**Thank you, NetGalley, for sending me an ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.**

I loved this manga! The art, the story, and the characters—everything was so enjoyable. Every character felt special and likable, especially both main leads. The artwork is amazing, super detailed, and a real pleasure to look at.

The story itself is simple, with a few familiar tropes, but it still kept me interested. What really stood out was the fresh take on vampires and their lore—it felt different from what I’ve read before. But the best part? The found family vibes. The cozy setting, the friendships, the sweet and happy atmosphere—it all made for such a warm, comforting read. There’s no heavy drama or angst, just a light, fun story.

That said, there’s one thing bothering me: can I really call this a romance? There’s an implied connection between the two leads, but they never actually talk about feelings—not even a kiss. Sure, the vampire feeds from the human a few times, and there’s a joking mention of sex, but things never go further than that. It almost feels more like a YA or even middle-grade story in terms of romance (or lack thereof).

Maybe this is just the first step, and a follow-up volume will explore their relationship more deeply? Who knows? Either way, it’s still a good read, and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for something light, heartwarming, and low on angst. Just don’t go in expecting a full-blown romance.

3.5⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Niko Izuki for an e-ARC of this manga!

Luka is a powerful vampire who gets too drunk one day and stumbles into a human bathhouse ran by an overworked Sakura. Sakura becomes Luka's pact partner (wink wink) and the two balance their budding friendship/relationship while Sakura runs his family's business and takes care of his little brother, Umenosoke.

This comic was cozy and wholesome. I loved the art, and I enjoyed watching the goofy dynamic between Luka and Sakura, as Luka gets to know Sakura and humanity better, and as Sakura gets a grip on how Luka is such a powerful being. I thought Umenosuke was so adorable, and the way he cared about Pequeno (Luka's assistant/partner) when he was sick was sweet!!

I will have to say, I guess this is a LGBTQ relationship between Sakura and Luka. Unfortunately, I don't think there was much time spent on their relationship to emphasize that they were together or that they had feelings for each other. There was an ample amount of time spent talking about all of the characters, so I feel like this was more of a cozy/adventure/slice of life manga than M-M Romance.

I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity!

This was a really silly and fun read! I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed by the "romance"- if you could call it that. This is a very fun manga if you're going into it for a very silly, Spirited Away-kinda vibe, with minimal romance, and no spice (not that this is a problem, just that it was advertised differently). Definitely a very low key and fun manga, a nice cleanser after some horror!

A fun and comedic manga!
i thought the premise was super fun andni loved how easycit was to get into the story and how the story went!

Vampire Luca, seeking rest and respite, decides to visit a Japanese bathhouse in the human world, where he is an immediate convert to the benefits of hot springs. Sakura, the eldest son of the family that owns the bathhouse, is more stressed about being short-staffed than anything else. Luca decides to get a job. Hijinks ensue

That's the premise, and that's what you get - nothing more, nothing less. Despite being shelved as a LGBT manga, the romance is minimal and the sexual content kept far off the page. Instead it's more family feels you get, between Sakura and his brother and Luca and his minions. Mostly it's just a cute read. I thought the art was lovely, and conveyed the relaxing atmosphere and the little town quite well. 

However, the scenarios the characters get into are trope-y enough to tip toward cliche, and Sakura becomes overshadowed by all the magical antics and his adorable little brother. I was also surprised that the cliffhanger at the end of the volume was resolved with a hand-wave away in the bonus chapter - what was the point of it? I guess the next volume might show some of the time covered between the cliffhanger and that bonus strip, but I'm not really compelled to read on.

This was actually such a delight!

I went into this rather blind, and wasn't sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed this manga! 💛

What I loved:
🛀 Magical bathhouse - where demons keep popping out
🛀Vampire Demon x Bath house owner (MM romance!!)
🛀slife of life moments that were so sweet
🛀found family, with an adorable little brother!
🛀the illustrations were really well done (especially for Luka I love him)

This is marketed for more mature audiences (I think 16+) so keep that in mind! there were some sexual innuendo but not as much as I was expecting. There’s a bit of light romance, but honestly the best part was the found family aspect and the everyday moments.


thank you netgalley for the arc!

Full disclosure, I did not finish this book. The review is for the portion I did read.

This was my first time reading Manga. I love anime and graphic novels so I figured Id give the format a go! Unfortunately, I think my brain really needs color to stay engaged and so I ended up dnf'ing this.

What I did read was very fun. I liked the relationship between the brothers and the concept of otherworldly creatures trying to fit into our realm is always rife with shenanigans.

I didn't *love* the concept of needing to sleep with the bonded person to fully restore his magic but it wasn't a deal breaker.

Overall I think this story is exactly what it says on the tin. If readers are interested based on the cover and synopsis, they're likely to enjoy it! (We love straightforward marketing).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e arc.

This was such a fun, silly manga about an otherworldly vampire moving into a bathhouse. Right as Sakura’s family owned bathhouse finds itself short staffed, Luka and his demon helper teleport in, becoming the helping hands Sakura needs and maybe even a part of the family. We get the high jinks of the immortal vampire trying to figure out the human realm and some found family sweetness. It says this is a complete story, but I think there could be a sequel.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Based on the cover and blurb, I was expecting more light-hearted bathhouse antics and playful chaos, but the story leaned much more into slice-of-life territory, and not in a way that felt particularly cohesive. The story jumped around a lot, which made it hard to stay fully engaged.

