A very cute slice of life with some comedic elements. I did think this would lean more towards romance, especially with the whole "pact partner" thing, but it really doesn't. It's a cute story, but it feels like it was meant to be a longer series that ended up getting compressed into a single volume. Certain story beats are completely skipped, and the ending is technically a cliffhanger. The bonus chapter resolves the ending so hastily, it was clear it was tacked on at the very last second. The art was wonderful, though, I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

A hungover vampire visits a family-run bath house and makes a contract with the handsome Sakura who works there, becoming a handsome nuisance and needing Sakura's blood to keep his magic levels high. Luka isn't a traditional vampire--he's a demon who is energized by blood, unlike other demons who are energized by ice or the moon. Enjoying the easy-going life of the human world, he decides to live there with Sakura full time.

There isn't much substance to 'A Vampire in the Bathhouse'. If you're looking for a low-stakes, somewhat queer, softly paranormal manga... well, you have plenty of options, and this is one of them. I don't think there's much to make 'A Vampire in the Bathhouse' stand out from its peers. The characters are relatively tired manga tropes, the demon world isn't explored in much detail, and while there are some jokes that land, others are dependent on how funny you find naked people.

In spite of the nudity-inspired humor, it's a relatively clean manga, so I won't underestimate it as a good start for a curious-about-queer-identities teen. In fact, the usual eroticism of vampires drinking blood is neglected here, with Sakura not even exhibiting bite marks after Luka gets his fill. Luka and Sakura aren't together-together, their intimate contract and Luka's line about how if he runs completely out of energy he'll need to restore it with sex imply a lot, especially if there are future volumes. I still think 'Our Dining Table' and 'What Did You Eat Yesterday?' are stronger contenders for cozy BL, but to someone who wants something with a more fantasy twist and is a younger age, 'A Vampire in the Bathhouse' might do a better job at scratching that itch.

I actually didn't expect to like this one so much! I thought the idea was a bit too silly and some of it is, which is why I gave it four instead of five stars. It had cute romance scenes and funny bits that make you laugh. Makes for a good light-hearted read.
Digital copy provided by NetGalley

A cute manga one shot about a vampire that's looking for a place to re-energize and a human man who runs a bath house with his family.
It's a quirky, comedic manga with some PG queer baiting. Luka, the vampire, teases Sakura, but they never cross the line to romance.
There's a subtle message about found family and the joy of being a part of a community. I found the art style quite pleasing and enjoyed the six short stories within the volume.

Reading the title definitely sounds like it is completely random but it did grab my attention and I was glad that I was able to pick this up. With everything that has occurred within the story, it feels like I am inside the bath house myself.

The comfort that the characters bring is something that I really like. It feels domestic and heartwarming. Having a completely unexpected found family is one of my favourite things in the world. There are a lot of parts that certainly made me smile along with the cozy fantasy elements that feels like a warm hug. The art style itself is also beautiful. I can’t wait to read more of this author.

A very humorous and adorable manga, I love the concept of a vampire finding interest in the human world and people, particularly humans and their hot springs! The art style is also dazzling and suits the story well. I love the characters and their unique personalities as well. I got a good laugh from this story!

Firstly, I have to say that the artistry in this story is absolutely phenomenal. The concept is super alluring too—a demon vampire indulges in a human realm bathhouse after suffering a painful hangover.

I really loved Luka and found myself giggling at his first experiences in the human world. His reactions to our food, our weather, our people, and our customs were very funny and silly. I laughed out loud when the vampire is shocked that we allow mosquitoes to suck on our blood! It was the little comments like that which allowed this shine for me. There is also a sweet found family sprinkled in here which added a nice touch.

My only criticism is that some of the stories ended quite abruptly which threw me off.

Overall, a fun and creative manga with a cozy premise. I was left wanting to read more.

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC.
#VampireintheBathhouse #NetGalley

Thank you for considering me for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this first instalment of Vampire in the Bathhouse. The characters, the dialogue and the art style was all hugely enjoyable. I found myself wanting more and cannot wait to continue the series as more volumes are released.

3.5 rounded to 4

I enjoyed the art in this story and I loved the concept of it. But the way it played out wasn't what I was expecting and I just didn't connect with it the best. I think it's a cute story overall and has some great humor, but it's not exactly what I'm in the mood for. So not sure I would continue this series.

4 Stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A super fun and cute manga.

A short story in which a vampire moves into a hot spring and gets paired up with the owner of it.

