much like My Happy Marriage but still unique.
It starts out with Nanao being engaged to the head of the clan she is in. One day she is attacked by a demon leaving her "tainted" and the engagement is called off and the clan makes her hide her face behind a monkey mask and live in shame. A visiting head of another clan visits and takes her as his bride and her life is changed immensely.
Nanao is sweet but naive which makes sense given how sheltered she has been because of the demon mark. Her family treats her so badly you really feel for her. Yako is rough around the edges but you can tell he means well and will treat Nanao with care respect. I can't wait for the second installment!

Thank you NetGalley for an arc.

Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride had me squealing and kicking my feet several times. As a long time fan of Noragami, I just knew I was going to love this. I’m already a major simp for Lord Yako and the depth to his personality was delightful. Lord Yako’s ability to be cold and calculating, yet sort of blockheaded and goofy, while simultaneously being kind was definitely one of my favorite aspects. Nanao was a little corny at moments, but nothing I wouldn’t expect within reason from a manga. Honestly, I can’t wait for the next volume and will definitely keep up with this series!

Thank you Kodansha, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

Growing up to be the bride of Byakurenji until one day your evil cousin takes everything away from you. Now you have tainted blood and is unwanted, but your spiritual power is highly wanted. Nanao she’s going to be a slave for her entire life until one day at the head of Benitsubaki saves her. But it comes with a price becoming the bride of this head and she doesn’t know it yet. Lord Yako he’s known for being worthless and cruel because he slays the evil spirits around him. But when Nanao see him as her savior, but also can tell he has a very kind soul. What I like about the story is how you get to see them grow up and how they deal with people talking about them all the time. From that you see that they live very different lives and how society sees each group. Also, you can see that his servant that serve him are good spirit’s and they’re part of his family and will protect Nanao. I like the fact that they are learning to be with each other. Because you have Nanao learning to be around people. That she does not have to worry about getting harmed or hurt because of everything that happened to her in her past. And she’s learning to let him in. Then there’s lord Yako from what I’ve gathered he seems to be alone a lot of the time and he talks to his spirits. It seems he’s not used to being around women or talking to them so he’s kind of awkward. And also like the fact that they’re learning to go further for their desires. In the way with this manga ended. It’s makes you wanna learn more about the clans and everything that’s gonna happen with her becoming his wife now.

When the Empire of Japan opened its borders to the outside Western world, not all inhabitants of the island agreed with the human decision to expand and change so quickly, and an ongoing war with the Ayakashi is handled by a select few families.

There's definitely some similarities to My Happy Marriage while still feeling very much like its own thing - Nanao is also the type of girl who's been thrown away by her family (in this case due to something like a curse that she was tricked into) and is rescued by a dashing, high ranking man who is involved in military-esque goings-on regarding the aforementioned Ayakashi war... but he's got secrets and motivations of his own! As well as the family that Nanao was taken from which, surprise surprise, wants more of her once they saw her face!

I enjoyed this enough to put volume 2 on my future-publishing-date spreadsheet and I'm interested to see both where the story goes and how the relationship develops between Nanao and Yako!

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review!

I found "The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride" a pretty solid start to the series. There wasn't anything particularly unexpected, it's pretty bog standard, 'girl is mistreated by family for what amounts to an arbitrary reason at best only to be swept away to somewhere she's appreciated' but that's ok for the start. Overall it felt like a lot of establishing the world and storyline, which in itself looks like it should probably be interesting. I'll have to read more to say what I think of the series overall, but it was good enough I'm probably going to check out more of the story when I can to see what I think.

OH GOD I LOVE THE ART AND I LOVE THE CHARACTERS and im sooo excited to read volume 2. historical webtoon lovers, this is for you!!!!

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride 1 by Mamenosuke Fujimaru was...a mixed bag for me. It follows a young girl with strong spiritual power, but mistreated after an accident in her youth. She meets a man from another clan and he rescues her and takes her for his bride for reasons of his own. This manga volume gave me "My Happy Marriage" vibes mixed with "Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits" but in a not-as-good way. I'm not quite sure what put me off about this volume but there were a couple of scenes that seemed out of left field/unnecessary. There were also several parts that I did like however, so I might continue with a couple more volumes if given the chance to see for sure where I stand.

***ARC from NetGalley***

A wonderful addition to the demon hunting/vampire sub-genre, set during the Meiji time period. The collision of the old and new worlds (think kimonos versus modern dresses) serves as a rich environment for what would be highly improbable demons and magic systems in older time periods. In a world changing so rapidly and so chaotic, it is hard to tell what is or is not realistic anymore - all the better for us readers!

The story starts out very similar to "My Happy Marriage," and for those who love that story, you will be both happy and a little perplexed at the closeness. And then the story takes a sharp left turn into darker themes. I love the characters and very quickly was rooting for them as a couple.

A quick read and I cannot wait for more (this is the first of 3 volumes).

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC.

