This is a beautifully drawn and quite dramatic historical manga that would appeal to readers looking for something unusual—and a bit dark. It follows a beautiful noblewoman, Satoko, who is determined to marry well to prove her worth to her family, despite a heart condition that may kill her at any time. She doesn’t get far, however! Satoko is captured by rogues while in town, and told they were hired to hold her prisoner. She’s quickly calculating how she could escape, then meets her hired assassin. He has wild eyes and is covered in blood, but takes his charge of leaving her untouched until the appointed time of her death very seriously. In a twist I didn’t expect—she winds up proposing marriage to him as a means to escape!

This is a darker manga than I typically read, but definitely has an unusual storyline and engaging characters. I will keep this in mind for any older patrons looking for something intense.

Such an interesting storyline with likable characters, can’t wait to see more of this series and see how the characters interact

Okay, I thought I knew what to expect...I did not expect what we got. LOL!!

Satoko is the daughter from her father's first marriage. Her mother died shortly after birth and her father eventually remarried and had a second daughter with his second wife. Satoko works hard to be elegant and a proper lady in hopes of securing a desirable husband to further her family. She gives no care for herself only hoping for a successful arrange marriage (to a man who would be okay with her health issues). After a run in with her half sister she is 'mysteriously' kidnapped by mercenaries who intend to kill her. An assassin is assigned to watch over her and she pleads with him to free her, offering herself as a bride in exchange.

Some things go down and he ends up rescuing her following up on her offer for her hand. Turns out she was kidnapped and taken to a brothel island...yeah. The guy is manipulative. He tells her the only way for her to get off the island is to become a prostitute and get a wealthy patron to pay her way off...but not to sleep with them. So when she takes him seriously he gets upset and she basically has to tell him to shut his pie hole because he's the one who told her to do it in the first place. The guy is, perhaps, at best nuts. At worst, he's super manipulative. It's not a healthy relationship, no matter how it ends.

Hard to rate, because what it does, it does well. I found it pretty disturbing, and not for the usual blood an gore, but how the assassin guy behaves towards Satoko. Will that change or is that just who he is going to be for the whole thing? I did appreciate how Satoko rapidly figures out that this guy seems to get a kick out of pushing her, seeing how uncomfortable he can make her, so she comes back and reveals that she does have a bit of spine. I'm kind of hoping that she's becomes just as cutting as him, though maybe in a different way, and puts him on the back foot in the future.

The art is beautiful, the story is interesting even if a bit disturbing, and the relationship is NOT healthy, but it's still interesting enough, in a bizarre way, that I'd definitely read the next one if I happen to see it.

I really enjoyed this title, and am looking forward to future volumes. I will not be able to recommend to my school age patrons, but I will be definitely be recommending it to adult readers.

Firefly Wedding follows Satoko, a beautiful woman from a well-off family who struggles with poor health. Before she is set to go through an arranged marriage, she is kidnapped. However, things take a turn and it is another assassin, Shinpei, who targets her. To preserve her life, Satoko makes a surprising offer: a proposal and a contract marriage. I have seen this manga all over my social media before reading it, and I have to admit I love a good yandere (and Shinpei checks all the boxes!) The art is beautiful and I'm intrigued to see where the story takes off from here.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this title in exchange for review.

Someone is out to get Satoko, daughter of a wealthy nobleman. She has her suspects in the back of her mind, however she's completely focused on the task at hand: getting back to her family and marrying herself off to the benefit of her household.

Kidnapped and her life threatended, Satoko finds herself pledging her heart and hand in marriage to her hired assasin Shinpei. Only a couple years older than her, Shinepei lives a mysterious and dangerous life. However, with Satoko's bleak outlook on life, he falls head over heels for her. The two set out to get Satako back to her family, however she has to adjust to Shinpei's lifestyle as the two navigate their newfound "relationship."

The art, the storyline, all of this was so good. I am already so eager to read the next volume. Shojo lovers and historical fanatics will surely enjoy this title. 5/5 stars.

This new Viz Manga release takes “marriage of convenience” to a whole new level. Firefly Wedding, penned by Oreco Tachibana, follows a Meiji-era noble named Satoko who has a heart condition that threatens to cut her life short. Her father wants to find her a husband to support her in her scant remaining years, but her beauty and poise can’t hide the fact that she could die any day. And as the manga begins, “any day” might be today… because she’s been kidnapped by an assassin!

To save herself, Satoko offers to marry the assassin Shinpei. Not only does it work, but he’s ridiculously into it. Now on the run, with neither having any idea who hired Shinpei, the two work out their tenuous relationship. It’s a perfect pick for anyone who likes their romance with a heaping helping of angst and drama. If you like your boys troubled, weird, and willing to kill for you, Shinpei may be your new crush.

I loved this! I am intensely intrigued, and I can't wait to pick up the next volume. The art style is also gorgeous.

