Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this manga to review!

This manga follows the Blackguard Nanao Minami, an elite fighter with a death wish who protects the other units of survivors as they battle against the alien mutant virus zombie-like Shoujou.

This manga comes from the creator of Devil's Line but is instead a near-future dystopian Tokyo psychological battle story. The special units must try to eradicate the Shoujou to be able to survive. Nanao Minami has psychological issues and there is a Suicide Warning at the beginning of this manga, which I think is appropriate. Chris is assigned to be his partner and minder to ensure his gung-ho nature doesn't get him killed.

The art style is not to my personal taste, as is the font chosen - it feels a bit lazy. However, in saying that it does seem to suit the genre of the story. The cover art work is quite pretty so don't be misled, it doesn't continue inside!

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me arc of this manga in exchange for an honest review. I went into reading this manga blind and I loved it. The story is different from anything that I have read. I like the differences between all the characters that we are introduced too in this volume. I will definitely be continuing with this as I can't wait to see where it leads!

Thanks netgalley and the publisher to let me read this copy!

I haven't read a manga in quite a while, but the story kinda intrigued me and so i took my chance here.
A virus has infested the world (sounds too real tho) and turns people into some ape-like things who even adept to their surroundings in a short time, you just have to get bitten and turn pretty fast after that, there is no cure but there are fighting units who hunt the „Shoujo“ and kill them before they can take more lives.
There's this mystery guy the „Blackguard“ who apparently is much stronger than everyone else and appears everytime there are a lot of Shoujo in one place and kills them, he usually works alone but get assigned a partner, Chris.
They are pretty diffierent kind of characters which makes the whole thing pretty intriguing cause i especially like Chris a lot, but i'm also very curious what the Blackguard's deal is, especially why he doesn't know anything about how a human behaves. Will definitely check out if there is more to this story. An easy 3 stars read :)

content warning: lots fo suicide talk.

In a future world where a virus causes humans to become animal-like if bitten, Minami (also known as Blackguard) is a man with a huge skill to kill creatures, but also has a deathwish. With an illness which causes suicidal ideation, he is constantly hoping to die in battle, but is too capable and therefore unable to die. He is assigned a partner, Miyaji, who is there to ensure he doesn't succeed in his aim but continues his fight for humanity.

This is very dark but honestly the kind of grit I love. It also had a small amount of humour to break the vibe, but this is a very serious manga which I think could go very far. I genuinely cannot wait to read more of this and I will likely be buying in paperback to continue this story.

<i>I received an ARC of this volume from Kodansha via Netgalley and leave my honest review voluntarily</i>.

Well, the first thing I noticed was that the art wasn't very good, and that I also recognized it as the art from Devils' Line. What Ryo Hanada lacks in drawing skills, she makes up for in story (even though right now it's a pretty standard zombie-ish read) and absolutely bizarre characters. The Blackguard himself is an oddball and he's fine, but if anything happens to Chris I would drop this series so fast. Chris has won me over completely.

Just from reading Devils' Line, I know that there will be more interesting characters introduced as we go on. For now, this is a solid start.

Honestly the concept of an MC who doesn't care for their life is really over done at this point yet this Manga creator's take on that plot point is extremely refreshing.
The troupe of a snappy, extroverted person partnered with a shy, introverted one is here and I love it. As clichéd as it is, this duo has my heart and I really hope we don't get a repeat of what happened in Chainsaw Man.
The art and comic panels are really good to look at but when you do a double take and look at some panels too hard you kind of start see that art is kind of wonky. But it definitely did not affect the story flow and I am really looking forward to reading the next volume.
This is going to be in my recommendations for a post-apocalyptic scifi fantasy Manga.

Really enjoyed this novel, the plot was intriguing and I'm looking forward to reading the next one to see where it goes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha, Vertical Comics, and Ryo Hanada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a zombie-esque storyline in a world where Shojo (monkey-like monsters) first appears forty years in the past. Their bite will transform their victim into one of them and there is no cure. This world has Units-groups of fighters seeking to take back the world and defend what is left of it. Unit 1 is special, as it has only one member: Minami.

While most Unit soldiers use guns to fight, Minami uses his sword. He will never run out of ammo and seems to not care to put his life in danger, seemingly even wanting to die. But why doesn't he just let the monsters kill him? Why does he fight with such finesse? Attempts to add a partner to Minami's unit only result in conflict, but someone has to make sure their best fighter doesn't die.

The art is okay, but not really my favorite style, though I do find it suits the particular genre well and offers a nice edge to the Shojo monsters. The story itself is excellent, an action-packed intrigue from start to finish.