A great read. Beautiful art style, compelling characters, unique magic system and world, plus who doesn't love a swoon worthy black haired love interest. I really liked the pacing in this one as often I find these types of stories can feel rushed or just incredibly slow. I am very interested to see where the story goes and will definitely be picking up the next volume.

This was a fun read with really beautiful art. Fans of My Happy Marriage will definitely like this as it follows a familiar trope of traumatised girl rescued from her abusive family by marriage to a man who is more worthy than he might first appear. We're still in the very early stages in volume one, though things between the leads did move pretty quickly, but I'm intrigued to see how things progress and whether the FL begins to come into her own as she gains confidence and overcomes her rough start. There is a lot of potential in this one for fans of this genre.

*Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

This was a great manga and I cannot wait to read the next volume. The art was beautiful, the story was intriguing, loved the characters! This manga did great at story and world building, which is my favorite part of books! This is a great read for anyone interested in manga already or just getting into reading it. The story could work across the board. Loved it!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me an advanced copy.

It's been a while since I picked up a manga and the description sounded interesting enough, and I absolutely loved it!

This is such a sweet, compelling budding romance, the world is interesting and I'm so intrigued by the spirits and energy.

I really will be reading Vol 2 when I can!

The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride by Midori Yuma and Mamenosuke Fujimaru is a spellbinding and steamy historical tale perfect for fans of Black Bird and My Happy Marriage.

Nanao is a “tainted” woman cursed by an orangutan ayakashi. However, due to her tremendous dark spiritual power, Nanao is forced to become a servant to her former fiance and his treacherous wife. Nanao spends her days performing chores while wearing a monkey face mask; not allowed to speak or touch anyone.

When fearsome Ayakashi hunter Yako Benitsubaki visits, Nanao hides away and hopes she’ll be spared his wrath. Yet after Yako witnesses the abuse Nanao suffers, he proclaims she’ll be the new Benitsubaki bride?! Could Yako’s proposal truly be an act of generosity? Or does the Benitsubaki family have an even more cursed destiny in mind for Nanao?

I really enjoyed stepping into the world of The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride! It was a bit information-heavy in the beginning to explain the world building, but it ended up being easier to follow than I thought.

The romance between Nanao and Yako is a little rushed and stilted given the setup to bring them together and space limit for one volume. But their relationship really shined in the moments they encouraged each other to be themselves and supported each other when it became clear they’ve both led painful lives because of circumstances out of their control. With the next volumes, I’m definitely looking forward to Yako and Nanao becoming a stronger duo who can explore their softer sides together.

Aside from the cute moments between Nanao and Yako, I was happy to see so many types of ayakashi from Japanese folklore featured; from stubborn inu to mischievous kitsune to regal tengu, and the infamous oni Zenki and Goki. Plus the mask seals with each demon’s type/name on them were so intriguing! For more human-like ayakashi like Goki, I looked forward to catching peeks of their faces underneath to see not only what they looked like, but their emotions too.

The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride is an exciting blend of romance, mystery and the supernatural with a richly traditional Japanese setting. A great recommendation for anyone interested in a Cinderella-style love story involving a few demonic spirits, curses, and tons of family drama. I cannot wait to see where the story goes and am really looking forward to the next volume!

I hadn't heard the name Mamenosuke Fujimaru since 2015 when a friend unloaded her huge collection of Alice in the Country Of... manga volumes on me. Fujimaru is probably most well-known in the West for the sequel of Alice in the Country of Hearts known as Alice in the Country of Clover, neither of which I was too impressed with at the time. However, The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride from Fujimaru caught my eye the moment I saw the cover art - I've been a sucker for good cover art since I was a kid. And now as an adult, I'm a sucker for a mature-looking shoujo manga set in historical Japan.

Kodansha, The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride's publisher, claims that the story is "Noragami meets My Happy Marriage." While not comedic like Noragami, I'd say the historical setting is there. As for the My Happy Marriage comparison, I can see foundational similarities, but Ayakashi Hunter has even more bite when it comes to drama and conflict. The manga is an adaptation of a Japanese novel later released, written by Midori Yuma. Both versions are currently ongoing.

Despite my negative feelings about the "damsel in distress" trope, volume 1 of Ayakashi Hunter got me on board and has me thrilled for the rest of the story. The manga will be officially released by Kodansha in print on March 25th, which is coming up quickly, so should you pick up The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride? This review will contain some spoilers, but I'll warn you ahead of time.

The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride volume 1
Volume 1 Cover
The Story and Setting
A Girl With Dark Spiritual Power and a Monkey Mask

If your entire life and future were changed for the worse in a single moment, how would handle it? Nanao, a girl with incredible spiritual power, had a wonderful future in store for her, as she was set to marry a handsome man of an esteemed family, Master Reito. When she breaks a family rule by setting foot outside a protective barrier, she is attacked and tainted by an Ayakashi, a type of Japanese yokai or ghost.

