Danica Davidson
February 27, 2023 
The Invisible Man and His Soon-To-Be-Wife is an unusual office romance story. Tounome is the head of a detective agency. He also happens to be invisible. You can see his suit and clothes, and if he gets cut he’ll drip blood, but you’ll never see what he actually looks like.
Yakou is an office worker at the detective agency. She’s blind, so it’s never bothered her that Tounome is invisible.
The two end up going out, and there is a lot of “are they or aren’t they dating?” stuff going on. Despite the name of the manga, there’s nothing in here about Yakou becoming anyone’s wife, let alone any time soon. The book also isn’t romantic in the traditional sense. It’s more about the two characters being quirky and sometimes awkward around each other. In one scene, for instance, Yakou accidentally sits on Tounome’s lap, not knowing that he’s there, and quickly gets embarrassed. In other scene, Tounome gets hurt and Yakou goes to help him, but it’s hard to take care of a wound when you see blood but no cut.
Quirky is a good word for the whole book. The coworkers (including a beastwoman) are quirky, as are the clients they get. Elves and aliens might come in seeking help from detectives. Though the book takes place in a detective agency, it doesn’t go into any mystery work or have the characters figure out clues. Though the coworkers and clients are unusual, it could feel like any other business and not necessarily a detective agency. The pace is laid-back, and despite the otherworldly aspects, this really feels like a slice-of-life story. There is no strong central plot, and it instead concentrates on characters and their interactions.
The artwork is a bit different from your typical manga, as everything is in black, white and turquoise. The turquoise backgrounds are more reminiscent of some Western comics. The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-be-Wife offers up something a little different for manga readers.
Story & Art: IWATOBINEKO
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Translator: Elena Kirillova
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