A slice of life full of sweet situations.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own*
A super cute, light,fast paced, and hilarious read. All of the characters are so loveable and I am really hoping for another book because I love them all so much!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

This manga has an absolutely gorgeous art style. The story is very slice-of-life, and very sweet. If this were the first book in a series, I'd give it 5 stars. However, the book is sold as being a complete story in one volume, but it doesn't really feel complete. It's marketed as LGBTQIA+, but it's definitely not a romance, as nothing ever happens between the main characters (what makes it LGBTQIA+ is that the man vampire is bi/pan and flirts with the human character. It also feels like there's a lot missing between the final chapter and the bonus scene, and if that bonus scene weren't included, it'd absolutely feel like the story isn't complete at all.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC 💙

This was just a funny and cute time. Although it is labeled as lgbtq, there really isn't a romance, but moreso you could see it maybe becoming one in the distant future (the timeline of the manga is short so they naturally haven't known each other long!). I didn't mind; I enjoy when casual lgbt rep is included in stories. If you like humor, cute characters with big hearts, and vampires, this is the manga for you. It definitely made me smile and giggle as I read it.

Incredibly silly story with heart-warming moments. The characters are really cute, especially the younger brother who has super bite-able cheeks; and while the plot didn't really move in any particular direction, reading the characters interact in a domestic way was so fun. I love Luka and his self-confidence - we should all learn to love ourselves as much as he does. I feel like the story was a tad weak, but that's absolutely to be expected with the first volume of a manga series. Getting to know the characters and the setting is the most important part of a first volume, and this manga did that quite well.

A hungover centuries old vampire is searching the realm wide web when he comes across Full Moon Baths, a Japanese bathhouse, that ‘melts away exhaustion‘ and ‘loosens up creaky old bodies‘.

I found this extremely funny and cute. It’s just a silly goofy time.

It’s got great characters, the relationship between the mcs are sweet and endearing and it’s even got a bit of story to keep it interesting. It also has a summer festival chapter, a sports meet, and a photoshoot chapter.

They did a great job with the localization and the writing is wonderful in this one. It had a lot of really thoughtful touches that brought everything together. This just also matched my sense of humor really well.

A Vampire in the Bathhouse:

📌low stakes & light hearted
📌supernatural: vampires & demons (the cute versions)
📌no spice
📌found family
📌queer undertones

This manga was SO cute and so domestic. It made me laugh out loud and the art was beautiful. I’m hoping there will be more coming out because I’d really love to see the story expanded upon!

Actual rating 3.5 stars

When I saw the cover for this manga, I KNEW that I had to have this in my grubby little hands IMMEDIATELY. I mean, look at that vampire *insert heart eye emoji* and the rubber duckies add a nice touch.

A Vampire in the Bathhouse explores themes of queer love, belonging, and found family. I really like how the vampires see the value of humanity, how it is about connection that truly builds strong relationships and community. Every single character is so fun! I especially liked to see Pequeño - to see Spanish integrated into the story so seamlessly was wonderful! And I wonder how that translation was chosen from it's original language.

Overall, this was such a fun read! I can't wait to see what other fun adventures Luka, Sakura, Umeno-suke, and Pequeño get into!

A rather lighthearted and nice read! I was drawn in by the vampire queer themes and it was nice to read a non-romance story with several queer elements. It wasn’t anything spectacular but decent.

A Vampire in the Bathhouse is a humorous and heartwarming manga with a fun found-family dynamic. The story follows a group of demons who discover the concept of bathhouses on Earth—and naturally decide they have to try them for themselves.

What stood out to me was the surprisingly thoughtful message woven throughout the story, which gave the manga a very humanizing touch despite its supernatural cast. I really enjoyed the blend of comedy and warmth.

My only complaint? It's a one-shot. I wish there were more!

It wasn't really... my cup of tea. The drawings were nice, super nice, even. But I felt like the whole story was super rushed. The pace was too much, We jumped from one event to another so fast I didn't really get a chance to grow accustomed to the characters. For me, they weren't very likeable too. All of them were simple archetypes of manga/anime characters. Their personalities were nothing new. And so I didn't identify with any of the characters, that's a shame. Personally, Luka and Yomi irritated me. Only Pequeno was a total cutie. The only good things, besides art, were Sakura in a bunny suit and Yomi coming from the bathtub wearing clothes. Maybe I'm too old, but flashing naked men (well, censored but still), especially their butts wasn't neither funny nor compelling for me. There were two (...?) funny moments for me, first during the game, where Luka got disqualified and second where Yomi, in his small form, introduced himself as the king of night to some people and always got interrupted by Sakura. I also hoped for a more developed romance between those main guys... I think I wish Sakura had stayed in Yomi's baths instead.


Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC!