This was fun!
Volume one is still in the getting to know the characters phase (and there are a lot of them!), but there was enough plot to keep me interested.

Only quibble, there were a couple (I think actually 2) unnecessarily juvenile moments - one was an up the skirt shot, and a naked shower scene. So I guess the preteen boys will be satisfied.

Recommended

Thanks to Net Galley and Kodansha Comics for an ARC!

I really liked this manga. From the beginning, I knew it would be my cup of tea, mainly in the drawing style.

We meet the male protagonist, who is tasked with protecting his childhood friend (for no saying crush), who turns out to be none other than the illegitimate daughter of a yakuza boss. This puts her life in danger. So, the protagonist is tasked with taking down the killers alongside going to the same school clase.
It reminds me a bit of the trope "lady and knight," but in bodyguard format. The relationship between them is very cute. There are enough scenes about their feelings to root for them, but it doesn't quite reach the level of a shoujo manga.

What I enjoyed most was the amount of action the manga has. It's not so much that you can't understand what's going on, but it's enough to enjoy a good fight. Love the action-romance balance in this.

And what I loved most by far was the design of the side characters (spoiler: bodyguards yakuzas disguised as all classmates). I think the vast majority have an unique appearence, and although not all of them appear for long in this volume, it makes me curious to get to know them better. It has a lot of potential; I will continue reading. :)

Ofc it's not perfect, it's that type of manga that you have to forget the logic thinking a bit to enjoy it reading, but thats how almost every manga works anyway.

Highly recommended for a light and enjoyable read with action and a touch of romance.

4/5 🌟

I have to say I was obsessed with this one within the first page. The art work is fantastic and the story is so fun. Ibuki is so funny and I love how he and Honeko interact and the whole class really. It’s funny, action packed and keeps you hooked. I’ve already preordered the other volumes and bought volume one and two.

As always thank you to Kodansha Comics for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

This is the best manga I have read all year! I read it all in one sitting because IT WAS THAT GOOD.

Now the plot isn't overly groundbreaking, but it is done so well! I am a sucker for oblivious girl/protective guy trope, and so I was destined to love this. Ibuki's is a hot-headed thug who is just trying to protect his childhood friend that he obviously doesn't have feelings for (...sure). He gives Kyo vibes (for my Fruit's Basket lovers). I can't wait to become even more whipped for Akabane as the story progresses.

It's funny, it's action packed, and the TWISTS AND TURNS. IMMACULATE!

100/10 I cannot waiting to get my hands on the next volume! I am already OBSESSED.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Kodansha Comics for giving me a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

It is amazing just how long it took for this to be officially translated, but FINALLY! It is very cliche in nearly every way, but it executes itself so well that you have to give it a pass. A classroom army of awesome assassins, a bickering tsundere couple, epic fight scenes--and all done in such an expressive art style that gives it so much life in every single way. It is an absolute fun read, and I hope it does stick its landing despite what Internet naysayers have commented, heheh.

Only points deducted for not keeping the possible gay. LAME.

This was a quick paced funny as hell read! I loved that from page one there was action. I never felt that things were stalling. I also really enjoyed seeing a little bit of teenage angst.

Honeko and Ibuki were hilarious together. It was funny seeing Ibuki trying to remain discreet while protecting her & Honeko perceiving it as something else.

I’m curious to see how things will unfold in future volumes!

This was amusing and a good 35 min read, but it didn’t come across as ground breaking or original. Light comedy, standard art style, and a goofy premise. It’s manga 101, and while that’s not a bad hand at all, I have been reading manga for over 30 years at this point. I would have liked more originality.

Translation didn’t feel clunky, so that’s a plus.

2.5

Honeko Akabane is the daughter of a top yakuza boss, only he had her adopted by a normal family in hopes that she could have a normal life. Word has gotten out that he is planning to retire and people are worried that he is going to chose his unknown daughter as his successor. Natural people want to kill her. So what does her old man do? Hires a huge amount of bodyguards to protect his child, without her knowing it.

Arakuni is hired as well. Son of a former member of the gang, and childhood friend to the daughter, he is chosen to help keep her safe by staying close to her. While his classmates are professionals, they don’t know Akabane so they don’t anticipate her ability to get herself into trouble just by trying to be a fair class president. But Arakuni does, so he can anticipate her moves and this helps him be, possibly, her best bodyguard. And, he’s the only one trusted to know there is a mole in their presence.

A fun manga series for anyone who likes the idea of an over the top protection team taking out bad guy assassins while trying to stay completely undercover around their asset. Arakuni can de away with it cause Akabane has known him as a brash person since they were kids. But everyone else has to pretend to be normal around her.

I found this super entertaining. The art style is quite bold, which really suits the style of story they are trying to convey. There's lots of action for anyone who likes battle scenes.

I enjoyed it! Super fun and totally addictive! Packed with hilarious action, lovable characters, and just the right amount of romantic tension, Honeko Akabane's Bodyguards is a must-read for fans of school-action romcoms. The art is stylish, the pacing is sharp, and every chapter leaves you wanting more.

