High school comedy romance with a twist. Honeko Akabane, daughter of lawyers and a do-good high school president, is the secret daughter of a yakuza boss. Fight over his successor has put a target on Akabane’s head too, but her bio-father is determined to protect her.

He enlists her school mate, childhood friend and school delinquent, Arakuni Ibuki, as her bodyguard. He must keep her safe without her knowing or learning that her life is threatened. Easier said than done when a wave after another of assassins come after her. To make matters worse, she’s determined to reform him and make him a decent person, so she’s constantly stopping him from fighting.

The job might be too much for Ibuki, but luckily he’s not alone. The entire class consists of highly trained bodyguards, there to protect Akabane. Unfortunately, they don’t trust him and consider him a liability. That doesn’t stop them from putting him in the frontline of protecting Akabane. He doesn’t mind. Because he might have a slight crush on Akabane—which he won’t admit to. He definitely has a secret mission given to him by Akabane’s father: unearth the mole among her classmates.

This was a fun, action-packed start to a series. A lot happened, all of it involving assassins. Their boss won’t give up, and after Ibuki managed to enrange them, he now has a target on him too. And it’s personal.

Art was good and slightly old-fashined in style, as if this was from the 90s, even though the original is only a couple of years old. I liked the story, even if it lacked depth in the middle of all the action, and would like to read more.

Unbeknownst to her Akabane Honeko is the illegitimate child of the head of the Jingu Gangs boss and with him retiring his beloved daughter whom he has only ever wanted to have a normal life has a target on her head. So he does the most natural thing ever, enlists the help of her childhood friend Ibuki to keep her alive. Easier said than done when assassins could be lurking everywhere, even in her own class.

I've never been a huge of yakuza inspired manga, anime, and games but I gotta admit there's been a few that have come out over the last few years that have really caught my eye and this is definitely one of them. When the synopsis says it's a Assassination Classroom meets your white knight trope that pretty much nails it. Akabane's entire class is made up of elite assassins trained since childhood to protect her and like Assassination Classroom each of them have their own thing and their own quirky little personalities that either are the exact opposite of their specialty or are no brainers. Ibuki, of course, doesn't want to admit to anyone that (especially himself) that he's head over heels for Akabane although when push comes to shove and his emotions run high (which is actually all of the time) he'll admit it. And then, of course, say something stupid to Akabane. The art is great as well, and with this twist on the White Knight Trope, this becomes an adorable romance manga with an action twist. I'll be continuing this one for sure!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this.

I really wanted to like this, and in the first half I did. The art looked nice, the story looked interesting,... But in the second half it all went downhill.
They started sexualizing the girls, which I'm usually not a huge fan of, but sometimes I can disregard it. In this instance I couldn't. The whole vibe of the manga just shifted in the second half, in a way I didn't like.

So yeah, wanted to like this but the second half ruined it. If it hadn't I would have contained reading the series because the concept is quite interesting, but alas...

Thank you to Kodansha comics for the e-arc of this manga. Overall, I was entertained. This manga was an interesting change from usual yakuza manga — especially since the character everyone is trying to protect is completely unaware. Ibuki’s character was really dedicated to protecting Honeko and his dynamic with her is really cute. There was one side plot (with Masachika) that weirded me out a little bit, but I liked the manga overall. Rating: 4 🌟

High schooler Arakuni Ibuki receives an visit from a Yakuza mob boss. Ibuki is asked to serve as a bodyguard for his childhood friend Honeko Akabane during the next school year. Class 3-4 is filled with trained bodyguards but there is a mole in the class. Ibuki is supposed to keep Akabane safe and unaware while finding out the mole. Plenty of action, bit of romantic awkwardness, and nice art to keep the story rolling along. It will be interesting to see what happens in volume 2!

Thanks Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the chance to read this title.

This action-packed manga got a live-action adaptation this year, and now Kodansha is releasing the original manga! Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards spins a tangled web of action and intrigue. At its center is the aforementioned Honeko, the secret daughter of a yakuza boss. Delinquent kid Arakuni Ibuki is Honeko’s childhood friend. He’s also in charge of protecting her from assassins; but so is the rest of their class! A total of 22 highly-trained bodyguards protects the unwitting girl. And none of them much likes Ibuki.

So why is he there? That’s just it: one of those 22 bodyguards is a spy. Otherwise there would be no one targeting Honeko. So, as Ibuki protects her and battles his own feelings for her, he also has to keep an eye on his peers. And as Volume 1 comes to a close, a new threat looms in the form of Honeko’s half-sibling. This action-packed series hits hard from the first page and never lets up. If you’re a fan of series like Kill Blue and Shinobi Undercover, you’ll want to grab this one.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc!!

oh my god i don't know how to describe this other than that it's super addictive!! yes it's an action manga with romance subplot (?) but god i am hooked!! how are high schoolers allowed to be badass bodyguards?? the plot is simple, Honeka Akabane is an illegitimate child of a gang leader and her childhood bestfriend Arakuni Ibuki along with the rest of her class are to guard her and keep her alive until she graduates high school.

when they promoted this as Assassination Classroom meets Nisekoi, i didn't expect it to be so accurate. Arakuni actually being a rookie fighter wanting to protect Honeka and her dream of becoming a lawyer is so sweet especially since their feelings seem to be mutual?? anxiously waiting for them to get together.

also, the whole plot that there's a traitor among the other 22 bodyguards in class 3-4...... i haven't read the rest but i would bet so much money that it's either Sumihiko (the leader) or Nei (Honeka's bestie). plsplspls. excited to read the rest!!

Enjoyed this way more than I was anticipating! Action packed and there are good twists throughout. I felt a decent connection to the characters even though it’s only the first volume and found the plot fun and engaging so I can’t wait to read the second one!!

I did subtract 0.5 due to the oddly timed upskirt panty shot. Felt misplaced with the rest of the book, totally unnecessary.


°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:• Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for providing this arc in exchange for my honest feedback. °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:•

I want to first thank Masamitsu Nigatsu and Kodansha Comics for letting me read this first volume in exchange for an honest opinion.

Ibuki and Akabane are friends since they where childs, but when Akabane's life is in danger, Ibuki changes his role in her life and becomes his secret bodyguard (as she can not know many assassins are trying to kill her).

I really enjoyed this first volume. It reminded me a lot to Raise the tanin ga ii, because of the sort of yakuza that are after Akabane. In my opinion, there is so much happening all the time, I would have appreciated some slower scenes to get to know the characters and get to see them bond, but this is only the first chapters, I guess there would be more of these scenes in the future ones.

That being said, the constant action and the line of action on the drawings (that are stunning) make this a super quick and entertaining read.

In just this one volume alone, the main characters Honeko Akabane and Arakuni Ibuki are established as childhood friends and having crushes on each other which makes for a cute romantic dynamic.
Honeko's secret background is revealed and brings Ibuki to the forefront to be her bodyguard, but she doesn't know that he is guarding her.
Turn's out, there is someone (who is a plot twist in and of itself) that wants her dead, but along with the other classmates of class 3-4, they will never let that happen.
This was so much fun and there was so much going on from the get-go.
The art is fantastic, with the faces that show characters like Ibuki having a range of interesting faces ranging from looking really cool, really silly and even cute and blushing when he is embarrassed by people guessing (correctly even though he denies it) that he likes Honeko.
I wish that I could binge read this series, but since I can't, I will be looking out for subsequent volumes in the future.

Loads of fun and even more action! I don't know what I expected but this manga definitely delivered and then some. I was laughing the entire time and I have to say, the character design is impeccable.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for copy for review*

This was just okay. While it has an excellent set up it felt to slice of life for an action manga. Similar to Assassination Classroom so I would recommend if you enjoyed that.

I have recently gotten back into reading manga/graphic novels, and I enjoyed this fully. The relationship that Honeko Akabane and Arakuni Ibuki have makes me laugh and root for them together. He will do anything to protect her and knows her so well. I know that the rest of their class are her trained bodyguards, but they are all about doing the job. He is all about her. I'm intrigued to find out who the mole is in the class, I don't have any clues right now who it could be. The fact that she has a sister whom Arakuni Ibuki thought was a guy, and he kissed them, I could not stop laughing. I can't wait to read the next volume.

First I want to say I love the cover and it’s giving the vibes I truly expected from this book. The art style is detailed and if the plot of this series was better I would’ve thought the art aesthetic fit it perfectly.

This was simply for a younger audience, minus the fan service one shots. Which if the characters were older and didn’t just graduate middle school then I’d be aboard but not in this case. The storyline is interesting but I found myself having secondhand embarrassment and it at times was a little cringey. It was immature for the most part but if it were to target a younger audience then I think it would fit the age category well.