Had high expectations going into this, and they weren't quite met if I'm being completely honest, but it was a good start to the series nevertheless! I found all of the characters really compelling, and definitely want to find out more about them, so will definitely be continuing with the series, and I think there could be a few really cool fight scenes in later volumes...

Who's in the mood for some science fiction with a helping of monsters and gore? If so, then check out Blackguard Volume 1 by Ryo Hanada.

The world is falling apart. Monsters by the name of Shojo roam the land with the ability to make more with a single infectious bite. It isn't a good time to wander the countryside or do anything other than desperately try to survive.

That's where the Guards come into play. They protect the aerial cities that humanity has turned towards. It is their job to step between the people and the Shojo. Minami is one such Guard. He's not like the others. While his presence gives much hope, in truth, Minami has what others would call a death wish.

Wow. I went into Blackguard Volume 1 and got something entirely different. I knew that it would be heavy (the very nature of the plot makes that much evident). But I was unprepared for the depths this graphic novel takes.

If suicidal talk is something you find triggering or uncomfortable, I strongly urge you to seek out another series to dive into. Blackguard Volume 1 doesn't pull punches, which means it addresses Minami's death wish.

I'll give credit to Blackguard Volume 1. It tackles a lot of heavy subjects. While I wasn't a massive fan of everything done in this volume, I can see why others have enjoyed it.

This is an interesting action title! My biggest point of interest was that our lead, while talented at killing the zombie monkeys, as you do when you're the protagonist of this kind of series, the protagonist doesn't want to keep living. He's seeking death, it's just not happening. Honestly, seeing the non-action chapters where he's figuring out what to do with his life when he's not trying to die while fighting. It's an interesting angle.

Blackguard is an interesting read, it’s not that I hated it or anything but rather I just wasn’t a fan. I could tell after the first chapter this wasn’t for me, and might be a series that only hits home with a handful of people.

The story starts with a team of I’m assuming solders losing the whole squad but 1 person, who is saved by BlackGuard, our suicidal main character who goes into battle hoping it’ll be his demise. All due to a chronic mental illness called Morbus Si.

This series was a miss with me, I’m sorry to say.

3.5 stars for this one because the plot is super interesting and this volume sets up a lot of plot threads that I'm intrigued enough to want to give it a second volume chance, but it's that same setup that makes it feel like way too many things are left unexplained. I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and hoping that all the threads tossed in on this first volume develop into a clearer picture soon because I really do see a lot of potential for a fantastic man-made disaster sci-fi here.
The art is very lackluster and plainly unattractive to me for most of the book. There are panels that are studies in minimalist perfection, but those few gems just make the rest of the art feel like the artist didn't have time to finalize the sketches.
Overall, I'm not crazy about it and won't be salivating at the thought of reading the next volume, but I'm willing to pick it up if I ever come across it.

Happy thanks to NetGalley, Kodansha, and Vertical Comics for the intriguing read!

The storyline became more interesting towards the end of the volume in my opinion. It left me wanting to continue reading to see what happens next. Has a darker premise than what I typically read (TW: suicide ideation).

Thank you Kodansha and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Blackguard reminds me of Planet of the Apes somehow and there's some Aeon Flux in it too. The atmosphere is oddly distant and shapeless, which makes this eerie. Minami is a blackguard, famous for killing shojo and well, wanting to die while doing it. Shojo are ape-like creatures, who eat humans. It's virus that transforms humans into these creatures and once you get it, there's no cure. Chris is assigned to be Minami's partner and we mostly look at Minami through his eyes. Minami has a mental disease that makes him want to kill himself and Chris needs to look after the guy, since Minami is needed in the fight for humanity. The setting is interesting and the series is only five books long. We don't get know the characters that well, but somehow that approach works and makes this dead and soulless in a good way. There's a philosophical aspect in it too.

The art looks quite stiff though. Perhaps Hanada's style hasn't found it course yet, since we mostly see talking heads and hardly ever backgrounds. The faces look blank and empty, but that too makes this interesting in a weird way. Sometimes the characters look like a kid had drawn them, which bothers me. I hope the art gets better in the other volumes, since it's the biggest downfall now.

Personal Ratings : 4

A new series from the author of Devils' Line, Vol. 1 , and it was not bad.


Plot : 4/5
Drawing style : 2/5
Characters : 4/5
Overall storyline : 3/5.

I would say, for the first volume of the manga, it started just enough to attract attraction to readers to continue the series.