Nanao is now shunned by her entire family and Master Reito. She grows up treated as a lesser human being - her family claims she reeks of an Ayakashi. She is forced to hide her face behind a monkey mask, do chores, and never speak. After years of mistreatment, she unexpectedly becomes the wife to Lord Yako Benitsubaki, also an Ayakashi hunter, after he sees her beauty and experiences her spiritual power. There is another vital reason why Yako suddenly takes Nanao as his wife, which I'll get to later.

The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride

Nanao's past, some world-building, and Yako's proposal to her all happen within chapter one of the series, and I had yet to be sucked in after reading it. The art is highly detailed and, well, just simply beautiful to look at, but after 20 years of manga reading, that's not enough for me anymore. What draws me in is an interesting world and characters I care about, art be damned.

As for our main character, Nanao, I can't exactly say I dislike her OR like her. She's been dealt some terrible cards and has an extremely rough life, but we see this in shoujo manga a lot. The "damsel in distress" is a tired theme, and admittedly one of the reasons I wasn't so much into My Happy Marriage. I understand that stories like this can evolve into ones about overcoming trauma and moving on from the past, but it's just simply not a theme I care for. Nanao doesn't have a personality - at least not yet. Of course, this is due to her family's abuse leading her to suppress herself, but I just hope we see some meaningful character development later in the series as she, hopefully, overcomes this trauma. There's nothing more dreadful in a shoujo series than a female lead I don't care for.

Chapter two continues some interesting world-building, an element I often find lost in shoujo manga when compared to shounen manga. But there is a single component to Ayakashi Hunter that drew me in right near the end of volume 1. Prepare for spoilers in this next section.


The Manga Has What?!
Spoilers Ahead

As I finished the last chapter of volume 1 of The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride, I couldn't help but feel a bit silly as to the reason why I wanted to keep reading this series. Yako, the ayakashi hunter himself, reveals to Nanao as he bites into her neck that he is a vampire. I did not at all expect a vampire element to this story, but I was embarrassingly giddy about it. I'm a sucker (no pun intended) for vampire manga - ever since I picked up Masturi Hino's Vampire Knight in 2007, I've been locked in when it comes to vampire characters and themes.

The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride
Yako explains that Nanao's blood tastes delicious (there was an incident in chapter one that led Yako to lick Nanao's wound), and that he desired to have her by his side. Vampire stories are sexy and add layers to world-building. I'm interested in seeing how vampires work in Ayakashi Hunter, as each vampire story has its own twist on vampire lore.

I think the real draw of the series for readers will be the conflict between Yako and Reito, whom Nanao was originally supposed to marry. Not to mention Reito's wife, a disgusting and selfish woman who seems she would do anything to get her way, plays a key role in the drama too.

The Point
Should You Pick It Up?

If you liked My Happy Marriage, or are a fan of historical Japanese settings, The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride would be a perfect addition to your collection. The print version localization is translated by Jacqueline Fung, lettered by Madeleine Jose, and edited by Tiff Joshua TJ Ferentini. Overall, the English translations stay faithful to historical Japan, and there are translation notes in the back that describe ayakashi and other things a Western audience may find confusing.

The Ayakashi Hunter's Tainted Bride

Fujimaru's art has matured a lot since her work with Alice in the Country of Clover, which to me had a sort of goofy and cartoony feel to the artwork. Even if you were to hold this series up to Ayakashi Hunter, I think it'd be difficult to notice that they have the same artist. This goes to show how Fujimaru has come in her work - from an art style more subtable for preteen audiences, to now in Ayakashi Hunter which seems to be aimed more at young adults. I was especially impressed presentation of anger in characters, and I think we'll see some unhinged facial expressions from characters throughout the series.


I'll be reading volume 2, which is currently available digitally on Kodansha's official manga app, K Manga, and will be released in print on May 27th. While the series doesn't have the most exciting characters, I'm on board for the drama, world-building, and vampires.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 2.5 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

this was an overall okay read for me. i really liked the concept of the story, but it was the execution that didn't feel right to me. as soon as you start reading the manga, you jump straight into the plot without a proper introduction to the characters. i honestly wish we could've learned more about the backstories of the characters and about the spiritual powers that kept being mentioned but we almost knew nothing about. i'm still considering reading volume 2 because i'm curious how the story will develop.

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley and Mamenosuke Fujimaru for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

I loved this manga! Nanao's story at the beginning was very sad but I love seeing her start to gain her confidence and feeling safe with Yako. Besides Nanao and Yako's story, there is intrigue related to demons and possibly conflict with other clans. I can't wait to read more!

You will like this if you enjoy My Happy Marriage, Yona of the Dawn and similar mangas.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The storyline was captivating and the art was stunning to accompany.

The characters were memorable. I did feel sad for Nanao and how she was abused was awful. It was giving Cinderella. I was rooting for her all the way through and it did not disappoint.

The world building was easy to follow and the author did a great job at describing what was what.

Now I need the second book to find out what happens next!!!