First, let me start with the fact that the art was gorgeous :) But as far as the story goes…Everything felt too fast-paced, the manga’s format reinforced that point: there are four mini « stories » in just one volume…They could have easily used just the first story as a whole story for the first volume, adding more depth to the characters / the development of the plot…I felt like I didn't connect with any of the characters, even the main ones like Akane and she is the central piece of the story. The plot idea wasn't bad, for example, I didn't expect the whole class to be bodyguards. It would have been cooler to finish manga with this surprise, and it would have even maybe teased the audience into reading the next volume! So, overall, I would say it just didn’t do it for me, but maybe for a younger audience, it will work :)

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

A fellow student finds out that his female classmate is the daughter of a mob/gangster boss but she is put up for adoption as a baby to protect her... but that didn't work and now everyone is after her.

This was a fun read full of action and I got invested in the story and look forward to more

In Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards, high school delinquent Ibuki is drafted into a secret bodyguard class tasked with protecting his childhood friend, Honeko—who just happens to be the unaware daughter of a powerful yakuza boss. With assassins constantly after her and Honeko totally oblivious to the danger, Ibuki and his chaotic classmates have their work cut out for them.

The premise is fun and chaotic, and at times the story delivers on that energy. But overall, it felt a bit too generic for me. The characters fall into familiar archetypes, and while the action and comedy move at a quick pace, it never quite hooked me emotionally or left me eager to read more.

The humour leans heavily toward the goofy side, which may work for some readers but didn’t always land for me. It tries to juggle school-life antics, action sequences, and hints of romance but doesn’t fully develop any of them in this volume.

One thing I did enjoy was the art—it has a nostalgic 90s manga feel that adds charm and helps carry the more chaotic scenes.

It’s not a bad start, just not one that grabbed me. I might check out the next volume out of curiosity, but I’m not rushing to continue.

With well drawn action scenes — a necessity in a book about teenage body guards fighting a collection of yakuza assassins — and well defined characters, this is an entertaining book … if what you’re looking for is a goofy teenager fighting against the growing realization of his crush, assassins, and blustering like a rooster in an effort to make himself look worthwhile to the two dozen or so other teenage bodyguards.

Arakuni, the teenage thug, is a recognizable character, loud and aggressive, violent and sulky but good hearted underneath. He’s in love with a girl with a heart of gold who happens to need a collection of body guards because her biological father is a yakuza head (she was put up for adoption as an infant and has nothing to do with the yakuza, herself). Her sibling is hot-tempered, cruel, not too bright, and wants to be the only heir standing. It’s nothing new, but it’s still fun.

I really wanted to know more about the other body guards, the other students who were raised from infancy to be protectors and killers, who have varied skills and work together as a lethal team. Maybe future volumes will give them more time to shine. There are hints of romance, but only hints in this volume.

If you’r elooking for something fast, not too deep but with potential for more chaos, with adult assassins having their asses handed to them by a bunch of kids, this might be worth the read. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the arc.

This was an enjoyable read. There's a lot of twists and turns, and the introduction of the larger cast was really fun.
I'm a sucker for a mean-face, soft-hearted lead in a manga, and Ibuki fits that trope perfectly. His shyness towards Honeko vs. his deliquent attitude/persona is very cute, and the fact that their relationship seems mutual is so cute. I'm looking forward to continuing this!

I thought this was a shoujo manga at first, but it is actually a shonen (and it shows), but I think the two manga it’s compared to in the description are pretty apt comparisons, at least based on their premises.

Arakuni Ibuki is a bit of a delinquent with an intimidating appearance and is childhood friends with Akabane Honeko, who’s the class president and dreams of becoming a lawyer. Unbeknownst to her, she’s the secret child of a yakuza boss who’s soon to retire, and her life is targeted by assassins who think she’s going to succeed her biological dad. He hires Ibuki to be her bodyguard, keeping everything a secret from Honeko, including the fact that her entire class are also her bodyguards. Ibuki has always had a crush on Honeko, so he’s willing to put his life on the line to protect her.

I know this was adapted into a live action movie recently which made me curious. This feels like a manga that you shouldn’t think too hard about if you want to enjoy the action and romance and comedy. It does feel like it’s appealing to a male audience more than a female audience with a gratuitous underwear shot of Honeko (like… it felt quite unnecessary) and though her name is in the title, Ibuki is actually the protagonist, and we don’t learn too much in depth about Honeko or really many characters yet. There is an overarching mystery about a mole in the class of bodyguards that Ibuki has to weed out, but it feels like that might not be resolved for a few more volumes. Overall, this just wasn’t to my taste.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!