The humour didn’t really land for me either. On top of that, I found the artwork quite cluttered at times, which made it difficult to follow the flow of the panels, especially during busier scenes.

That said, the character designs were gorgeous. There’s a lot of charm in the artwork when things slow down a bit, and I can see how the aesthetic might appeal to other readers even if it didn’t quite work for me. It’s also worth noting that this is a complete one-shot, so if you’re after something quirky and self-contained, you might enjoy this.

Overall, not quite my taste, but I can appreciate the unique vibe it was going for.

A Vampire in the Bathhouse is an adorable read centring around a vampire who takes a trip into the human realm and decides he quite likes the little family he’s stumbled upon. Anyone looking for a pure, fluffy, just silly fun read that is lighthearted and isn’t plot heavy, I think this book is worth picking up! I read it in one sitting, quietly giggling to myself as shenanigans happen on page. Each chapter is almost its own self-contained story, and the stakes are pretty low, so you’re free to enjoy the cuteness without stressing about what’s to come. The continuity chapter to chapter can be a little choppy due to the book being composed of smaller stories that make up the finished manga, but it doesn’t detract too much from the story. All you really need to know is that there’s goofy vampires, a very put upon older brother, an adorable little brother, and his new otherworldly friend having mundane adventures with just a splash of magic!

It’s a short and heartwarming manga. I loved the characters, the story was good and I adored the relationships between everyone! It really made me feel like they were a family. I highly recommend it if you enjoy cute and heartwarming stories!

Overall this is a very cute manga. It was a bit too over the top for me personally, however those that enjoy the cutesy, over the top, manga will enjoy this.

Delightful read - I finished the volume in one sitting! For readers who enjoyed Pixie Pop and Ouran High School Host Club.

This story is not only beautifully illustrated, but also so heartwarming, wholesome, hilarious, imaginative, and just overall fun! I genuinely enjoyed every second of reading it. And I’m obsessed with Poqueno now, he was so cute!!!

quick read. Was a little too twee for my taste but I am glad i read it.
The interactions were exceedingly well handled. I would def see what other works this author has. The artwork was surprisingly amazing. Much better than the writing I thought!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)

Cozy, quirky, and just the right amount of ridiculous!

“A Vampire in the Bathhouse” was exactly what I needed — a light, funny, and surprisingly heartwarming break from heavier reads. It’s a standalone manga, which I really appreciated since I didn’t have to commit to a long series, and it still felt complete and satisfying by the end.

3.5 stars rounded down!
A fun little read, I really enjoyed the characters and the art style! will definitely keep an eye out for more of the author /follow ups to this story!

This was a really cute and fun one! I'm a big fan of when a light, funny story is paired with really good, accomplished art. The art style is gorgeous without detracting from the humor. My only minor complaint is that this would've benefitted from the current trend of producing graphic novels with one spotlight color--i.e. The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All, which has electric green. There were so many references to Sakura's pink hair that it became distracting that it wasn't pink on the page.

A Vampire in the Bathhouse was a very calm yet disappointingly boring read. It has a great iyashi-kei concept, yet fails to deliver any form of hook in its short stories and concludes with another chapter that lacks any storyline reward. The only positive for me was the queer-normativity and the art style. Other than that, the manga lacked a character and a story for me.

The vampire comes to the bathhouse, and the bathhouse's current owner and runner, Sakura, doesn't have any response whatsoever other than a slight shock at him being naked. There is so much uncovered and unshown about the world of the story, which didn't help with the general reactions from the human characters. It just came off as though the author had a lot of ideas which would be really nice to see if they flourished on their own, but didn't know how to execute them all together and ended up with a quite shallow mix of all.

I should note that despite my complaints, I do not hate this book; it just didn't deliver on my liking for iyashi-kei and did not make me feel anything but boredom. If you like manga that is more on the nothing-happens and there are very low stakes for almost anything and everything type, this is for you.

That is why I cannot find it in me to give it 3 stars, as I didn't enjoy it, but didn't hate it either. I often forgot that I was reading it and only remembered when I reopened the NetGalley app or the Currently Reading pile on Goodreads.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Niko Izuki for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

🧛🧛🧛 Three vampires

"Our enemies are within ourselves, and our battles rage within our souls."

A Vampire in the Bathhouse was not what I expected it to be. Firstly, it's marketed as being queer, but it's not a romance and mentions same sex relations approximately three times in passing, which was as queer as it got. Nothing else about it was inherently queer besides being a generally camp and weird little slice of life, cozy fantasy, vampire and demons infiltrating a human bathhouse with their shenanigans fun time, but it's not a queer romance in the slightest, so don't go into it thinking that it is.

In saying that, I didn't find it lacking because there wasn't any romance. It was entertaining without it. I laughed, I smiled, I felt warm and fuzzy. The hour or so it took me to read A Vampire in the Bathhouse was a fun one, if a little confusing at times. The ending was particularly abrupt, I'd have liked more of the story to unfold as a penultimate chapter rather than as one sentence of dialogue in the final chapter of the book, but that's just me. I like closure, and what I got felt like the author kind of couldn't be bothered with the story anymore, sadly.

Still, A Vampire in the Bathhouse was a fun story and I'd read a second instalment should one ever come into being.