Danica Davidson
October 27, 2021 
Aoi Nemo seems to have it all. He’s exceptionally rich through his family, set to inherit a pharmaceutical empire, and is a doctor to boot. He’s on the covers of magazines and is treated like a celebrity. He goes to swank parties full of bigwigs. He’s only in his twenties and he has all these things.
But he can’t get the woman he wants. He saw her once and became obsessed with her. Thanks to his money, he was able to hire someone to investigate who she is. And it turns out she’s Akaumi Kiruru, a professional assassin.
The fact that she’s an assassin doesn’t give him pause. He’s as interested in her as ever, but instead of wooing her, or even just introducing himself, he decides to meet her by putting out a hit. A hit on himself.
His riches, smarts and access to medical help let her try to assassinate him time and again, and he just survives it and keeps going. He thinks of each assassination attempt as a date. And he nicknames Kiruru “Kiru,” which is Japanese for killing someone with a blade.
While it revels in murder and violence, this is no horror title. Well, it kind of is, but it’s a horror comedy. The basis of this story is the over-the-top absurdity of it all. But what’s interesting is that it keeps implying these characters are more than they appear on the surface. For instance, Kiruru hints that she got into this line of work because of unfortunate circumstances, implying she wouldn’t be an assassin if she had a choice. She shows moments of integrity. So does Aoi, though maybe not to the same extent. After a businessman sexually harasses Kiruru, Aoi goes all after the man and makes an extreme example of him; but he does it for Kiruru’s sake, seemingly, as opposed to going out of his way for anyone else in a similar scenario.
So while the first volume is mostly just wacky and fun, it does appear as if things may get deeper from here. While probably staying wacky and fun.
Story & Art: Yasuhiro Kano
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
