Sakamoto Days meets Spy x Family in this adorable yet kick-ass graphic novel, Kindergarten Wars Vol. 1 by You Chiba.

Upon first sight, I was intrigued by the book’s description, which claims the story revolves around the "world's safest kindergarten." I thought to myself, "Well, that's new." However, I was in for a real treat when I realized that the plot is actually about a high-security kindergarten for the rich, staffed by a row of teachers who are all former assassins.

Before I knew it, I was already enjoying every minute of reading it. The number of times I smiled, laughed, and gasped cannot be counted by one's hands alone—maybe by the rain of bullets and grenades, but hands? No way.

To conclude, Kindergarten Wars Vol. 1 is a delightful blend of action, humor, and heartwarming moments, wrapped up in a truly unique premise. You Chiba masterfully balances thrilling sequences with adorable character interactions, making this graphic novel a must-read for fans of both action and slice-of-life genres. If you’re looking for something fresh, funny, and full of surprises, this series is definitely worth picking up.

Thank You NetGalley and Yen Press for the ARC!

The manga was chaotically fun! I ended up reading this almost immediately and didn't even realize I was at the end. Our Mc Rita is a silly and dangerous assassin that is on the hunt for a boyfriend that loves Ramen. Her co-workers are equally unhinged and so much fun as they are staffed to save prominent children from wealthy families from other assassins. I love the way the background of each character isn't dropped on us all at once, and gives us enough details to hook us on wanting to know more about them. I can't wait for the next volume!

A kinetic, bloody good time that seamlessly blends action and comedy in this series reminiscent of 'Happy Kanako's Killer Life' and 'Kill Me Baby'!

The plot is wild, but presented with blasé flair: At a kindergarten for wealthy children, an organization (unclear which in this volume) has staffed an entire school entirely with previously-incarcerated criminals (mostly former assassins themselves), to thwart assassination attempts and kidnappings. For promotional purposes, you could say it’s like they sent the Suicide Squad crew to teach at Abbott Elementary.

I’ll cop to being a sucker for this particular niche of screwball-assassination-comedies-in-a-school-setting (Honoka Akane’s Bodyguards was also a recent fave), but it does help that this series’ comedic timing is top notch and the main character’s single-minded pursuit of “hotties”, regardless of time, place or circumstance, never failed to delight. Although I’ll happily suggest it to the 15+ manga-loving crowd, the series' loose, Looney Toons-esque approach to violence means it might be ill-suited for younger, more impressionable audiences.

I'm pretty excited to see that Kindergarten Wars is coming out in print. Action aside, it's one of the best romantic comedies out there in manga form right now (clearly not a title meant for kindergarteners) with the premise of "What if Suicide Squad's mission was running a kindergarten under constant attack?". Rita and Doug, in charge of the Dandelion class, have quite the chemistry and I look forward to seeing how they will riff off each other in future chapters. Each chapter may appear formulaic with the baddy of the week, but volume 1 ends with the addition of a third teacher for Dandelion class and a cliffhanger. They manage to drop enough small details like brief backstories of some characters and how they keep the teachers in line, given that they are hardened criminals. The high turnover rate for teachers is mentioned, so I do wonder how frequently we're going to get new characters. In addition to the chapters that were previously released, there is a bonus chapter in this volume, which is a nice touch.

I need to read the next volume as soon as possible! What a fun ride. I loved the setting of the Kindergarten and the comedy aspects that came along with it. The art style was dynamic and suited the story perfectly. Although the plot seemed a little repetitive at first, I was totally invested in the teachers of the Dandelion class by the end. I feel like the story will open up a lot in later volumes, so I am very interested to check them out.