It is a good art style and the concept of the series is one I could see other people liking but I found the dialogue pretty early on to be off-putting and awkward (in how it is written, not in what was actually being said).

honeko akabane’s bodyguards is a fun, action-packed manga with a romcom twist!
honeko, an ordinary high school girl, is actually a daughter of a yakuza leader and she’s being targeted by assassins but she is completely unaware. the only one who knows this is her childhood best friend ibuki, who becomes her bodyguard in order to protect her and he has to keep everything a secret!
i loved the art and the premise was so entertaining, full of twists and turns! ibuki and honeko's interactions were really funny and cute. i loved everyone in class 3-4 and their varying personalities and skills.
i know this was made into a live-action movie last year so i was really intrigued and i'll definitely check out the next volumes!
～thank you to kodansha comics and netgalley for the arc!

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Honeko Akabane's Bodyguards, Vol. 1 by Masamitsu Nigatsu was a hilarious and heartfelt manga volume about a delinquent's childhood friend, the secret child of a gang leader, who has assassins sent after her. It is up to her friend and the whole rest of her class of 22 trained bodyguards to watch her back and protect her without her ever knowing a thing. This was great and so different from anything else I've read. Several scenes took me by surprise and charmed me completely. Definitely one of the best new series I've read this year.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for showing me this manga.

It feels like your typical highschooler romance manga with yazukas going after the FL and ML being her bodyguard because of it. Really love the art tho!

Honeko Akabane's Bodyguards has a lot more going for it than the blurb indicates. At its core, it's a bodyguard plot with a yakuza premise, but our characters are in high school. Without giving away any spoilers (story points not covered by the blurb), the main thing you have to prepare yourself for is that the world in which the story exists is some weird alternate universe where yakuza can get away with an awful lot while staying incognito. Somewhere in this world, there's a possible romance that might happen, or who knows, it might just be the suspension bridge effect at work. I'm a bit skeptical about how the huge number of characters will actually work for the story, but this first volume does end at a good enough note that I would be interested in reading the second volume.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC!

I really liked the blend of action and humor in this manga. I also enjoyed how over the top everything was. I'm also interested in seeing how the relationship between Arakuni and Akabane progresses in the next volume.

I zoomed through this manga volume--it was really fun overall! While there were various tropes and plot twists, I still enjoyed myself while reading and can't wait to continue the series! I'm rooting for everyone and am curious on what will happen next.

This was a manga volume that I flew through!
It's a bit cliche but it did what it had to do!

It was entertaining and enough to pass the time!

I'm not sure if I will continue with the series in the nearby future but that was pretty fun!

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for allowing me to read the eARC.

It is a light and entertaining read, perfect for when you want something undemanding. The vibrant artwork complements the fast-paced action scenes nicely, enhancing the overall experience. While it did not blow me away, I am curious enough to know where the story goes, so I will definitely check out the next volume.

This was a cute easy to read manga chocked full of tropes that are as familiar as they are enjoyable

There is potential here for a series that has side characters were everybody is somebody’s favorite.

Our leads are down bad for each-other in a way that’s endearing rather than infuriating

There is fan service though. I did not love getting jumpscared by an upskirt of a minor and hope that’s not indicative of of the rest of the series. I’d give the next one a shot but I’m weary

[Thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for an ARC of this manga in exchange for an unbiased review.]

This was one of those manga that I nearly skipped past and at one point I just tossed my hands up, said ‘eh, why not?’ and, boy, I’m very glad that I did. It’s a ton of fun, all things considered.

Oh, it starts off pretty basic. Akabane is the strait-laced student council president and her childhood friend, Ibuki, is a delinquent. She’s hostile to his antics, yet receptive to his advances, if he made any, and I just described dozens of manga, many from decades earlier.

Yet this embraces the past while it does something with it. In another not so surprising move, Akabane is the secret daughter of a mob boss and assassins are constantly after her. Ibuki must protect her without her learning the truth of her lineage so she has the proverbial normal life.

And if it was just that, this would be an okay, if pedestrian, story with slightly exaggerated art that I don’t love, but gets the job done. Generic would about describe it. Except it really doesn’t.

If this sounds at all interesting, I wouldn’t read a lick of any other descriptions about this story. The reason this works in the end, even amidst a couple missteps, is because it escalates wonderfully.

Now, I have no expectations that this can possibly maintain the freight train of its narrative for much longer than it just did, but it’s a hell of an effective first volume that kept me engaged the whole way through.

Just as you get one reveal that seems like you’ll have another six volumes of material, there’s another reveal, then another. And it goes after them with wild abandon. I wouldn’t say my jaw dropped, exactly, but it did manage a pretty good descent. And did I cheer at parts of this manga? Yes, yes, I did.

Ibuki and Akabane are nothing new, but I like them. Ibuki has his moments when he’s an idiot, but can also be very clever when he needs to be. When he outfoxes a mob boss in the library it’s a good laugh and very clever (although I absolutely wish they’d kept it as gay as it seemed).

Akabane is quick to fume over Ibuki’s antics or if he somehow manages to miss her occasional advances, vintage <i>Love Hina</i> right there, and the two of them could stand a little more nuance, but they’re not totally cardboard.

This absolutely manages to overcome its sometimes slight characterization by going after its plotting full throttle. And, frankly, this is one time where I feel that actually pays off.

If you aren’t already interested in these stories at all, I don’t know that it’ll change your mind. My interest is admittedly very minimal, however, and I had a great time. So, it has merit.

4 stars - certainly not perfect, for all the reasons I listed, and maybe a couple more, but it’s a really good time that knows just how to keep upping itself to make it all work. Recommended for the target audience, for sure.