As a fan of monster-themed manga, I was excited to dive into "Hella Chill Monsters vol 1" by Shuji Takeya. The artwork is vibrant and dynamic, and the concept of chill monsters living among humans is refreshing. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that the storyline lacked depth. While the characters were quirky and entertaining, I found myself wanting more development and backstory. Additionally, some of the jokes fell flat for me, making it feel a bit forced at times. Overall, "Hella Chill Monsters vol 1" is a fun read for a lazy afternoon, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me in terms of substance.

Personally not for me and I didn't enjoy this but I can imagine many other readers, especially younger readers, would really enjoy this.

"Hella Chill Monsters, Volume 1" by Shuji Takeya is a unique and entertaining graphic novel that combines horror and humor in a captivating way. Takeya's storytelling expertise shines as he brings to life a world of monsters with a twist of satire. The book's imaginative creatures and clever narratives create an immersive reading experience that resonates with fans of both horror and humor. Takeya's ability to blend elements of the supernatural with witty commentary adds depth to the storytelling, making it a must-read for those who enjoy a fresh and unconventional take on the genre. "Hella Chill Monsters, Volume 1" is a delightful journey that invites readers to explore the lighter and darker sides of the monster world, leaving them amused and intrigued by the unexpected encounters that lie within its pages.

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my netgalley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

I LOVED this graphic novel. The illustrations were amazing, the colors were vibrant and eye-catching, and the storyline? unique and engaging. well worth the read!!

This one was pretty cute. I really loved the art here, the scheme, and the designs, they were cute for me. I definitely would love to see more of this story or volume!

Fun story that I would love to carry on reading. It is not an author I have read from before but I would be interested in trying other works written by them. Love the cover as well as its part of what drew me to picking up the story

I mean, it's cute and inoffensive, but kind of boring? Feels like reading a cartoon - but not in a good way. Unsure what age group it's supposed to be geared towards.

What a cute little comic. I adored the art style, kinda like a funky Lumberjanes style.
The story was overall good, I really enjoyed the characters but I couldn't help but feel like it was missing out on a lot of the story... like this was a sequel and I was missing some of the back story. Maybe I will feel more connection to the characters as I read more in the series?

Summary:

We've heard hundreds of variations of what the afterlife can bring us. Now it's time to see a new take on Limbo, aka Limbo City. To some, it's a perfectly fine way to spend eternity. For others, like Bonzo Scalobania, it can get quite dull.

Bonzo wants to become a famous skeleton detective, which is rather hard in a place where no murders can occur. Not much of anything happens around here, and it's starting to get to Bonzo. But he's determined to find a case (and some thrills) no matter what!

Review:

I'll confess, I picked up Hella Chill Monsters, Vol. 1 because I loved the cover. The colors and characters looked so cute; I couldn't resist! However, the story inside really does hold up. It's fun and a bit chaotic but in the best way possible.

Bonzo's character steals the show, as to be expected. However, several other delightful characters help to flesh out this world (pun not intended, but very much appreciated). Without them, I don't think the overall message would have been nearly so heartwarming.

If you get the chance to pick up and read Hella Chill Monsters, Vol. 1, I would strongly recommend doing so. It is cute, endearing, and heartwarming, with a side of paranormal chaos. In short, it's pretty perfect.

Highlights:
Chill monsters
Humor
Paranormal
Fantastic character names
Undead
Heartwarming

This manga was an absolute delight, I LOVED it. Hella Chill Monsters follows a "detective agency" in a monstrous world. The afterlife is unfortunately peaceful for Bonzo, who wants nothing more than a real mystery for him and his friends to solve. Told mostly in little vignettes, I adored every character and came away needing a full series. It was whacky, weird, and overall very heartwarming, and I would highly recommend this!

This book was so stinking cute! The art was adorable and the characters were super endearing. I love cute monsters so this was right up my alley. Bonzo is a skeleton detective, but where they live in the underworld is kind of like paradise for the dead where there aren't really very many mysteries to solve. This means that instead Bonzo just ends up doing odd jobs for his friendly monster neighbors. What he desperately wants is a thrilling mystery to solve!

Ultimately the story just follows Bonzo fixing the messes his friends end up making, but he has a fun time doing it. A truly heartwarming tale of the undead and their lives in Limbo.

Fun bunch of vignettes with some interesting characters; the art style is cute and engaging and the world built is unique and interesting. Wish there was a print edition.

Chill and funny af with short chapters too! Highly recommended and I laugh a lot during the time I read this book.
Thanks Netgalley and Kodansha for the advanced copy!

This is a cute manga. The stories are short and sweet, and I adored the bubbly artwork. The characters are also a lot of fun. This isn't something that I necessarily felt compelled to read more of, but it's a perfect light read for someone who wants just a bit of spooky in their life.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read the first volume!

First of all, art style is completely adorable and I am obsessed with it. Personally, I like really gritty media consumption, but every so often I need a boost of some cute humor.

Would recommend to those who like fantasy/Action genre but wanting easy consumption.

I enjoyed this manga quite a bit! It's spooky, cutest, and super duper cute to read! Very fun manga to read for Halloween.

Very cute manga in the kawai dark trend, with monsters and death themes for something dripping with cuddliness and good intentions. This might not be up the alley of all but will delight the budding gothic lolita.
Personally, this is the thing I enjoy reading one comic strip from time to times, but a whole manga dedicated to it is a little much. I would have liked a little more story, like with Night Cry by Borja González in the same cute/dark trend. But people who know the genre will no doubt enjoy.

i thought this was a cute manga, i really love the art it was amazing. love the characters as well they are adorable and have their own personality.

Review to come to blog/goodreads on October 9th.

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

This was even more fun than I had expected! I had hoped for something silly, but this was just so much more silly and fun! 

What if you cross Watanuki with Draluc. I could compare some others, but seriously the MC just reminded me of both Watanuki and Draluc because of his love for cooking and baking + being excellent in cleaning, then when he gets roped into for chores he does it both with frustration but also does them with fervour (so Watanuki) along with him constantly falling apart (like Draluc). He was such a fun main character and I just kept hoping for him to get a big case. Something that would really mean he would need to think hard and really go through all the possibilities. Is he getting it in this volume? Well, I don't want to spoil it. So haha, but I will tell that he did get some fun cases. Including something blocking the pipes in a house. Or that one time when two people got sucked into the sea. I loved how he was both eager to do things (he is so dedicated to become a fantastic super duper detective), but then also had days he just wanted to rest (though he has to be careful about that, because there are two kinds of resting and you definitely don't want one of them). 

As the story goes along with meet many more residents and friends of Bonzo. From Frankenstein Monsters sisters to a sweet girl from the nearby kindergarten (who has a weak spot for Bonzo) to Bonzo's assistant and grumpy vampire: Vampy (yes, that is indeed his name). It was great fun to see all these characters and I loved how much they cared for Bonzo. I am not sure how I felt about Nero though. I mean, he just was rude. Bonzo was so kind to him and instead of being nice back he just kept shooting stuff, trying to explode him, or other things. Sure, at times he dropped that stuff, but for most of the book I just wasn't a fan. 

This manga was just so silly and weird that I laughed a lot while reading it. Bonzo constantly falling apart was also hilarious. That one time the kids from the kindergarten stole his head. Oh no. XD There is never a dull moment in the manga and you just go from one thing to another and I love love that. I could use some distraction so this was perfect. 

The art took me a bit to get used to. The style was just a bit strange. But in the end I can say that I like it and that I think it fits very well with the randomness of the manga. 

I definitely would love some more volumes! And I would recommend this one if you want a silly, wacky, strange manga with fantastic (well, except for Nero) characters.