I loved this. There's a fast start, and really interesting characters that at first seem to be similar to other mangas, but quickly we find out that they're completely unique! While I was slightly taken aback by Goto at first, readers like me will easily warm up to his maniacal, earnest energy. He reminds me of Chika Takiishi from Windbreaker in the best possible way. I can't wait to see what depths there are to his and Satoko's characters- I think they'll develop so well! The art style is beautiful and the character expressions and action are well-drawn. I loved this and can't wait to read more in this series!

This was a manga I couldn't really get into... However, that doesn't suggest it isn't well-written or illustrated. It just wasn't the type of story I typically go for.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked it! The story is intriguing. The cover is completely different to what I thought the story was gonna be about, but enjoyed it.

The art was beautiful and I liked the characters. Satoko seems very strong despite what she’s going through and Goto is interesting. He’s still a mystery to me but I’m willing to find out as more volumes release. He looks like a cinnamon roll, but will certainly kill you.

I loved this. Shinpei is hot and cold and completely obsessed with marriage-focused Satoko. The art style is beautiful and skillfully shows what mood Shinpei is in. For a first volume, it did a very good job of setting up the story. I'm very excited for future volumes!

I was excited to come across an official translation of this series! I had seen a few chapters of it previously and the premise pulled me in. This series isn't for everyone, it is more for people who like a romantic interest to be a bit off kilter, a bit scary. I'm interested in seeing what other scenarios happen for this couple.

oh, this was written for teenage me and I am so here for it. Lots of fun and definitely unhinged, I am super curious where this story is going to go from here

This was such a fun read! Totally wasn't sure if I was gonna like it, though I quickly realized that I was gonna like it. This ended up being one of those rare I read it in one sitting kind of books (high praise). I would argue that the mmc's facial expression might have been my favorite part!
I plan continuing this series as it comes out!
5/5

I'm so glad this series is getting a Western release, while I have read part of it before, it's great to revisit. This is a romance story, a historical story, but has the added twist of story not being what you typically expect to find in romance manga. After her stepmother tries to kill her, Satoko has no choice but to sway Shinpei, one of the assassin's to her side, which she does by promising to marry him. The two escape to a red light district on an island where the story revolves around them trying to find a way off the island. I love the characters and the setting, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

5/5

Sakoto has lived her life at death’s door. Even as a nobleman’s daughter, with wealth and the beauty of a goddess, she can’t do anything but worry about how long she’ll live. Her father just wants her to marry and be happy, and Sakoto just wants her father to be happy. Unfortunately, fate has other plans. Suddenly thrust into the care of an assassin, Sakoto has no other choice but to propose a deal for her safety: marriage.

I could easily read the whole manga right now. Even if it were 50 volumes. I would DEVOUR it.

The art is wonderful. I love how the MMC’s facial expressions are very expressive and shows the range of emotions he feels, even with his personality. But my personal favourite? Sakoto’s hair. Her hair is a character itself. Tachibana gets it. The way they draw hair is worship worthy.

I wish this volume went on forever. Cannot wait to read the next one.

The beautiful daughter of a noble who has a rare heart condition has lived her whole life with one purpose: to secure a marriage that would benefit her family before she dies... but when she finds herself kidnapped, she'll have to rely on the most unlikely person to save her, the very same murderer who was supposed to kill her and in exchange she'll marry him. Satoko is the daughter of a noble who has lived a sheltered life due to her heart condition. She is stunning and determined to repay her father's love by marrying someone who would benefit the family. Yet when she is kidnapped and about to be attacked, she meets Shinpei, a mysterious murderer who she offers her hand in marriage in exchange for him rescuing her. The more time Satoko and Shinpei spend together the more she begins to find herself falling for this strange, loving man who would sooner cut off someone's limb than let anyone get between them. This is the first volume in the series and I am officially addicted. It's charming, got a sweet romance, eccentric characters, and absolutely keeps you hooked!

Release Date: Jan 14,2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and VIZ Media | VIZ Media LLC for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I can see why people were excited when this manga got licensed for an English release! There's a lot going on in this first volume! I do love how the story sets itself up as a sort of Cinderella tale at first with the inner family conflict, but then it takes a hard left turn into a suspense story. Now, the girl who only saw herself as a useful pawn for her family actually has to try living for her own sake until she makes it back to her household, and her only ally is the man who was supposed to kill her. It's complicated, intriguing and the art sells the unease. If this is your jam, this is some very good jam.

I'll be honest, I'm not very much into gore, so I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get through this. I was pleasantly surprised though, I really loved this story and I'm planning to continue reading this moving forward.
A young woman of prominence is kidnapped, and negotiates with her presumed assassin; if he helps her live and escape her situation, she will marry him. The premise definitely is very interesting, but for me what made it more interesting is seeing the main character's thought process and survival skills in this situation. Her male lead is quite literally sent to kill her, and he's quite scary, and I like that she acknowledges this. Their dynamic is interesting, as they're both playing into a fake relationship with ulterior motives, and I liked seeing her keep with the mental games he was playing. There is a decent amount of gore, but it isn't too graphic if you're sensitive to it like I am that it would steer you away from reading this.
I'd recommend this manga to any readers who like a good suspenseful story with some action and surprisingly, a bit of comedy.