Short Summary
Set in a dystopian world where a deadly virus had invaded Earth and turned humans into Shojos; monkey-like-creatures who eats humans and infect others too, the Reserve Unit Nanao Minami is one of the most famous guards in town. Known for his suicidal ideation and famous sword skills, Minami pairs up with Miyaji and a study of his character is involved. A story that looks normal on the surface, but its quite deep.

Personal Thoughts
Whilst I didn't like the drawing style as much, the plot was actually not bad. It has the vibes of Osamu Dazai who has a suicide ideation but is somehow just a naive person when his character is studied. Volume 1 served an introduction of characters and the current situation of what had happened to the world. It had the vibes of Psychopath but with more action as it handles with a virus that went rampant, in which turned humans into monsters. There is a philosophical vibes to it, and I honestly don't mind it. Would definitely pick up the second volume as I'm curious to see how Minami's character will grow, and I suspect that it will be a good one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for this e-copy of this manga!

I actually really ended up liking this manga. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic future in Tokyo where this virus has taken over and makes humans turn into these ape like beasts that feast on human flesh. The main character, Minami is incredibly skilled at killing them but he also has a death wish.

Minami was interesting. I hope we get to see more into why he’s wanting to die so bad considering he doesn’t seem to really have learned to live either. The ending really surprised me too with new characters being introduced. I feel like volume 2 will hold a lot of answers to many of the questions that still remain!

The art style wasn’t my favourite and felt sort of blank at times but I didn’t entirely mind it by the end of this first volume. It seemed to really fit Minami’s character.

But overall, this was an action packed story full of gore and death and fighting and even a budding new friendship! Though to be warned there is a lot of talk of suicide!

3.5/5

In 2030, humanity visits another planet and brings back samples. One of them is a virus. One day the virus gets loose. Everyone infected turns into a mindless beast, hungry for uninfected flesh. One bite will infect you and rapidly turn you into one of them. Years later, elite groups of fighters are trained to try and combat the problem. The majority of them use guns. The are split into teams and cover assigned areas while other live safely in one of the last remaining stronghold cities.

Within that elite group is an even more elite group. Reserve units usually made up of 2 or more soldiers who are deemed the best of the best. One of them is known as Blackguard, a young man with a death wish who goes into battle equipped with only a sword. Usually he works alone because he dives head long into situations, hoping to die fighting. He is teamed up with another soldier when the higher ups start worrying about his mental help. Basically, they gave him a babysitter. And the babysitter is initially not impressed.

The two of them struggle to find some balance as a team, but forces within the guard have other ideas. One wants to destroy them. One wants to join them. Volume one sets the reader up for what looks to be an awesome series!

So what did I think about this start to a new series in particular?

It's interesting. If I had to compare it to other works I would say it's a strong mix of Resident Evil, and Attack on Titan with a side dash of Planet of the Apes. You might even call it a cautionary tale for future generations...if we ever get out of our tiny part of space.

I really enjoyed Minami (Blackguard). He's an interesting character who begins his journey being stuck in this dreary, partly of his own making, life; wanting to die, but only going so far as to hoping to die in battle. He doesn't just off himself and he doesn't just let the infected kill him. It's like this weird Klingon/Viking hope that he will die well, in battle, doing his best but failing anyway. It's both respectable and yet, to some probably, upsetting to think about. Only, he never thought of offing himself until someone asks him why he hasn't. The answer to this question comes from an unlikely source.

The art was quite striking, in it's own way. But I wouldn't say it blew me away. It actually reminds me a little of the art style of the early 2000s....

Trigger warnings for readers:
lots of blood,
gun and sword violence
death & murder depicted
suicidal character

The story was very fascinating because she plays in 2071 and I like the drawings a lot. They are simpel but very beautiful. The first pages are in color. A apocalyptic story about a virus what wants destroy the world, isn't something new but I didn't see monsters like this (Looking like monkeys. It would be very nice if the Manga would come to Germany because in Japan are some parts published.

I like trying all sorts of new (to me) manga. Some are to my taste, some not so much. Sometimes I suspect that going in, sometimes I don't.

I will say that my affection for dystopian media pretty much begins and ends with X-Men's Days of Future Past.

So while this was definitely not my favorite read, it wasn't through any fault of its own. The harsh art style (not to my taste) suited the story (which was also harsh and not to my taste.)

Sci-fi and fantasy manga have it hardest because they have to balance world building with character development within a limited amount of pages. Blackguard did alright with that balance, though none of the characters really grabbed me. (Not their fault, this one is purely on the reader - me.)

So if you like dark dystopian, go for it. If you've read The Hunger Games and you're done now, maybe pass.